Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Worlds & Adventures, page 3

Alright, I've got a map! That's right, I'm creating a subsector. Since page 3 is just a blank hex map, I'm going to begin creating a gaming environment as I go through this book. Who knows? It might end up in a book. Writers do that sort of thing, after all. Even ones who are behind on their personal deadlines.

I started out by making a copy of page 3, then using a spreadsheet to quickly generate the worlds and the starports. I then did the jump routes, and here's what I got:

Not bad, eh? There are a few interesting features of this map. Now, I'm still not 100% up to speed on what these starports mean, but considering how the tables are set up, I'm going to make a few educated guesses. First, 'X' most likely means no starport at all, since there is no 'X' on the jump route table.

Second, that's a nice little string of 'A' ports at the top, isn't it? Six of them within a few hexes, although I managed to roll two 1s when trying to connect the two-hex jumps from 0502 and 0602 to 0403. Still, it's a nice little circular route. If 'A' is the best and richest kind of starport, then I've got my main civilization area figured out.

Third, there are a couple of isolated spots. Those three 'E' ports in the first column (at the top and two in the middle) are jump-route free. Nobody seems to want to go there. Is that because they have no resources worth exploiting? I mean, I even managed to roll a 1 on the A-E connection. That world must really suck.

The second isolated spot is in the bottom half in the middle. There are four stars connected, a B and three C ports. So, the B port is likely the most important one there, but it has no connection to that A port at 0205. I accidentally double-rolled on the C-C connection at the bottom, so you can see the erased marks there. But that C and E are alone down there, next to an 'X' port. They don't even have a connection with each other.

In the bottom-left, there's a larger grouping that's cut off from the rest of he map. Two 'B' ports form the heart, but all six of them are connected in a group. Maybe those two groupings are going to be military opponents. They're both anchored by 'B' ports, not 'A' ports, so maybe they're like the petty kings instead of the imperial overlords in that chunk of 'A' ports at the top.

And then there's that lonely little 'E' port down at the bottom. No one-hex jump world available to even try to connect to it. I just know I'm going to put something awesome down there as an adventure location. It's the space equivalent of the heart of Africa; of course I'm going to make it an adventure spot!

So, there are some interesting possibilities already, and I still have no clue what any of these worlds look like. On to the next page, where we will learn...something new. I'm not looking ahead anymore.

After I'm done creating this subsector, I might have Bard Conley take the Scheherazade out there to explore. Maybe one of those 'A' ports is actually Earth. That would be fun to do. So, if people like the first book, available now on Amazon, let me know. It's pulp-style space action, with pirates, treasures, dangerous monsters, and exotic locations all across the solar system. Check it out!