Spodilicious
  • News
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    • Contents
  • Rage Virus
    • Part 1 - A police story
    • Part 2 - Attrition
    • Part 3 - Going nowhere
    • Part 4 - Special Weapons and Tactics
    • Part 5 - Tactical retrograde
    • Part 6 - Mission accomplished
    • Part 7 - It's pretty much all downhill from here
    • Part 8 - Hollerton Field
    • Part 9 - Out of the frying-pan
    • Part 10 - How few remain
  • Five Men in Ukraine
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 30 October 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 05 November 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 14 November 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 29 November 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 13 December 1943
  • First Bishops' War
  • DBA
    • Mongols v Georgians
    • Timurids v Georgians
    • Mongols v Il-khanids
    • Mongols v Il-khanids II
    • Pre-feudal Scots v Anglo-Danish
    • Caledonians v Scots-Irish
    • Vikings v Saxons
    • Mongol campaign
    • Ming v Mongols campaign
    • Picts v Strathclyde Britons
    • Mongols v Russians
    • Russians v Swedes
    • Danes v Prussians
    • Kaykhusraw & the Mongols
    • Köse Dağ
    • Mongols in Korea
    • Mongols in Korea II
    • Yuan v Koreans
    • The Danes in Estonia
    • Danes v Estonians
    • Norwegians v Scots 1263
  • SF
    • Sladden >
      • Sladden - chapter 0
      • Sladden - chapter 1
      • Sladden - chapter 2
      • Sladden - interlude I
      • Sladden - chapter 3
      • Sladden - chapter 4
      • Sladden - chapter 5
      • Sladden - interlude II
      • Sladden - chapter 6
    • Dunhold >
      • Dunhold I - the raid
      • Dunhold II - the Guffinsson device
      • Dunhold III - a walk in the country
      • Dunhold IV - assassin's greed
      • Dunhold V - assault on precinct XIII
      • Dunhold VI - hostage & rescue
      • Dunhold VII - the gun
      • Dunhold VIII - tank shock
      • Dunhold IX - raid on Beteneb
      • Dunhold X - firebase Ragnhild
      • Dunhold XI - hit and run
      • Dunhold XII - just-in-time logistics
      • Dunhold XIII - infiltration
      • Dunhold XIV - Applewhite & Nettles
      • Dunhold XV - 'They've got a cave troll!'
      • Dunhold XVI - The bridges at Itrook
    • Dalek Invasion >
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 1
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 2
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 3
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 4
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 5: Bob's story
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 6: Bob's story (2)
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 7: Dalek hunters
      • Dalek invasion - cast
    • Voyage of the USS Minotaur
    • Mutants & Death Ray Guns >
      • From Dust: Introduction >
        • From Dust: Prologue
        • From Dust: Chapter 1 - the Trademaster
        • From Dust: Chapter 2 - the Wretched
        • From Dust: Chapter 3 - the Device
        • From Dust: Chapter 4 - Tucamari
      • Big Dode in the wastelands >
        • 1 - The ordeal
        • 2 - The rats
        • 3 - An ally
        • 4 - Scorpion!
        • 5 - Water! Water!
        • 6 - Cornered rats
        • 7 - The river
        • 8 - R-10-T
        • 9 - The pilgrims
        • 10 Hostile contacts
        • Appendix 1 - Bestiary
      • Don Chimpanzino
      • Therianthropes are go!
      • Against the Wretched >
        • Against the Wretched - 1
        • Against the Wretched - 2
        • Against the Wretched - 3
      • Rangers of the wasteland >
        • RotW scene I
        • RotW scene II
    • Five Parsecs from Home: The Independent Scout part 1
    • Five Parsecs from Home: The Independent Scout part 2
    • Five Parsecs from Home: Jot the Jawa
    • Five Parsecs from Home - Arcadian Phoenix
    • Schar's World
    • Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Goats, Rats and Pigs >
      • Chapter 1
    • Marines v Aliens
    • Fallout >
      • Fallout - part 1
      • Fallout - part 2
      • Fallout - Resistance part 1
      • Fallout - Resistance part 2
    • England Invaded! >
      • Ottoman airship raiders
      • A sharp action at Fawkham
      • On the road to Canterbury
    • Gangs of New Neasden >
      • Gangs of New Neasden part 2
    • Post-Brexit Gangs of Middlesborough
    • Operation Last Train
    • Silver Thorn
    • Goblin Civil War
  • Dark Ages skirmish
    • Dark Ages skirmish: Chapter 1
    • Dark Ages skirmish: Chapter 2
    • Dark Ages skirmish: Chapter 3
  • Douglas of the 92nd.
    • Douglas of the 92nd. - the supply column
    • Douglas of the 92nd. - the heliograph station
  • The First World War
    • Mesopotamia
    • Trench raiding
    • Panzer Angst September 15th 1916
    • Freikorps
    • Biplane Barmy
    • 1914
    • 1914 - Opening Moves
    • Night falls over Jutland
    • 1919
    • Zeppelin L33 over England
    • Journey's End
  • Horse & Musket
    • Meyvaci Ali and the British invasion
    • Meyvaci Ali and the troublesome dervish
    • Meyvaci Ali and the Albanian raiders
    • Meyvaci Ali and the caravan
    • Meyvaci Ali and the tax collector
    • Meyvaci Ali and the customs-house
    • Meyvaci Ali and the revolting Martolos
    • Meyvaci Ali and the Albanian menace
    • Napoleonic Ottomans
    • Late 17th century >
      • Kirk o Shotts
      • Covenanters at Pitlochry
      • Auchtermuchty
    • Jacobites
    • O Brien's Farm
    • Turks v Russians
    • Turks v Russians 2
    • The Peninsula
    • Altdorf April 23rd 1813
    • Alcuesta
    • The Old West
  • Samurai
    • Lord Sugiyama and the ten ronin
    • Neshikocho 1618
    • Ikko-ikki
  • One Hour Wargames
    • China 1937
    • 16th century Japan
  • Arty farty
    • Aberlemno
    • Acharn
    • Aikey Brae
    • Aquhorthies
    • Auld Bourtreebush
    • Balgorkar (Castle Fraser)
    • Barpa Langais
    • Barra Hill
    • Binghill
    • Brandsbutt stone
    • Broomend of Crichie
    • Clune
    • Croft Moraig
    • Cullerlie
    • Cuween Hill
    • Dunnideer
    • Clach an Tiompain / Eagle Stone
    • Cnoc Freiceadain
    • Eassie
    • Easter Aquhorthies
    • Glassel
    • Inveravon
    • Kilmartin Glen
    • Kintore stone
    • Kirkton of Bourtie
    • Lenabo
    • Leuchar Moss
    • Loanhead of Daviot
    • Loch Kinord
    • Machrie Moor
    • Maiden Stone
    • Meigle
    • Midmar Kirk
    • Migvie
    • Mulloch
    • Piobull Fhinn
    • Sunhoney
    • Tollohill
    • Tomnaverie
    • Auchindoun
    • Fedderate castle
    • Fowlsheugh
    • Slains castle
    • Bullers o Buchan
    • Camster
    • Coire Fraoichidh / Corrichie
    • Cruden Bay
    • Gourdon
    • Kinclaven
    • Loch Eich
    • Nairn beach
    • Newburgh
    • Perwinnes Moss (Scotstown Moor)
    • St. Fillans
    • Cairn o Mounth
    • Animals
    • Interesting rocks
    • And quiet flows the Dee
    • Enchanted Forest, Pitlochry
    • Strange skies
    • Covid-19 lockdown
    • One tree, one year
    • The trees
  • Fantasy
    • Song of Blades & Heroes >
      • A cautionary tale
      • Song of Arthur & Merlin
      • Succession
      • The short-lived adventures of Yark the kobold
      • Gondor v Orcs
      • Cormyr - introduction >
        • Cormyr - the watchtower
        • Cormyr - the ambush
        • Cormyr - the outpost
      • The adventures of Zou Kov >
        • The palace of Covidius I
        • The palace of Covidius II
        • The palace of Covidius III
        • The palace of Covidius IV
        • The howling
        • The beacon
        • The castle
        • Assassination
        • Run out of town
        • A new start
        • Kobold caves
      • The Dark Company
      • Alquin of Barrowdale
      • The Young Kingdoms
      • Zothique
      • Hyperborea
      • Vadagh
    • The Sword Coast
    • The Sword Coast - Zook Turen's story I
    • The Sword Coast - Theophylact the Tendentious I
    • Lord of the Rings >
      • Mahud & Haradrim v Gondor
      • Hobbits v goblins
      • Rohan v Dunlendings
      • Gondor v Haradrim & Mahud
      • Gondor v Dunlendings
      • Faramir at Osgiliath
    • Five Leagues from the Borderlands
  • Second World War
    • Atlantic Convoy SC41
    • Burma 1943
    • Martelange
    • Dzyatlava
    • Monopoly Blitz
    • Ten minutes on a Burmese afternoon
    • Neil Thomas
    • Manchuria
    • D-Day
    • Bolt Action >
      • Encounter at Villages Pas Vrai
      • Manhunt
      • The secret agent
      • Envelopment
  • Irish independence
  • Who thought this was a good idea?
  • Modern
    • Afghanistan 2009
    • AK47 Republic
  • Terrain
    • Terrain showcase
  • Back catalogue
    • Aberdeen Beyond 2000
    • MDRG four-way scrap
    • Published articles
  • Le salon des spods
    • Semi-random scenario generation
  • Extended universe
    • Spodlight
    • Spodcast
    • There Will Be Spods
    • Spodify
  • All Under One Banner
    • All Under One Banner 03 June 2017
    • All Under One Banner 05 May 2018
    • All Under One Banner 04 May 2019
    • All Under One Banner 17 August 2019
    • All Under One Banner 07 October 2019
    • All Under One Banner 11 January 2020
    • All Under One Banner 02 April 2022
  • Scrapbook
  • Fear & Faith
  • Gaslands
Picture
Armen Raspagius Velgid
"Of course we had no idea at the time that we were being manipulated. Most of the information is not available to me, but I think we were being watched from at least the time we achieved spaceflight, maybe before, and probably influenced from then as well.

"As you know the two continents on Meriscane had been unified under a single government each about five hundred years ago, and the two governments settled their differences a hundred years later and formed a single world-wide government. It was not long after that that we developed interstellar drive and sent out missions to the three systems within range which we thought would have planets able to sustain life. When I say within range I mean within a viable travel-time; as a journey took many years there was no point in sending expeditions if the crew would be too old to do anything when they got there. Of course I know now that your ships make that journey in a few days at the most. The new worlds were viable, if a bit bleak, and colonisation went on at a good rate. The adventurous, the disenfranchised and the criminal set off to get a fresh start, leaving Meriscane with a much more tractable population.

"As part of the colonisation effort naturally we needed a decent army. We needed to keep order on the colonies for a start, and sometimes more colonists were required than could be supplied by volunteers alone. Once established on the colonies some settlers resented the resources of their new homes being shipped away for the benefit of Meriscane and occasionally caused trouble. Furthermore due to the travel-time there was not much scope for rotation of army units between the colonies and home and units sometimes forgot their duty and identified too much with the colonies they were stationed on. So there was also the occasional military rebellion to put down. All this meant that our army was used to internal security operations but not to full-scale warfare.

"
After a century or so of this we were contacted. Just a single ship, but big enough and advanced enough to give us the message.  When we saw the ambassadors we were astonished to find they were just like us. Of course now I know that people like us are 'Standard', unexceptional, but then that was a great surprise. They established an embassy on Meriscane and were very friendly and helpful in trivial ways. They were allies, or subjects, of the Idirans, but we did not know that at the time. I suppose the Idirans used them because they were Standards; the news that there were starfaring crabs enormously more advanced and powerful than us might have been too much of a shock at that stage. As would the fact that we were not as important as we had thought and were instead very small fish in a very large pond.

"By the time of contact the Popular Party had been in power for forty or so years, their only rivals the Party of Permanence crippled by disunity and recurring scandals. With hindsight that was probably the work of the ambassadors too. The Populars were keen on colonisation as it drove the economy and provided a humane way to deal with weeded-out dissidents, and when they announced that a fourth system was now in reach thanks to certain tweaks to our star-drives kindly supplied by the ambassadors there was no opposition to occupying the habitable planet in that system. Unlike the other colonies that planet, Sladden, already had inhabitants. We were told that it had been colonised long ago by someone else and since pretty much abandoned. The planet was resource-rich, already partly developed, and had a convenient ready-made supply of workers who would welcome the attention of a new proprietor.

"They didn't, of course."

From an interview with Armen Raspagius Velgid, ex-member of the ruling council of the Meriscane Confederation, while in exile on Dibaldipen Orbital.


Please click below to go to the page you are looking for.
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden.html Overview and planetary data for Sladden
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---chapter-0.html Mini-campaign rules
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---chapter-1.html A game played using MDRG
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---chapter-2.html Another game played using MDRG
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---interlude-i.html Background to the Meriscane intervention on Sladden
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---chapter-3.html A game played using FUBAR
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---chapter-4.html Outline of a game that has yet to be played
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---chapter-5.html A game played using FUBAR
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---interlude-ii.html Background to the Meriscane intervention (continued)
http://www.spodilicious.com/sladden---chapter-6.html A game played using Blast Pistol

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