Subsector Sourcebook 3 – Hub
Subsector Sourcebook 3: Hub
From: Gypsy Knights Games
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Subsector Sourcebook 3: Hub is a new RPG Supplement from Gypsy Knights Games.
What I like about the Clement Sector a lot is the carried amount of independent worlds throughout it. However, I also like the possibility of an all-powerful authority somewhere. The Hub Subsector, the first sector to be populated by humans in Clements, presents an interesting dynamic between a burgeoning “federation” and several independent worlds.
From the DriveThruRPG.com product page:
“The Hub subsector is a group of independent worlds which surround The Hub Federation.”
The key to each of these subsector books is to read into them and really appreciate the differences between each. The differences may be in the printed word in the book or the unwritten potential that a GM sees as he reads, but there is a difference. What I see in this particular sector are signs of things to come for the rest of the sector. If you realistically apply human nature and explode what you see happening on this world into the imaginative Clement Sector setting, you can easily see these signs. This, of course, assumes you use the default setting – a sector colonized by Earth factions through a mysterious wormhole that collapsed 11 years ago.
The Hub Sector sourcebook covers the 13 other worlds outside the Hub Federation. The Hub Federation is covered in a separate sourcebook (also reviewed here). The Hub is made up of two major regions or clusters of planets and several “bridge” worlds or worlds otherwise isolated that act as bridges to deeper points into the subsector. The Hub Federation is one of those major regions and the Sophronius region is the other.
Sophronius region is made up of five independent worlds. They, like many in this region, have resisted the pull to join the Hub Federation. This is one area that I think is a sign of things to come. Independence can be a good thing, like in many cases throughout the sector, but it also can be a bad thing. On Sophronius, for instance, factionalism can settle in and infighting has torn the world apart. In the modern world on Earth, violence like that tends to spread, limited only by natural boundaries. In this setting, the natural boundaries are the Z-Drive limitations. However, that could be only a temporary limitation.
The other worlds in the Sophronius region vary from small cold worlds with small populations to moderately populated temperate worlds. They are unaffected by the wars waging on Sophronius but in time, that could change.
From the DriveThruRPG.com product page:
“Each world comes complete with detailed information concerning the system and the planet itself, yet leaves the Referee plenty of room to use these worlds as he/she sees fit.”
One particular bridge world of note is Kingston. Diametrically opposed to the Hub Federation, the population of Kingston (700 million) is ruled by a theocracy based on a fringe cult called Caxtonism. Stemming from a “prophet” who re-interpreted Biblical teachings, he wrote his own version and many flocked to his cause. This world is set up as the anti-thesis to the Hub Federation, with rumors of military buildup and sabre rattling.
Interestingly, there also are a few worlds that are prime for take over and could be the trigger to violence in the subsector. Two low population worlds come to mind for me. Sheba and Viteges are two prime worlds that factions within the subsector could end up fighting over. This is only an idea and only vaguely hinted at in the text, but if you read into the subtext of the politics within this sector, this subsector could be a powder keg.
In conclusion, in many ways, this book is very similar to other subsector books. It gives you just enough to get the picture and enough room to expand however you want. If you plan on running the Celemt sector setting, I would not get this without also getting The Hub Federation sourcebook. This book is different in that it gives you a picture of what could happen in the Clement sector as a whole. With it being the oldest subsector, the politics have had more time to develop and the impact of the Collapse was felt the most. It has a developing galactic authority and it also has the embers of a sector-wide war smoldering. So which way will the sector go? You get to decide.
After reviewing several of these sourcebooks, if I had to honestly criticize, it would be the organization of the books. I would recommend placing tabs of each system’s name along the top so I could flip through and find them easily. I also would format the table of contents a little better. I have always liked the art used in the books, however. It is very inspiring and appropriate for the setting.
For more details on Gypsy Knights Games and their new RPG Supplement “Subsector Sourcebook 3: Hub” check them out at their website http:// www.gypsyknightsgames.com.
Codex Rating: 18
Product Summary
Subsector Sourcebook 3: Hub
From: Gypsy Knights Games
Type of Game: RPG Supplement
Written by: John Watts
Contributing Authors: Curtis Rickman
Cover Art by: Luca Oleastri
Additional Art by: Ian Stead, Matt Kerns, Luca Oleastri, Angela Harburn, Jankaliciak, 3Quarks, Algol
Number of Pages: 107
Game Components Included: One soft back book or PDF
Game Components Not Included: Core Traveller RPG books, Clement Sector setting book or PDF
Retail Price: $25 (US)
Website: www.gypsyknightsgames.com
Reviewed by: Ron McClung