gridlore: The Imperial Sunburst from the Traveller role-playing game (Gaming - Sunburst)
Douglas Berry ([personal profile] gridlore) wrote2023-08-06 01:25 pm
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A minor correction to Traveller

I'm a history geek. I admit it.

One of the things that has been a bug in my ear for years was the name given to Traveller's ubiquitous Type S Scout/Courier—the Suleiman class. Now Suleiman the Lawgiver (Ḳānūnī Sulṭān Süleymān) was many things. A great leader, a scholar, a warrior. He was not, however, noted for being interested in exploring.

So I've decided, should I run Traveller again, that the Type-S Scout/Courier will be the Ibn Battua class.

Abu Abdullah Muhammed ibn Baatuah, also known as Ibn Battua, was a Berber traveler and scholar born in 1304. Over thirty years, he extensively explored various regions of the world, including but not limited to North Africa, the Middle East, East Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, the Iberian Peninsula, and West Africa. Before his passing, he left behind a detailed account of his travels, titled A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonder of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, better known as The Rihala.