About Spinward Stars

Spinward Stars was designed and is maintained by Samuel Reynolds. The SpinwardStars.com domain is owned by Samuel Reynolds.

Spinward Stars and the Spinward Stars logos on these pages are trademarks of Samuel Reynolds. Unless otherwise marked, all material here is copyright © 1999-2002 by Samuel Reynolds, All Rights Reserved.

What's in a Name?

Once upon a time, there was a science fiction role-playing game named Traveller. (Still is, sort of, and it's reviving with a vengeance using the GURPS role-playing system from Steve Jackson Games. Yippee!) And once upon a time (about the same time, actually), a college student named Sam Reynolds had an interstellar Scout character in that game, who received--as a mustering-out benefit--the superannuated scout ship on which he had served for his last 7 years. He named it Spinward Stars. (The Imperial Scout Service, throughout the ship's decades of service, never gave it more than a number--go figure!) The character and campaign both were remarkably short-lived, but the name has never left me.

In reading through the various Traveller literature--rule books, fan materials, etc.--I have never seen the name or term Spinward Stars used. (That doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't been used anywhere; just that I haven't been able to find it.) Spinward Marches, yes. Spinward Main, yes. But never Spinward Stars. So I took it for my own.

For those of you not familiar with the conventions of science fiction and astrocartography, spinward is a galactic "compass" direction in the spiral arms of a galaxy such as the Milky Way. (That's our galaxy, not a sugar-and-caramel confection!) Spinward means "in the direction of galactic spin." The other 5 "compass" directions are anti-spinward or trailing, coreward (toward the galactic core), rimward (toward the galactic rim, the opposite of coreward), north, and south.

Colophon

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