A newbie with a problem...

[NightRaven]

Hi everyone!

I have a problem and I thought you could help me.
Time ago I ran a GURPS Traveller campaign with my usual players but things gone wrong between one of the players and the rest and I had to left if unfinished. One of problems that my players had was the background. As only a friend of mine and me can read English there is no stuff that my players can read. Now I want to start again and I don't have an idea of which millieu could be better for newbies (I prefer the alternate setting by SJG) and the most difficult thing, I don't know how to make Traveller easier to access for my players. Could you give me any idea about how get rid of these problems?

Thanks.

P.S.: If you cannot understand something, let me know, my English is not very good.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Your English is fine!

The "Classic Era" (1100s, Spinward Marches) is the most popular. The best way of explaining it to the players is to make them watch a DVD of Firefly/Serenity!

Interstellar Wars might be easier, since it's closer to home and there's less history to know.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Yes, the Classic Era is probably the most available.

I don't know what languages Traveller is in, nowadays. (I do know someone on these boards was working on a French translation of the rulebook.) So, I don't know an easy way for you to get any of it in your language.

Andrew is right that watching Firefly/Serenity would be a good way to set the tone, but I don't know which languages it is available in.

 

[Commander Drax]

Didn't dgp start publishing their stuff in spanish I think the firm was called 'Des Orbitals' or something like that.

From the sentence structure and grammar of the original post I'm guessing that Night Raven's first language is spanish or at least one of the Romance Languages with a solid latin base. Could be wrong (Failed Linguistic's roll).

What language do you need Night Raven, we'll try and get you some help in that language.

 

[NightRaven]

Spanish is my mother language, and yes, years ago (when I discovered RPG's) Diseños Orbitales (Orbital Designs could be a translation) published the first three booklets of CT in a softcover format. They also provided you with the game "run for the page" that consisted in trying to keep all the pages inside the book... Nowadays, it's nearly impossible to find a copy of those books neither a complete one.
I love the Firelfy show, I have access to the subtitled episodes because never reached Spain (in Spanish I meant) and it's a great idea to show them to my players.
The main problem is that last time I tried to introduce a megacorporation as a recurring villain (SuSag or Tukera) my players got lost in such things because they didn't know what was happening (I did the common intro) and they were expected to act. I'd love running a smugglers-style campaign, but doing so with a group who knows nothing about the Traveller universe it's difficult, and they have asked me about some material to get a solid background about what they can/can't do and those things.

Sorry, too much things to say and I still don't know if I made it clear XD

 

[Lord Iron Wolf]

Andre Norton books

?Is it possible for you to get ahold of Andre Norton's stories from the 50's and 60's? Used bookstores or libraries might be the best source. They should get a good feel for Traveller there. Jack Vances Demon Princes novels and Gaen Reach may help too.

Find these books for you players and have them read them. That will allow they to get a feel for the Traveller Universe and it is easier than translating the three LBB's to spanish. (I wonder if this has been done on the web somewhere?)

Lord Iron Wolf

 

[Gadrin]

Hi everyone!

I have a problem and I thought you could help me.
Time ago I ran a GURPS Traveller campaign with my usual players but things gone wrong between one of the players and the rest and I had to left if unfinished. One of problems that my players had was the background. As only a friend of mine and me can read English there is no stuff that my players can read. Now I want to start again and I don't have an idea of which millieu could be better for newbies (I prefer the alternate setting by SJG) and the most difficult thing, I don't know how to make Traveller easier to access for my players. Could you give me any idea about how get rid of these problems?

Thanks.

P.S.: If you cannot understand something, let me know, my English is not very good.

boy that's a tough one, as half the fun of RPGs is reading on your own and coming up with ideas to contribute to the game.

aside from TV shows you might need to start writing things on your own, which could take quite a while.

I'd convert only the parts you plan on using for the time being.

If you have GURPS Space 3e or older, they have a campaign plan/form in the book which might help you map your strategy. I'd fill it out for myself then work out which parts need translation for your friends.

You also might want to translate the section in the back of the GURPS Traveller book that deals with technology. You might be able to get a tape recorder and sit down and explain each of the items to them when you have time and record it. Then they can use the tape when you're not around (make copies; convert to .WAV files, etc). Or just re-write it all out by hand. Then over time, add more and more items to it.

Sounds like a tough road ahead for you, but I think you can do it.

You might post over on the SJG BBS http://forums.sjgames.com/index.php?
it's a very multi-national/multi-cultural community and see if anyone has a web-site already done that will help you out.

 

[Icosahedron]

I was about to mention a tape recorder myself. You could take it further and play the tape into a computer with speech recognition software to get a printed version. I'm not sure what that would mean for copyright, but it's for personal use and it's Equal Opportunities, isn't it?

Commander Drax: I failed linguistics too, but I just checked out the location - Malaga - and drew the obvious conclusion.

 

[Gadrin]

well, if you and your friends have access to a computer or two that *should* make things easier...theoretically.

 

[NightRaven]

First of all, thank for everybody. The tapes idea it's very good (though I'll do something similiar with a .mp3 format), I've tried to found the Andrew Norton books but I think they never were published here, the Vancian ones were sometime between 1969 - 1981... so you can imagine how easy to find they are!
I've translated the GURPS Space 3rd ed campaign sheet into spanish and I'm going to give a copy to each of my players. I'm sure that will be in help. And I've found a copy of the Classic Traveller book in spanish!! the three LBB!!

I've decided to start my campaign in Trin's Veil, far enough from the most dangerous zones but with a good jump-1 link, probably in the GT milieu but some years before (1106-1115). I'm sure all your tips will be very helpful.

Again, thank you very much.

 

[Gadrin]

you're quite welcome...good luck in the Marches!

 

[BlackBat242]

OK, maybe your difficulty with finding the Andre Norton books stems from this:

Her name is Andre, not Andrew... perhaps you might have better luck with that name.

Here is a website that has all of her works listed (through 2002, more were published since then):
http://www.andre-norton.org/

Look especially for books with these characters/themes:
Jern Murdock, Solar Queen, Free Traders, Forerunner/Shan Lantee

The list is here:
http://www.andre-norton.org/books/date.html

 

[Scott Martin]

You may also want to look at books by H Beam piper, especially "Space Viking" which has the original references to the Sword Worlds (you may recognize many of the names appearing in the Spinward Marches...)

Look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Beam_Piper

Here for a list of his books that are freely available:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p#a8301

and here for a free (copyright expired) copy of Space Viking:
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/20728

I don't know how good automated translation software is these days, but these are in text format, so they should be fairly straightforward to translate into Spanish (and may already have been translated...)

Scott Martin

 

[NightRaven]

Another creepy question!

I have found a copy of Space Viking in Spanish... it was one of the newest and it was from 1967!! I am sure it'll be useful. Thanks Scott.
I'm still looking for Andre Norton books, probably I'll have to look for an English copy :alpha:

However I have a new question, my players and I have decided to run a campaign around a ship that make earnings looking for stranded vessels and (usually) selling them to some megacorporation, the imperial or something like that (keep in mind that I'm still a newbie in these things) the problem came later. Can a ship tow another one let's say to a near planet and land? could it be possible through jumpspace? How big has to be the towing one? Where can I find that information? Where can I find how really jumpspace work?

I'm sorry for filling you again with lots of questions but you are my only source of Traveller knowledge!!

P.S.: I'm reading lots of GURPS Traveller books too but which CT or MT or T:NE or T4 books should I read? the you'd ought to stuff I mean.

 

[Gadrin]

most smaller ships ride aboard larger ships.

sometimes they're called "Jump Shuttles". if you have CT Short Adv 8 Memory Alpha, the bad guy has a Jump Shuttle which he uses to move around an SDB which can't jump and is ~400 dtons.

there might be other ways too, so maybe look in GURPS Starports or Far Trader for larger ships that carry smaller ones (depending on how big the ships they find are going to be).

I think there's a section on Jumpspace in the GURPS Traveller main book, but also CT Book 2 should have it.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

The three ways it would work (in Traveller canon, mind you - it's your universe, do what you want ) would be:

1) a large enough ship to entirely enclose the salvaged ships. So, you would need a ship with a cargo hold over 100dtons for salvaging the smallest of interstellar spacecraft

2) a jump "net". Someone here will be able to point to where this Classic Traveller oddity was found

3) a ship with a workshop that can transport a jump drive and lots of fuel to the derelict, as well as a skeleton crew for said derelict. You could get it up and running again, then jump it to wherever you need it to go.

 

[NightRaven]

3) a ship with a workshop that can transport a jump drive and lots of fuel to the derelict, as well as a skeleton crew for said derelict. You could get it up and running again, then jump it to wherever you need it to go.

The idea is very similar to that, in fact they are going to be the "skeleton crew". And yes, I found it, you can make a jump with another ship attached to yours given both of them have a jump-drive and enough fuel but the minimum jump-range required is one, because if the drives are jump-2 a ship could carry another of its own volumen through a jump-1...

And what about towing a ship to the nearest planet? The main problem is not about moving the ship, but stopping the ship (thanks Isaac Newton)!! Let's say, for 400-ton which could be the "too big for us" ship?

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I don't see where linking the two ships would come in if they both have a J-drive? If you have a reference, let us know.

An easy way to stop the ship (something you could bring along, without a need for a large powerplant) would be strap-on rocket motors. Solid rocket fuel so they are self-contained, and they can be built around a 200dT ship. That way, if you need to stop (actually, "insert into orbit") a 400dT ship, you simply use 2. (Yeah, I know, that requires mass calculations, instead of volume, but you can TLAR* it.)

* TLAR - That Looks About Right

 

[NightRaven]

Probably I didn't explain myself very well. This is the main frame for the idea:

1. Locate a stranded ship, forgotten and lost ships possibly from some war or just ships with problems who made a mayday signal.

2. Board the ship probably with a pinnace or a similar ship large enough to carry the PCs (they are going to be able to pilot the ship for themselves) and the materials for a quick fixing if needed.

3. Check the ship state, if it's good enough for making a jump as far as I know making different jumps should be a non-sense because all the problems you could have! (I mean, if you have a misjump at least you still have a ship to sell and make some profit!)

4. If the ship drives are out of service beyond repairing the main ship should tow it to the nearest starport (not necessarily jumping). That way they could sell the still working parts of the ship in a scrapyard (is that the word?).

Is it a very...strange idea?

P.S.: Keep in mind that I have some problems with English, therefore maybe I didn't choose the right words for my thoughts!

 

[Arthur Denger]

Your story plot line sounds like a great starting point for adventuring, and not the same old (boring, unimaginative) "ship's crew wandering the streets of Startown, hoping to find a patron", which is where many game masters begin. Good luck to you and your players; it sounds like fun! Don't worry about your English, it's quite good.