OTU Only: Advice needed for a Traveller ref now a player

[Chris Barlow]

Advice requested from anyone who has been in a similar situation. I have off and on been a Traveller referee (Mongoose rules) for three years, for two different groups of gamers. Now I am about to be a player in a Traveller campaign being run by one of those gamers, who is also a friend of mine

However I have not been a player in a Traveller campaign since the 1980s. The man who is to run the Traveller campaign, is an good experienced referee of Pathfinder, D and D and other fantasy campaigns I have played in, but never referred . Advice needed please on how NOT to annoy the referee of this new traveller campaign.

The campaign is to be set in the District 268 subsector of the Spinward Marches, and involve two to three players running two characters each, in a "Firefly" style Trader type campaign, manning a Far Trader rather than a Free Trader ship.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Don't talk out of character. Don't ask the referee any questions.

 

[jcrocker]

Treat this ref the way you wanted to be treated by your players.

 

[flykiller]

don't tell the referee "I'd do this" or "I'd run it this way". unless he asks, in which case keep your answer short, and then forget what you said.

in fact don't think about how you'd do it at all, just go with what he does.

 

[mike wightman]

Never, ever say at table "That's not the way Traveller works".
You can substitute Imperium, OTU etc. for the world Traveller in the above sentence.

 

[Condottiere]

Apparently, the laws of physics don't work that way.

Before cats die, their souls leave their bodies first and become mesons that are captured in quantum particles.

They only find sweet release when we utilize these properties in communications and weapon systems.

 

[BytePro]

Treat this ref the way you wanted to be treated by your players.

+1

I'd avoid correcting rulings, setting, etc., unless the ref seeks your advice... then I'd use flykiller's advice.

I'd also brush up on Firefly - because, well, Firefly!

My early days, we all took turns referring. Styles were drastically different, but that's all part of group play. It really boils down to mutual respect, and remembering the objective is to have fun.

 

[GypsyComet]

Heck, I'm still re-evaluating my own OTU assumptions in light of Agent of the Imperium, so while I do have literally decades of Traveller behind me, I wouldn't presume to rule on the "correctness" of someone else's assumptions. To +1 what has already been said: Give only solicited advice

Also, see my signature line.

 

[Chris Barlow]

Advice for a traveller ref turned player

Treat this ref the way you wanted to be treated by your players.

Thanks everyone for the good advice, which I followed for the first session. First session of the campaign went okay, but then as usual it was mainly spent creating our characters. Following our ref's advice I have ended up with an ex Subsector Navy pilot and a Scout service special forces type.

 

[BytePro]

Good to hear!

Yeah, character creation is fun in its way, but also often becomes just a gaming 'chore' before the real show begins.

In the early 80's I wrote programs to spew out random characters which I used for NPCs. Once a player saw the list and thought it was for picking out his PC... it worked so well that was what we did for a lot of games. A list of 100+ characters for players to pick what they wanted. We often had multiple PCs. (Note that my programs had certain limitations - so min/maxing wasn't the reason for choosing a particular character.)

 

[Lord Iron Wolf]

As a referee you are always "on." As a player you have turns...and you have to learn how to shut up when it's not your turn. Kick back, relax and enjoy the mystery. If the ref has a question he will ask.

 

[The Pakkrat]

Find something to occupy your attention when it is not your turn to speak or take an action. But do think about your next action based on the conditions. Be succinct and decisive. Roll your dice confidently with the proper numbers already lined up to minimize your time in the spotlight. Let the shared universe be the Referee's first. Then inherit what has been presented, make it your own and enhance it per that presentation for play rather than world-building. Remember that cooperation is more important than competition. Try to play rather than Win. Share when called upon to do so. Help create when asked. Get in character if you want others to appreciate, (even silently as they smile at your character's quirks), your creation. Creative solutions are more valuable than sledge hammer solutions. Help with recordkeeping when it is delegated. Volunteer your character without usurping a task. Have fun and allow others to have fun.


He's just the same as all the rest
He's not the worst and he's not the best
- from Pink Floyd's Yet Another Movie