Today (well, when I first wrote this over a year ago it was today.) I got an idea for a limited type of online Traveller. I have been playing an online game where each character plays against the game universe, not against other players. The universe may be modified by other characters actions (usually by the accumulated number of victories for one side or another), but players never actually come in contact with each other in the game universe. They can meet in the discussion forums outside of the game universe.
BTW, this game has 2 levels, a free, zero cost option that only requires an online connection, and a single payment version that elevates your character (s) to the complete game with options to acquire all the goodies that don’t come with the free game. You can also buy additional credits which allows you to buy special models of various devices. Occasionally they offer a special package which gives bonus purchasing power in the form of a greater than normal number of credits per dollar spent.
Going back to the Traveller aspect of this discussion, I asked myself how to apply that style of play to Traveller. I came up with the following ideas.
(1) Give it a merchant takes on the universe theme. The PC is the captain and makes the decisions. Other crewmembers are NPCs. I found very few of the modifications in Mongoose Traveller to my liking, but the idea of Starship shares could work very well with this project. If the crew owns their ship outright, it opens up a world of opportunities that would not be feasible otherwise. How to apply this to game mechanics? All PCs have either TAS or ship ownership as mustering out benefits. Count each TAS benefit after the first as 25 ship shares. Do the same with ship benefits. Count a 100 Ton ship (a scout) as 100 ship shares. Therefore your 25 shares equals MCr 6.9075 in buying power to purchase ships. Have several standard ships that crews can buy for their ship shares. (A) Type R at MCr100.035 equals 14.5 benefit rolls to pay off – add some weapons and call it 15 full benefits. (B)Type A2 at MCr66.175 equals 9.6 benefit rolls so add some weapons and call it 10 rolls. (C) Type A at MCr37.08 or 5.4 benefit rolls so add weapons and call it 6 rolls. Extra rolls can purchase small craft etc. (Maybe a good use for the special credits option)
(2) Which leads to the idea that the PC is the captain and he has to recruit his crew, so what skills and stats would enable him to do that? Once recruited, how to retain their loyalty? So I added another stat to NPCs – loyalty. The idea is only the computer sees that loyalty stat and uses it to determine actions detrimental to the captain’s decisions. Over time with no adverse action taking place, crew loyalty will increase to 100%. I have farther thoughts along this line, but reserve them until I see if Forum users input will help me to further refine and define how to apply loyalty.
(3) Maybe allow other PCs to play crew members of proven loyalty by having the captain give them a password to use for access to that NPC.
After I wrote the item above, live got complicated by being required to get my school bus driver’s license, trying to start my own business, my wife also trying to start her own business, etc. Now that T5 is almost here, I am beginning to look at some Traveller things again and found this on the computer.
Comments anyone?
BTW, this game has 2 levels, a free, zero cost option that only requires an online connection, and a single payment version that elevates your character (s) to the complete game with options to acquire all the goodies that don’t come with the free game. You can also buy additional credits which allows you to buy special models of various devices. Occasionally they offer a special package which gives bonus purchasing power in the form of a greater than normal number of credits per dollar spent.
Going back to the Traveller aspect of this discussion, I asked myself how to apply that style of play to Traveller. I came up with the following ideas.
(1) Give it a merchant takes on the universe theme. The PC is the captain and makes the decisions. Other crewmembers are NPCs. I found very few of the modifications in Mongoose Traveller to my liking, but the idea of Starship shares could work very well with this project. If the crew owns their ship outright, it opens up a world of opportunities that would not be feasible otherwise. How to apply this to game mechanics? All PCs have either TAS or ship ownership as mustering out benefits. Count each TAS benefit after the first as 25 ship shares. Do the same with ship benefits. Count a 100 Ton ship (a scout) as 100 ship shares. Therefore your 25 shares equals MCr 6.9075 in buying power to purchase ships. Have several standard ships that crews can buy for their ship shares. (A) Type R at MCr100.035 equals 14.5 benefit rolls to pay off – add some weapons and call it 15 full benefits. (B)Type A2 at MCr66.175 equals 9.6 benefit rolls so add some weapons and call it 10 rolls. (C) Type A at MCr37.08 or 5.4 benefit rolls so add weapons and call it 6 rolls. Extra rolls can purchase small craft etc. (Maybe a good use for the special credits option)
(2) Which leads to the idea that the PC is the captain and he has to recruit his crew, so what skills and stats would enable him to do that? Once recruited, how to retain their loyalty? So I added another stat to NPCs – loyalty. The idea is only the computer sees that loyalty stat and uses it to determine actions detrimental to the captain’s decisions. Over time with no adverse action taking place, crew loyalty will increase to 100%. I have farther thoughts along this line, but reserve them until I see if Forum users input will help me to further refine and define how to apply loyalty.
(3) Maybe allow other PCs to play crew members of proven loyalty by having the captain give them a password to use for access to that NPC.
After I wrote the item above, live got complicated by being required to get my school bus driver’s license, trying to start my own business, my wife also trying to start her own business, etc. Now that T5 is almost here, I am beginning to look at some Traveller things again and found this on the computer.
Comments anyone?
