Babylon 5 books?

[Ariadni]

Hi folks,

Been roleplaying about 20 odd years, and finally decided to run some Traveller, as a break from AD&D

I've got the Traveller Core Rulebook, and the 760 patrons book (classic, of course not T20 as I have so many fond memories of playing it many years ago, along with the Megatraveller 1 computer game!)..

I've read mixed reviews of the Babylon 5 sourcebooks, but am a massive fan, and some of my players are keen on me setting this new campaign in the B5 world - possibly making them a bunch of Rangers going out on missions.

With the best will in the world, my players are not a cerebral bunch, and the politics and intrigue will probably be beyond most of them, so I need to simplify things a bit for them. no worries, I can manage that..

However, what do you guys think of the B5 sourcebooks? worth the money, or better to make up stats and races etc? I have a fair few ideas for missions (some combat, although I *hope* they'll soon realise combat is pretty deadly in the Travelller universe) and some problem solving ones..

Comments and advice would be very useful

 

[far-trader]

Welcome aboard Ariadni

Can't speak too well to your specific questions, not a lot of Mongoose Traveller in my stuff.

(Moved from the Classic Traveller forum which while close to the new Mongoose version is not quite specific to it.)

Hooray! No misjump!

 

[Ariadni]

ah, oops, yes, I hadn't spotted the Mongoose bit. I knew it was based on Classic Traveller which is why I posted in that forum. my mistake

 

[robject]

No worries. I have the two Mongoose Traveller books, and they're fine. What they are, mainly, are sourcebooks. I don't see anything in there that would compel you to buy the books if you knew the background and Traveller well enough.

 

[Ariadni]

I've only just got my traveller books, so I wouldn't say I know it terribly well.

my players are keen to adventure in the B5 universe, and I have a fair few plot ideas, but it's the character gen changes I'm interested in - I know my lot would love to play Minbari, or Narn characters for instance.

As far as adventures go, there don't seem to be a huge number of Traveller ones written to be run "off the cuff" so I will probably adapt a GURPS space/horror one or something. I even have a couple of Fading Suns ones that I may adapt. Now, THAT was a complicated system that I never could get my head around!

 

[robject]

I've only just got my traveller books, so I wouldn't say I know it terribly well.

my players are keen to adventure in the B5 universe, and I have a fair few plot ideas, but it's the character gen changes I'm interested in - I know my lot would love to play Minbari, or Narn characters for instance.

I think you've got no barriers to using Traveller to play B5. No need to buy anything more.

As you said, you can make up the stat mods for aliens (Narn are strong, Minbari live longer, etc). The one arguable point that you'll find debated once in awhile is how to map technology in Traveller to the B5 races. My take is that Earthforce and Narn are around Tech Level-10, Centauri are around Tech Level-12, and Minbari are around Tech Level-16.

 

[Ariadni]

thankyou

now to see if I can get GURPS on CDRom like Classic Traveller (which I'm seriously considering purely for the adventure content.. bet it's easily adaptable!)

 

[robject]

And, if you need any more advice about using Traveller for B5, I and others have lots more opinions too

 

[Britti_Lover]

:rofl:

I've read the B5 stuff for Mongoose Traveller and it is very well done.

Actually, it could be used for almost any SF setting with a little work.

If you are going to get it - buy it soon.

 

[kafka47]

To make CT work in a B5 (if you are only after setting buy only the issues of JTAS CD ROM) and maybe The Traveller Book these will build the bridges that you already have the foundations with MgT. As you want to get your players out the Station, you can begin to supplement with things like adventures (long/short). The Tech level needs to adjusted but that is covered in the conversion document.

The biggest challenge is to B5 is that the concepts are very similar to CT but different on the surface...but as you are a big B5 affectnato, I am sure you will easily spot the differences and make a richer B5 universe out of it.