Border Reiver
SOC-14 1K
As my other post drowned in the noise here we go again;
Book 3: Scouts
- Thread starter Border Reiver
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Border Reiver
SOC-14 1K
Most assuredly UK.
ThunderChilde
SOC-13
Ding!, another week. I have mine now, had a quick look through before I left for work.
<<Rant Mode Engaged>>
Hmm, I think they found the guy who wrote Iron Crowns critical tables and turned him loose on the event tables. Saw an awful lot of "you get a pile of gold, but it's cursed, you get a friend, but they hate you" sorta listings. Not sure just how likely it would be to actually make a long term scout out of this book with having more enemies than a Pirate could possibly get.:nonono:
The tables make the scouts out as conspiracy/corruption/betrayering academies for the darkest and worst of the Imperiums.
o:
Great Ghu, I haven't gotten past the c-gen for a look through and I feel like I need a cranial brillo pad scrub down already. Either I have had a lionized image of the Heroes of Imperium version of the IISS burned into my mind set, or I was sold a bill of goods. <<Rant Mode Disengaged>>
I really hope the rest of the book is worth my time and money and long patient waiting for it. At first blush I couldn't defend or object to even one of Supplement 4's CT rants.
<<Rant Mode Engaged>>
Hmm, I think they found the guy who wrote Iron Crowns critical tables and turned him loose on the event tables. Saw an awful lot of "you get a pile of gold, but it's cursed, you get a friend, but they hate you" sorta listings. Not sure just how likely it would be to actually make a long term scout out of this book with having more enemies than a Pirate could possibly get.:nonono:
The tables make the scouts out as conspiracy/corruption/betrayering academies for the darkest and worst of the Imperiums.
o:Great Ghu, I haven't gotten past the c-gen for a look through and I feel like I need a cranial brillo pad scrub down already. Either I have had a lionized image of the Heroes of Imperium version of the IISS burned into my mind set, or I was sold a bill of goods. <<Rant Mode Disengaged>>
I really hope the rest of the book is worth my time and money and long patient waiting for it. At first blush I couldn't defend or object to even one of Supplement 4's CT rants.
Madarin Dude
SOC-13
I picked it up today like it overall so far have not gotten deep into it but overall looks like a useful addition. Sad about the lack of extended system generation but happy for the inclusion of NPC scouts and adventures and ships.
Sounds like the perfect book for me, I use GURPS Space 4e for world buil-
ding anyways.
Ding!, another week. I have mine now, had a quick look through before I left for work.
<<Rant Mode Engaged>>
Hmm, I think they found the guy who wrote Iron Crowns critical tables and turned him loose on the event tables. Saw an awful lot of "you get a pile of gold, but it's cursed, you get a friend, but they hate you" sorta listings. Not sure just how likely it would be to actually make a long term scout out of this book with having more enemies than a Pirate could possibly get.:nonono:
The tables make the scouts out as conspiracy/corruption/betrayering academies for the darkest and worst of the Imperiums.
Great Ghu, I haven't gotten past the c-gen for a look through and I feel like I need a cranial brillo pad scrub down already. Either I have had a lionized image of the Heroes of Imperium version of the IISS burned into my mind set, or I was sold a bill of goods. <<Rant Mode Disengaged>>
I really hope the rest of the book is worth my time and money and long patient waiting for it. At first blush I couldn't defend or object to even one of Supplement 4's CT rants.
I don't think Loz wrote for IC, but I admit, it isn't starfleet or "the right stuff"- but it is the extended chargen as with Merc. Possibly it's a cultural thing - the Brits are a bit more cynical about "noble explorers" ever since colonialism fell out of favor and the histories were opened. Me, as a Yank, I'm still in love with astronauts & cosmonauts. Little confession -I didn't use the extended (not expanded) chargen in the original trav, and probably won't for MGT, so I can't comment on it, really. is it really that iffy ? My scan on it suggested that there were lots of ways that corruption could be dealt with -and not always by embracing it.
Well, get past chargen and see what you think. There's lots of stuff in there.
Hmmm ... people who work alone much of the time, without the checksThe tables make the scouts out as conspiracy/corruption/betrayering academies for the darkest and worst of the Imperiums.
and balances of an organization's tight structure, without much super-
vision ... in real life these are the ideal targets for corruption and other
attempts to win them over to the slightly darker side ...
Hmmm ... people who work alone much of the time, without the checks
and balances of an organization's tight structure, without much super-
vision ... in real life these are the ideal targets for corruption and other
attempts to win them over to the slightly darker side ...
And don't forget that the Scouts run the X-boat Service, the biggest boondoggle in the history of mankind[*].
Hans
[*] I know, I know, that's not explicit canon; it's my personal inferrence from canon.
Hans
spinwardpirate
SOC-13
Awwwwwwriiiiiggghhhhtttt...The tables make the scouts out as conspiracy/corruption/betrayering academies for the darkest and worst of the Imperiums.
Sounds to me like one of the authors has firsthand experience with governmental surveying organizations.
Awwwwwwriiiiiggghhhhtttt...
Sounds to me like one of the authors has firsthand experience with governmental surveying organizations.
....Federal service, GS 12/7.
Now, never speak of this again.
ThunderChilde
SOC-13
OKay, I finally had the chance to curl up with scouts last week. The rest of the book past chargen was well worth the wait and lupens I spent on it. I still feel like I need a shower every time I look over the chargen section.
drnuncheon
SOC-8
Having sat down with a couple of friends and rolled up a bunch of characters…it is damn hard to be a scout and stay in for more than a term or two. I think we had four or five tries, half washed out in their first term (usually with horrible injuries) and the rest after their second - and I think one of those even had a mishap, but one that allowed him to switch branches instead of dropping out entirely.
We also ended up with a surprising number of pirates - apparently business has been bad in the Imperium of late.
spinwardpirate
SOC-13
Yes! Finally was able to find a copy at a local game store. My first impression while flipping through it was WOW! This looks really good. Now I'm going to sit back and see if my second impression is the same.
spinwardpirate
SOC-13
Ok, I still haven't gotten a chance to read this, only skim it. Things I note as bad about it: art, printing, and typos/proofreading errors.
The art is generally unimaginative, with few of the illustrations conveying a sense of high adventure. Most are printed in very murky tones that are unpleasant to my eye (caveat, I'm partially color-blind so maybe they look better to the general public). The starship illustrations, when compared to works I've seen distributed on this site and on others for free, are downright dreadful.
The printer seems to be heavy-handed with the ink. The second line on every even page is appears to have experienced some sort of printing error which has caused that line to appear either smudged or bold.
And... found some typos. Not as many as I've noted in other MGT books, but still.
That's the bad stuff that jumped out at me. I suspect more remains to be found upon reading.
How does it balance out against the good, you ask? Well, I still really like this book. I think there is plenty good in here to balance out the items I mentioned above. For instance, there's a whole sample Scout Base worth of characters. And the characters have real stats! None of this "no attribute below 7" crap! That's was very freshing to see.
And of course deck plans out the wazoo! I find the ships and the plans very appealing. So much so that they really deserve some top-notch art to back them up.
The art is generally unimaginative, with few of the illustrations conveying a sense of high adventure. Most are printed in very murky tones that are unpleasant to my eye (caveat, I'm partially color-blind so maybe they look better to the general public). The starship illustrations, when compared to works I've seen distributed on this site and on others for free, are downright dreadful.
The printer seems to be heavy-handed with the ink. The second line on every even page is appears to have experienced some sort of printing error which has caused that line to appear either smudged or bold.
And... found some typos. Not as many as I've noted in other MGT books, but still.
That's the bad stuff that jumped out at me. I suspect more remains to be found upon reading.
How does it balance out against the good, you ask? Well, I still really like this book. I think there is plenty good in here to balance out the items I mentioned above. For instance, there's a whole sample Scout Base worth of characters. And the characters have real stats! None of this "no attribute below 7" crap! That's was very freshing to see.
And of course deck plans out the wazoo! I find the ships and the plans very appealing. So much so that they really deserve some top-notch art to back them up.
Check out the sixth dot under General Mission Abort Criteria on page 90.
ThunderChilde
SOC-13
Don't get to the point of lurking in the bushs,waiting for the postman, it's a federal offence, and the neighbors will talk..... Just grab your airraft and skip over to the IISS comm hub and file a complaint, that way you'll be full of piss and vinegar after they give you the run around. What Doctor?,; excuse time for my meds....:rofl:
Good advice, damned good advice, I say......
