CT Only: Book 8 "Robots" -- Beloved or Belittled?

[gregcaires]

All -- I recognize I risk a flame war here, so I'll try to tread lightly.

I'm working on an article I hope will be good enough for Freelance Traveller.

In short, its about robots (CT era).

I've read extensively on the subject, here on CotI and other CT-related articles (Dragon, Signal GK, etc).

It may be because I'm only a semi-evolved primate / liberal arts major, but Book 8 -- which has some very good parts regarding atmosphere, is bewildering when it comes to the robot design process. I prefer the JTAS version.

I can't seem to reconcile JTAS and Book 8. So I'm thinking of just ignoring Book 8, pretending it doesn't exist (or at least the design process...the URP may have some utility).

I fear, however, that my rejection of Book 8 will cause the Grognards and Gearheads to rip into my article drive them to overlook the merits of the article -- of which the robot design process is really a side show to the principle premise.

Any guess just how vilified I'll be if I ignore Book 8 and use JTAS as the robot design process of choice?

Signed -- Confused & Conflicted in CT

 

[atpollard]

Strictly my personal opinion, but LBB8 came along too late in the life cycle of Classic Traveller to really win the hearts and minds of Classic Traveller fans.
By the time I bothered to get a copy, MegaTraveller was out and the Rebellion was the hot topic of the day.

Ultimately, I doubt anything to do with robots will generate excessive turmoil ... robots are a lot like Psionics - people either love it or hate it and have long ago made up their mind which camp they are in.

So those who love Robots will be interested in what you have to say, and those who might disagree, will not bother to read it in the first place.

I could be wrong, but that's my opinion ... and I am sticking to it.

 

[Carlobrand]

You may be vilified in some corners just for using the word, "robot". However, I don't think there's any great passion for Book 8 over other methods.

I personally prefer Book 8 - after incorporating the errata. It was more than a little difficult before the errata.

 

[aramis]

All -- I recognize I risk a flame war here, so I'll try to tread lightly.

I'm working on an article I hope will be good enough for Freelance Traveller.

In short, its about robots (CT era).

I've read extensively on the subject, here on CotI and other CT-related articles (Dragon, Signal GK, etc).

It may be because I'm only a semi-evolved primate / liberal arts major, but Book 8 -- which has some very good parts regarding atmosphere, is bewildering when it comes to the robot design process. I prefer the JTAS version.

I can't seem to reconcile JTAS and Book 8. So I'm thinking of just ignoring Book 8, pretending it doesn't exist (or at least the design process...the URP may have some utility).

I fear, however, that my rejection of Book 8 will cause the Grognards and Gearheads to rip into my article drive them to overlook the merits of the article -- of which the robot design process is really a side show to the principle premise.

Any guess just how vilified I'll be if I ignore Book 8 and use JTAS as the robot design process of choice?

Signed -- Confused & Conflicted in CT

Most of the grogs are not using Bk 8.
Many are using the JTAS article, "Robots in Traveller".
A bunch more are using "Robots" from Dragon #64.

 

[Quint]

Most... ...A bunch more are using "Robots" from Dragon #64.

Yup.

D.

 

[Vargas]

All -- I recognize I risk a flame war here, so I'll try to tread lightly.

. . .

Any guess just how vilified I'll be if I ignore Book 8 and use JTAS as the robot design process of choice?

I say don't worry about it. Writing anything RPG related will bring you both kudos and derision.

Actually, writing anything will bring you both kudos and derision, so go for it.

 

[Supplement Four]

I have, in the past, used Book 8 (I agree that it needs some simplification--it's a bit too fussy, and I'd like it to work more like Book 2 starships) to go beyond its mandate and make things like armed long distance drones, using a logical leap or the rules.

 

[GypsyComet]

As a precursor of MT's craft design (look at the authors list), it was a useful warning. Thankfully DGP learned a few things between Book 8 and MT, though not enough to avoid MT's universe-changing technical pitfalls.

Had Book 8 used an MT layout instead of packing data in more densely than High Guard, and not limited an important detail to exactly one spot deep in a wall of text, the whole book would have been great.

 

[gregcaires]

and not limited an important detail to exactly one spot deep in a wall of text...

What is this hidden gem please?

 

[Carlobrand]

Most of the grogs are not using Bk 8. ...

I soooooo lonely.

 

[aramis]

I soooooo lonely.

To be blunt: it was too late in the CT run for any of us who moved on to MT, and required some tweaking to become the MT Robots (enough so that Marc published electronically of the MT variant a year or two ago).

The Dragon version was the first one I saw, and dozens of people borrowed (and presumably photocopied and used) my physical copy.

The Best of JTAS vol 1 book has the JTAS one... but it was more of a pain to work with, so I never did. My CT TU had robots... lots of them.

If you can find a copy of Dragon 64, it's the simplest to use. And it generates a character-like set of attributes, too, so it can use CT personal combat.

 

[infojunky]

Most of the grogs are not using Bk 8.
Many are using the JTAS article, "Robots in Traveller".
A bunch more are using "Robots" from Dragon #64.

What he said.

Basicly Book 8 is the Jtas article with volume added. Plus the funky section on brains. If I were building bots for CT I would start with the jTas article and then add bits from book 8 as the make sense disregarding the volumes. Or mostly I would us book 8 to half ass up a set of characteristics as needed.

 

[Vargas]

If you can find a copy of Dragon 64, it's the simplest to use. And it generates a character-like set of attributes, too, so it can use CT personal combat.

Broadly speaking, (so not just Traveller), I'm coming 'round to the belief that robot creation should be a lot like chargen. To me, most robot systems bog down in fiddly bits.

 

[rancke]

One of my regrets is that I never got to play a PARANOIA robot. There were rules for robot design in some PARANOIA compendium. It's been so long that I can't remember any details, but I do remember that they looked like really good fun. How compatible the design rules are with more serious RPGs I can't remember.


Hans

 

[infojunky]

I can't seem to reconcile JTAS and Book 8. So I'm thinking of just ignoring Book 8, pretending it doesn't exist (or at least the design process...the URP may have some utility).

Discard the volumes from Book 8, then it will make a lot more sense.

 

[GM Joe]

I started reading Dragon magazine with issue 68, so I missed out on the robots article until just recently when I bought the Dragon CD-ROM archive.

I started reading JTAS with issue 20, so I missed out on the robots articles there until I went back and collected them all in the 90s.

When Book 8: Robots came out, I was excited! (And a little disappointed...I'd wanted another advanced chargen book, using one or more of the Citizens careers...but that's another story.) I never got around to using it, though, because MT came out and I set aside the CT stuff.

Even though I long-ago returned to CT, I still haven't used Book 8 for anything.

 

[Supplement Four]

Broadly speaking, (so not just Traveller), I'm coming 'round to the belief that robot creation should be a lot like chargen. To me, most robot systems bog down in fiddly bits.

If you wanna see a GREAT example of how to do bots, check out WEG's supplement on Droids for the D6 Star Wars game.

It's excellent.

It's got neat little additions that you can add to droids, but droids begin as characters--with standard characteristics.

Then, you add equipment and attachments, like a rotary saw or universal comp plug-in, voice box, etc.

It's good stuff.

 

[atpollard]

I soooooo lonely.

Try liking Fire Fusion and Steel.

 

[Vargas]

If you wanna see a GREAT example of how to do bots, check out WEG's supplement on Droids for the D6 Star Wars game.

It's excellent.

It's got neat little additions that you can add to droids, but droids begin as characters--with standard characteristics.

Then, you add equipment and attachments, like a rotary saw or universal comp plug-in, voice box, etc.

It's good stuff.

What's the name of the supplement? It sounds great!

 

[Vargas]

Try liking Fire Fusion and Steel.

Someone will be around to collect you shortly . . .