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

[aramis]

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.

FFG's Star Wars line does the same kind of thing. Droids as PC's are built as PC's; lower racial attributes (1's across the board) but lots more points (not enough to make up for the lowered attributes, but enough to buy one up to 5 easily...). And all your gear has the option of being built-in..

 

[gregcaires]

Robot books

Can anyone discuss the relative merits/differences between the Mongoose Robot Book 9 and 13 Mann's Robot (English translation)?

 

[Supplement Four]

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

You can make droids using the basic rules in the main rule book, but the supplement I'm talking about (a more extensive system, but still simple), is Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids.

 

[infojunky]

Can anyone discuss the relative merits/differences between the Mongoose Robot Book 9 and 13 Mann's Robot (English translation)?

Ok both use alternate computer rules from the TMB but that is ok as the TMB has issues there. Of the two books 13Mann's Robots is the most straightforward and understandable, the mongoose book follows CT's book 8 kinda and then separates or under explains the process in three different sections.

Then there is the building section, MgT Book 8 construction system while harking back to CT needs some heavy duty editing and expansion of explanatory text. Like what bits provided and use slots, as well as several of the transport options give results that are non-viable from the text. And on top of that the book is really aimed at playing a robots game in a very alternate Traveller universe.

While on building the 13Mann book is pretty straight forward, using basic formula in simple tables to figure the base stats/performance of your bot. While I have some very nitpicky technical qualms with bits of this section it works well. The rest of the book is geared more to playing in the OTU, with some expansion of the various states views on robotics.

Of the two the 13Mann book is closer to Traveller and is by far the easiest to use. The MgT book as I said has issues, but it does have a lot of interesting bits for a very alternate robots campaign, and it's design system harks back to more Gearheady editions of Traveller, but to use it as such your gonna have to beat on it with a large Monkey wrench.

 

[Shonner]

Each Traveller player has their own idea of what robots look like in their Traveller universes (if they use Traveller universes). Robots in non-Traveller universes are even more different.

So I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[GypsyComet]

Each Traveller player has their own idea of what robots look like in their Traveller universes (if they use Traveller universes). Robots in non-Traveller universes are even more different.

So I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Worrying about the general picture is a job for the next intestinally fortified writer to come along.

Worrying about it when players ask what's available is the Referee's problem. Fortunately, they are usually quite specific.

 

[mike wightman]

I prefer the original JTAS treatment of robots/synthetics for MTU.

The main dislikes I have for LBB:8 are:

contradictory text
too tied to DGP's version of the OTU
not generic enough
iffy design system

I do still use it to flesh out the JTAS articles a bit, and I borrow stuff from TNE Vampire Fleets too. My favourite way to design'important' robots is to use GURPS Robots and then convert to Traveller stats.

 

[infojunky]

My favourite way to design'important' robots is to use GURPS Robots and then convert to Traveller stats.

That is my favorite Robots book. I poked Pulver about writing more technical stuff for Mongoose.... A geek can hope...