Considering "Pathfinderizing" Traveller

[Kevin C. Livingston]

Kevin:

Parts of T20 I know you'll need to replace: Ship design, Vehicle Design, World/System Generation. You can readily replace ship design and world gen with Mongoose's from their SRD, but they haven't yet released an SRD containing the vehicle design system that I'm aware of. (And the vehicle books lack any open content declaration.)

Well it looks like I will have to do my own rules for Starsip Design and what not. So I will have to do a "mongrel" of OGL, D20 Modern/Future OGL, Star Wars D20, and T20. I will not make any reference to the Travller at all and will create my own galaxy etc.

 

[kafka47]

Has not Avalon Hill just done just what this thread is suggesting. Pathfindered Traveller will always exist so long as T20 exists - and if the not the QLI product then the numerous d20 spawn - ranging from a Thousand Suns to d2o Future/Lightspeed, etc. So the question is why? Just because you like the 3.5 vibe - my god then why not just play it. I never needed a Player's Handbook or T20 to play D&D in Space - they just provided some useful suggestions. In fact, the greatest contribution that T20 (for me, at least) was the elaboration of the Gateway Era/Realm. I loved the Lords of Thunder and wanted to see more of it...along the way, I had to accept things like the Sydites and the Mantis people but at least they were not MTU.

 

[Blix]

the numerous d20 spawn - ranging from a Thousand Suns to d2o Future/Lightspeed, etc.

The Thousand Suns RPG is nothing to do with d20. Also, Lightspeed is a Fuzion-based RPG, not d20-based.

(just FYI)

 

[Gallowglacht]

The Thousand Suns RPG is nothing to do with d20. Also, Lightspeed is a Fuzion-based RPG, not d20-based.

(just FYI)

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=600&it=1&filters=0_0_0_10107

 

[Blix]

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=600&it=1&filters=0_0_0_10107

You realize that's Fading Suns, right? Also, that is a d20 conversion of a pre-existing non-d20 RPG


This is Thousand Suns: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=54370 (apparently a new, tidied up edition is in the works)
This is Lightspeed: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=2625

 

[Gallowglacht]

You realize that's Fading Suns, right?

I do now. Earlier I was sleepy.

 

[Kevin C. Livingston]

So the question is why?

Well the answer is "why not?". I apologize that the fact that I am taking on this project seems to upset you so much that you have to use God's name in vain (although for the life of me I can't figure out why), but I have a group that wants to tackle this. Each system has its strengths and weakness and we want to increase the former and decrease the latter by combining the things that we like and getting rid of what we don't. Again I apologize if this gets a ladder in your tights!

 

[Vile]

Heh, don't worry about it, Mr. Livingstone. That is a common reaction to anyone announcing they're going to do anything related to roleplaying, speaking from personal experience. Unfathomable, as no-one is forced to read what you may write, but there you are. Go forth and multiply the choices available to the gamer!

 

[kafka47]

The Thousand Suns RPG is nothing to do with d20. Also, Lightspeed is a Fuzion-based RPG, not d20-based.

(just FYI)

I seem to recall there was a d20 version of Thousand Suns...and I maybe mistaking Lightspeed for yet another d20 product.

Well the answer is "why not?". I apologize that the fact that I am taking on this project seems to upset you so much that you have to use God's name in vain (although for the life of me I can't figure out why), but I have a group that wants to tackle this. Each system has its strengths and weakness and we want to increase the former and decrease the latter by combining the things that we like and getting rid of what we don't. Again I apologize if this gets a ladder in your tights!

Sure, indeed why not...I just find that to create another version merely tramples upon ground already sown. I would rather see more effort to be put into the existing line rather than spreading it thin. Doesn't upset me, as much, as it puzzles me. There are many virtues to a d20 system but that era is even fading with Pathfinder occupying the sole nook.

Heh, don't worry about it, Mr. Livingstone. That is a common reaction to anyone announcing they're going to do anything related to roleplaying, speaking from personal experience. Unfathomable, as no-one is forced to read what you may write, but there you are. Go forth and multiply the choices available to the gamer!

Indeed. Vile. Let a thousand flowers bloom and all that. More Traveller on the shelves or even around the gaming table is a good thing. So, long as it does not tramp the same grounds...otherwise, as I said - why?

 

[HG_B]

So, long as it does not tramp the same grounds...otherwise, as I said - why?

What, "same ground"?

 

[aramis]

Why Not?

1) the gaming market is already overly fragmented
1.1) you're not likely to get a significant share
1.2) if you do get a share, it will be at the expense of other games

2) expense - doing it right isn't cheap.

 

[Vile]

So, long as it does not tramp the same grounds...otherwise, as I said - why?

It seems to me that the proposal differs significantly from Traveller as we know it.

1.2) if you do get a share, it will be at the expense of other games.

That may be so, but it would imply that the product in question is better than those other games (it's unlikely to have better marketing).

 

[aramis]

It seems to me that the proposal differs significantly from Traveller as we know it.


That may be so, but it would imply that the product in question is better than those other games (it's unlikely to have better marketing).

Just getting the math right so that a merchant makes a profit at listed costs and standard prices would be an improvement.

 

[Vile]

Well it looks like I will have to do my own rules for Starsip Design and what not. So I will have to do a "mongrel" of OGL, D20 Modern/Future OGL, Star Wars D20, and T20.

Is there a Pathfinder version of D20 Modern or D20 Future?

 

[Garnfellow]

Maybe this is heretical, but I don't think starship or vehicle design is a necessity for the project described. I think it would be much more useful to simply tweak the classes, races, skills, and feats in light of all the innovations and refinements made to the d20 system since T20 was originally published. That alone is a lot of work to do right.

For example, as d20 games evolved they consolidated many of the original 3.0 skills, resulting in fewer but broader skills. Listen and Spot often get collapsed into a single Notice or Perception skill. It would be nice to do something like this, but with an eye on what MongTrav does for its skills groupings. It would also be worth looking at d20 Modern skills that were introduced for future settings.

 

[aramis]

Maybe this is heretical, but I don't think starship or vehicle design is a necessity for the project described. I think it would be much more useful to simply tweak the classes, races, skills, and feats in light of all the innovations and refinements made to the d20 system since T20 was originally published. That alone is a lot of work to do right.

For example, as d20 games evolved they consolidated many of the original 3.0 skills, resulting in fewer but broader skills. Listen and Spot often get collapsed into a single Notice or Perception skill. It would be nice to do something like this, but with an eye on what MongTrav does for its skills groupings. It would also be worth looking at d20 Modern skills that were introduced for future settings.

If he's looking for a game with the same basic scope as Traveller (or Starblazer, Alternity, Spacemaster, or Space Opera), ships are a must-have. And thanks to the Mongoose folks, readily doable in Traveller-units, without having to be Traveller. Heck, I have written a variant set of ship rules for my homebrew setting. (Alters drive sizes by TL and tech progressions.) It's available under the OGL... because it's a close variant of the TSRD OGL ship design rules.

Vehicle design probably should be redone, too... I, personally, didn't like the T20 one much, as I had a hard time visualizing the units used. That said, a simple system for vehicle design, even if it's not terribly technical, such as that in SpaceMaster 1E, is of great use, if only for consistency in play.

 

[Kevin C. Livingston]

All input is being considered (including the..."less the psoitive responses"). In all honesty, I seriously doubt that I will get past the "personal use stage" but if I get a "Eureka" moment and sacrifice a hecatomb (anyone who is a Free Mason will understand), then I might try to get it published. Again this is all in the planning phases. I will be too busy with running a Pathfinder game of my own (Kingemaker AP) that this will take a back seat for now. Also, my other "extracurricular" activities slow this down a bit too.

 

[Kevin C. Livingston]

Is there a Pathfinder version of D20 Modern or D20 Future?

Not that I am aware of. Paizo Publishing has been talking about doing such a thing; but it is just "talk" at this juncture.

 

[Knightsky]

Would it be possible to combine the OGL parts from the T20 version and the MongTrav version?

 

[aramis]

Would it be possible to combine the OGL parts from the T20 version and the MongTrav version?

Yep. The Non-OGL parts are mostly ship, vehicle, and system generation, as well as the OTU races' descriptions.