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Favorite non-Traveller resource?

B

Beerfume

SOC-12
What is your favorite NON-TRAVELLER resource for use with Traveller gaming? It can be anything you like, other RPGs, books, movies, or TV for inspiration, software, websites, etc.

I've been using Microscope RPG lately as an aid to world building. The basic Traveller world generator and DGP's Grand Survey and Grand Census really go a long way to flesh out a Traveller planet. Microscope goes an extra step and facilitates the creation of a rich history for the world.

Recently I've got the other Ben Robbins' games, Microscope Explorer and Kingdom, but haven't used them much in terms of Traveller.
 
Beerfume said:
What is your favorite NON-TRAVELLER resource for use with Traveller gaming? It can be anything you like, other RPGs, books, movies, or TV for inspiration, software, websites, etc.

I've been using Microscope RPG lately as an aid to world building. The basic Traveller world generator and DGP's Grand Survey and Grand Census really go a long way to flesh out a Traveller planet. Microscope goes an extra step and facilitates the creation of a rich history for the world.

Recently I've got the other Ben Robbins' games, Microscope Explorer and Kingdom, but haven't used them much in terms of Traveller.
Click to expand...

For general ideas of worlds, the books of Andre Norton and H. Beam Piper, along with an assist from Murray Leinster and his Medship series. For more specific data working up a world the CIA World Factbook, in various years, is quite useful.

For Free Trader operations, it is hard to beat Norton's Solar Queen books, the early ones written by her. Poul Anderson's Trader Team series with Nicholas Van Rijn also comes in handy. For Scout operations, Norton's Storm over Warlock and Star Rangers are my favorites.

For unusual ideas, Jack Vance's Magnus Ridolph series is quite good (an ocean world with intelligent sardines, anyone), and James Schmitz's Witches of Karres. My ideas for the Rim are somewhat based on A. Bertram Chandler's John Grimes and the Rim Worlds series (an up close and personal meeting with Sherlock Holmes, or maybe Doctor Challenger?).

For resolving combat, Don Featherstone's Skirmish Wargaming is my preferred set of rules.
 
For many years, it was a copy of Perry's Chemical Engineering Handbook. Now, it's Wikipedia.
 
Cyberpunk 2020

I ran a Traveller game for a few years using that engine instead of CT or MT, now that I have MgT (1E with an SRD, I just refuse to spend a bunch of money on new Traveller rules, I've evidently finally been broken by the combination of the 5EBBB and the MgT2E) I'm interested in running a game using those rules with a self-generated Proto-Traveller universe.

But CP2020 is a great system, and the cybernetic rules are a great resource.

D.
 
There have been many times over the past 2 years of running my group that things didn't quite go as I planned. There have even been a number of sessions where I have had nothing planned and relied on either their actions or some random encounters/events. For those times when I have to think fast I usually lean on the things I either know really well or have recently been exposed to. So here is my list of inspirations....

Video Games: Primarily the Mass Effect series, but I have pulled ideas and inspiration from everything from Fallout to Dragon Age to Doom. Whether it be an idea for a NPC, creature, or location. Some examples are Deathclaws (Fallout) and Imps (Doom), planetside descriptions (Novea, Eden Prime (Mass Effect)), Tamara Anderson (an honest pirate lord) (based on Admiral Anderson from Mass Effect) and some vendors (based on Sandal from Dragon Age). Also some influence from Shadowrun, both the video games and novels.

TV Shows: Currently in love with Killjoys, Dark Matter, and The Expanse on SyFy so I have used bits from them at times, like "Red 17" and the "green goo"1 from Killjoys. Or an NPC based on Miller from The Expanse.

Movies: Not that I have lifted anything directly or can cite a particular reference, but I love Sci-Fi movies and to say that ones such as Blade Runner, The 5th Element, Star Wars, Star Trek, and a thousand others that would take to long to list haven't influenced my thinking when coming up with something would be ridiculous.

D&D: Yes, D&D. I have used monsters from the MM as a starting point for some creatures in my game. I am also planning on including some stuff for a low-tech world where technology is replaced by magic that I am working on.

Books: I haven't read many books lately (other than AotI), but I am sure that my love of Wiliam Gibson, David Drake, Piers Anthony, Shadowrun, and all the Star Wars and Forgotten Realms books I have read have had some influence at some point.

And of course, there is all the stuff in other versions of Traveller that I incorporate into my MgT-based game, but that isn't what you asked for.

1 If you want details of what I did, let me know. My players thought it was really cool. Perhaps it will be my next blog post!
 
With regards to adventures and hooks, usually newspapers (or TV news) are enough for many ideas...
 
Quint said:
Cyberpunk 2020

I ran a Traveller game for a few years using that engine instead of CT or MT, now that I have MgT (1E with an SRD, I just refuse to spend a bunch of money on new Traveller rules, I've evidently finally been broken by the combination of the 5EBBB and the MgT2E) I'm interested in running a game using those rules with a self-generated Proto-Traveller universe.

But CP2020 is a great system, and the cybernetic rules are a great resource.

D.
Click to expand...

When you roll Mekton Zeta into the mix, you get a killer design system for everything from personal gear through the Death Star and beyond - with psi to boot.
 
Starfire and Honorverse

For imperial navy I get inspiration from the Honor Harrington book series. I believe the star ship combat in that series of books was based on the old Starfire game.
 
Looking over my previous response, I should add a couple of TV series to the list.

One is the Prehistoric Park series, and the other is the Seven Deadliest Seas. I do have a fondness for worlds with lots and lots of water.
 
RandyB said:
When you roll Mekton Zeta into the mix, you get a killer design system for everything from personal gear through the Death Star and beyond - with psi to boot.
Click to expand...

CP 2013 has a great combat system.
CP 2020 has a very different one.
Mekton and Mekton Zeta have a 3rd, slightly different from CP2020, one.
if you're going to add mekton, just ignore CP2020...
 
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