BlackBat242
SOC-14 1K
The first of which was published in 1981.
If 1979 is correct, they were Kzinti or home-brew.
first time u played!
- Thread starter shocker
- Start date
The first of which was published in 1981.
If 1979 is correct, they were Kzinti or home-brew.
First Traveller adventure
We were all about 15 in 80' when my (still) good friend pulled us away from AD&D introduced us to the 3 LBBs. I don't remember my first character too well; I believe he was a Merchant 2nd Officer with a few useful skills. The rest of the party was weapon skill heavy ex-military. We ran through the Kuinur scenarios first, we passed on the prison break and ran the lost ship much latter. Then it was straight into Research Station Gamma.
I can still get one or two of my old friends to spit out thier drinks by bringing up the bad luck experienced in the Reasearch Station adventure. Loads of fun.
We were all about 15 in 80' when my (still) good friend pulled us away from AD&D introduced us to the 3 LBBs. I don't remember my first character too well; I believe he was a Merchant 2nd Officer with a few useful skills. The rest of the party was weapon skill heavy ex-military. We ran through the Kuinur scenarios first, we passed on the prison break and ran the lost ship much latter. Then it was straight into Research Station Gamma.
I can still get one or two of my old friends to spit out thier drinks by bringing up the bad luck experienced in the Reasearch Station adventure. Loads of fun.
I picked up the LBB box set in '85 or so on the strength of the cover, and was smitten with it as soon as I started reading through. I got right into rolling up characters and worlds, and planning sweeping campaigns for the folks I'd been playing D&D with.
They went all stupid on me: I had a scenario all set up, but the players mustered out with weapons skills and machine guns, and the moral sensibilities of rabid rats. They started machinegunning crowds.
Eventually I found some better players, but mostly, I still enjoy empire building the best.
Biggest regret is that I've barely ever played as a player. I think, maybe, one session with a guy who was GMing for the first time and never really found his feet.
They went all stupid on me: I had a scenario all set up, but the players mustered out with weapons skills and machine guns, and the moral sensibilities of rabid rats. They started machinegunning crowds.
Eventually I found some better players, but mostly, I still enjoy empire building the best.
Biggest regret is that I've barely ever played as a player. I think, maybe, one session with a guy who was GMing for the first time and never really found his feet.
I know the feeling, I've run far more games that I've played in.
Evil Steve
SOC-10
Waaaayyy back, sometime in the early 80's my regular D&D group decided to try out Traveller, which we borrowed from our GM's older brother.
I don't remember my character, or anyone else's beyond we were guns-for-hire. We had a Jeep, many firearms, body armour, more guns, grenades, and some guns.
We were on a planet with a law level of 1 (this is important for later). We all questioned the logic of the local police allowing us to mount twin .50s on the jeep, but no Walther PPKs? We eventually nodded, agreed to their bizarre customs, and went looking for work.
A local merchant group was having some problems with a gang. A large gang of young men were causing them trouble and asked us to take care of this situation for a cash reward.
What the merchants (and the GM) intended was for us to threaten and assault them, eventually driving them off. What we did was invite them to a meeting in an alley (bring everyone, we trust you), and once they were there, drove up in the Jeep and DAKKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAK!!!!
The merchants were less than happy. They refused. Assaults ensued, followed by robbery (just our pay, nothing gratuitous). The local police showed up, put two rounds through my chest and, well, pistols vs assault rifles, do the math.
We ran. Actually, the rest of the party ran, I was carried to the Jeep. Realizing that my unconscious form could not return fire, and would just be in the way of the gunner if left in the back seat, I was strapped to the hood like a prize deer, and off we went. Foot patrols came, and went. Patrol cars were shot up, grav cars were shot down, SWAT teams were swatted.
We got shot up, most of us took minor wounds (I awoke and joined in the fun from the hood), and we sought shelter. A small home just outside town, in a clearing in the woods. We settled in, hoping to avoid notice.
Not gonna happen. We were noticed and tracked from the air. The police had called for backup. It arrived in APCs. The local army was less than amused by us, and had come to take care of our situation. The firefight went badly for us. We had MGs, assault rifles, possibly one laser and a light, wooden structure for cover. Most of us were dying within a few rounds. I looked at the rest of the party, and cast aside my rifle.
"That's it. I'm done." I said, breath shuddering in my mangled chest
"You're giving up?" Our team leader was less than impressed with my Esprit de Corps.
"Nope." I replied, drawing my PPK and pulling the pin from a grenade. "We've broke just about every law on this planet, why not go all the way."
My teammates, oh such loyalty, joined me in my final act of defiance.
The army used us to texture paint the walls.
I don't remember my character, or anyone else's beyond we were guns-for-hire. We had a Jeep, many firearms, body armour, more guns, grenades, and some guns.
We were on a planet with a law level of 1 (this is important for later). We all questioned the logic of the local police allowing us to mount twin .50s on the jeep, but no Walther PPKs? We eventually nodded, agreed to their bizarre customs, and went looking for work.
A local merchant group was having some problems with a gang. A large gang of young men were causing them trouble and asked us to take care of this situation for a cash reward.
What the merchants (and the GM) intended was for us to threaten and assault them, eventually driving them off. What we did was invite them to a meeting in an alley (bring everyone, we trust you), and once they were there, drove up in the Jeep and DAKKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAK!!!!
The merchants were less than happy. They refused. Assaults ensued, followed by robbery (just our pay, nothing gratuitous). The local police showed up, put two rounds through my chest and, well, pistols vs assault rifles, do the math.
We ran. Actually, the rest of the party ran, I was carried to the Jeep. Realizing that my unconscious form could not return fire, and would just be in the way of the gunner if left in the back seat, I was strapped to the hood like a prize deer, and off we went. Foot patrols came, and went. Patrol cars were shot up, grav cars were shot down, SWAT teams were swatted.
We got shot up, most of us took minor wounds (I awoke and joined in the fun from the hood), and we sought shelter. A small home just outside town, in a clearing in the woods. We settled in, hoping to avoid notice.
Not gonna happen. We were noticed and tracked from the air. The police had called for backup. It arrived in APCs. The local army was less than amused by us, and had come to take care of our situation. The firefight went badly for us. We had MGs, assault rifles, possibly one laser and a light, wooden structure for cover. Most of us were dying within a few rounds. I looked at the rest of the party, and cast aside my rifle.
"That's it. I'm done." I said, breath shuddering in my mangled chest
"You're giving up?" Our team leader was less than impressed with my Esprit de Corps.
"Nope." I replied, drawing my PPK and pulling the pin from a grenade. "We've broke just about every law on this planet, why not go all the way."
My teammates, oh such loyalty, joined me in my final act of defiance.
The army used us to texture paint the walls.
LOL, Went to school up there myself. Service HS '82-'85 (7th, 8th and 9th grade), and Diamond HS '85-'88 (10th thru 12th grades).
As for my first Traveller Game it was in '82 in the lunch room of Service HS, I played a Scout, and mustered out with the Type S that was overused by the party. The game went through a lot of lunchtime adventures before all our characters died. If I remember correctly, it was when we tried to go pirate and were intercepted by a Patrol Ship. *Big Badda-Boom*
Rich
I was at Wendler for 7th and 8th (1981-1983), and Chugiak for 9-12th. (1983-1987). I was in JROTC and Choir. Was in CAP from 1986-1991; Birchwood Composite, not counting time out for Army Basic. (Dix, Jun-Sep 1987.)
I ran a pickup/overflow Traveller game at Unicon. (Fall 1987 or 1988, I forget)
My first Traveller game was because we "lost" D&D - I used to DM for a group of friends from school, two of whom were sons of the local vicar. We got caught up in one of those mid-80's "Dungeon's and Dragons is demonic and a tool of the devil" scares. Apparently a group of LARPers was found doing some ritual in the woods and someone took it seriously... anyway we were banned from playing. 
As they'd helped with the ban I got my parents to buy my D&D stuff off me. Used the proceeds to buy the original CT LBBs 1-3 secondhand in a boxed set, added a few supplements shortly thereafter and started a Spinward Marches campaign. Ran 'Twilights Peak' and 'Research Station Gamma' before exams took over and we stopped playing. I ended up way preferring Traveller to D&D.
As they'd helped with the ban
I got my parents to buy my D&D stuff off me. Used the proceeds to buy the original CT LBBs 1-3 secondhand in a boxed set, added a few supplements shortly thereafter and started a Spinward Marches campaign. Ran 'Twilights Peak' and 'Research Station Gamma' before exams took over and we stopped playing. I ended up way preferring Traveller to D&D.One sees this story a lot!
It's ironic, really. Most D&D games I played, the PCs were basically good, fighting evil. The other way 'round was the exception rather than the norm.
Most PCs in Traveller are not so morally... clean, shall we say? Looking at the majority of the printed adventures, especially the 76 Patrons stuff, PCs can be fully expected to be doing all sorts of shady deeds in the name of the Almighty Cr.Imp, and nobler motivations seem few and far between.
Of course, even D&D comes down to "We're good, you're evil, so I can kill you ALL and take your stuff. Neener neener!" A always liked that Traveller was much more up front with these ambiguities. Or maybe that's just how I ran things...
Circa 1984, bought Starter Traveller and started Refereeing straight away and still doing it. Actually, playing. Fewer instances. Mostly just convention games.
I had seen a copy of The Traveller Book, the previous year but did not have money to buy it and saw the FASA deckplans boxed sets and knew that this was a game that I would love. In between, I did snag a peak at the Atlas of the Imperium, which turned me off from buying Traveller for a while. I had heard about Traveller from a bunch of snotty rich kids that I would occasionally play AD&D with and scoffed at the fact there could be psionics in Science Fiction (yet somehow I was prepared to accept ESP from Mr. Spock).
I had seen a copy of The Traveller Book, the previous year but did not have money to buy it and saw the FASA deckplans boxed sets and knew that this was a game that I would love. In between, I did snag a peak at the Atlas of the Imperium, which turned me off from buying Traveller for a while. I had heard about Traveller from a bunch of snotty rich kids that I would occasionally play AD&D with and scoffed at the fact there could be psionics in Science Fiction (yet somehow I was prepared to accept ESP from Mr. Spock).
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leo knight
SOC-12
I almost always ran Traveller, rather than played. I remember getting the first edition when it came out in 1977, at Strategy and Fantasy World on Cathedral St. in Baltimore. I read it, and had absolutely no idea what to do with it (no Book 0, back then). A friend of mine had run a town adventure in D&D, highly random, very 'sandboxy'. I figured I could do the same in Traveller.
I had this incredibly crappy graph paper my mom had bought on sale. It had little eensy teensy squares in this way too bold green ink. Useless for anything, except really complex maps at very fine scale. So, I drew a crude map of Mos Eisley spaceport (it was 1977, after all), and made a numbered key with NPCs stolen from any book, TV show or movie I could remember.
I had two players. The only incidents I remember are a market with an auction. I rolled up trade goods from Book 3, and offered them for sale. One player pronounced this boring. They also encountered Nion Bohart and Floriel from Jack Vance's "Empyrio", trying to sell their stolen space yacht. The PCs promptly killed them, and took their stuff.
I had this incredibly crappy graph paper my mom had bought on sale. It had little eensy teensy squares in this way too bold green ink. Useless for anything, except really complex maps at very fine scale. So, I drew a crude map of Mos Eisley spaceport (it was 1977, after all), and made a numbered key with NPCs stolen from any book, TV show or movie I could remember.
I had two players. The only incidents I remember are a market with an auction. I rolled up trade goods from Book 3, and offered them for sale. One player pronounced this boring. They also encountered Nion Bohart and Floriel from Jack Vance's "Empyrio", trying to sell their stolen space yacht. The PCs promptly killed them, and took their stuff.
ThunderChilde
SOC-13
My first time playing was in the fall of 77, survivng first character was a scout. Neat short campaign run by my long dead friend Chis Markov. I played several games and ran using his books till he died in 84. Took a while to get back to traveler after that, 87 or so and it was Mega I believe.
Oh my.... I was working as a security guard in '83 at an electrical switching plant near Wichita, KS. My group had played AD&D, C&S, Space Opera, Boot Hill and Gangbusters. (My biggest failing as a game master has always been my desire to try new systems and/or campaigns.) I picked up the Boxed Set on my way to work (I was tired of D&D) more to have something to read over the weekend than because I actually thought I might run it. I can still smell the ozone of the WWII vintage fan in the office where I opened the box and....fell in love. I must have generated two dozen characters over the course of that weekend (I was on duty at the station for 72 hours) as well as two complete sub sectors and about 40 worlds. I mapped out naval forces, crime syndicates, scout bases and shipping lanes.... Then my playing group refused to bite. If we were going to play SF, then it had to be Star Trek (FASA) or Space Opera... So we went back to AD&D. Sigh.
It was years before I actually had the chance to run Traveller on a stormy late night/early morning in a Village Inn restaurant for a group of coffee swilling caffiene additcts. They had a scout ship and encountered an "abandoned" base on a planetoid....
Lord I miss those days. I would so love to run Traveller. Unfortunately my "group" consists of my children, and my daughter detests sci fi....
It was years before I actually had the chance to run Traveller on a stormy late night/early morning in a Village Inn restaurant for a group of coffee swilling caffiene additcts. They had a scout ship and encountered an "abandoned" base on a planetoid....
Lord I miss those days. I would so love to run Traveller. Unfortunately my "group" consists of my children, and my daughter detests sci fi....
bromdenlong
SOC-12
It was 1983, and I was in the Navy, and in school in Orlando, Florida. I bought Traveller Deluxe Edition and the Traveller Book at the base exchange. I probably wouldn't have bought the book if I had known there would be so much overlap in material, but I'm glad I did. When I asked my three roommates if they wanted to play, it turned out that my buddy Mark Swan had already played, so we elected him ref.
The boat was the Damijwhe, a 200 ton Avian class free trader, made by Delta Research. She was owned and skippered by Baron Edward haut Haskell, a retired 7-term Scout. I played Jack Murson, another 7-term scout whose primary skills were Pilot, Nav and Shotgun.
At one point, we were searching for a very well hidden smuggler/pirate base to meet a vital contact. We were told it was on one of the terrestrial planets of a certain system, so away we jumped. As we were approaching the outermost terrestrial planet, an Imperial ship far out of our class popped out from behind a moon at manuever-6 and starts pounding the snot out of us without even hailing us. We immediately dove for the atmosphere, as it was quite opaque, with many lightning storms, and was quite toxic. We were hoping it might afford us some cover, but realized we were probably pretty hosed.
Then an enormous bolt of energy blasts past us from the surface, and we get a tight-beam hail: "Leave this planet immediately or be destroyed. We won't miss again."
Now we're really looking doomed, and the three of us are just looking at each other, and then I suddenly think I know what Mark expects us to do. I have Murson ask Haskell for permission to speak to the planetary installation directly, as Mark has warned us that time is short, and the captain agrees.
I have Murson plead with the ground installation, "We're more than willing to leave, but this ship behind us is killing us already, and if we leave atmo it's suicide anyway. We were sent here to meet Mr. Contact by Mr. Patron, but if we've got the wrong place, then we've already forgotten it.
The boat was the Damijwhe, a 200 ton Avian class free trader, made by Delta Research. She was owned and skippered by Baron Edward haut Haskell, a retired 7-term Scout. I played Jack Murson, another 7-term scout whose primary skills were Pilot, Nav and Shotgun.
At one point, we were searching for a very well hidden smuggler/pirate base to meet a vital contact. We were told it was on one of the terrestrial planets of a certain system, so away we jumped. As we were approaching the outermost terrestrial planet, an Imperial ship far out of our class popped out from behind a moon at manuever-6 and starts pounding the snot out of us without even hailing us. We immediately dove for the atmosphere, as it was quite opaque, with many lightning storms, and was quite toxic. We were hoping it might afford us some cover, but realized we were probably pretty hosed.
Then an enormous bolt of energy blasts past us from the surface, and we get a tight-beam hail: "Leave this planet immediately or be destroyed. We won't miss again."
Now we're really looking doomed, and the three of us are just looking at each other, and then I suddenly think I know what Mark expects us to do. I have Murson ask Haskell for permission to speak to the planetary installation directly, as Mark has warned us that time is short, and the captain agrees.
I have Murson plead with the ground installation, "We're more than willing to leave, but this ship behind us is killing us already, and if we leave atmo it's suicide anyway. We were sent here to meet Mr. Contact by Mr. Patron, but if we've got the wrong place, then we've already forgotten it.
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bromdenlong
SOC-12
continued...
"We figure you're not with these guys behind us, or you'd have just wasted us instead of hailing us. Any chance you can get them off our backs, so we can leave your nonexistent, uninhabited planet, sir?"
Mark just gives me a grave look for a moment, then says "Stay on current course. Do not deviate." Then he just sits and stares at us.
Captain haut Haskell says, "Screw this, let's get out of here", but Murson says, "Captain, I think we should do what they say. They could have wasted us already." The captain reluctantly agrees.
Mark waits silently for a few seconds, then says, "Another immense energy bolt blasts just by you and incinerates your pursuer. You are given a flight path to land, and told once more not to deviate from course."
The three of us playing just roll our eyes and sigh in relief, and Mark laughs and shakes my hand. He was definitely the kind of ref who would have killed us if we'd chosen incorrectly.
I've loved Traveller ever since.
"We figure you're not with these guys behind us, or you'd have just wasted us instead of hailing us. Any chance you can get them off our backs, so we can leave your nonexistent, uninhabited planet, sir?"
Mark just gives me a grave look for a moment, then says "Stay on current course. Do not deviate." Then he just sits and stares at us.
Captain haut Haskell says, "Screw this, let's get out of here", but Murson says, "Captain, I think we should do what they say. They could have wasted us already." The captain reluctantly agrees.
Mark waits silently for a few seconds, then says, "Another immense energy bolt blasts just by you and incinerates your pursuer. You are given a flight path to land, and told once more not to deviate from course."
The three of us playing just roll our eyes and sigh in relief, and Mark laughs and shakes my hand. He was definitely the kind of ref who would have killed us if we'd chosen incorrectly.
I've loved Traveller ever since.
bromdenlong
SOC-12
acronym question
"Damijwhe", the name of the ship, was an acronym my roommates kept giggling over, but they never would tell me what it meant.
Can anyone tell me what it stands for?
"Damijwhe", the name of the ship, was an acronym my roommates kept giggling over, but they never would tell me what it meant.
Can anyone tell me what it stands for?
So long ago. Late '77 , 1st Played a couple sessions where we had a Scout ship I believe. My PC (pilot) crashed it trying to do a barrel roll fly by of the Star Port. No fatalities but big trouble from the Star Port authority. Bought Mayday when it came out in '78? and played that for a while until we got a CT campaign put together.
"Don't Ask Me, I Just Work Here"
bromdenlong
SOC-12
Thanks, Aramis!!
That's been bugging me for decades every time I glance through my surviving paperwork from that campaign!
My google-fu always failed me on it, too.
That's been bugging me for decades every time I glance through my surviving paperwork from that campaign!
My google-fu always failed me on it, too.
I am a gamer. Cards and board games as long as I can remember. I ran in to duplicate bridge when I was in the Navy and it is still my favorite. (Just celebrated my 60th birthday at the local tournament this past weekend.) After I got out of the Navy, I ended up in the Charleston, S.C. Naval shipyard's apprentice program. There I wandered into the Green Dragon (local gaming store) in the mall one day where I picked up Deluxe Traveller boxed set because it was sifi. Had no idea what I had or how to play so it got set aside. Several visits to G. D. later I got invited to visit a group that was playing a war game on the weekends. It turned out to be one of those hich complexity, very complicated WWII things called "War in the East" combined with "War in the West" (to make the entire WWII) that had been going on for several weeks already and would last all summer - not my idea of a fun game. But, that got me invited to a Runequest game and to another group of D&Ders.
I was single, had my own house, and most of the others were high schoolers who needed a place to play. It worked out great for all concerned. One day we got a Traveller player visiting and he was willing to referee so we tried that for a while. I have been a Traveller ever since.
I was single, had my own house, and most of the others were high schoolers who needed a place to play. It worked out great for all concerned. One day we got a Traveller player visiting and he was willing to referee so we tried that for a while. I have been a Traveller ever since.
