Game compatibility

[Whithers]

I just got T5 and I am a looong way from reading through it. So here it is.

I have one copy of T5 on disk. I have all of CT on disk, and three versions of the core rules in print. I have Twilight 2000, Megatraveller, and 2300.
Are T5 and CT so disparate that I cannot use them interactively?
Can I use the adventures from CT or do they need a lot of conversion?

I'm not concerned here about online play. My friends online can get their own stuff. I live in a small low income community 10 miles from the nearest gas station and 20 miles from the nearest community center. For a couple years we had a library going, but the current feeling in town is that book learning is a waste of good tax payer dollars. (Hence having the 3rd poorest school district in our state.) I am have enough to play CT off my laptop as GM while kids share my old books to make characters, ships, etc. But if the games are compatible, then I can use my desk top with T5 and put my laptop up as another resource for the players.

 

[Ulsyus]

T5 has a pile of cleaned-up mechanics and systems for playing Traveller with. You could use all your old CT adventures with T5, and just defer to the new mechanics.

I've been using my copy of T5 with other material from all the previous versions of Traveller, though I've found T4 is the most cross-compatible.

One difference between CT and T5 is that CT characters & NPCs have fewer skills and skill levels. I don't have a quick fix there for you, but consider the table on p.138 in the Tasks chapter. Up the top left of the page it lists Difficulty Benchmarks, so you can consider how good an character is meant to be at something, and therefore based on the characteristic they have you can work out what level of skill they need. That is, if you want to go to that level with it. Otherwise just pick a descriptor for them (Novice, Experienced, etc) and list the Char+Skills they have at that level. It makes for quicker NPC descriptions if you only list what's relevant to your scenario.

Does that help at all?