Getting another Mongoose book - which of these are good?

[Poppyseed45]

So, as you may know, Mongoose has a deal where they will replace a messed up copy of High Guard with a redone version, AND give you another book free of charge, as long as it's the same price as High Guard was (is that right?).

With that in mind, I plan on finally sending this thing tomorrow, and I'm wondering, which of the books are good? I'll give a list, but I want to ask the experts here, since I'm weary of Mongoose (mostly thanks to Mercenary - it is, for me, horrible on several levels; the Patrons 1st edition wasn't so hot either; HG was okay though, and the main book outstanding).

So, here's what's equal or lower in price to HG (according to Mongoose's site); not interested in the LBBs though:

1. Scout
2. Psion
3. Agent
4. Scoundrel
5. Merchant Prince
6. Dilettante
7. Robots
8. Traders and Gunboats
9. Fighting Ships
10. 1001 Characters
11. Cybernetics
12. Merchants and Crusiers
13. Animal Encounters
14. Dynasty

Of that list, I'm particularly interested in Dynasty, Psion, and Scoundrel. Possibly Cybernetics. So I'd like to hear about those.

However, if you've commentary about any of the others, please pipe in! Convince me to get (or to avoid like the plague) something!

 

[hdan]

My favorites from that list are:

4. Scoundrel
6. Dilettante

Scoundrel has a lot of fun rules in it for running heists (both abstractly and in great detail), smuggling, piracy, scavenging, belt mining (because it fits the "frontier" theme) and other sorts of criminal activities. Anyone wanting to run "scruffy looking nerf herders" near "wretched hives of scum and villany" or folks who "aim to misbehave" (or even high-tech burglars) should get this book.

Dilettante is just as inspirational, but for people who want their characters to be rich and famous (or at least trying to become rich and famous). More advanced rules for Social Status and Wealth (portfolios, company shares, etc.) that are easy to play and don't require the level of economic commitment that Merchant Prince does. Dilettante campaigns are going to focus on Headstrong Princes/Princesses, Ne'er-do-well children of the rich and famous, media stars/athletes, etc. You can do "Tomb Raider", "Star Wars" (the not-so-scruffy parts), "Paris Hilton", "Band on the Run"... The sky's the limit, but the theme is characters who generally face challenges that don't involve money.

Interestingly, both books have the tag line, "Honesty's A Fool", so I guess it's no surprise that if one appeals to you, so will the other. They're both two sides of the same type of adventure - in the spotlight, and in the shadows.

I don't know Psion and I've only glanced at Agent (though it looked good). Merchant Prince is good if you really dig Businesses and Trade stuff.

I would stay away from Animal Encounters. The actual content of the book is quite nice, but the useful data in the book is really only an S&P article or two's worth. The majority of the book is a catalog of encounter tables. That could potentially be useful, but from what I can tell you could actually reproduce most of the book's contents (by page) by taking the standard world encounter tables and applying the rules for different environments to it. I would have MUCH rather had one good set of encounter tables for an average world, generated with all the detail that the system provides. (The given lists are missing things like animal skills - kinda important IMHO)

 

[Poppyseed45]

My favorites from that list are:

4. Scoundrel
6. Dilettante

Scoundrel has a lot of fun rules in it for running heists (both abstractly and in great detail), smuggling, piracy, scavenging, belt mining (because it fits the "frontier" theme) and other sorts of criminal activities. Anyone wanting to run "scruffy looking nerf herders" near "wretched hives of scum and villany" or folks who "aim to misbehave" (or even high-tech burglars) should get this book.

Dilettante is just as inspirational, but for people who want their characters to be rich and famous (or at least trying to become rich and famous). More advanced rules for Social Status and Wealth (portfolios, company shares, etc.) that are easy to play and don't require the level of economic commitment that Merchant Prince does. Dilettante campaigns are going to focus on Headstrong Princes/Princesses, Ne'er-do-well children of the rich and famous, media stars/athletes, etc. You can do "Tomb Raider", "Star Wars" (the not-so-scruffy parts), "Paris Hilton", "Band on the Run"... The sky's the limit, but the theme is characters who generally face challenges that don't involve money.

Interestingly, both books have the tag line, "Honesty's A Fool", so I guess it's no surprise that if one appeals to you, so will the other. They're both two sides of the same type of adventure - in the spotlight, and in the shadows.

I don't know Psion and I've only glanced at Agent (though it looked good). Merchant Prince is good if you really dig Businesses and Trade stuff.

I would stay away from Animal Encounters. The actual content of the book is quite nice, but the useful data in the book is really only an S&P article or two's worth. The majority of the book is a catalog of encounter tables. That could potentially be useful, but from what I can tell you could actually reproduce most of the book's contents (by page) by taking the standard world encounter tables and applying the rules for different environments to it. I would have MUCH rather had one good set of encounter tables for an average world, generated with all the detail that the system provides. (The given lists are missing things like animal skills - kinda important IMHO)

Thanks for that. It's food for thought (and as I said, I'm not doing this till tomorrow morning so I've got time to think, but I want to go ahead and do it because I've been dragging my feet on it for a year!).

 

[Spinward Scout]

Here's my old review of Psion.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=19524

 

[Easterner9504]

4. Scoundrel
6. Dilettante

Excellent recommendations.

Robots....seems universally despised.
Cybernetics.....seems solid, lots of revised CRB careers but it is not TRAVELLER. It is aimed at 6 Million Dollar Man spies and cyperpunk genres of 70's & 80's and is so stated clearly in introduction.

Merchants & Cruisers loaded with useful deck plans.
Traders and Gunboats slightly less so.

10001 characters is quite good but very different from GDW versions. You get somewhat related characters grouped together then subgrouped. So Criminals have a load of sub-types i.e. assassins, conmen, vice etc. Every character is fleshed out TRAV MgT style and often has a motivation (meeting some can be an adventure seed) and not blah random stats you got in GDW or the CharGen http://www.signalgk.com/cgi-bin/ctcg.pl

So a very much cut above over GDW yet limited in that only a few of each type represented i.e. you could build a Marine or army squad but not a company as in original.

Animal Encounters I just got. It seems solid, has new generation for animals/ A load of GDW style animal encounters that unfortunately are soooo good I doubt you can use one twice, especially the very unique event per table.

 

[Poppyseed45]

Thanks for the recommendations. Hmm...Scoundrels...

 

[aramis]

Psion is the only one of the bunch worth the paper it's printed on, imnsho.
Gives a lot of new abilities, plus total body replacement and shell-person rules.

 

[Poppyseed45]

Psion is the only one of the bunch worth the paper it's printed on, imnsho.
Gives a lot of new abilities, plus total body replacement and shell-person rules.

Heh, wish I'd heard that earlier. As it is, I sent it away this morning and asked for Scoundrel, since I know my group so well.

However, the next two on my list when cash appears again will be Psion followed by Dynasty.

I guess, God help me, I'm taking the Mongoose plunge...

 

[Garyius2003]

My favorites from that list are:

4. Scoundrel
6. Dilettante

Third.

 

[Whipsnade]

My favorites from that list are:

4. Scoundrel
6. Dilettante

Those are good recommendations and, like Wil, I'd add Psion to the list. I'd also add Zhodani by Don McKinney and Solomani by Dave Pulver.

 

[Jame]

Psion is the only one of the bunch worth the paper it's printed on, imnsho.
Gives a lot of new abilities, plus total body replacement and shell-person rules.

I think you're thinking of Cybernetics.

 

[aramis]

I think you're thinking of Cybernetics.

Nope...don't have the cyber book. Psion has some odd stuff tossed in.

 

[Poppyseed45]

Which is why it's on my list for eventual buying - just gotta gather funds...

 

[SofiaM]

I really enjoyed the Merchant Prince book. I guess it's the most recommendable book as for me, it's certainly worth reading.

 

[saundby]

Merchant Prince isn't awful, but it's not on my list of favorites. It has some good parts (megacorps, running corps abstractions, privateers) but there's a lot of cruft (uninteresting careers, slavers). The trade expansions and effects of trade on worlds are good sections, but they aren't fleshed out as much as I'd like.

Much labored commentary on MP over here. Unfortunately, one career class sort of takes over the conversation, while comments that I'd like to see more of the trade extension material get overlooked in the smoke and fire.