Getting started with MegaTraveller

[Gallowglacht]

I've recently been tempted to try out a more classic-y style Traveller. I have played and ran TNE, Gurps and T20 in the past and am feeling like something a bit simpler. I'm also into Eclipse Phase for my Transhuman/modern sci-fi urges, so even the classic background is appealing more than it used to.

I have been reading reviews, looking at fora and remembering bits from CT, MegaTraveller, T4, Mongoose and T5 and feel like MegaTraveller is the one I'd like to take for a test spin. So to Ebay I went and soon a used and not very shiney basic box will be on it's way to me. So, what can I expect?

Other than the basic box, what is good to get? Referee's Companion, Rebellion sourcebook? Do I avoid "Broken Ships"? What can I look forward too (interupts in combat?, flexible and simple skill rolls?) and what should I look out for?

Any MT fans want to sell the game to me or discuss any potential pitfalls?
Will I love it?


[I played a couple of games and made a couple of characters for MT a loooong time ago, but it didn't really stick with our group, so while I'm not fully technically a newbie, feel free to act like I am]

 

[McPerth]

Are you trying to play it in the Rebellion setting or just with MT rules but not specifically from its setting?

In any case, I'd advise you to get (if you can) World builder's handbook and Starship's Operator Manual, as they are quiete setting inespecific and interesting books.

Rebellion Sourcebook is quite setting specific, and Referee's Companion has some intereting general data.

Hard Times, aside from being quite setting specific data, has some interesting middle TL (prestellar) information to build non-gravitic ships in it (the chapter called One Small Step, also appeared in a Challenge, IIRC).

COACC is quite interesting about aircrafts and air forces, if you intend to use them, but its CharGen needs the errata.

Fighting Ships of the Shatteres Imperium is totally obviable, as most its designs are totally broken and unusable.

And last, but not least, errata it's a must, as the rules are quite full of them, and I'd advise you too to use the variant trading rules. This should not be a problema, as they're both free and can be found from the links in DonM signature in this same board.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Good luck finding a cheap Starship Operator's Manual. The current listing on Amazon shows about $150.

http://www.amazon.com/Starship-Operators-Manual-Vol-Megatraveller/dp/B000EPID4G

But the Rebellion Sourcebook is good as is Hard Times. I'm not sure if the Referee's Companion is necessary. It has interesting stuff, but a lot of it seems pretty optional to me.

 

[mike wightman]

Hard Times.

This should have been the default start point for a MT campaign IMHO.

 

[Vladika]

Good luck finding a cheap Starship Operator's Manual. The current listing on Amazon shows about $150.

eBay now has two in the $60-70 range. Including shipping.

 

[sfchbryan]

The Errata document

The document that you will need the most is one that is free. MT doesn't actually work without it.

http://dmckinne.winterwar.org/trav.html

There is also a free MT robots book over on drivethrurpg.

MT is CT streamlined with a task system. The rebellion timeline isn't required. If you would like additional Expanded Character Types, go over to the File Library - House Rules. I'll be getting more posted by the end of Jun. (I have have converted about 20 or so from CT).

If you enjoy MT, you will want the following:

The MT CD-Rom & the Challenge Magazine Rom.

 

[Gallowglacht]

Thanks for the tips so far guys. Seller has dispatched my copy so in a couple of days I'll have a chance to get stuck in After that I'll have a better idea of how I want to proceed and will also be better equipped to ask questions.

I stumbled across the errata while digging for information. I recognise DonM's name from other errata conversations. Doesn't he also collect errata for MGT and T5? I was going to pm him a thanks, it looks quite thorough but I don't want to clog up his inbox if he is still getting errata for other stuff. So if you are reading this, thanks. If not, I'll pm you a thanks anyway in a few days.

Don't have a solid plan on when I want to set it, yet. We normally play New Era bringing back the light and hope, playing it from the other side might get a bit grim however there is plenty of drama there and the reversal might be a very interesting experience. I'll see what inspires me as I read.

So Hard Times, Rebelion, Companion and Starship Ops have votes of confidence.
No mention of 101 vehicles, is that due to rarity, or is it broken like Fighting Ships?

 

[McPerth]

No mention of 101 vehicles, is that due to rarity, or is it broken like Fighting Ships?

Frankly, I forgot to mention it.

It's not broken, and it complements rules for vehicle construction with some items (mostly weaponry), but most vehicles are so specific that are more for colour than really to play with them, and most are prohibitively expensive.

Personally, I like more to develop my own vehicles when not using those already given in the told books (all of those are among those in 101 vehicles, BTW).

 

[GypsyComet]

Challenge had a lot of material over the MT run. I second the Challenge CD recommendation.

One specific bit in a later Challenge is what makes MT ship design work. The concept used in CT of ships that power everything all the time produces MT ships that look very little like CT ships. The solution is to not power everything all the time. The easiest way to design for this is to divide the power-using ship systems into groups by expected amount of usage. Life support, gravitics, control panels and the Computer need to be on all the time, but the Maneuver Drive is not used two weeks out of each month on a merchant ship, since a week in jump and a week on the ground are standard expectations. Weapons might need only a day or two worth of power by comparison.

Having figured out the groups and their power needs, install a powerplant for each one and the amount of fuel each one needs. They may all be one big powerplant in reality, and as long as the smallest of them is still a dton or larger there is no volume difference between separate and united. What counts is that you aren't providing fuel to keep the MDrive and weapons going 24/7. They are the two hungriest categories on a ship, and they have huge fuel requirements as a result. By providing only half-time for MDrives and 2 days for weapons you get your fuel requirements down to something resembling CT numbers.

 

[GypsyComet]

most vehicles are so specific that are more for colour than really to play with them, and most are prohibitively expensive.

Challenge and/or Trav Digest did an article on getting around that. Pocket fusion plants are expensive normally, and more so when a 40 year mortgage isn't viable. The answer is fuel cells and fuel durations of maybe two days. MUCH cheaper.

 

[McPerth]

Challenge and/or Trav Digest did an article on getting around that. Pocket fusion plants are expensive normally, and more so when a 40 year mortgage isn't viable. The answer is fuel cells and fuel durations of maybe two days. MUCH cheaper.

Yes, it was Traveller Digest nº 20, page 41-43. We talked a little about those guidelines (and shown some examples of grav bikes) in the second part of this thread (posts 26+): http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=24368

 

[Spinward Scout]

No mention of 101 vehicles, is that due to rarity, or is it broken like Fighting Ships?

It's got a lot of info, but to be quite honest, you'll probably use the vehicles listed in the Imperial Encyclopedia just as much or more. You might use a handful of the non-standard vehicles in 101 Vehicles, but it would probably only be for background fluff and the stats wouldn't really be needed. The Hiver Personal Grav Sled (i.e. Floating 'Chair') and the k'Kree Grav Platform are neat. Maybe the Prospector's Bubble or the Grav Bike, might get used. But a lot of it is variations on what's already in the Imperial Encyclopedia. 4 or 5 versions of air/rafts, etc... It won't hurt your eyes or your game, but it might hurt your budget depending on price...

 

[aramis]

It's not broken, and it complements rules for vehicle construction

I disagree strongly. It doesn't compliment, it very nearly completes those rules. (Wood, Wind, Fire and Steam, from Challenge, completes the rest of the vehicle rules... by giving workable rules for low tech vehicles.)

 

[Gallowglacht]

What is compatablity with other versions like?
Are Pocket Empires or Emperors Arsenal from T4 any use to me?
Any of the equipment guides from TNE? World Tamers?
Are vehicles compatable with MGT, CT or T20?
How about Starships?
Gurps First In or Free Trader useful?

Cross compatability isn't vital. I like to do a bit of "Gearheading" anyway, but a little might spur the imagination/be an easy steal.

 

[McPerth]

What is compatablity with other versions like?

For character use and cross-compatibility for adventures, its nearly fully compatible with CT (just adapting setting).

As for combat, it uses quite different systems (weapons have a penetration factor that compares with the armor, reducing the damage).

Starship system is the most different from (AFAIK) all the other versions. Power (given in MW) is the most critical factor in any design, and the design tries to be fully integrated to build ships, crafts and vehicles. COACC includes aircrafts on it, and Wood, Wind, Fire and Steam, from Challenge (as Aramis says) wet ship navy.

Starship combat is quite like CT:HG, even for smpall ships (no RGP ship combat system).

Trade system (unless unsing DonM variant, as told before) is carbon copy from CT:MP. IMHO one if its weakest points.

Not as compatible in character with TNE nor with T4.

I cannot tell about the compatibility with most suplements you tell, as I have not read them.

 

[Gallowglacht]

I appear to be about 3 hrs away from winning another box set of the basic rules from ebay.
Cool, spares are good

I'm a bit disappointed that dtrpg don't have more stuff in case I cannot find hard copies. What are the scans like on the FFE cd-rom?

 

[PFVA63]

Hi,

Hopefully not getting too far off track here, but a lot of the comments made here have reminded me of some of the stuff I both liked and disliked about MT.

For me the breadth of stuff covered in MT, especially with the add-ons from COACC and articles from Challenge, is both one of the strengths and weaknesses of the game, in that may of the rules are adequate for giving somewhat generic concepts of what might be possible but at the same time may make it difficult for you to try and recreate something that you believe should be possible. In addition some of the rules can seemingly overlook certain things.

To be honest though this is not necessarily just a problem with MT as some other GDW stuff from around the same time often suffered from similar issues (such as the way hovercraft kind of get treated in games like 2300AD and the problems that you would sometimes encounter with trying to develop up typical modern equipment in CT's Striker, etc).

 

[JFGarber]

MegaTraveller has been my sole rule set for since purchase in the 80's. For most of that period, it was a solitaire RPG--the ship design, character generation, and trade rules are excellent in that regard. I had only the boxed set for most of that time.

For the two campaigns below, I used the rule set in the United Imperium. I didn't mess with shattering it.

A few years back, I ran a brief campaign for my son where he played a third-child Noble hunting Vargr raiders. I house ruled the ship combat rules quite a bit, as they essentially remove the PC from the outcome, and with a 12-year old that was not my intent. He was very much seeking a cinematic experience where the hero could zoom a small fighter along the side a larger vessel, complete with appropriate whooshing noises. (Nope, not trying to teach physics there.)

I am currently running a campaign for the elder daughter where she is playing a mildly psionic career civil servant on the staff of a frontier consul. No combat. So far. I find the Vilani and Vargr supplement, and its artwork, to be excellent sources for her, as she is as concerned about the dress of the far future as her brother was about the guns of the far future. Additionally, I received 101 Vehicles from my lovely bride as Father's Day gift some years back. It's excellent background material, again with good visuals.

Two years (+/-) ago I purchased the .pdf of Pocket Empires, again as a solitaire toy. (I sleep less than my family.) It may be the single best RPG purchase I've ever made. I used it primarily to back out the Cr value of a system's military, and inform the economic capacity of small polities beyond the frontier (where elder daughter's character will be journeying this summer.)

MegaTraveller gave me years of enjoyment.

All of that said, I eagerly await the arrival of T5.

 

[Gallowglacht]

Yesterday, 2 boxed sets of MT arrived. Both sets of books in very good - excellent condition. With work, college assignments, shield workshops, a baby and a sick partner I got only the briefest look at it.

My flying first opinion was very positive. I love the task system. It seems to be broken up into small managable chuncks and I like the layout. It seems less complex than the other versions of Traveller I am more familiar with (TNE, T20 and Gurps) but there still seems to be plenty of meat there. In fact I was surprised at how ahead of it's time the task system seems. I still have to examine it more, make some characters, planets a ship or two, play with the trade stuff and to integrate the errata but it all looks a lot better than it did when I was a 12 year old newb playing (briefly) with a new ref.

Next to arrive from ebay are the COACC, rebellion sourcebook, 101 vehicles and knightfall.

I've still to find SOM, Hard Times, refs companion and World Builders for a decent price. There seem to be quite a few in the US but the postage is pretty high. How good are the scans of the pdfs on the likes of Drive-Thru Rpg?

 

[McPerth]

I still have to examine it more, make some characters, planets a ship or two, play with the trade stuff and to integrate the errata but it all looks a lot better than it did when I was a 12 year old newb playing (briefly) with a new ref.

I don't expect you'll have any problema on Reading it , not in chargen nor in making planets or full developed systems, but, if you allow me an advice, take your time for building ships (or crafts, as I suggest you to begin with a vehicle or small craft and then try with full starships), as the system is quite complex the first times you use it.

Also, once again, don't fail to check the errata if you want your thigns to work, as it's one of the main flaws of MT.