As sick as I am of fantasy games the one thing I did like about them and modern era is the handouts you can give the players. With games like Traveller it becomes (to me at any rate) hopeless. Has anyone here come up with any interesting hand outs from the far flung future?
Hand Outs.
- Thread starter Thanos
- Start date
What do you mean by handouts? Do you mean those modern laminated pre-gen characters that I've seen for modern D&D?
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
Some sheets with Traveller's Aid Society news flashes, which may or may not directly affect the current campaign, but have future potential.
Hiring notices posted on online bulletin boards and in hard copy in appropriate Starport and Startown areas.
Business cards for NPC hirelings.
Short guide to current planet that they are on. Maybe a world map included in that.
Any appropriate Library Data, and maybe some additional as a "red herring".
Current list of ships in port, with maybe some background on them from the grape vine.
Hiring notices posted on online bulletin boards and in hard copy in appropriate Starport and Startown areas.
Business cards for NPC hirelings.
Short guide to current planet that they are on. Maybe a world map included in that.
Any appropriate Library Data, and maybe some additional as a "red herring".
Current list of ships in port, with maybe some background on them from the grape vine.
Stan Shinn
SOC-10
Stars Without Number has some Hydra Sector handouts -- one which reads 'Welcome to Gateway' and has some setting info. done in a colorful, almost tourist-y way. Then a couple of subsector world guides (2 pages). Aside from that as an example, I have done 4x6 cards with the subsector hex map. Some have done 'Imperium Passport' with the character sheet inside.
The Lost Supplements collection had some cool swag included:
http://www.travellerbibliography.org/cargonaut/stuff.html
http://www.travellerbibliography.org/cargonaut/stuff.html
SpaceBadger
SOC-14 1K
I agree with most of the stuff that Timerover51 listed, except that it seems to me that in the Far Future setting most of this would be in electronic form for the characters, so it seems odd to print it off on paper for the players.
I like having the Library Data for my campaign in the Traveller Wiki, so my players can search and view it somewhat like their characters would.
I did have one NPC hand a PC his business card, and it was interesting that the PCs speculated that handing out actual physical cards must be a show of affluence designed to impress, as most would just electronically pass info by some method such as tapping comms together or sending an automatic comm message.
I like having the Library Data for my campaign in the Traveller Wiki, so my players can search and view it somewhat like their characters would.
I did have one NPC hand a PC his business card, and it was interesting that the PCs speculated that handing out actual physical cards must be a show of affluence designed to impress, as most would just electronically pass info by some method such as tapping comms together or sending an automatic comm message.
No odder than printing out library data on paper. Unless you've made a specific effort to have everyone equipped with tablets and compatible software, it's still easier to fiddle with sheets of paper across a table than with electronic data. IMO, anyway.
Hans
Star charts. Subsector maps. Sector maps. Profantasy has several examples you can download from their Cosmographer software. I like their map of Known Space. If you have the CT CD, there's at least 2 sectors of subsector maps you can print out.
Deckplans. Starship information. If you don't have a large deckplan for using miniatures, handing them a deckplan is the next best thing. The Distant Places website has a bunch you can download. The Solo Yacht is a neat one.
Floorplans. Things like a Moonbase Alpha blueprint.
X-Boat Messages.
Deckplans. Starship information. If you don't have a large deckplan for using miniatures, handing them a deckplan is the next best thing. The Distant Places website has a bunch you can download. The Solo Yacht is a neat one.
Floorplans. Things like a Moonbase Alpha blueprint.
X-Boat Messages.
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
I figure that hard copy business cards are far more apt to get someone's attention than something online, where it can disappear in the information overload. Sort of like sending someone a letter now, rather than emailing them and hoping that it is read.
Oh, you guys mean props. Erm, do you really need them?
Drakon
SOC-14 1K
Need and want are two different things.
Props are fun. Handouts that condense some expository material or help set the mood of the game makes things more fun.
In my last few campaigns (which were MT-based) I built a library of equipment sheets. Starting with the equipment sheets that DGP developed for MT, I added many more. Each sheet would have a picture, stats, and flavour text. If a player had a piece of equipment (or weapon) they’d have a sheet for it. If they had two of the same item they’d get two copies of the relevant sheet.
During play, any equipment sheets that a player took out of his folder (where he kept his character sheet between sessions) were considered on his person. Any left in the folder represented equipment they owned but weren’t carrying at that time (perhaps left in their cabin, for example).
If characters leant or gave equipment to each other then the players would exchange the relevant sheets.
Thus without any fuss or confusion, I’d know unambiguously who had what with them. It worked surprisingly well.
(I also tried the same thing with cash, getting several stacks printed of various denominations but that wasn’t as effective.)
During play, any equipment sheets that a player took out of his folder (where he kept his character sheet between sessions) were considered on his person. Any left in the folder represented equipment they owned but weren’t carrying at that time (perhaps left in their cabin, for example).
If characters leant or gave equipment to each other then the players would exchange the relevant sheets.
Thus without any fuss or confusion, I’d know unambiguously who had what with them. It worked surprisingly well.
(I also tried the same thing with cash, getting several stacks printed of various denominations but that wasn’t as effective.)
Space Hamster
SOC-12
If you can print to PDF you can create a number of forms. The library here will have many different forms you can fill out about the game the characters would have.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=93&page=1&pp=20&sort=lastpost&order=desc&daysprune=-1
Players will want to do research on places they are planning to visit. If you can provide them the data in official looking forms, it will add to the immersion.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=93&page=1&pp=20&sort=lastpost&order=desc&daysprune=-1
Players will want to do research on places they are planning to visit. If you can provide them the data in official looking forms, it will add to the immersion.
You wouldn't happen to still have these, would you?
You could mock up a hand computer out of cardboard
Seriously, though, there will be plenty of paper on any world at TL7 or under.
And maps can always have decorated borders that show the players that they're really looking at an e-ink display.
You wouldn't happen to still have these, would you?
I have a box of printed sheets but as for the electronic files I'm not sure, possibly not, but I'll have a look.
They were made in an old GEM-based DTP (Timeworks) and later ported to a Win95 version (Pressworks). Between when I last printed some and today I've changed continents ... and a lot of stuff was purged/misplaced/lost in that move.
I think I want to start over from scratch but this time with T5 stats.
For convention games I tend to hand out area maps and a list of characters with brief backgrounds, some local flavor of the setting like terrain, type of government, name of the local Inn, etc. One sheet of paper per player.
For home games, I just make a short speech.
For a Traveller game I've tried to work on for the local convention: a color sector map, laminated. Some general info on the scenario. Held back will be any printed maps I think they may need to visualize some area they wind up in and show those as needed.
For home games, I just make a short speech.
For a Traveller game I've tried to work on for the local convention: a color sector map, laminated. Some general info on the scenario. Held back will be any printed maps I think they may need to visualize some area they wind up in and show those as needed.
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
I used to spend a lot of time making neat-looking player handouts for my games. And, I remember the Jame Bond RPG always featured player handouts with each mission.
