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Help Locating POD CE Variant Closest to '77 CT

Greetings Cepheus Engine Fans,

I have another question for y’all that I could use your help with.

I want your thoughts and opinions on which Cepheus Engine (CE) 2D6 Sci-Fi product reads and plays the most like Classic Traveller (CT).

I recently purchased the FFE CD Download of CT and am thoroughly impressed with the quantity of legacy material I got for the price I paid. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested, but I don’t know of any way to get current print-on-demand (POD) copies of 1977 CT LBBs 1-3.

I am aware of the CT Facsimile Edition based on the 1981 rules and have opted to purchase it in POD. But I am not interested in the Third Imperium (3I), Official Traveller Universe (OUT), Amber Zones, Red Zones, or Comm Routes (X-Boats). I prefer the simpler 1977 game (without the 1981 mods that begin tying the game closer to official content).

I am by no means an expert on CE and all its variants. I am aware of (in no particular order) Samardan, Stellagama, Zozer, Corte Real, Clement Sector, Moon Toad, etc., but I am not familiar with all their product lines. I am hoping that several of you who are or might be in the know could weigh in and help me figure out which one may come closest to 1977 CT Books 1-3 and have a POD option.

Many thanks in advance for your helpful thoughts.
 
Recommend checking out the Cepheus Engine 2016 SRD. Not sure if there's a POD version, though.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/186894/cepheus-engine-system-reference-document
Thanks, Boondock. I am aware of this product. They don't offer a POD service, though.

By contrast, the Cepheus Engine RPG by Moon Toad Publishing claims to be a cleaned-up and slightly edited version of the SRD you mention. It is available as a POD, but Moon Toad Publishing seems to take several liberties that distance the game from '77 CT.

I could remove the unwanted content from my game, but if possible, I would rather find a CE variant closer to the '77 rules.
 
You can get this:


Its not 3 separate books, its a single perfect bound book of LBB 1-3.

It's high quality, and a good value.
I agree, whartung. You may have missed it, but I stated in my OP that I did purchase that (Facsimile Edition), but it's based on the '81 rules, and I want a POD based solely (very closely) on the '77 CT rules, if possible. Thanks though.
 
To provide extra context for what I’m looking for when I say I want a game (CE variant) closer to ’77 CT Books 1-3, I mean:

1. No mention, reference, hint, or suggestion of the Third Imperium (3I)
2. Any implied setting content should, at most, refer to the sci-fi adventure novels of the 1950s to the 1970s
3. No references to Traveller Aid Society, Psionics Institute, etc.
4. No comm routes of CT 1981, only trade routes of CT 1977
5. No travel zones (amber, red, or otherwise)
6. Play is assumed to be in one subsector of the referee’s own design (two at most)
7. Only small ships (5,000 dtons at most)
8. Interstellar travel isn’t common and is somewhat limited
9. No “explode” results on starship critical hits tables
10. Limited PC careers and skills, etc.
11. Death is a part of chargen, etc., etc., etc.
 
@Sci-Fi Neophyte,if you are looking for a current POD product "close to" CT '77 LBB 1-3 , no. No such thing IMHO.

WHY (Short Answer)? Different rule system and not sufficient interest to truly reverse engineer one the extent that done with OSR Renaissance.

WHY (More Detail)? All Cepheus Engine core rule books are derived from the Traveller Development Pack released by Mongoose Publishing. That is the true "SRD" from which Cepheus Engine products get the OGL legitmacy. Though no longer on their website It exists in archive.org and a copy is in the Resources section of this website. But even that is not CT '77. That document is derived from Mongoose Traveller 1st Edition. The skills are different, skill resolution is different, combat resolution is different, animals are different, etc.

I suggest if you want something like a Cepheus Engine without the "offending" sections, get a core rules that has a Word Document version Remove the flavor fext.
 
I've just remembered that Zozer also publishes their Retro Sci-Fi Rules which (from what I have seen) are the rules from which Cepheus Universal expanded. It is a lot "lighter" than Universal (being 86 pages versus 456) and uses the same character generation variant. (Each career has a primary skill, which you get at level 1, and six other skills which can spread 6 skill points over). Retro also includes a short (18 pages), single subsector setting.
 
I recently purchased the FFE CD Download of CT and am thoroughly impressed with the quantity of legacy material I got for the price I paid. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested, but I don’t know of any way to get current print-on-demand (POD) copies of 1977 CT LBBs 1-3.
Given you're looking for a very specific version of CT (LBB1-3 1977), why not just print them yourself? Either at home or using a POD service? I've used POD services to print personal copies of all kinds of PDFs for personal use.

As others have pointed out, there is nothing closer than the originals (much as I like CE and Zozer products, all of them alter CT in one way or another).
 
I've just remembered that Zozer also publishes their Retro Sci-Fi Rules which (from what I have seen) are the rules from which Cepheus Universal expanded. It is a lot "lighter" than Universal (being 86 pages versus 456) and uses the same character generation variant. (Each career has a primary skill, which you get at level 1, and six other skills which can spread 6 skill points over). Retro also includes a short (18 pages), single subsector setting.
It sounds as if Retro Sci-Fi is a fair bit more than that, from the DriveThru page:
Retro Sci-Fi Rules conjures up the atmosphere of the classic 1977 game, with streamlined trading, space combat and character creation rules.

(comment) Retro Sci-Fi Rules is an excellent update from the original 1977 three little black books into the Cepheus engine rule set
I haven't felt I needed it, so I can't comment as a reader.
 
I'm sorry, but, then, why don't you just do that?

I mean, why not just use LBB 1-3? if you don't have the '77 version (you can get it on the FFE CD), just "take it out" of the '81 version.
As stated in the OP, I did purchase the FFE download. It came with ’77 rules, ’81 rules, TTB, and Starter rules. They are very comprehensive, and I’m enjoying them very much.

The problem is, I want a printed set of the ’77 rules (Books 1-3). I know neither FFE nor Mongoose is printing and selling those rulebooks currently.

I then thought I might find the same/similar as a POD CE option somewhere. My problem is that CE is so vast that I might be searching for the right choice for a long time. I hoped to get pointed in the best direction rather quickly by asking here.

I might need to learn how to print the booklets from my FFE PDFs using a print service like Lulu or similar…
 
@Sci-Fi Neophyte,if you are looking for a current POD product "close to" CT '77 LBB 1-3 , no. No such thing IMHO.

WHY (Short Answer)? Different rule system and not sufficient interest to truly reverse engineer one the extent that done with OSR Renaissance.

WHY (More Detail)? All Cepheus Engine core rule books are derived from the Traveller Development Pack released by Mongoose Publishing. That is the true "SRD" from which Cepheus Engine products get the OGL legitmacy. Though no longer on their website It exists in archive.org and a copy is in the Resources section of this website. But even that is not CT '77. That document is derived from Mongoose Traveller 1st Edition. The skills are different, skill resolution is different, combat resolution is different, animals are different, etc.

I suggest if you want something like a Cepheus Engine without the "offending" sections, get a core rules that has a Word Document version Remove the flavor fext.
Thanks, Nathan. That may be what I need to do, but I was hoping to avoid that if someone else had already done that work. The CE SRD is available as a text file, and I could reverse engineer that myself, but it seems daunting.

I’m not admitting to being lazy; I’m just not sure I want to commit that much energy to this project myself at this moment. But thank you for your recommendation; in the end, this may be what I’ll have to do.

Cheers!
 
I've just remembered that Zozer also publishes their Retro Sci-Fi Rules which (from what I have seen) are the rules from which Cepheus Universal expanded. It is a lot "lighter" than Universal (being 86 pages versus 456) and uses the same character generation variant. (Each career has a primary skill, which you get at level 1, and six other skills which can spread 6 skill points over). Retro also includes a short (18 pages), single subsector setting.
Hey, now this is something. Thanks, Takei.

Cepheus Universal would be, I think, the exact opposite of what I’m looking for. Put what I’m looking for and Cepheus Universal on the same continuum, and they would be opposites, IMHO. There is so much bloat in Cepheus Universal. It does way too much, compared to the simple rules in CT’77.

But Zozer’s Retro Rules might be the best suggestion made here yet. I found a product review on this forum from 16-18 months ago outlining these rules. Zozer’s Retro Rules seems to check many, but not all, my boxes.

Gold star for you, my friend, for making the best recommendation so far. Cheers!
 
Given you're looking for a very specific version of CT (LBB1-3 1977), why not just print them yourself? Either at home or using a POD service? I've used POD services to print personal copies of all kinds of PDFs for personal use.

As others have pointed out, there is nothing closer than the originals (much as I like CE and Zozer products, all of them alter CT in one way or another).
Very true, Ildefonse. I agree completely. I am just very intimidated by Lulu’s self-printing stuff. The last time I tried to self-format and print something there, it turned into a big mess. I had problems formatting the PDF correctly. I need more specialized knowledge to self-print there successfully. Maybe I’ll need to put in more time and try to figure it out better soon.

Alas, I’m not currently set up to print from home…
 
Just seems to me grabbing the LWB and a using a couple sticky notes to "update" it down to '77 would be the most efficient use. Maybe a highlighter.
I’m not sure if a couple of sticky notes and a highlighter would be sufficient to annotate all the changes/corrections/subtractions required to transform the Little White Book (LWB, AKA Facsimile Edition) into CT’77.

Frank Filz's Wine Dark Rift Classic Traveller Campaign website has a terrific comparison tool that I believe was helped, supported, and made better by the COTI Forum. It can be found here:


Frank’s document is almost 50 pages of text. Additionally, while I am a big fan of the LWB for what it is (and own a copy), its formatting leaves much to be desired. I appreciate all the errata in the LWB, but they are not all incorporated adequately into the text where they belong, and I’m not a huge fan of constantly flipping to the back to look up an errata change.

For now, pending further comments that may arise over the weekend, I think Zozer’s Retro Rules may be my best option (printed at Lulu), followed by learning how to print CT’77 Books from my purchased FFE download at Lulu for personal use, followed by rewriting the Cepheus Engine SRD for personal use last.

But I appreciate all your input, all the same. Cheers!
 
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