How about Traveller 20 2.0, Powered by Spycraft...

[trancejeremy]

Okay, I know some people like T20 the way it is, but for me, it's mostly been gathering dust on my shelf. In part because parts of the system are a bit odd.

Mostly the combat system. The way armor works and the hit point replacement.

Now I was thinking, Alderac is apparently coming out with a "Powered by Spycraft License", somewhat akin to the d20 license. In many ways, Spycraft is a very streamlined version of d20 aimed at gun combat and such. Which is what Traveller needs, IMHO.

Even if you didn't go that far, the WP/VP system is now open content (thanks to Unearthed Arcana), so it could be used in a revision of T20. And other things could be adopted, like their combat rules (which are also open content).

 

[notagoodusername]

WP/VP would make combat much less deadly in T20 than it already is, and deadly combat is a big Traveller thing.


Shane

 

[bryan gibson]

well, if youre implying that you think thats a better system for the purpose, then go nuts, have at it. Use it to your hearts content.

a revision of T20, though? I really fail to see the point why, the entire purpose of the T20 combat system, in essence ( as Shane so accurately points out) is that combat is something you'd really better think twice about.

Now, if it is a guns and guts campaign you want, on the other hand, and the PCs really wouldn't rather be ginning up character every other session, then I'd say go with what you like.Convert to your hearts content.

It's your game, right?

 

[Shadowdancer]

You can probably *use* just about any gaming system within the Traveller OTU. I've done it with Cyberpunk 2020, so I suppose you could do it with Spycraft. It just depends on the feel you want to your game, or what system you feel most comfortable running. And how much conversion work you want to do.

When I used Cyberpunk, the PCs had no starship skills, so they always had to book passage on ships to travel around. Which was OK, because they were black ops specialists who were hired by various corporations to pull dirty tricks against their competitors; the patron was always picking up the tab for the transportation.

 

[clementk]

I am curious why you haven't already just brought your Spycraft or SG-1 book to the game table with your T20 THB? Along with copies of the errata for both books I think you'd be set.

Convert T20's AC to Spycraft's DR at say AC-10 and Lifeblood / Stamina ratings to WP / VP at 1:1. I'd keep AR as is. Sprinkle with defense bonuses and Action Dice if you must though I wouldn't.

I do like Spycraft's chase rules, criticals, and error ranges but if I want to use them in a T20 game there's no need for me to wait for QLI to rewrite T20.

Casey
[EDIT]clarity[/EDIT]

 

[myrmidon]

I use elements of the SG1 book in my Traveller game.

However the overly restrictive gear and control system for classes and so on loses a lot of the Traveller style. Once you take that away from spycraft its D20 modern.
The DR/AC would work as would wounds and vitality but T20 does that already....

I'd suggest it as source material for T20, but no need or point hopping to the character stuff really...
My opinion only of course

Tim

 

[Psion]

One thing I really do prefer about the spycraft setup: if you are going to make Armor absorb damage, it seems to me that class based defense bonuses are the way to go.

I'm really not seeing VP/WP as inherently superior, but I do think that I prefer the way that they don't make their expanding stat (VP/stamina) do double duty as non-lethal damage.

 

[Ruland]

I'm not so sure about class based defense bonuses; In my d20M campaign characters are now 10th level and nearly impossible to hit; sometimes I think their defense values are ridiculously high. Also, in T20, full automatic fire seems to be much more dangerous than in d20M, and this is more in keeping with a high tech environment, I think.

 

[SpyOne]

Ruland: Please bear in mind that, despite what myrmidon might say, Spycraft is not d20 Modern. The damage of weapons is different, as are the rules on full auto fire. And, the class-based bonuses to Defense will be different, too.

I've been brewing a T20-Spycraft conversion myself, but going the other way; I want to use Traveller's background rules in a modern game powered by Spycraft.

 

[lightsenshi]

Spycraft is a horse of a whole different breed. Guns tend to go hand in hand with espionage style games, and the spycraft rule set makes combat a survivable option. From what little I've skimmed of SG-1, it's basically the same as spycraft with a few new tricks.

T20 is completely different from any other d20 system that I'm familiar with because anyone can take you out with one hit. It doesn't necessarily have to be a lucky hit, either.

 

[Reginald]

RE: "Powered by Spycraft" license

If Quiklink Interactive don't mind waiting for the license to be approved by their lawyers and released for distribution, then go ahead. I just hope said license does not require publishers to also include "Requires the use of Spycraft Espionage Handbook, published by Alderac" label on it. Think about it. Your customer would be required to buy the Player's Handbook, Spycraft, and T20.


RE: Class Defense Bonus

The concept is good. If you believe the values in d20 Modern is too high, then lower the values. Alternately, don't stack CDB with armor's equipment bonus to Defense. To increase lethality, lower down Massive Damage Threshold to base 10 value (rather than Con score-based or D&D's base value of 50).


RE: VP/WP health system

Quiklink did initially want to use this health system before they heard about what happened to Citizen Games and their Sidewinder RPG. They can now use it. It may make it less deadly compared to Stamina/Lifeblood, but I consider that a good thing. After all, if I want deadly, I might as well play Call of Cthulhu, where the game setting is a world of despair & hopelessness, and the only goal is to stay alive (and sane) just a little bit longer.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Your customer would be required to buy the Player's Handbook, Spycraft, and T20.

Spycraft doesn't require the Player's Handbook. But T20 does, so you'd now have a choice of T20 AND the D&D Player's Handbook, OR the Star Wars Core Rulebook, OR the Spycraft rules. No need for a rewrite, just an addition of an option of a requirement.

Later,

Scout

 

[Malenfant]

I'd cheerfully toss out the chargen system in T20 and replace it with something based off D20Modern's (especially given the D20Future classes now). And use VP/WP instead of Stamina and Lifeblood (I may be being blind here, but where is Stamina actually defined in the T20corebook, BTW?)

 

[Malenfant]

Quiklink did initially want to use this health system before they heard about what happened to Citizen Games and their Sidewinder RPG. They can now use it.

BTW, what happened with Citizen Games and their Sidewinder RPG that would have influenced QLI?

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Malenfant:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />
Quiklink did initially want to use this health system before they heard about what happened to Citizen Games and their Sidewinder RPG. They can now use it.

BTW, what happened with Citizen Games and their Sidewinder RPG that would have influenced QLI? </font>[/QUOTE]As I remember it, at the time WP/VP were not available as OGL. They were planning to use it in Sidewinder and WotC told them not to.

WP/VP as they are used in StarWars still weren't the best fit. It would have left combat far less lethal than it is in T20.

No reason you couldn't just use ST/LB as WP/VP. The are generated in pretty much the same method.

If you really want to lighten the combat deadliness you can drop the Lifeblood, ignore the Armor system and just use Stamina. There ya go, basically the straight d20 System.

It pretty much scales however you want with a simple change. It was designed this way on purpose


Hunter

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Malenfant:
I'd cheerfully toss out the chargen system in T20 and replace it with something based off D20Modern's (especially given the D20Future classes now). And use VP/WP instead of Stamina and Lifeblood (I may be being blind here, but where is Stamina actually defined in the T20corebook, BTW?)

It's spread out a bit, look at:
p35 Stamia, p148 Damage(rules modification), p150 Stamina

 

[Malenfant]

Found 'em in the end... the layout's a bit strange in T20 isn't it (I just had the folks bring over my copy from the UK when they came to visit this week)? There was a combat example in T20 on p149 that talks about how many Lifeblood is lost before Lifeblood is even defined (on p150))...