RobertFisher
SOC-12
The GM chair rotated back my way this Monday. While it's not surprising, I wasn't expecting it. So, I'm finally playing Traveller again for the first time in probably more than 10 years, & I'm ref'ing it for the 1st time.
Most of the group hadn't made it (which was probably good since I was totally unprepared
), so there were only 2 players. Chargen went fine, even though I played it pretty much by-the-book. They ended up choosing fairly safe careers--Noble & Doctor--so the Survival roll issue didn't come up.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the four pages of career tables from Sup4 fell completely on a single two-page spread in the reprint BFB. With both players having choosen careers from it, it was actually easier to use the BFB than the LBB.
We ended up with a surgeon of 6 terms & a baroness of 7. (It was particularly funny when the noble decided to retire & rolled a 12 for re-enlist. "But Daddy, you promised!") The baroness ended up with a yacht as well. (Were deckplans for a yacht ever published?)
Almost before I realized it, the girl with the baroness character was working out the economics of starship operation & hiring crew.
Since MTU is no where near ready to go, I choose to stick with OTU & the Spinward Marches. I plopped them down (or...er...up) at Regina's highport & asked them what they wanted to do.
They looked for passengers for Jenghe & found enough high passengers to fill their available staterooms. I suggested they try to find a patron, which they did, but none was found.
On Jenghe a patron was found. (I picked one out of BITS' 101 Patrons.) They ended up jumping to Dinom & then Dinomn (Who thought those were good names?
) to deliver the patron, a colleague, & 2 tons of medical equipment to the patron's homeworld, with a minor complication or two.
There was some grumbling about the accounting involved in starship ops, but the player took up the task without any prompting by me & seemed to be enjoying it (despite the grumbling). (I assured them that we could gloss over the details in the future if we weren't enjoying the details.)
In any case, they seemed to enjoy it despite the strugglings of a unprepared, 1st time (for Traveller) ref. Two characters, three jumps, & one patron seemed like a pretty successful first session to me.
I found myself falling back on my Starter Traveller books a lot. It was just easier for me to find things in them than in the LBBs. The last page of Bk0 helped, but ST was still quicker. Though I'll probably get a lot better with the LBBs once I get used to them. ("Experience is in Bk2. Experience is in Bk2.") In any case, I was very happy to have ST, the LBBs, & the BFBs all at the table. They all got use.
Most of the group hadn't made it (which was probably good since I was totally unprepared
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the four pages of career tables from Sup4 fell completely on a single two-page spread in the reprint BFB. With both players having choosen careers from it, it was actually easier to use the BFB than the LBB.
We ended up with a surgeon of 6 terms & a baroness of 7. (It was particularly funny when the noble decided to retire & rolled a 12 for re-enlist. "But Daddy, you promised!") The baroness ended up with a yacht as well. (Were deckplans for a yacht ever published?)
Almost before I realized it, the girl with the baroness character was working out the economics of starship operation & hiring crew.
Since MTU is no where near ready to go, I choose to stick with OTU & the Spinward Marches. I plopped them down (or...er...up) at Regina's highport & asked them what they wanted to do.
They looked for passengers for Jenghe & found enough high passengers to fill their available staterooms. I suggested they try to find a patron, which they did, but none was found.
On Jenghe a patron was found. (I picked one out of BITS' 101 Patrons.) They ended up jumping to Dinom & then Dinomn (Who thought those were good names?
There was some grumbling about the accounting involved in starship ops, but the player took up the task without any prompting by me & seemed to be enjoying it (despite the grumbling). (I assured them that we could gloss over the details in the future if we weren't enjoying the details.)
In any case, they seemed to enjoy it despite the strugglings of a unprepared, 1st time (for Traveller) ref. Two characters, three jumps, & one patron seemed like a pretty successful first session to me.
I found myself falling back on my Starter Traveller books a lot. It was just easier for me to find things in them than in the LBBs. The last page of Bk0 helped, but ST was still quicker. Though I'll probably get a lot better with the LBBs once I get used to them. ("Experience is in Bk2. Experience is in Bk2.") In any case, I was very happy to have ST, the LBBs, & the BFBs all at the table. They all got use.
