Mongoose High Guard

[Border Reiver]

I wouldn't say definitive but they are pretty good. I really need to test it but it looks like fighters are now true battle winners without being overpowered. I can see room for some alternate non-Traveller tech in there but some other stuff but it is nice.

 

[Supplement Four]

While I have come to generally respect your oppinion in several other forums here on many topics, MGT isn't one of them. I do not think they could produce anything that would meet your apparently impossible to achieve level of quality. Perfection would fall short.

I do demand perfection, but I think that's a "good" quality!

Hey! I haven't said one bad thing about High Guard. In fact, what I have said is positive and hopeful.

I keep watching MGT because it's close to CT. If they produce a good book, I'll buy it and use it for CT.

I like the 3D deckplans, that's a nice touch.

I like what Border has said about making fighters useful without making them overpowered.

I just calls 'em as I sees 'em. If MGT is good, I admit it. If its crap, I'll call it crap.

I have no agenda against Mongoose. And, in fact, I do hope they pull it out and turn Traveller into a good line.

If they do, I'll start singing their praises.

So far....from what little I've heard about it, High Guard sounds...like it will be the first good supplement Mongoose has published.

Jury is still out. Need more facts.

 

[Border Reiver]

cool
look forward to getting some money together if poss
and buying a copy

Hey Reiver, you should really get into Black Lion to pick yours up,heh,heh
support your local FLGS:.)

Alan

Oh, are you coming to COnpulsion09, heres hoping you can make it

50 miles is pretty local I suppose. I shop at Black Lion when I can, it usually involves pulling up outside in the ambulance, running inside and grabbing a few things, exchange a couple of words with Lucy or Liam and then scream away with blue lights flashing. I'll be tossing a coin. Conpulsion or Eastercon? They are usually the same weekend.

 

[Qstor2]

One of the things that puzzled me, (I'm not much of a gearhead) is the different descriptions for bridges. I didn't see the difference between a cockpit and other bridges in High Guard or the main book. The main book only had one bridge.

I was trying to write up the Pytheas scout ship from GT First In p.41 into MGT and got stuck.

Mike

 

[Swiftbrook]

I was looking at the preview of High Guard on the Mongoose site:

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/travhgpre2.pdf?PHPSESSID=ac224ff4ea1ecb4688b24be0089174d5

Just wondering, are the deck plans at a much better resolution in the print version?

-Swiftbrook

 

[Border Reiver]

Yeah, a lot clearer but the details are tiny still on the capital ships. Just not fuzzy like in the preview.

 

[atpollard]

One of the things that puzzled me, (I'm not much of a gearhead) is the different descriptions for bridges. I didn't see the difference between a cockpit and other bridges in High Guard or the main book. The main book only had one bridge.

I was trying to write up the Pytheas scout ship from GT First In p.41 into MGT and got stuck.

Mike

Cockpit = driver's seat in a car - sitting only and intended for short durations.

Bridge = driver's seat in a motor home - able to stand up and walk around and intended for long durations.

In other versions of Traveller, Cockpits are for small craft and Bridges are for Starships.

MGT specific differences, someone else will need to explain.

 

[Plankowner]

There are some print issues with the book that will take a bit of sorting out. Many of the page references to other sections are missing (they have "See page XXX") and the font changes in several sections of the book.

If I were you, I would wait about a month until the second printing where Mongoose has said they will fix all this stuff. If you bought one of the earlier books (like I did) they will replace it (which I am going to have them do).

One difference from CT and the old HG is that small craft can exceed 6gs. It is possible to have a 30 ton ship with 16gs using their tables.

 

[Theophilus]

All, right, I've Never purchased a MGT product so I have no Opinions, Never even saw one, so, that being said,

Give me a quick description:

Is it more like CT. MT. TNE. GT?
How does the ship design sequence work, CT. MT. TNE. GT?

I pulled up the pdf preview and I didn't like the sloan image, are they all like that?

Will fighting ships be similiar?

Do I need High guard before I get fighting ships?

 

[aramis]

It is closest to CT in both look and tone. It's about as distant from CT as MT is, but in different areas and ways.

Ship Design is derived closely from Bk2. There are some significant differences, but most Bk2 designs will come across with room to spare.

Mongoose has said every ship gets a deckplan; the core book deckplans were bogus (done with wrong volumes), and the ships were not vetted either, so the PDF of them is the real designs and deckplans. Mongoose has not responded to requests for vector rather than bitmap versions in the PDF, and the DPI is relatively low; blowing them up will result in severe jaggies.

Overall, it's scope is similar to CT's The Traveller Book as far as the core rules.
T&C and CGen are both generally considered to be improved from CT basic; Tasks are not congruent with MT/TNE/T4, but are close enough for cross system use. (That is, there are enough datapoints to make a conversion with MT, and from there, to TNE and/or T4 task systems).

 

[robject]

of course, any time I say anything postive here about MGT (even though this is the MGT section of the board) I get accused of being a "fanboy"...

TOTAL fanboy.

I do demand perfection, but I think that's a "good" quality!

Meh.

(also )

 

[Allensh]

TOTAL fanboy.

Was there a point to this?

Allen

 

[atpollard]

Was there a point to this?
Allen

Mostly humor, I think. (thus the smiley)
Robject appears to be 'tweaking your nose'.

To describe S4 as a 'fan' of Classic Traveller would be an understatement.
In the same manner, you have a reputation as an enthusiastic Fan of MGT.

 

[robject]

Was there a point to this?

Allen

Yes, yes there was.

Actually, no.

Well, yes. It's a protest to the vacuousness of argument on these BBSes. And to inject humor, although that seems to backfire (hence we go back to the aforementioned vacuousness). Maybe I used the wrong word, there.

Humor, done well, should defuse tension. But then my attempts are usually more like that saying with the gold ring and the pig's snout.

In other words, let's get back to Mongoose High Guard...

 

[atpollard]

In other words, let's get back to Mongoose High Guard...

So, how does MGT:HG handle drives and power plants?

To simply expand the basic tables might lead to a dreadnaught with the dreaded FFFF MD, CCCC JD and ZZZZ PP (for all those weapons). I hope that they were more clever than a simple expansion of the table a la LBB2.

Any Energy Point rules for powering weapons, or can I fire my spinal mount until the planet melts for the cost of a 1G MD and PP?

 

[robject]

So, how does MGT:HG handle drives and power plants?

To simply expand the basic tables might lead to a dreadnaught with the dreaded FFFF MD, CCCC JD and ZZZZ PP (for all those weapons). I hope that they were more clever than a simple expansion of the table a la LBB2.

Nope nope, it happily extrapolated where the drive potential tables were going, and posited percentages, a la CT's High Guard, for drives.

 

[Allensh]

Mostly humor, I think. (thus the smiley)
Robject appears to be 'tweaking your nose'.

To describe S4 as a 'fan' of Classic Traveller would be an understatement.
In the same manner, you have a reputation as an enthusiastic Fan of MGT.

I regret this coming up during this discussion, especially since I do not have this book yet and so cannot contribute to the actual discussion, but I want to TRY to clarify something.

I do like Mongoose Traveller. I am generally fairly happy with the game so far. I do NOT believe the books are perfect, nor do I think they will be; people are not perfect. Are there things I would have done differently? Most certainly, but I appreciate the fact that there is a LIVING version of the game on the market and (hopefully) bringing new blood into this particular segment of the hobby.

I would also never disparage the classic version of the game. I enjoyed CT very much; more so actually than anything that came after it until MGT, although I did run and enjoy both TNE and T4. Even today when I go to run MGT, I always bring along my Traveller Book and my copy of Starter Traveller because there are things I can use in both of those editions.

This is the source of my discontent; the fact that on this section of the board, I can't even make a simple comment regarding this version of the game (such as pointing out that Spinward Marches was a good book) without certain people interjecting comments such as "that must mean you acknowledge that the others weren't as good" when in fact I said NO SUCH THING. I would not, as a matter of principle, engage in that sort of behavior on the CT section. I certainly would not do so in a thread that is not about actual comparisons between the two games. Do I think CT is perfect? No. I had issues with some parts of the system even back in the day. But a thread about, say, someone wanting to know details about Snapshot (if such existed) would NOT be the place to air those "grievances". I would consider such to be very inconsiderate. I feel that I, and others here have been treated with very inconsiderate behavior here.

"Fanboy" is one of those insults that get thrown when someone wants to diminish the argument of an "adversary" without actually having any way to counter that argument. "oh, well you're just a fanboy..you'd like the game no matter what." I do consider myself to be smarter than that and yes, it bugs me when I get accused of being a mindless supporter.

I won't be posting here again until I actually have the book.

Allen

 

[GypsyComet]

Alas, Mongoose is showing old habits in this book. Layout errors, obvious spelling issues, and questionable writing. This last may not be their fault, as the heavy and conservative hand of Marc Miller is increasingly apparent in this line.

Starting with the best, the first printing of this book is missing most of the table of contents, and has numerous missing page references.

The second printing (yes, we're already at two) corrects most of the page reference errors, but has the TOC from Mercenary. Matt Sprange has already stated that the *really* corrected third printing is about a month away, and that Mongoose will replace 1st and 2nd printings upon request.

As for the actual rules?

The character generation section looks fine, though the Navigation/Astrogation mixup continues (and is sort of important for a SPACE NAVY book).

Ship construction starts with a number of expansions to the main book. At first glance, these are all reasonable. You'll be scratching your head over some of them later, however. I've already given the Mongoose board the "volumes of solids" lesson with regard to the "Hangar Bay". The weapon damages still look like they were pulled from the behind of a random donkey, too.

Two larger modifications of the core ship building rules are presented as well: Small Craft and Capital Ships. The former is anything smaller than 100 tons, while the latter... is anything over 3000 tons. Yeah.

Small craft under 40 tons can exceed 6G if so desired, and it is apparently (I haven't tried) possible to built a real hockey puck of a fighter.

I haven't yet dug into Capital ships, but since this book still lacks anything like even CT High Guard's energy management system, some of the bending over backwards that results is... odd.

 

[Jame]

In other words, let's get back to Mongoose High Guard...

I'm going to go see if that game store has a copy; if it does, I'm buying it.

 

[ThunderChilde]

I'll prolly have to say this over and over again. My Lbb's and associated goodness suffered from a flood in the late '80's. I left Traveler after Mega anyway for other systems. I looked at T4 and put it back, not my cup of tea. I like MGT, I have nothing from before, they were casualties to a RL disaster, and never got replaced. I have returned to the fold entirely because of MGT. So far I have SM, Core and HG. I might pick up a copy of Mercenaries used. They are my references, along with some dusty Memories.

I like HG so far, some vagaries and typos, meh, seems to be the rule these days from the industry at large, and not as bad as other things I have owned over the years.

So if I occasionally seem a little terse, or ill informed, you know where I am coming from. As soon as I get a few medical issues settled I'll be in a better place to debate the finer points.