New thought about the course of Traveller

[Blue Ghost]

Although upon reflection, I don't think so, as Whipsnade and one or two other folks who used to post here had the same experience.

Water under the bridge, but I think it illustrative of Traveller's problem in lack of venues to game.

 

[tim_manley]

I've been thinking of taking chamx and turning it into a movie style starship troopers, fighting the bug hordes

 

[savage]

I've been thinking of taking chamx and turning it into a movie style starship troopers, fighting the bug hordes

Good plan. There are not enough bugs in Traveller.

 

[Garyius2003]

Good plan. There are not enough bugs in Traveller.

What were those bugs in the scout story in Dragon Magazine, the issue with the planet that had a nuke war and the 3I Navy was trying to run relief ops?

If I remember right the bugs turned the scout robot against them.

 

[robject]

Huh, interesting. Well, maybe we ran it wrong in our group or something.

I ran it wrong, that's for sure. At least, I ran the second part, Horde, wrong -- because as you note, it is strongly military-oriented. So the referee has to be prepared (mentally at least) to do some mass combat scenarios. Not difficult to fudge, but it may be a challenge to some (like me) to make a war scenario work well.

Mass combat can be a fun part of an RPG. It just has to be done with the right abstraction, and still engage the players. A different mode of play that, in my opinion, should be toned down in favor of the players getting their hands dirty.

 

[tim_manley]

I ran it wrong, that's for sure. At least, I ran the second part, Horde, wrong -- because as you note, it is strongly military-oriented. So the referee has to be prepared (mentally at least) to do some mass combat scenarios. Not difficult to fudge, but it may be a challenge to some (like me) to make a war scenario work well.

Mass combat can be a fun part of an RPG. It just has to be done with the right abstraction, and still engage the players. A different mode of play that, in my opinion, should be toned down in favor of the players getting their hands dirty.

When I GM my focus is what the players see and experience. So when I run mass combat it's what is going on around them. I try really hard to describe the chaos and noise and if I can get the players on the edge of their seat that's even better.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I ran it wrong, that's for sure. At least, I ran the second part, Horde, wrong -- because as you note, it is strongly military-oriented. So the referee has to be prepared (mentally at least) to do some mass combat scenarios. Not difficult to fudge, but it may be a challenge to some (like me) to make a war scenario work well.

Mass combat can be a fun part of an RPG. It just has to be done with the right abstraction, and still engage the players. A different mode of play that, in my opinion, should be toned down in favor of the players getting their hands dirty.

You know, it's funny, because I actually did read through that one the weekend before I ran it, and skimmed through it to make sure I had everything ready for the following weekend's gaming session.

When I saw the encounter tables I figured my players would pick up like a dozen or so stragglers and have to fight their way back to their ship or or something.

But instead by the second hour of game time my players were essentially commanding a small company and shooting the behjeezus out of the chamax. It really wasn't much of a contest after that...I can't remember what I did to try and amp up the difficulty, but my players had a fun time all the same.

Oh well.

 

[DonM]

Good plan. There are not enough bugs in Traveller.

Oh, wait, this isn't an errata discussion. False alarm.

 

[savage]

Oh, wait, this isn't an errata discussion. False alarm.

:rofl:

Not those bugs. The ones that are about 500lbs.

 

[Chuck Anumia]

My Thoughts

If you look in the T5 rules you will find a whole section on synthetic beings and robots - can't use them in the OTU though.

There are new drives that allow you to have a campaign that spans the galaxy - can't use them in the OTU though.

I want a setting that shows off the rules, that is how the OTU started life, as a sandbox to show how you could apply the stuff in the rulebooks.

As it is most of the cool new stuff in T5 doesn't fit in the OTU.

The "Far Future/Galaxiad" era supposedly takes place in Imperial Year 1900. Mant of the new T5 gadgets ought to be useable there (and I am guessing that is exactly why the era is being developed and set that far in the future).

I would like a setting of Traveller where I also can use all the tools in the T5 tool box.
I agree that perhaps moving the galaxy forward to the year 1900 would have many benefits but which timeline is getting moved forward?
Are we going to jump from 1100+ to 1900 and not have the rebellion (or was it successfully repressed, avoided?)
Or move the MT rebellion forward with a restoration of the true Strephon?
Or have TNE's Spinward Marches reunite the galaxy into the 4th imperium?
Or moving 1248 forward?
Or is there another alternative which would include a portion of all these elements?
Hmmmmm...?

 

[DonM]

Although there will be some canon adjustments here and there, the intention is to build on top of TNE and T1248.

Heck, I just revealed little bits in a post a few minutes ago. Marc and the T5 development team (that's usually Rob and I, and the secret cabal) have dropped other bits in various Mongoose books. There might be other bits in Cirque, but I might have leaned on Greg to be a bit vague there.

Marc's intention has always been to move forward once everything is ready.

 

[Shadowrunner]

Probably not the first person to say this, but as someone new to the additional Traveller versions, I love all the refinements and extra skills in the newer games, but I find it hard to cope with the break-up of the Imperium, when as a Traveller player in the Spinward Marches, I was always looking rimward to the frontier and uncharted territories and the security and frequency of worlds coreward was a driving force, a motivation to head west and explore. I also enjoyed the fact that some technology was rare or unattainable to players. I always loved the way that Traveller was more like Star Wars than Star Trek. To go much beyond 1105 is a huge learning curve, I'm safe in my CT comfort zone (with a few borrowed skills and refinements). edit: I am very much along for the ride though and will play pretty much whatever is put in front of me.

 

[savage]

Probably not the first person to say this, but as someone new to the additional Traveller versions, I love all the refinements and extra skills in the newer games, but I find it hard to cope with the break-up of the Imperium, when as a Traveller player in the Spinward Marches, I was always looking rimward to the frontier and uncharted territories and the security and frequency of worlds coreward was a driving force, a motivation to head west and explore. I also enjoyed the fact that some technology was rare or unattainable to players. I always loved the way that Traveller was more like Star Wars than Star Trek. To go much beyond 1105 is a huge learning curve, I'm safe in my CT comfort zone (with a few borrowed skills and refinements). edit: I am very much along for the ride though and will play pretty much whatever is put in front of me.

I can understand the pain of looking at the Rebellion and shaking your head. I think 1248 started on the right foot and tried to go too far. The real problem is lack of products in the 90s to fill in the gaps. With the demise of GDW fans made the effort to fill in gaps on the early websites. The problem is that 3I never should have been pinned in as it was. There we're many weaker foes. And that moving coreward was only one option. A smaller stable Regency or anyone of several startup empires brings new options. I never thought of it as Star Wars or Star Trek.

 

[Shadowrunner]

I guess my comment is a bit flippant because Star Trek evolved heavily since the 1970's, it might have been a good way to describe CT in the past, but it's not anymore perhaps. I think it is more lazyness on my part than anything wrong with newer versions of Traveller perhaps. Vargr furry heads were always an embarassment and difficult to explain to potential players not from Perry Rodan era and it is something I and my friends at school always modified, that Vargr would have traits and some genes, rather than furry heads and fangs.

 

[robject]

The 1105 era has so much support, and it's safe for so many of us. Other eras have broken new ground, but it seems as if they didn't gain momentum.

 

[GypsyComet]

If D&D's Forgotten Realms provide any useful lessons, one is that customers love a static setting, even if the timeline is moving. Battletech's Clan Invasion was a case in point. So was Traveller's Rebellion.

 

[whulorigan]

. . . customers love a static setting, even if the timeline is moving.

Or at least a static setting to a reasonably distant future date. The Rebellion might have gone over better if it had been set in Year 1170 or later, for example. Then you can continue to produce products for 1105+ as well as 1170+, and have the later setting to do whatever you want with. Same could be said for TNE. Move a new "era" sufficiently far ahead that it doesn't mess with anyone's current ongoing campaign.

 

[Chuck Anumia]

Reset

Or at least a static setting to a reasonably distant future date. The Rebellion might have gone over better if it had been set in Year 1170 or later, for example. Then you can continue to produce products for 1105+ as well as 1170+, and have the later setting to do whatever you want with. Same could be said for TNE. Move a new "era" sufficiently far ahead that it doesn't mess with anyone's current ongoing campaign.

Perhaps the 1900 setting is one way of doing just that.
It seems like a giant RESET with sketchy details from the past and progressive insights into the future.
I like it!

 

[Rabbit 3]

A random thought just occured to me today.
Would a Kindle edition of the T5 rulebook and archive material be a good idea.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I guess my comment is a bit flippant because Star Trek evolved heavily since the 1970's, it might have been a good way to describe CT in the past, but it's not anymore perhaps. I think it is more lazyness on my part than anything wrong with newer versions of Traveller perhaps. Vargr furry heads were always an embarassment and difficult to explain to potential players not from Perry Rodan era and it is something I and my friends at school always modified, that Vargr would have traits and some genes, rather than furry heads and fangs.

Hmm, that's curious. Was it the whole "dogs in space" thing that made it seem silly? I'd like to hear more.