Player's Book: Contents

[robject]

Preliminary Note If you think accessibility is important for the Traveller5 Player's Handbook, then it won't hurt to tell Marc Miller this in an email at FarFuture@AOL.com (does this email address still work?)


T5 Player's Handbook

Assuming the T5 Player's Handbook should be about the size of The Traveller Book, what would go into it?

Here's how I'm currently thinking of the Player's Book.

Appx 120 pages.

Intro ........................   ? pp
Tasks TBD a la Don/MT ........   1 p
Characteristics and Homeworld.   3 pp
Character Generation .........  35 pp 

Only uses Str Dex End Int Edu Soc.  No C1-C6.

Starship summaries ...........   1 p
Character Examples TBD .......  10 pp  (three examples)
Skills .......................   9 pp  
- (skills list 1 p)
- (skills intro 3 pp)
- (skills short descr 2 pp)
- (knowledges short descr 2 pp)

GUNS and ARMOR ...............  11 pp
EQUIPMENT ....................   7 pp

Personal Combat ..............  10 pp 
- ranges included in here

Full Combat Examples TBD......  10 pp ?
Setting Material .............  ?? pp (includes general overview of aliens)

Library Data .................   8 pp (incl. starports et al)
Final Word ...................   2 pp
INDEX ........................   3 pp

 

[Murdoc]

I'm not so sure about psionics. The rules seem to be designed to be used during play, and handled by the GM. Personally I think that they are a little restricted this way, because not every race and culture is going to handle psionics the same way, but that's the way they are now, so I don't see a use case for players being able to use that information. Certainly not during chargen.

Another good one: Personals. Definitely would use those during play. Benchmarks, money, and stuff like that would be handy. Maybe the How Starships Work section. Not really for use during a game, but to prep players for how things work, it is information they should know. Other than that, your list looks pretty good.

Might even split the book into two main sections: Before Game (chargen, HSW, etc.) and During Game (charts, benchmarks, combat, tasks). Just an idea for some organization. (I started with Starter Traveller, so I do like my chart book handy. )

 

[Hemdian]

Rather than The Traveller Book, I'd go with something like a D&D Players Manual ... hard cover, same page size as the 'monolith', but a lower page count (obviously).

For contents I'd have ...

• Characteristics
• Characters
• Careers
• Life Pursuits and Experience
• Tasks
• Skills
• Personal Combat
• ... then I'd flesh out the text with more detailed explanations and include plenty of walkthroughs.

Depending on where the page count was after that I might or might not included the pre-made guns, armour, vehicles, and equipment. Alternatively, save that for the another book(*) which would be an equipment manual.

(* = I initially typed "next book" but there's still the Galaxiad and BCS to come and I'm not sure of the order.)

 

[heckj]

Assuming the T5 Player's Guide should be about the size of The Traveller Book, what would go into it?

The task system.
Obviously, the "Book 1" material: Character Generation and Combat.
Psionics?
The rules concerning environmental dangers on world surfaces (and in space).
Starports. How to travel.
Equipment, including the standard expected weapons, armor, and bric-a-brac.
The typical expected vehicles and smallcraft. A number of vehicle weapons.
Descriptions of player ships (especially the ones you can muster out with).

An index.

I'd start with a focus on mechanics of traveller (tasks, skills, knowledges, how they're used together, flux, DM's and mods). Within this, I'd cover the basic tasks and personals systems, along with a subset of the mods that may apply.

I'd than aim for a second section with "how to create a character" which covered the careers and included the tables and forms needed for players to flesh out their characters.

I've been cobbling my own "introduction to traveller" for some co-workers who've heard me jumping about and now want to play, but who have never seen Traveller previously. Explaining what tech and ground rules exist (even using the OTU referenced in T5) is turning out to be a huge learning curve for them.

Finally, I'd aim for some more extensive sidebars that walked a player through how these various parts worked - creating a character, mustering out, interacting with an NPC using personals, and working through a simple firefight.

 

[Original_Carl]

I'd like to see a master index for both books in the player's guide, similar to what existed in the old AD&D DMG. For example:

Life Pursuits ....... 71 (110)

71 being where you can find it in the Player's Guide and 110 where you can find it in the BBB. AD&D did it this way because the PHB was published before the DMG and didn't include an index. Deja Vu all over again. Sort of.

Alternately, I'd take a PDF with actual chapters and sections in it. My iPad is super-mega-awesome as a game book. A smartphone, a laptop, or any tablet device makes a very good game book. Leverage that.

How about a glossary? Traveller has a fair amount of jargon and a glossary is a great way to compile all those special words like QREBS, MOARN and STAMP.

For actual Player's Guide contents, I have a few ideas.

I'd like to see pp11-25 included, the size graphic on p54, Money, and Humanity. Some information about range should be there along with Size, but it needs to be simple and obviously useful so I'd call out World Range and Space Range only. All of these things are foundational game concepts and should be presented as simply as possible so they can be absorbed by the player quickly. I'd also make sure Flux was introduced here along with nD < or = C + S.

Characteristics should be included, but it needs to be substantially shortened. Traveller characteristics (and how to roll for them) can be explained on one page.

The concepts of Skills and Knowledge needs to be introduced before Character Creation and after Characteristics. One page or less should do it and it should include examples of the basic task resolution system (nD < or = C + S) in action. Comprehensive information on skills, knowledge and tasks can be included later, after Equipment.

College/University should look like the single page career resolution systems, but it really only needs to be 1/2 a page, with the other half being ANM, Flight School, and Command College.

For Careers, I like p68, the checklist on pp78-79 (which should be edited for clarity) and the single page career resolution systems on pp83-95. The rest needs to be re-written. It's confusing, overly-wordy, and belongs after the single page career resolution systems.

Aging must be included, but it needs to be edited down to a simple list of steps. This should appear in the career resolution checklist.

An Equipment and Vehicles chapter should be included with pre-made stuff. Reference the makers, but don't include them (as in "you can make your own guns and vehicles and stuff with The Makers in the BBB"). Make sure you include non-fighting equipment here, too, like datapads and vacc suits and 10-foot poles. I'd put a much-abbreviated Consoles, Controllers, Computers and Brains section in here with some notes on AI.

Tasks, Personals and Combat should be included, but they need to be edited down. More examples, less description. Also, since these are all children of a common mother they should be in the same chapter.

Starships should have their own chapter. Include all the Green List ships and stat them out. Sections should include Starship Operation (the budget, crew roles, refueling, docking, landing, orbit, etc.) and Starship Combat.

I don't think Starports deserves it's own chapter, but a lot of material for an "Adventures" chapter could be cribbed from it. Include "The Galaxy" from pp416-419. This chapter should also include stuff from the "How <things> Work" chapters. It's good for a player to understand Jump, Power Systems, Sensors, etc. but they don't need nearly the detail that's included in the BBB. Finally, add some information about Genetics, Cloning, Chimeras, Robots, Androids and Cyborgs. A few pages should be sufficient. Players just need to know these things exist and how they fit in.

Traveller is a simple game that allows for deep gameplay. Mongoose was on the verge of something great when they released the Pocket Edition rules for the basic game -- then they ruined it with a bunch of crap supplements and expansions and an inferior task resolution system with the confusing concept of Skill-0 (totally my opinion -- sorry MgT fans).

 

[Bloo]

Races.

 

[mechascorpio]

As it was due "early-to-mid 2013" and has barely been mentioned since the Kickstarter (which funded it) came to an end, it should have an updated release date. I would think that it should be a little too late at this point to be trying to determine what the contents should be. Wasn't it being worked on once the door on the big book was closed and went to press?

 

[Original_Carl]

Races.

Good call, Bloo. I think that should go in later in the book, though. Most Travellers are human, but a few pages on how to roll up a Zhodani, Aslan, Vargr, etc. would be great.

 

[robject]

I would think that it should be a little too late at this point to be trying to determine what the contents should be. Wasn't it being worked on once the door on the big book was closed and went to press?

It is not too late. Rules content will come directly from the latest version of the Core Rules. The content has not been finalized.

You're right about the release date. I suspect one wave of errata will be included in the Player's Handbook.

And, I suggest people email Marc if they're interested in Accessibility. Not that he's not aware of the need, but just to put in a voice of support for the idea.

 

[Higgipedia]

Thinking more about this...

My initial thoughts were that I'd like a T5 Player's Book with the basic rules and maybe a 3I Player's Book with homeworlds and races and the like. Then I thought better/different.

I like the whole concept of T5 being a basic frame upon which other sci-fi settings can be dropped on it. Maybe the Player's Books can be those setting updates and the rules inside could be a reflection of those settings.

I know there is still the question of how Marc is going to handle licensing. Maybe if there's something along the lines of the "Powered by GURPS" line or the Swords & Wizardry Compatibility License, individual creators can put out the Player's Books the players in their particular settings need.

FFE can just handle the 3i versions.

 

[David Johansen]

I think after character creation, tasks, and skills, that having lots of sample vehicles, weapons, equipment, and space ships is a must. I might even make an argument for no combat in the players guide since it rapidly expands to include personals and benchmarks and so forth. At least keep combat to the basics and leave the vehicles and nukes to the main book.

 

[Thlaylie]

ALIENS AND SHIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No math.

 

[Baltech Budapest]

I think after character creation, tasks, and skills, that having lots of sample vehicles, weapons, equipment, and space ships is a must. I might even make an argument for no combat in the players guide since it rapidly expands to include personals and benchmarks and so forth. At least keep combat to the basics and leave the vehicles and nukes to the main book.

I agree.

 

[Licheking]

I would personally prefer to have new stuff in a players book, not stuff i already have from the core rulebook. I'm fine with better explanations of how the various careers work and generation examples as well as some standardized equipment and the universe stuff to a point. What i won't support is a book that is just a cut down version of the core rules with some slightly better explanations in. Errata fine, although i think that should be a free PDF anyway.

 

[rich4421972]

I would personally prefer to have new stuff in a players book, not stuff i already have from the core rulebook. I'm fine with better explanations of how the various careers work and generation examples as well as some standardized equipment and the universe stuff to a point. What i won't support is a book that is just a cut down version of the core rules with some slightly better explanations in. Errata fine, although i think that should be a free PDF anyway.

I agree. I would be less likely to buy a reprint of things that are already in the core book. Take, for example, the MegaTraveller Player's Guide. It had additional options that were not available in the referee's guide. I would like to see:

more diagrams of the Thing-, Armor-, Beast- and Ship- makers.
An expanded (or easier to implement) system for risk and reward
Expansion of the "Fame" tables.
An equipment section (with examples of essential equipment: adventurer's kit, fuel, climbing gear, survival kits, archaic weapons like the
.38 cal special "snubnose" pistol or even a high tech lock-picking kit)

I know that these things can be made with current rules, but they could be illustrated with a little more eye candy.

 

[David Johansen]

On the other hand do we really want to wait for Marc to write new material?

 

[Blue Ghost]

I briefly glanced at the TL rules in T5 tonight, and the only thing that strikes me for a Players' Guide is that it's not just the number of topics weighing down the first run T5 book, but the wording of a lot of the topics.

There seems to be a lot of philosophizing for the justification of rules, or an explanation of how and why a rule mechanic is in the game, as opposed to just writing down the rule the players need with a brief synopsis of what it represents.

There's more explanatory text that bleeds over into Designer's Notes territory as opposed to bare basic rules needed by players to generate characters, devices, and everything else.

Thanks.