Player's Manual, in disguise

[robject]

So I've got material for the Player's Guide, and I put it with text from LBB 0 and LBB 1. And it's DRY DRY DRY. I thought it would be good. And it does look LBB1-like... but the text. Ah man, the text reads like it's 1977, and not in a good way. And I LIKE the LBBs. (But then again, I don't actually READ them...)

So, Maksim had a great idea this morning. He suggested that the Player's Manual be written in the form of a personnel guide, or hiring manual, or something similar to that.

In other words, it's Traveller fiction -- say published by Oberlindes or similar -- but the material is rules, disguised as describing hiring techniques, who to look for, where to find them, under what circumstances you'll need them. The kind of Interstellar Survival Guide an agent of the company might need to crew a small starship, or conduct a raid on a pirate's den, or pay a formal visit to an Aslan head of state, or to outfit a hunting expedition, and so on. But the text leads the reader through character generation, equipment, combat, starships, process checklists, and so on in an accessible way.

- Active voice, "You" and "I" usage, no thesaurus needed.
- Stories, simile and metaphor.
- But: no rambling.
- Break the rules.
- Ask questions.

This would help the book. It would be more fun to write. It would be a more conversational style -- easier to read. And if it is more fun to write, it will be more fun to read (I've found this to be generally true). And it would inspire both player and referee about places to go, things to do, people to see, and adventures to embark on.

My brain is suggesting that more than one personality be "in" the material, to switch writing styles and points of view to keep the text fresh. Even have a little back-and-forth develop. The noble. The rogue. The merchant.

 

[vegas]

Reminds me of the WEG SW d6 core rules... different personalities, describing different sections.

 

[Timerover51]

So I've got material for the Player's Guide, and I put it with text from LBB 0 and LBB 1. And it's DRY DRY DRY. I thought it would be good. And it does look LBB1-like... but the text. Ah man, the text reads like it's 1977, and not in a good way. And I LIKE the LBBs. (But then again, I don't actually READ them...)

So, Maksim had a great idea this morning. He suggested that the Player's Manual be written in the form of a personnel guide, or hiring manual, or something similar to that.

In other words, it's Traveller fiction -- say published by Oberlindes or similar -- but the material is rules, disguised as describing hiring techniques, who to look for, where to find them, under what circumstances you'll need them. The kind of Interstellar Survival Guide an agent of the company might need to crew a small starship, or conduct a raid on a pirate's den, or pay a formal visit to an Aslan head of state, or to outfit a hunting expedition, and so on. But the text leads the reader through character generation, equipment, combat, starships, process checklists, and so on in an accessible way.

This would help the book. It would be more fun to write. It would be a more conversational style -- easier to read. And if it is more fun to write, it will be more fun to read (I've found this to be generally true). And it would inspire both player and referee about places to go, things to do, people to see, and adventures to embark on.

My brain is suggesting that more than one personality be "in" the material, to switch writing styles and points of view to keep the text fresh. Even have a little back-and-forth develop. The noble. The rogue. The merchant.

It will also trigger far more debates as to what actually can be done or not done. There is a reason why rules are dry.

 

[aramis]

It will also trigger far more debates as to what actually can be done or not done. There is a reason why rules are dry.

Sorry, but I have to disagree.

Rules can be written in a conversational style and not drive debates. I realize that these are a list of games you're unlikely to have tried, possibly not even seen, nor heard of... but...

Burning Wheel Gold
Mouse Guard
Torchbearer
The One Ring
Legend of the 5 Rings 1E (okay, there were a few bits in the rules that weren't clear) and 2E.
Chronica Feudalis (which is written from the POV of a monk in the 12th C writing down his illicit ruleset for roleplaying whilst shirking duties...)

 

[Nathan Brazil]

As you you describe it "sounds" like the style of DGP's Starship Operators' Manual Volume 1. The old space dog guy in that fun to read.

Or going along with that theme, a annotated/"psuedo-hyperlinked" style book. By "psuedo-hyperlinked", the specific example that comes to mind is Ray Winninger's Underground RPG where words and terms are colored in the main text and the associated definition is on the margin (in the same color, naturally).

Besides, I always wondered what the toy would be in the Tastie-Ghoul Happy Meal...Just Saying

 

[BytePro]

The title of this thread uses the phrase 'Player's Manual', which connotates a reference material ala the LBBs in my mind.

The first line in the post refers to a 'Player's Guide', which brings to mind something more like a how to book - something one might read from beginning to end.

Why not present the rules using both approaches? One being more useful in understanding how to play, the other as a rules reference even during play.

 

[vegas]

Why not both? It's twice as much work and you will create disputes when the wording of rules across books is not the same. (And our hobby has enough trouble with rules lawyers).

Just one gamers opinion.

 

[robject]

Why not present the rules using both approaches? One being more useful in understanding how to play, the other as a rules reference even during play.

I think you're right on target there. And I think that is also in the back of our collective minds when we think "Wow, the T5 Core Rules is like a reference work. What we need is something more useful and straightforward in understanding how to play."

In other words, the Core rulebook is that rules reference.

 

[coliver988]

<snip>
So, Maksim had a great idea this morning. He suggested that the Player's Manual be written in the form of a personnel guide, or hiring manual, or something similar to that.
</snip>

You may want to look at the Planet Mercenary RPG - it's written as an in-universe training manual/product placement for the titular mercenary supplier. There are comments in the margins that were supposed to have been removed prior to printing from various CEOs, sales managers, etc. It is not dry, but nor is it Traveller-like (or at least my Traveller like...) But it could be a source of inspiration.

Edit: and I always enjoyed the GURPS line for chrome at least, as it did use a more personal approach in the sidebars to give the universe some character.

Quote:

Hello, valued Planet Mercenary Customer!
We’ve been providing the finest weapons, armor, and materiel to sophonts like you for over six
hundred years. Our business has been built by listening carefully to you, and by tailoring our offerings
to ensure delivery of the most appropriate tools for the the jobs you do.
In recent years we’ve heard a common complaint: your grunts are idiots and despite your best
efforts to educate them, they continue to embrace ignorance in what seems to be an inherent interest
in getting themselves killed.
To address that, we’ve created a new product, which you’re holding in your hand right now. It
is an encyclopedia of life-saving information, a cornucopia of soldiering knowledge, a bone-head’s
guide to not dying on the job, and we’ve taken care to camouflage it as an old-timey, pencil-and-paper
role-playing game. With a little encouragement, and perhaps some subterfuge, the most unrepentantly
obtuse grunts, who are throwing dice anyway, can be redirected into playing the Planet
Mercenary RPG.

 

[robject]

Hello, valued Planet Mercenary Customer!

Hilarious!!

 

[David Johansen]

It's a tricky approach, it can come off as too precious, condescending, unclear, as friendly as a government grant form, or down right stupid. It can be done well and right but it's a tricky target and the tolerances vary from reader to reader.

So, I wonder, when I first looked at T5 I thought it was intended to run like a visual learning guide. That is to say something that clearly explained itself in its process and layout and was thus easy and approachable with step by step instructions with explanatory text linked by notation.

Really, I think that should be the goal. I'm not sure it was the intent but it's what the intent should be.

You should be able to pick up the Player's Book and play Traveller without reading the book.

 

[OjnoTheRed]

My 20c.

As I said on the other thread, the themed flavour text is looking great.

The strength of an RPG as distinct from a wargame (and I enjoy wargames!) is that story is central. The product at the end of a gaming session is an agreed story. In a wargame, the product is the strategic responses to an opponent and grappling with real-world(-like) problems. RPGs can have strategy and wargames can have story, but each has a different thing at the centre.

Writing it in this style puts story at the centre. I don't think rules are going to be broken - you can justify just about anything with a flexible task system.

The writing so far could be read as part of many settings - it's not necessarily OTU but it is definitely recognisably Traveller. We need good stimulus for the imagination to play the game.

I've just grabbed Mongoose 2nd edition with some very generous gift certificates and what I like about Mongoose is this kind of feature - they put the story in the centre of the game.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

GURPS used a player character's story during it's player-learning stage of its rules. No one complained about it. Traveller 5 could use a book that introduces 4 characters to the player as they go through their careers before meeting each other for an adventure being set up.

 

[pendragonman]

So did CT-sort of; Jamison.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

So did CT-sort of; Jamison.

That was just a drop in the bucket. And his example had wrong numbers in the end. The T5 players book would need to avoid that kind of thing.

 

[robject]

The strength of an RPG as distinct from a wargame (and I enjoy wargames!) is that story is central. The product at the end of a gaming session is an agreed story. [...]

Writing it in this style puts story at the centre.

That's about as good a defense as I can think of. Thanks.