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As promised, here is my capsule review of Power Projection Lite.
I was actually planning on submitting this review for the Journal of the Traveller’s Aid Society. However, I was about three paragraphs into it when I got word that JTAS had just published a review by Robert Prior. (Curses! Foiled again!) Oh well, that’s life I guess. Anyway, for your general perusal, I submit my thoughts and reflections on this new addition to the Traveller universe:
Review: Power Projection Lite
Written by Dominic Mooney
Published by British Isles Traveller Society.
As long and distinguished as the history of Dungeons & Dragons has been, Marc Miller’s classic hard sci-fi role-playing game Traveller has been on the market in one form or the other—from the original “little black books” to the current d20 version—for over 25 years. Like all games of its genre, space combat plays a major role; however, I’ve never been really pleased
with the way Traveller has handled it. The rules I’ve seen are either overly complex or just plain uninspiring. That was before I got my hands on Power Projection Lite.
Power Projection started with a man and dream: Dominic Moony wanted to use Ground Zero Games’ phenomenal Full Thrust space combat game system for Traveller scenarios. Inspired by some home-brewed rules by Steven Parsonage, Dominic spent five years of refining and playtesting his ideas. Power Projection is the result.
This is a “Lite” version because it mainly focuses on combat with escorts. The full version, that promises to feature full sized capital ships, spinal mounted weapons, and gravity maneuvering (i.e. slingshot effect) should be out in early this year. That, and revised version of the Lite rules called Power Projection: Escorts will be released by the end of January. (Those who purchased the Lite rules need not despair. You can download the updates from www.powerprojection.net as soon as they are available.)
Full Thrust veterans should have very little trouble easing into these rules. The movement system is pure Fleet Book 1 vector movement with the Fleet Book 2 provisions added. The combat rules are the area where one can find the most revision. Power Projection Lite takes the standard battery results model (i.e. die roll of 4-5 equals 1 point of damage, a 6 causes two points) and creates expands on it by giving the weapons an opportunity to cause more damage when certain conditions are met. For instance, a salvo on standard missiles would start at the standard damage profile. However, if those missiles struck their target on their second movement phase or equipped with nuclear warheads, then the potential to cause damage increases greatly. Meanwhile, new factors like a ship’s agility and a revised armor system along with devices like nuclear dampeners, meson screens, repulsors, and sandcasters (see below) can have negative effect on damage.)
The “hard sci-fi” nature of the Traveller setting is also reflected in the Power Projection rules by the inclusion of various “terrain” effects.
These include gravity, nuclear explosions, and sandcasters. The blast from a exploding salvo of nuclear missiles creates a sensor blind spot,
represented by a 1.5 inch diameter blast marker. If your line of sight to a target crosses one of these markers, it adds 2 mu to the range. That
Zhodoni destroyer that was “just” in missile range at 29 mu a moment ago would be safely out of range at 31 mu if a blast marker intervened. Gravity from nearby astronomical bodies also can play a factor. If your LOS passes with the “gravity band” of a planet template, then similar range modifiers are applied. Sandcasters operate on a similar concept, but rather than
effecting range, it lessens the “oomph” from incoming fire that passes through the generated “sand cloud” giving the target a better chance to shrug off damage.
Cosmetically, the rules are well laid out with excellent illustrations to describe combat and movement. It also includes a pull out set of counters for missile salvos, vector arrows, starships, nuclear blasts, sand clouds, and a new version of the infamous turning lasso. The copy I bought from Warehouse 23 didn’t survive the trip across the Atlantic too well so I needed to retouch up the cover a bit. In the end, I laminated to covers and comb bound it. (Why don’t more companies do this? It makes copying out record sheets so much easier.) If I have any sort of gripe, it’s that there seems to be a lack of an “orders from” to record movement and fire orders.
All in all, it’s an excellent game, worthy to carry the Full Thrust engine. Those interested may want wait for Escorts before diving in… then again; you may not have a choice. Power Projection Lite was a limited release, and I think they may have run out of copies. Either way, I highly recommend this game to both Traveller and Full Thrust fans.
I was actually planning on submitting this review for the Journal of the Traveller’s Aid Society. However, I was about three paragraphs into it when I got word that JTAS had just published a review by Robert Prior. (Curses! Foiled again!) Oh well, that’s life I guess. Anyway, for your general perusal, I submit my thoughts and reflections on this new addition to the Traveller universe:
Review: Power Projection Lite
Written by Dominic Mooney
Published by British Isles Traveller Society.
As long and distinguished as the history of Dungeons & Dragons has been, Marc Miller’s classic hard sci-fi role-playing game Traveller has been on the market in one form or the other—from the original “little black books” to the current d20 version—for over 25 years. Like all games of its genre, space combat plays a major role; however, I’ve never been really pleased
with the way Traveller has handled it. The rules I’ve seen are either overly complex or just plain uninspiring. That was before I got my hands on Power Projection Lite.
Power Projection started with a man and dream: Dominic Moony wanted to use Ground Zero Games’ phenomenal Full Thrust space combat game system for Traveller scenarios. Inspired by some home-brewed rules by Steven Parsonage, Dominic spent five years of refining and playtesting his ideas. Power Projection is the result.
This is a “Lite” version because it mainly focuses on combat with escorts. The full version, that promises to feature full sized capital ships, spinal mounted weapons, and gravity maneuvering (i.e. slingshot effect) should be out in early this year. That, and revised version of the Lite rules called Power Projection: Escorts will be released by the end of January. (Those who purchased the Lite rules need not despair. You can download the updates from www.powerprojection.net as soon as they are available.)
Full Thrust veterans should have very little trouble easing into these rules. The movement system is pure Fleet Book 1 vector movement with the Fleet Book 2 provisions added. The combat rules are the area where one can find the most revision. Power Projection Lite takes the standard battery results model (i.e. die roll of 4-5 equals 1 point of damage, a 6 causes two points) and creates expands on it by giving the weapons an opportunity to cause more damage when certain conditions are met. For instance, a salvo on standard missiles would start at the standard damage profile. However, if those missiles struck their target on their second movement phase or equipped with nuclear warheads, then the potential to cause damage increases greatly. Meanwhile, new factors like a ship’s agility and a revised armor system along with devices like nuclear dampeners, meson screens, repulsors, and sandcasters (see below) can have negative effect on damage.)
The “hard sci-fi” nature of the Traveller setting is also reflected in the Power Projection rules by the inclusion of various “terrain” effects.
These include gravity, nuclear explosions, and sandcasters. The blast from a exploding salvo of nuclear missiles creates a sensor blind spot,
represented by a 1.5 inch diameter blast marker. If your line of sight to a target crosses one of these markers, it adds 2 mu to the range. That
Zhodoni destroyer that was “just” in missile range at 29 mu a moment ago would be safely out of range at 31 mu if a blast marker intervened. Gravity from nearby astronomical bodies also can play a factor. If your LOS passes with the “gravity band” of a planet template, then similar range modifiers are applied. Sandcasters operate on a similar concept, but rather than
effecting range, it lessens the “oomph” from incoming fire that passes through the generated “sand cloud” giving the target a better chance to shrug off damage.
Cosmetically, the rules are well laid out with excellent illustrations to describe combat and movement. It also includes a pull out set of counters for missile salvos, vector arrows, starships, nuclear blasts, sand clouds, and a new version of the infamous turning lasso. The copy I bought from Warehouse 23 didn’t survive the trip across the Atlantic too well so I needed to retouch up the cover a bit. In the end, I laminated to covers and comb bound it. (Why don’t more companies do this? It makes copying out record sheets so much easier.) If I have any sort of gripe, it’s that there seems to be a lack of an “orders from” to record movement and fire orders.
All in all, it’s an excellent game, worthy to carry the Full Thrust engine. Those interested may want wait for Escorts before diving in… then again; you may not have a choice. Power Projection Lite was a limited release, and I think they may have run out of copies. Either way, I highly recommend this game to both Traveller and Full Thrust fans.
