Rules - INDEX Thread

[Supplement Four]

Descriptive Book 2 Damage


Here are some thoughts GMs may find useful in their games. This is meant as a "creative launching point" for GMs to add some spice to their sessions.

Instead of just saying, "Yeah, your maneuver drive drops a letter code on that hit," or, "No bother--it's just another hull hit--you're ship's depressurized already," consider being more descriptive about what is actually happening to the ship. (I'm referring to Book 2 space combat, but you can use this in any type of Traveller space combat.)

A GM can tax the players' credits and set up whole side adventures as the PCs set down on a TL 4 world with a Class C starport, going in search of "a new thruster plate cowling" or "fuel pump specific to a particular make (and TL) of unit".

Have some fun with this.


=================================================
(Damage Results from Book 2 Space Combat)


2: Powerplant
Besides the usual effect described in Book 2, consider that the power distribution node has been damaged (Maybe this is why the PP just dropped a letter code). Maybe the battery backups are destroyed and need to be replaced. Maybe the local computer control system is down.


3: Maneuver Drive
The thruster plates could have taken a direct hit. Maybe the T-Plate cowling is damaged, which is causing the drive to perform at less than optimal level. The local thruster plate control could have been damaged, which will have an effect on the ship's attitude control (which may prevent or hinder the ship's pilot from orienting the ship for an optimal firing solution at the enemy). And, if the ship's single gyroscope is out of whack, the vessel will not be able to alter course--it will remain on a straight-line course until the gyroscope is fixed (the ship has to flip around, bow over stern, in order to apply thrust to "slow the ship down", and this is not possible with the gyroscope out).


4: Jump Drive
If the jump governor is damaged, a ship normally capable of either a J-1 or J-2 jump might be "stuck" at only being able to perform a J-2. The ship's jump drive has it's own, dedicated powerplant, seperate from the ship's main powerplant. If this is damaged, the J-Drive will not function. A starship stores energy inside an energy sink, which is then used, almost instantly, when the ship enters jump. Most modern starships use Zuchai Crystals for their energy sink, and if these are damaged, the ship cannot jump.


5: Fuel
When a fuel hit is obtain, typically about 10 tons of fuel are lost, vented out into space. Internally, the ship's automatic damage control system adjusts the fuel tank's baffles, automatically sealing the rupture, preventing more fuel from escaping. A GM could have fun with a inoperative baffle, requiring a character to suit up in a Vacc Suit and actually enter the fuel tank (usually through the fuel lock in engineering) to fix the baffle--all the while the ship is venting precious fuel out into space.

Of course, a character having to go out onto the hull to patch a hole in the tank from the exterior of the vessel--while the ship is engaged in space combat--could be a lot of fun too.


6-7: Hull
Create a chart for your vessel, as I have done below (my next post in this thread) for a Type A2 Far Trader. Whenever a Hull result occurs on the damage table, roll on this chart to figure which area of the ship was acutally hit.

Note that not all Hull hits have to depressurize the compartment. Depressurization certainly occurs in most cases (maybe causing an obstacle for charcters inside the ship to have to "move around" in order to get to a different section of the ship), and many times equipment and objects inside that location are destroyed. But, also consider that many other types of damage can occur as well. Maybe it's a very small, pin-hole leak, that is very hard to track down. If there are viewports in the room, a GM could scare the PCs with a "crack" that is visible in the port.

If an airlock was hit, consider that the airlock is no longer functional--or that the outer hatch is stuck closed (or even open).

Heck, maybe there's a big hole, the size of a watermelon, blown in the side of the hull (describe how, when a character passes by, he can see all the way out into space).

Look at the room location and be creative with what the damage is. For example, a roll of 56, 61, 62, or 63 on my chart below indicates a hull hit either the ship's port or starboard fuel processing stations. A hit here could mean simple depressurization, or could it also mean: (1) that fuel purification plant is damaged/destroyed; (2) the external fuel scoop on the hull is damaged (so scooping operations are not possible until the scoop is repaired); (3) the fuel pump is damaged (causing the PCs to buy refined fuel until they get the pump fixed); (4) the fuel intake cock is damaged/destroyed (which must be repaired before the ship is able to "refuel" at a starport). Even the fuel procesing waste vents, on the exterior of the ship, could have been damaged--something that will make fuel processing dangerous and cost the PCs in credits for repairs later at a starport.

Miscellaneous systems can be damaged with a Hull hit as well.

When a ship's gyroscope is out, it relies on back up attitude control thrusters. This system could be damaged. The reactor dump vent could be damaged, and if this is not fixed, it could get very hot, very quickly, inside the ship.

If the inertial compensators are damaged, then the crew will need to strap into acceleration couches (and ships with high M-Drives will be hampered in making max-G veloctiy changes).

Life Support is another system that can be damaged from a Hull hit. Think about screwing with the ship's lights, temperature, humidity, atmosphere mix...even the sonics (everytime an alarm goes off, the crew can barely hear and communication is minimal in that room!).

Life Support could also mean that some of the ship's food stores were damaged (do they have enough to eat for a week if they jump?). Maybe the fresh water tank is blasted, or leaking (or even: there's fresh water in the tank, but the piping to the staterooms is damaged, so we can get the water out!).

You could also have fun with a hit to waste storage tank--think about the mess that would make.

And, let's not forget the ship's gravitics. Make that system non-operational, and the PCs will have a very serious problem on their hands (especially if most of them don't have Vacc Suit skill have have to make that 10+ Zero-G roll to maintain control).

Externally, Hull hits can do all sorts of damage to the ship. If the jump grid is damaged enough, the ship will not be able to form a jump field bubble (making it impossible for the ship to transmit into J-Space). The ship's landing gear can be damaged, making dirtside visits tricky.

Also, a Hull hit that knocks out the ship's sensor system (maybe/maybe not it's just a dish!) or communications system (maybe/maybe not it's just an antenna!) can mean serious trouble for the PCs.

If you decide the ship's sensors have been damaged due to the Hull hit, you can knock out the entire system (making targeting with the ship's weapons impossible) or just a part of it (pick a damaged sensor system: Longwave and/or Shortwave Radio (used for broadband emergency hails! Also used for RADAR!); Microwave Radio (used for tightbeam communications, tightbeam laser targeting, and MADAR); IR Sensors (heat sensors); Visible Light receivers (that blind computer-enhanced imagery if damaged); and several other types of sensors (like Ultraviolet, X-Ray, and Gamma sensors).

Ships that are fitted with neutrino sensors or densitometers can have these systems damaged/destroyed.

And, let's not forget, the ship's transponder being damaged may lead to some interesting role-playing situations later.

The point here is: A Hull hit can be so much more entertaining in the game than a "usual depressurization and let's move on". It can lead to some interesting roleplaying, whether it's serious (Oh my! The gravity is out, and nobody can make the Zero-G roll in order to operate the ship!) to the not-so-serious but interesting (Oh my! The waste storage tank, which is located in the ceiling over the passenger common area, has been damaged. Here's your mop and bucket.).

Turn a Hull hit into the "push" of your adventure, if you need to. Or, just turn a Hull hit into an interesting problem the PCs will have to overcome.


8: Hold
I won't write a lot about the hold as the Book 2 damage description covers most possibilities. But, a Hold hit is just like an internal Hull hit. Mine the description above for ideas.


9: Computer
The "computer" on a starship is actually an assembly of a multitude of "networked" computers--from the computer used in presurizing the airlock, to the computer that monitors fuel flow into the powerplant, to the simple computer that automatically opens/closes interior hatches when crew members approach, to the computer that correlates the data input from the sensors, etc.

Pick a system on the ship, and there is a computer attached to it.

When the computer damage result is scored on the Book 2 damage tables, this means that there is a problem somewhere in the network, affecting the entire network (providing the "operation" roll mentioned in Book 2).

Besides the obvious things that can go wrong when the ship's computer network is damaged, also consider things like this: The bridge computer's storage drive has been damaged, and the ship just lost the Gunner Interact program (or pick a major program). The internal security system is damaged, and the entire ship is "locked down" (PCs will have to cut their way through the bulkheads to get to specific parts of the ship.). The fire control system thinks there's a fire in engineering, around the powerplant, and halon gas is being jetting into the compartment--those inside have only moments to get out if not already in a vacc suit.

And, maybe it's just something small--like the doppler scanners on the hatches only work sometimes--and PCs tend to walk right into a closed hatch.

Or maybe the holodynamic panels on the bridge have reverted from their user's custom configuration to the panel's default configuration--making it just a tad harder for panel users (the ship's pilot or navigator, for example) to find the controls they need.


10-11: Turret
Besides the weapon becoming non-functinal, the gunner's station could become depressurized. Or, the gunnery controls could become inoperative.

The acutal weapon mount of the weapon might have been damaged--requiring someone to go onto the hull of the ship to assess damage and possibly fix it.

And, maybe the computer link from the navigator's sensor plot to the turret's targeting computer is severed.


12: Critical
System go boom. Play hardball with the PCs.








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[Supplement Four]

Hull Hit Charts Book 2 Space Combat

When playing Book 2 space combat, I often focus the combat scenario on the characters and make it a role playing situation. I'll lay out the deckplans in front of the players and keep track of distance between the player's ship and the enemy vessel using Range Bands (as described in Starter Traveller).

This way, the game is about what's happening to the PCs and not about two spaceships trading shots on a hex map.

If the ship is hit, and the engineer wants to roll the Book 2 9+ roll to fix damage, I'll describe what he's actually fixing (see the above post for ideas) and say something like, "OK, you're here, presently, in this corridor. You run through the crew lounge, down the starboard long corridor, pull the access panel, and dig into the circuit board you find there. Roll your dice to see if you fixed the damage this round."

It's all about roleplaying. The players don't get to see the other ship on a hex map. They wouldn't be able to visually see an enemy anyway (unless that enemy was very close--like 5,000 km or less--and even then, the ship would be a spec to the naked eye). Instead, I describe what the players see on their scopes. I'll describe sensor readings. If they ask for range, I'll look at my range band tracking sheet and say, "Last plot puts the target at 50,000 km off the port bow." Or, something like that.

The point is to focus on the players living, breathing, existing on that starship--to make the universe come alive for my gamers.

One way I do this is to create a hit lcoation chart for the player's ship. It's used for HULL HITS. In Book 2, the first hull hit depressurizes the ship, but any other is damage that does not matter.

Well, I figure a starship would have multiple sections that can be sealed off if the ship is holed. I make the distinction along the lines of the ship's bulkheads drawn on the vessel's deckplans. If one area is depressurized, a section next to it, on the other side of the bulkhead, may not be.

Whatever deckplans you use, you can easily come up with a hit location chart. Just look at all the areas that can get hit and assign it a hit location. I use a D66 roll for this. Bigger areas get multiple spots on the hit location chart.

My group is currently using the Type A2 Far Trader deckplans published by SJG for GURPS Traveller. But, you can use any deckplans you wish. Supplement 7: Traders and Gunboats is a great place to obtain some deckplans for your game. Many adventures, like the Traveller Adventure, include deckplans. There are several deckplans that can be downloaded for free on the net. And, you can always create your own deckplans using the rules in Book 2.

So, when a Hull Hit occurs in Book 2 space combat, I simply roll D66 on this chart, and it will tell me where the ship was hit--what was damaged.

And, then, we roleplay from there.

Note that it is not necessary to create one of these charts for every ship in your game. Just do it for the one the PCs are on (it won't take you long--20 mins. and you're done). The other NPC vessels can take damage in the normal Book 2 way.

This is simply an aid for roleplaying.




Hull Hit Chart for the Type A2 Far Trader ADROIT PURSUIT


The # locations in parentheses correspond to the locations on the GURPS Far Trader deck plans.

Also, each location can be depressurized (due to a hull hit) without neighboring locations being effected.


</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">D66
---
11 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
12 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
13 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
14 Boat Bay (5)
15 Boat Bay (5)
16 Fuel Tank Lock (10)
21 Dorsal Engineering (11)
22 Dorsal Engineering (11)
23 Dorsal Engineering (11)
24 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
25 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
26 Port Airlock (4)
31 Ship's Locker (6)
32 Bow Cargo Ramp (7)
33 Crew Common Area (8-10)
34 Crew Common Area (8-10)
35 Bridge (11)
36 Bridge (11)
41 Port Turret (12)
42 Starboard Storage (13)
43 Starboard Airlock (14)
44 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
45 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
46 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
51 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
52 Port Corridor (18)
53 Starboard Corridor (19)
54 Drop Tubes (20)
55 Low Berths (21)
56 Port Fuel Processing (22)
61 Port Fuel Processing (22)
62 Starboard Fuel Procesing (23)
63 Starboard Fuel Processing (23)
64 Ventral Engineering (24)
65 Ventral Engineering (24)
66 Ventral Engineering (24)</pre>[/QUOTE]This is an INDEX thread. Please help us keep it clutter-free by posting your comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Hull Hit Charts Book 2 Space Combat

When playing Book 2 space combat, I often focus the combat scenario on the characters and make it a role playing situation. I'll lay out the deckplans in front of the players and keep track of distance between the player's ship and the enemy vessel using Range Bands (as described in Starter Traveller).

This way, the game is about what's happening to the PCs and not about two spaceships trading shots on a hex map.

If the ship is hit, and the engineer wants to roll the Book 2 9+ roll to fix damage, I'll describe what he's actually fixing (see the above post for ideas) and say something like, "OK, you're here, presently, in this corridor. You run through the crew lounge, down the starboard long corridor, pull the access panel, and dig into the circuit board you find there. Roll your dice to see if you fixed the damage this round."

It's all about roleplaying. The players don't get to see the other ship on a hex map. They wouldn't be able to visually see an enemy anyway (unless that enemy was very close--like 5,000 km or less--and even then, the ship would be a spec to the naked eye). Instead, I describe what the players see on their scopes. I'll describe sensor readings. If they ask for range, I'll look at my range band tracking sheet and say, "Last plot puts the target at 50,000 km off the port bow." Or, something like that.

The point is to focus on the players living, breathing, existing on that starship--to make the universe come alive for my gamers.

One way I do this is to create a hit lcoation chart for the player's ship. It's used for HULL HITS. In Book 2, the first hull hit depressurizes the ship, but any other is damage that does not matter.

Well, I figure a starship would have multiple sections that can be sealed off if the ship is holed. I make the distinction along the lines of the ship's bulkheads drawn on the vessel's deckplans. If one area is depressurized, a section next to it, on the other side of the bulkhead, may not be.

Whatever deckplans you use, you can easily come up with a hit location chart. Just look at all the areas that can get hit and assign it a hit location. I use a D66 roll for this. Bigger areas get multiple spots on the hit location chart.

My group is currently using the Type A2 Far Trader deckplans published by SJG for GURPS Traveller. But, you can use any deckplans you wish. Supplement 7: Traders and Gunboats is a great place to obtain some deckplans for your game. Many adventures, like the Traveller Adventure, include deckplans. There are several deckplans that can be downloaded for free on the net. And, you can always create your own deckplans using the rules in Book 2.

So, when a Hull Hit occurs in Book 2 space combat, I simply roll D66 on this chart, and it will tell me where the ship was hit--what was damaged.

And, then, we roleplay from there.

Note that it is not necessary to create one of these charts for every ship in your game. Just do it for the one the PCs are on (it won't take you long--20 mins. and you're done). The other NPC vessels can take damage in the normal Book 2 way.

This is simply an aid for roleplaying.




Hull Hit Chart for the Type A2 Far Trader ADROIT PURSUIT


The # locations in parentheses correspond to the locations on the GURPS Far Trader deck plans.

Also, each location can be depressurized (due to a hull hit) without neighboring locations being effected.


</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">D66
---
11 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
12 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
13 Passenger Area (Location 1-4, 6-8)
14 Boat Bay (5)
15 Boat Bay (5)
16 Fuel Tank Lock (10)
21 Dorsal Engineering (11)
22 Dorsal Engineering (11)
23 Dorsal Engineering (11)
24 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
25 Crew Cabins (1-3, 5)
26 Port Airlock (4)
31 Ship's Locker (6)
32 Bow Cargo Ramp (7)
33 Crew Common Area (8-10)
34 Crew Common Area (8-10)
35 Bridge (11)
36 Bridge (11)
41 Port Turret (12)
42 Starboard Storage (13)
43 Starboard Airlock (14)
44 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
45 Port Cargo Airlock (15)
46 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
51 Starboard Cargo Airlock (17)
52 Port Corridor (18)
53 Starboard Corridor (19)
54 Drop Tubes (20)
55 Low Berths (21)
56 Port Fuel Processing (22)
61 Port Fuel Processing (22)
62 Starboard Fuel Procesing (23)
63 Starboard Fuel Processing (23)
64 Ventral Engineering (24)
65 Ventral Engineering (24)
66 Ventral Engineering (24)</pre>[/QUOTE]This is an INDEX thread. Please help us keep it clutter-free by posting your comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Hull Damage

Ever wonder why a starship can take any number of Hull hits in Book 2 space combat and not suffer any ill effects other than depressurization of the hull?

It seems like a ship could get pulverized with the right number of hits. Vital equipment in the forms of antennas, sensors, heat sinks, and the like can be burned off the hull. The hull itself could take so much structural damage that the stress of high-G maneuvers or that of entering J-Space would result in the ship being crushed into small pieces--or at least chunks. "Hey, what's that flying by? Is that a section of our port fuel scoop?"

Well, there's a rule in the MegaTraveller Starship Operators Manual that is made for this type of thing.

The rule, in the SOM, is designed to tell a GM how many hull hits a ship can take before its hull grid will be damaged so much that entering J-Space is impossible.

Now, I know many CT players don't subscribe to the "hull grid" idea. That's an MT concept, and many CT players want to keep it that way (I actually use hull grids IMTU. They make a lot of sense to me.)

But, this rule (although designed for hull grid damage) can be used to figure overall hull damage. It can be used to answer the question: How many hull hits can my starship take before it is unable to use its jump drive?.

The rule is a simple one. Simply take 10% of ship tonnage. That's the number of hull hits a ship can take before the hull is so damaged that entering J-Space in an impossibility.

A 100 ton Type S could take 10 hits. On hit 11, the ship has taken so much damage that entering J-Space is certain death.

A 200 ton Type A2 can take 20 hits. A 800 ton mercenary cruiser can take 80 hits. A 400 ton Type R subsidized merchant can take 40 hits.

Simple.

This is a rule that GMs can use as a guideline. Maybe the 200 ton Beowulf class has taken 22 hits. The GM, instead of making it impossible to enter J-Space may decide that the ship is 2 points over it's "hull limit", so use that as a -2 DM on the misjump roll.

Remember, that these are "hull hits". A ship can take a lot of damage. Any time a turret hit or a fuel hit results on the Book 2 damage chart, those are not counted against the ship's total hull damage. It's only actual hull hits that damage the structure of the vessel.

Given this, CT ships will still be very hard to incapacitate. A 400 ton subsidized merchant can take 40 hull hits before the stucture damage to the ship is at the danger level. Given all the other results the ship can receive in Book 2 combat, it's unlikely that this limit of 40 will ever be hit.

It's the damage that is not repaired over a couple of space combat engagements that will mount on the vessel, eventually getting it to this level.

Use the rules in Book 2 when administering repairs.

GMs who want deadly games can rule that the limit includes all hits the ship takes--hull hits, fuel hits, cargo hits...all of them. In this type of game, keeping a ship from jumping is more than just hoping you'll knock out an enemy's J-Drive on the Book 2 chart. Simply keep hitting that opposing ship, and it will soon not be able to jump.

For this reason (and the fact that effecting some repairs in space may be very difficulty with materials or a dry dock), I suggest using the orignal method: Where only actual "hull" results rolled on the Book 2 damage chart results in damage to the hull structure. This way, it will be a rare occurence when a ship cannot jump due to hull damage--but still possible.








Hull Hits And Ship's Systems

Another thing GMs may want to consider when a ship receives a hull hit is that some of the ship's systems may have been damaged in a minor way. Circuts blow. Piping can be burst or destroyed. Electronics can be blown out. Etc.

On a Hull Hit, roll on this chart, and then use it as a guide to inflict minor damage to a ship's system. Be careful not to make your decision on damage as bad as it is in Book 2 combat when a like result is rolled. This is meant for minor "nuisance" type stuff. It's meant to enhance roleplaying. Once the players' ship recieves a hull hit, the GM can look up across the gaming table and say, "Ohhhhh! You guys felt that one. Enemy lasers just bit into the hull. Nav...you look at your console and it looks like its on the fritz. It's starting to blink, on and off. It seems to be operating OK, when you can see the board, but there's definitely some sort of power surge occurring over and over. Or maybe, its a short with the leads leading into the system. The Engineer should take a look. Do you call him on the comm?"

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;"> 2D System
---- --------------------------
2 Cargo/Passenger
3 Weapons
4 Flight Controls
5 Sensors/Commo
6 J-Drive/M-Drive
7 Access
8 Power Plant
9 Fuel
10 Environment
11 Low Berths
12 Hull Item</pre>[/QUOTE]GMs should consider customizing this list to fit their games.








This is an INDEX thread. Please post comments in a new thread in order to keep this one "clean".

 

[Supplement Four]

Hull Damage

Ever wonder why a starship can take any number of Hull hits in Book 2 space combat and not suffer any ill effects other than depressurization of the hull?

It seems like a ship could get pulverized with the right number of hits. Vital equipment in the forms of antennas, sensors, heat sinks, and the like can be burned off the hull. The hull itself could take so much structural damage that the stress of high-G maneuvers or that of entering J-Space would result in the ship being crushed into small pieces--or at least chunks. "Hey, what's that flying by? Is that a section of our port fuel scoop?"

Well, there's a rule in the MegaTraveller Starship Operators Manual that is made for this type of thing.

The rule, in the SOM, is designed to tell a GM how many hull hits a ship can take before its hull grid will be damaged so much that entering J-Space is impossible.

Now, I know many CT players don't subscribe to the "hull grid" idea. That's an MT concept, and many CT players want to keep it that way (I actually use hull grids IMTU. They make a lot of sense to me.)

But, this rule (although designed for hull grid damage) can be used to figure overall hull damage. It can be used to answer the question: How many hull hits can my starship take before it is unable to use its jump drive?.

The rule is a simple one. Simply take 10% of ship tonnage. That's the number of hull hits a ship can take before the hull is so damaged that entering J-Space in an impossibility.

A 100 ton Type S could take 10 hits. On hit 11, the ship has taken so much damage that entering J-Space is certain death.

A 200 ton Type A2 can take 20 hits. A 800 ton mercenary cruiser can take 80 hits. A 400 ton Type R subsidized merchant can take 40 hits.

Simple.

This is a rule that GMs can use as a guideline. Maybe the 200 ton Beowulf class has taken 22 hits. The GM, instead of making it impossible to enter J-Space may decide that the ship is 2 points over it's "hull limit", so use that as a -2 DM on the misjump roll.

Remember, that these are "hull hits". A ship can take a lot of damage. Any time a turret hit or a fuel hit results on the Book 2 damage chart, those are not counted against the ship's total hull damage. It's only actual hull hits that damage the structure of the vessel.

Given this, CT ships will still be very hard to incapacitate. A 400 ton subsidized merchant can take 40 hull hits before the stucture damage to the ship is at the danger level. Given all the other results the ship can receive in Book 2 combat, it's unlikely that this limit of 40 will ever be hit.

It's the damage that is not repaired over a couple of space combat engagements that will mount on the vessel, eventually getting it to this level.

Use the rules in Book 2 when administering repairs.

GMs who want deadly games can rule that the limit includes all hits the ship takes--hull hits, fuel hits, cargo hits...all of them. In this type of game, keeping a ship from jumping is more than just hoping you'll knock out an enemy's J-Drive on the Book 2 chart. Simply keep hitting that opposing ship, and it will soon not be able to jump.

For this reason (and the fact that effecting some repairs in space may be very difficulty with materials or a dry dock), I suggest using the orignal method: Where only actual "hull" results rolled on the Book 2 damage chart results in damage to the hull structure. This way, it will be a rare occurence when a ship cannot jump due to hull damage--but still possible.








Hull Hits And Ship's Systems

Another thing GMs may want to consider when a ship receives a hull hit is that some of the ship's systems may have been damaged in a minor way. Circuts blow. Piping can be burst or destroyed. Electronics can be blown out. Etc.

On a Hull Hit, roll on this chart, and then use it as a guide to inflict minor damage to a ship's system. Be careful not to make your decision on damage as bad as it is in Book 2 combat when a like result is rolled. This is meant for minor "nuisance" type stuff. It's meant to enhance roleplaying. Once the players' ship recieves a hull hit, the GM can look up across the gaming table and say, "Ohhhhh! You guys felt that one. Enemy lasers just bit into the hull. Nav...you look at your console and it looks like its on the fritz. It's starting to blink, on and off. It seems to be operating OK, when you can see the board, but there's definitely some sort of power surge occurring over and over. Or maybe, its a short with the leads leading into the system. The Engineer should take a look. Do you call him on the comm?"

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;"> 2D System
---- --------------------------
2 Cargo/Passenger
3 Weapons
4 Flight Controls
5 Sensors/Commo
6 J-Drive/M-Drive
7 Access
8 Power Plant
9 Fuel
10 Environment
11 Low Berths
12 Hull Item</pre>[/QUOTE]GMs should consider customizing this list to fit their games.








This is an INDEX thread. Please post comments in a new thread in order to keep this one "clean".

 

[Supplement Four]

TRAVELLER Rule Sets

Note rsitalyct's post above. There are three rule sets for Classic Traveller: LBB's 1-3, Starter Traveller, and The Traveller Book.

Of the three, TTB is the most exhaustive. If you can find it, it's probably the best overall rule set.

All three rule sets provide 95% of the same material. But, there ARE differences. They're not significant differences, but differences nonetheless.

For example, Starter Traveller allows the +1 DM for pulse lasers not mentioned in the other two rule sets.

LBB 1 doesn't allow any personal combat attacks while running, whereas Starter Traveller and The Traveller Book allow a gun combat attack (but not a brawling or blade attack) if the character runs during the round.

The Traveller Book includes rules for cover & concealment and Zero Gravity that is not covered in the other two rule sets.

Starter Traveller is the only place to find range band movement rules for the space combat system presented in Book 2.

BTW, don't let the name "Starter" Traveller fool you. ST is a fantastic rule set. It's not dumbed down or missing a lot of anything presented in the other two sets. ST definitely holds its own when compared to the other two.

If I could only pick one rule set, I'd go with The Traveller Book. If I couldn't find TTB, I'd pick Starter Traveller. And, nobody can ever go wrong picking the original three little black books 1-3.

Also note, what we think of as the basic Traveller rules presented in these three rule sets is actually Traveller's second edition. If you find the three LBBs, copyright 1977, then you've got the first edition.

There was a small print run on the first edition, so it's hard to find. I've actually never seen it, and I own most things Classic Traveller. But, I do know there were some sweeping changes between first edition and second edition Classic Traveller. Weapon damage is what comes to mind. The first edition weapons deliver damage that is drastically different from what we see in the rule system we all think of as Traveller today.

I should also point out that Book 5 High Guard also saw two editions, and there are some pretty significant differences in those two rule sets as well (I understand that, in 1st edition HG, the ship's M-Drive can be used as a weapon against other vessels!).








This is an INDEX thread. Please post your comments in a new thread as to help up keep this thread neat and tidy.

 

[Supplement Four]

TRAVELLER Rule Sets

Note rsitalyct's post above. There are three rule sets for Classic Traveller: LBB's 1-3, Starter Traveller, and The Traveller Book.

Of the three, TTB is the most exhaustive. If you can find it, it's probably the best overall rule set.

All three rule sets provide 95% of the same material. But, there ARE differences. They're not significant differences, but differences nonetheless.

For example, Starter Traveller allows the +1 DM for pulse lasers not mentioned in the other two rule sets.

LBB 1 doesn't allow any personal combat attacks while running, whereas Starter Traveller and The Traveller Book allow a gun combat attack (but not a brawling or blade attack) if the character runs during the round.

The Traveller Book includes rules for cover & concealment and Zero Gravity that is not covered in the other two rule sets.

Starter Traveller is the only place to find range band movement rules for the space combat system presented in Book 2.

BTW, don't let the name "Starter" Traveller fool you. ST is a fantastic rule set. It's not dumbed down or missing a lot of anything presented in the other two sets. ST definitely holds its own when compared to the other two.

If I could only pick one rule set, I'd go with The Traveller Book. If I couldn't find TTB, I'd pick Starter Traveller. And, nobody can ever go wrong picking the original three little black books 1-3.

Also note, what we think of as the basic Traveller rules presented in these three rule sets is actually Traveller's second edition. If you find the three LBBs, copyright 1977, then you've got the first edition.

There was a small print run on the first edition, so it's hard to find. I've actually never seen it, and I own most things Classic Traveller. But, I do know there were some sweeping changes between first edition and second edition Classic Traveller. Weapon damage is what comes to mind. The first edition weapons deliver damage that is drastically different from what we see in the rule system we all think of as Traveller today.

I should also point out that Book 5 High Guard also saw two editions, and there are some pretty significant differences in those two rule sets as well (I understand that, in 1st edition HG, the ship's M-Drive can be used as a weapon against other vessels!).








This is an INDEX thread. Please post your comments in a new thread as to help up keep this thread neat and tidy.

 

[Supplement Four]

Range Band Starship Combat

Many players look at the movement system for space combat in Book 2 and get turned off. Requiring rulers, protractors, string, and some math, it looks too complicated to bother with.

I didn't bother with it for years (um, make that decades).

It's really a simple system, though, if you take the time to read through it. I find it works best on grid (hexes or square grid). That way, you can do away with the rulers, protractors and string, and just figure direction and distance on the grid. Set the grid units large enough and you won't have to play out your space encounter in the living room and in the kitchen too!

(If you do this with your LBB2 starship encounter, I recommend setting your grid size to a number not larger than 10,000 km and also divisable by 10,000. A grid size of 1,000 km, 2,000 km, or 5,000 km work nicely.)




Range Bands

But, for those who still don't want to mess with space combat in that fashion, there is another way. Actually, there are two other ways, now gGiving your four choices of movement method for Book 2 space combat: (1) as written in B2, (2) as written in B2 on a grid, (3) with range bands, and (4) with range bands on a hex board.

The first two movement methods are discussed in the above section. Here, let's tackle range band movement (official rules for range band movement appear in Starter Traveller).

First, I would ask you to read about range bands in Book 1. Look at the personal combat section. Range bands can be used to fight out personal combat encounters. The same method is used when applying range bands to starship combat.

Take a piece of lined notebook paper. All you are doing is keeping track of the range between two vessels. Each line on the sheet is equal to 10,000 km.

The ship's M-Drive allows the ship to move up or down an amount of range bands (the lines on the notebook paper are the range bands) equal to the M-Drive rating.

Vector movement is also considered when keeping track of range using range bands, just as it is also used under the B2 movement method. "Vector movement" refers to the fact that a ship's speed and direction (it's "velocity") is not forgotten from round to round. If a ship with a 1G maneuver drive accelerates for 3 rounds at full thrust, then it will take that ship 3 rounds to decelerate again to relative rest. In other words, the ship just can't accelerate at full thrust for 3 rounds and then stop completely on round 4. It's M-Drive doesn't have the force to overcome the ship's built up momemtum. Vector movement considers this fact of physics in these movement rules.

Velocity: A ship can changes its velocity by one range band per M-Drive per round. So, a ship with a 3G M-Drive can accelerate (move up the notebook paper ladder) by up to 3 range bands per round. If it accelerates all three range bands, it's velocity will be 3 at the end of the round. The ship will be moved 3 range bands. If the ship accelerates another 3 range bands in the next round, its velocity will increase to 6 at the end of that second round. On this round two, the ship will move 3 range bands (it's current velocity) plus its acceleration this round. At the end of round two, the ship will have moved 6 range bands this turn, and nine range bands over the last two turns. If on the third round, the ship only accelerates by 2Gs, then the ship will only accelerate by 2 range bands this round. So, in this turn, the ship will move its current velocity plus its acceleration. It will move a total of 8 range bands this round, having moved a total of 17 range bands since beginning on round one.

See how his works? Each round, a ship will move its current velocity plus its acceleration, or it will move its current velocity minus its deceleration. Acceleration or deceleration can never be more range bands than the ship's M-Drive rating.

If, on round four, our ship above decided to flip around and apply it's full thrust to deceleration, then the ship would move its current velocity of 8 minus its deceleration, which is 3 (M-Drive of 3G). That means that, even though the ship is slowing, it still moves 5 range bands in the same direction. It will take the ship two more rounds to come to a complete stop (relative rest).

Simple system, eh?

A GM can easily use this system in a game, keeping track of distance between the players' ship and the enemy vessel on a simple piece of notebook paper behind his GM screen. Whenever the PC ship's gunner asks for range to the target, the GM can tell him what his sensors say by simply looking at the markers on the range band ladder.

This system's weak point is when three or more vessels are involved. A new column must be made for each vessel to keep track of the distance between the players' ship and the enemies. It's a little more work, and when two or more enemy vessles are the problem, a GM may want to use the Range Band With Hexes movement method described below.




Range Bands with Hexes

The Range Bands with Hexes method of movement is a cross between the Range Band movement system above and the original Book 2 movement rules. In fact, it is basically the same system as the Book 2 movement system on a grid, mentioned above.

Take a grid or a piece of hex paper. Consider each hex a range band equal to 10,000 km.

(You can also alter the hex size to 5,000 km, 2,000 km, or 1,000 km hexes, but if you do this, allow the ship more movement. For example, if you set the hex size to 5,000 km, allow a 1G vessel to move two hexes of accleration per turn instead of 1. If you use the 2,000 km hex, then allow a ship with a 4G M-Drive to move 20 hexes in a turn, and so on.)

Basically, the range band with hexes movement method is the same as the regular range band movement method except that you've not got two dimensions (and you are now plotting out movement on a hex board).

Because we have two dimensions (as opposed to the up or down one-dimensional aspect of regular range band movement), you need two markers to represent the ship and its course.

One marker represents the ship. A second marker represents its future position, next round, if it doesn't alter its velocity.

For example, lets say a ship with a 1G M-Drive is moving at a velocity of 3. A marker for the ship will go into its current hex location. A marker three hexes ahead of the ship will go into the hex the ship will move into next round if the ship does not use its M-Drive to alter course.

When a ship uses its M-Drive, it can alter its future position by an amount equal to its M-Drive rating. So, in our example, the ship had a velocity of 3. Put your finger on the future position marker and move it in any direction by one hex (the ship has a 1G M-Drive). If he marker is moved in a straight line one hex farther away from the current future position marker, then the ship will be accelerating. If the marker is moved one hex closer to the ship in a straight line, then the ship will be decelerating. Movement of the future position marker into any of the other four hexes around it means the ship will be begining a turn or slight change in course.

Remember, the future position marker is (1) place out in front of the ship, in a straight line, at a distance equal to the ship's velocity. (2) The future postion marker can be moved a number of hexes, in any direction, equal to the ship's M-Drive rating.

Now, there's one more aspect of this that is important. When the movement phase of Book 2 combat comes up, you will move the ship's marker to its future position marker (wheher the marker is in the same spot as last round, or the new position if the ship acclerates, decelerates, or alters course). When you move the ship, keep your finger on the last position of the ship. Envision a straight line between the last position of the ship and it's current position. This will give you the "straight line" you need to put the future position marker into a new spot. You should be able to draw a straight line between the ship's last position, it's current postions, and its future postion.

This is all much easier than it sounds. And, once you get the hand of it, you'll ditch the future position marker and just use one marker for the ship. You'll be able to "see" where the future position marker goes.

If you've never played vector movement like this before, though, I suggest you use a future position marker (and maybe a last position marker) to aid you in seeing the straight line of the ship's course...until you get used to it and can "see" the straight line without using the other markers.




EDIT: Special Supplement 3 - Missiles describes rules for using missiles when gaming Book 2 space combat with Range Bands.








This is an INDEX thread. Please help us keep it free of clutter by posting comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Range Band Starship Combat

Many players look at the movement system for space combat in Book 2 and get turned off. Requiring rulers, protractors, string, and some math, it looks too complicated to bother with.

I didn't bother with it for years (um, make that decades).

It's really a simple system, though, if you take the time to read through it. I find it works best on grid (hexes or square grid). That way, you can do away with the rulers, protractors and string, and just figure direction and distance on the grid. Set the grid units large enough and you won't have to play out your space encounter in the living room and in the kitchen too!

(If you do this with your LBB2 starship encounter, I recommend setting your grid size to a number not larger than 10,000 km and also divisable by 10,000. A grid size of 1,000 km, 2,000 km, or 5,000 km work nicely.)




Range Bands

But, for those who still don't want to mess with space combat in that fashion, there is another way. Actually, there are two other ways, now gGiving your four choices of movement method for Book 2 space combat: (1) as written in B2, (2) as written in B2 on a grid, (3) with range bands, and (4) with range bands on a hex board.

The first two movement methods are discussed in the above section. Here, let's tackle range band movement (official rules for range band movement appear in Starter Traveller).

First, I would ask you to read about range bands in Book 1. Look at the personal combat section. Range bands can be used to fight out personal combat encounters. The same method is used when applying range bands to starship combat.

Take a piece of lined notebook paper. All you are doing is keeping track of the range between two vessels. Each line on the sheet is equal to 10,000 km.

The ship's M-Drive allows the ship to move up or down an amount of range bands (the lines on the notebook paper are the range bands) equal to the M-Drive rating.

Vector movement is also considered when keeping track of range using range bands, just as it is also used under the B2 movement method. "Vector movement" refers to the fact that a ship's speed and direction (it's "velocity") is not forgotten from round to round. If a ship with a 1G maneuver drive accelerates for 3 rounds at full thrust, then it will take that ship 3 rounds to decelerate again to relative rest. In other words, the ship just can't accelerate at full thrust for 3 rounds and then stop completely on round 4. It's M-Drive doesn't have the force to overcome the ship's built up momemtum. Vector movement considers this fact of physics in these movement rules.

Velocity: A ship can changes its velocity by one range band per M-Drive per round. So, a ship with a 3G M-Drive can accelerate (move up the notebook paper ladder) by up to 3 range bands per round. If it accelerates all three range bands, it's velocity will be 3 at the end of the round. The ship will be moved 3 range bands. If the ship accelerates another 3 range bands in the next round, its velocity will increase to 6 at the end of that second round. On this round two, the ship will move 3 range bands (it's current velocity) plus its acceleration this round. At the end of round two, the ship will have moved 6 range bands this turn, and nine range bands over the last two turns. If on the third round, the ship only accelerates by 2Gs, then the ship will only accelerate by 2 range bands this round. So, in this turn, the ship will move its current velocity plus its acceleration. It will move a total of 8 range bands this round, having moved a total of 17 range bands since beginning on round one.

See how his works? Each round, a ship will move its current velocity plus its acceleration, or it will move its current velocity minus its deceleration. Acceleration or deceleration can never be more range bands than the ship's M-Drive rating.

If, on round four, our ship above decided to flip around and apply it's full thrust to deceleration, then the ship would move its current velocity of 8 minus its deceleration, which is 3 (M-Drive of 3G). That means that, even though the ship is slowing, it still moves 5 range bands in the same direction. It will take the ship two more rounds to come to a complete stop (relative rest).

Simple system, eh?

A GM can easily use this system in a game, keeping track of distance between the players' ship and the enemy vessel on a simple piece of notebook paper behind his GM screen. Whenever the PC ship's gunner asks for range to the target, the GM can tell him what his sensors say by simply looking at the markers on the range band ladder.

This system's weak point is when three or more vessels are involved. A new column must be made for each vessel to keep track of the distance between the players' ship and the enemies. It's a little more work, and when two or more enemy vessles are the problem, a GM may want to use the Range Band With Hexes movement method described below.




Range Bands with Hexes

The Range Bands with Hexes method of movement is a cross between the Range Band movement system above and the original Book 2 movement rules. In fact, it is basically the same system as the Book 2 movement system on a grid, mentioned above.

Take a grid or a piece of hex paper. Consider each hex a range band equal to 10,000 km.

(You can also alter the hex size to 5,000 km, 2,000 km, or 1,000 km hexes, but if you do this, allow the ship more movement. For example, if you set the hex size to 5,000 km, allow a 1G vessel to move two hexes of accleration per turn instead of 1. If you use the 2,000 km hex, then allow a ship with a 4G M-Drive to move 20 hexes in a turn, and so on.)

Basically, the range band with hexes movement method is the same as the regular range band movement method except that you've not got two dimensions (and you are now plotting out movement on a hex board).

Because we have two dimensions (as opposed to the up or down one-dimensional aspect of regular range band movement), you need two markers to represent the ship and its course.

One marker represents the ship. A second marker represents its future position, next round, if it doesn't alter its velocity.

For example, lets say a ship with a 1G M-Drive is moving at a velocity of 3. A marker for the ship will go into its current hex location. A marker three hexes ahead of the ship will go into the hex the ship will move into next round if the ship does not use its M-Drive to alter course.

When a ship uses its M-Drive, it can alter its future position by an amount equal to its M-Drive rating. So, in our example, the ship had a velocity of 3. Put your finger on the future position marker and move it in any direction by one hex (the ship has a 1G M-Drive). If he marker is moved in a straight line one hex farther away from the current future position marker, then the ship will be accelerating. If the marker is moved one hex closer to the ship in a straight line, then the ship will be decelerating. Movement of the future position marker into any of the other four hexes around it means the ship will be begining a turn or slight change in course.

Remember, the future position marker is (1) place out in front of the ship, in a straight line, at a distance equal to the ship's velocity. (2) The future postion marker can be moved a number of hexes, in any direction, equal to the ship's M-Drive rating.

Now, there's one more aspect of this that is important. When the movement phase of Book 2 combat comes up, you will move the ship's marker to its future position marker (wheher the marker is in the same spot as last round, or the new position if the ship acclerates, decelerates, or alters course). When you move the ship, keep your finger on the last position of the ship. Envision a straight line between the last position of the ship and it's current position. This will give you the "straight line" you need to put the future position marker into a new spot. You should be able to draw a straight line between the ship's last position, it's current postions, and its future postion.

This is all much easier than it sounds. And, once you get the hand of it, you'll ditch the future position marker and just use one marker for the ship. You'll be able to "see" where the future position marker goes.

If you've never played vector movement like this before, though, I suggest you use a future position marker (and maybe a last position marker) to aid you in seeing the straight line of the ship's course...until you get used to it and can "see" the straight line without using the other markers.




EDIT: Special Supplement 3 - Missiles describes rules for using missiles when gaming Book 2 space combat with Range Bands.








This is an INDEX thread. Please help us keep it free of clutter by posting comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Zero G

Traveller saw its first zero G rules in Book 1 under the description of the Vacc Suit skill. Book 4 touched again on the subject under the description of he Zero-G Environment skill.

These rules were later expanded, to a degree, in The Traveller Book.

The most extensive rules for Zero G operations in Classic Traveller, though, appear in the GDW adventure Beltstrike.








This is an INDEX thread. Please help us keep it free of clutter by posting comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Zero G

Traveller saw its first zero G rules in Book 1 under the description of the Vacc Suit skill. Book 4 touched again on the subject under the description of he Zero-G Environment skill.

These rules were later expanded, to a degree, in The Traveller Book.

The most extensive rules for Zero G operations in Classic Traveller, though, appear in the GDW adventure Beltstrike.








This is an INDEX thread. Please help us keep it free of clutter by posting comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Heaven & Earth

Heaven & Earth is a fantastic fan-made program for creating Traveller worlds for your game. It can be set in the "Classic Traveller" mode so that Book 6 is followed. It also uses DGP's excellent World Builder's Handbook rule, which are derived from their CT supplements Grand Survey and Grand Census.

H&E is an excellent tool that every CT GM should have at his disposal. You can create your own sectors at the touch of a button. You can print out reams of detail about a solar system or world. The program will create system maps for you as well as world maps. You can find exact planetary gravity just by looking at your world print out. It prints out a temperature chart based on world longitude, too. If you want to know which orbit the main world occupies in the system, simply check the system map. That's an easy thing to use, too, when the players want to travel to the a moon, a Trojan Point, or another world. It's easy to figure distanc on the map, and then all you need to use is the Travel Formula from Book 2. The map is useful for checking on Solar Masking too. Heck, H&E even creates NPCs the characters may come into contact with while adventuring on the planet.

The program works fine under XP. I haven't heard any reports about Vista. I do understand, though, that H&E2 is in the works. But, it's been in the works for so long that I don't know if its still "in the works" or not. Either way, though, the first edition of the program is amazing--a very valuable tool for game masters.

You can download Heaven & Earth HERE.

If you want to customize world UWP's (or even create your own worlds, subsectors, or sectors), you can do so using H&E.

Want to keep notes on a world that the players have traveled to? You can do that as well.

It's a fan-made program, so there are a few persnickety details about it. If you don't do "X", then "Y" won't happen for you. But, once you're familiar with H&E, you'll use it all the time. I do in my game.

The program also comes with data for several canon sectors.

Heaven & Earth. I can't say enough about this program. I'm a big fan. Download it. Try it. And, see for yourself.







This is an INDEX thread. Please help use keep it nice-n-tidy by posting your comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Heaven & Earth

Heaven & Earth is a fantastic fan-made program for creating Traveller worlds for your game. It can be set in the "Classic Traveller" mode so that Book 6 is followed. It also uses DGP's excellent World Builder's Handbook rule, which are derived from their CT supplements Grand Survey and Grand Census.

H&E is an excellent tool that every CT GM should have at his disposal. You can create your own sectors at the touch of a button. You can print out reams of detail about a solar system or world. The program will create system maps for you as well as world maps. You can find exact planetary gravity just by looking at your world print out. It prints out a temperature chart based on world longitude, too. If you want to know which orbit the main world occupies in the system, simply check the system map. That's an easy thing to use, too, when the players want to travel to the a moon, a Trojan Point, or another world. It's easy to figure distanc on the map, and then all you need to use is the Travel Formula from Book 2. The map is useful for checking on Solar Masking too. Heck, H&E even creates NPCs the characters may come into contact with while adventuring on the planet.

The program works fine under XP. I haven't heard any reports about Vista. I do understand, though, that H&E2 is in the works. But, it's been in the works for so long that I don't know if its still "in the works" or not. Either way, though, the first edition of the program is amazing--a very valuable tool for game masters.

You can download Heaven & Earth HERE.

If you want to customize world UWP's (or even create your own worlds, subsectors, or sectors), you can do so using H&E.

Want to keep notes on a world that the players have traveled to? You can do that as well.

It's a fan-made program, so there are a few persnickety details about it. If you don't do "X", then "Y" won't happen for you. But, once you're familiar with H&E, you'll use it all the time. I do in my game.

The program also comes with data for several canon sectors.

Heaven & Earth. I can't say enough about this program. I'm a big fan. Download it. Try it. And, see for yourself.







This is an INDEX thread. Please help use keep it nice-n-tidy by posting your comments in a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

New Book 2 Starship Weaponry

An interesting entry in the IISS Ship Files (see the DECKPLANS Index thread) includes two rules that take ideas from Book 5 and transplant them into Book 2.

Fusion Gun: Counts as a heavy laser, and uses the laser fire rules with a DM of +1 to hit. Fusion guns may be used in the Laser Return Fire role. They are, however, short range weapons, and may not be employed if target range exceeds 15,000 km.

If using the Range Band rules (above), then the target must be at a maxium range of one range band away from the ship.

Nuclear Damper Screens: To simulate this defensive measure, use the ECM computer program rule, but nuclear missiles are destroyed on a throw of 6+. Ordinary missiles with High Explosive warheads are unaffected.




EDIT: See the article in the Judges Guild magazine Pegasus, issue #3, for more mods to Book 2 Space Combat (the article is referred to earlier in this thread).








This is an INDEX thread. Please help keep it clean by posting your comments to a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

New Book 2 Starship Weaponry

An interesting entry in the IISS Ship Files (see the DECKPLANS Index thread) includes two rules that take ideas from Book 5 and transplant them into Book 2.

Fusion Gun: Counts as a heavy laser, and uses the laser fire rules with a DM of +1 to hit. Fusion guns may be used in the Laser Return Fire role. They are, however, short range weapons, and may not be employed if target range exceeds 15,000 km.

If using the Range Band rules (above), then the target must be at a maxium range of one range band away from the ship.

Nuclear Damper Screens: To simulate this defensive measure, use the ECM computer program rule, but nuclear missiles are destroyed on a throw of 6+. Ordinary missiles with High Explosive warheads are unaffected.




EDIT: See the article in the Judges Guild magazine Pegasus, issue #3, for more mods to Book 2 Space Combat (the article is referred to earlier in this thread).








This is an INDEX thread. Please help keep it clean by posting your comments to a new thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

Andy Slack Traveller Articles

Andy is a prolific gaming author, having written Traveller, 2300, High Colonies and other articles for both White Dwarf and Challenge magazines. Andy co-authored both the GURPS Traveller Alien Races 2 and 3 source books, and today he is one of the driving forces behind BITS.

Much of his early White Dwarf work featured Classic Traveller (and many of those articles are excellent, imo), and most of it is available for download HERE from Andy's web site.

You will find in his work mods to game rules, commentary, and even an entire Classic Traveller adventure.








This is an INDEX thread. Please post comments to a new thread in order to keep this one clean.

 

[Supplement Four]

Andy Slack Traveller Articles

Andy is a prolific gaming author, having written Traveller, 2300, High Colonies and other articles for both White Dwarf and Challenge magazines. Andy co-authored both the GURPS Traveller Alien Races 2 and 3 source books, and today he is one of the driving forces behind BITS.

Much of his early White Dwarf work featured Classic Traveller (and many of those articles are excellent, imo), and most of it is available for download HERE from Andy's web site.

You will find in his work mods to game rules, commentary, and even an entire Classic Traveller adventure.








This is an INDEX thread. Please post comments to a new thread in order to keep this one clean.

 

[Supplement Four]

Striker

If you're not a wargamer, don't turn your head to the stuff presented in Striker. There's plenty of rules and ideas in that game that can be directly used in a normal Traveller rpg session.

For example, if, for some reason, you need to know the G rating of an air/raft (maybe you want to use the Travel Formula, or compare the air/raft to a 20 ton launch), it's easy to do just by looking at one of Striker's charts. Or, maybe you want to figure max speed, cruise speed, and NOE speed of your starship as it cruises through the atmosphere of a world. No problem. Striker can help you do that in a snap.

There's a handy scatter diagram in Striker that I use a lot (for grenades and things). You can use Striker rules for artillery or ortillery if you want something more detailed than what is listed under the Forward Observer skill.

Vehicle damage is handled in Striker, if your PCs are battling enemies in air/rafts or ground cars (or whatever). Things like shoulder fired rockets are given more detail in Striker. So are nukes. There's even "simple" rules like the throw for a vehicle to get tangled if it runs over a barbed-wire fence!

I have never once run a Striker scenario (although I'd like to one day) in my entire gaming career, but I refer to Striker as I would a normal Classic Traveller supplement.

There's good stuff to be found within its covers (not least of which is its vehicle design system if you get the itch to create a vehicle for your game).

EDIT: Some things can be found in Azhanti High Lightning as well! (But, AHL is not near as useful as Striker is, on the whole, for a normal rpg-based game.)










This is an INDEX thread. Please post comments in another thread in order to weed the clutter in this one.

 

[Supplement Four]

Striker

If you're not a wargamer, don't turn your head to the stuff presented in Striker. There's plenty of rules and ideas in that game that can be directly used in a normal Traveller rpg session.

For example, if, for some reason, you need to know the G rating of an air/raft (maybe you want to use the Travel Formula, or compare the air/raft to a 20 ton launch), it's easy to do just by looking at one of Striker's charts. Or, maybe you want to figure max speed, cruise speed, and NOE speed of your starship as it cruises through the atmosphere of a world. No problem. Striker can help you do that in a snap.

There's a handy scatter diagram in Striker that I use a lot (for grenades and things). You can use Striker rules for artillery or ortillery if you want something more detailed than what is listed under the Forward Observer skill.

Vehicle damage is handled in Striker, if your PCs are battling enemies in air/rafts or ground cars (or whatever). Things like shoulder fired rockets are given more detail in Striker. So are nukes. There's even "simple" rules like the throw for a vehicle to get tangled if it runs over a barbed-wire fence!

I have never once run a Striker scenario (although I'd like to one day) in my entire gaming career, but I refer to Striker as I would a normal Classic Traveller supplement.

There's good stuff to be found within its covers (not least of which is its vehicle design system if you get the itch to create a vehicle for your game).

EDIT: Some things can be found in Azhanti High Lightning as well! (But, AHL is not near as useful as Striker is, on the whole, for a normal rpg-based game.)










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[Supplement Four]

Snapshot

Snapshot is meant for normal rpg play. It's simply a tactical-point version of the personal combat rules presented in Book 1. Rules and ideas in Snapshot can be directly imported into a normal Traveller rpg game.

On pg. 15, there's a quick-character generation system that is extremely useful when GMs wish to generate an NPC in a snap. There's a quick-generation system on that same page for animals too.

Check out pg. 13 where it describes brawling and blade weapons of 3000mm length or greater. Those weapons are clumsy and cannot be used against an opponent at Close Range after the first such use at that range.

And, weapons with a length of 1500mm or greater requires care in use because of doorways and hatches.

A scatter rule for hand grenades is presented. Rules for breaching walls are described. The effects of gas and tranq is discussed. What happens is a Vacc Suit is ruptured is detailed.

Stuff like that can be directly used in any Classic Traveller game regardless if the tactical point combat system of Snapshot is used or not.

GMs would be well advised to not forget supplements like Striker and Snapshot when considering the entire Traveller lexicon for their games.









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