So - why would you chose CT over MgT?

[Supplement Four]

Unified task resolution leaps to mind.

Ah. Here we differ. I really appreciate how the CT throws are customized exactly for a particular problem. Variable skill weighting. It's a beautiful system, in the hands of a good GM, and, imo, much better than the one-size-fits-all unified task resolution of MGT.

 

[Marchand]

I dislike the MGT task resolution system because of a pet hate I have for systems that fail to distinguish between characteristic levels - I don't have the book in front of me but I think a characteristic of 6-8 gives you a plus zero to the roll; so, apart from physical characteristics' damage absorption role, there is no functional difference between a 6 and an 8. I much prefer the UGM for this reason. (I have the same problem with D20).

More broadly, one thing MGT offers from the core book is a broader range of actual SF equipment, e.g. cybernetics. CT had halberds and, my personal favourite, the bullhorn. Don't leave your Type A2 without one!

 

[PFVA63]

Hi,

To be honest I've been kind of moving away from all Traveller based mechanics because to me there seems to be a kind of disconnect in the numbers between skill levels and stat ranges and such. As such lately I've been looking to simpler systems like that in Primeval and Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space where characters stats and skill levels seem to be a bit closer together and a low stat, like a strength of 1, doesn't mean that you are completely feeble, but rather just not that strong, etc

 

[Supplement Four]

Hi,

To be honest I've been kind of moving away from all Traveller based mechanics because to me there seems to be a kind of disconnect in the numbers between skill levels and stat ranges and such. As such lately I've been looking to simpler systems like that in Primeval and Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space where characters stats and skill levels seem to be a bit closer together and a low stat, like a strength of 1, doesn't mean that you are completely feeble, but rather just not that strong, etc

You're describing CT!! A character with STR 2 is not handicapped. He's a weak person, physically. I liken STR 2 with the character Jeremy Davies played in Saving Private Ryan. He doesn't have some disease that withers his muscles, he's just a slight fellow. And, he sure has heck won't be winning any Ultimate Fighting Championships, either.

If you flip through Supplement 12 Veterans, or Supplement 1 1001 Characters, you'll see characters with "2" stats. And, they're all viable characters--not wheelchair bound or anything.

As for the disconnect, this is one of the things that I love about CT: It allows you to deal with those issues. Vacc Suit-1 doesn't always mean a +1 DM. It can mean a lot of things...or nothing. The same with stats. They can provide modifiers to throws or not even be referenced. It just depends on the throw.

 

[Shonner]

Attribute values of 6 - 8 are just to get an average CharMod for a character. If you make 7 the average, then every average character will be a 7 in their UPP, which isn't much of an average range.

Also, when dealing with 2D6 trying to roll 8+, you want your CharMod values to be low numbers. Mongoose Traveller is more skill-based for the average character in this sense. If the target number moved in MgT, say it was 11+ for a roll, then players would want more CharMod numbers on their dial. And they may even want to just roll under their attributes if they are a certain increased range at that point. And then you are looking at 3D6 rolls in the die mechanic maybe, and you end up with another GURPS to deal with. So it's a trade-off.

2D6 is great for role-playing. It's not a simulator though that roll-players are after.

 

[PFVA63]

You're describing CT!! A character with STR 2 is not handicapped. He's a weak person, physically. I liken STR 2 with the character Jeremy Davies played in Saving Private Ryan. He doesn't have some disease that withers his muscles, he's just a slight fellow. And, he sure has heck won't be winning any Ultimate Fighting Championships, either.

If you flip through Supplement 12 Veterans, or Supplement 1 1001 Characters, you'll see characters with "2" stats. And, they're all viable characters--not wheelchair bound or anything.

As for the disconnect, this is one of the things that I love about CT: It allows you to deal with those issues. Vacc Suit-1 doesn't always mean a +1 DM. It can mean a lot of things...or nothing. The same with stats. They can provide modifiers to throws or not even be referenced. It just depends on the throw.

Hi,

In the systems I described, characteristics only range from 1 to 6 with skills in a similar range.

 

[Shonner]

Hi,

In the systems I described, characteristics only range from 1 to 6 with skills in a similar range.

And what's the die mechanic used for checks?

 

[BytePro]

Simple 2D6+Attrib+Skill roll over Target.

(There are also char and group Traits and Story Points in those games...)

 

[PFVA63]

Hi,

As Bytepro notes its mostly 2D6+Attrib+Skill, though elsewhere in the Primeval rulebook it notes that rolls are actually typically "(Attribute + Skill + any applicable Traits + the dice roll + anything else)" with a target number that varies with difficulty, etc and there are rules for "opposed action" roles etc. In addition, how far over or under you are for the role kind of defines how well or poorly you did at the role.

For me it just feels a little simpler than some of the Traveller rules that I've experienced and I kind of like the relatively low levels for stats, with stats and skills being fairly close in order of magnitude, etc.

 

[BytePro]

... In addition, how far over or under you are for the role kind of defines how well or poorly you did at the role.

Yeah, forgot to mention that.

Its similar to MgT, without the base 8+ target - but notably with a direct Attrib is your DM element. [Noting chargen is point based.]

 

[Shonner]

its mostly 2D6+Attrib+Skill, though elsewhere in the Primeval rulebook it notes that rolls are actually typically "(Attribute + Skill + any applicable Traits + the dice roll + anything else)" with a target number that varies with difficulty, etc and there are rules for "opposed action" roles etc. In addition, how far over or under you are for the role kind of defines how well or poorly you did at the role.

For me it just feels a little simpler than some of the Traveller rules that I've experienced and I kind of like the relatively low levels for stats, with stats and skills being fairly close in order of magnitude, etc.

Ok. So anything goes then if a target number is allowed to move. And the GM now has to figure out a scale/scope of some kind to use as a boundary/range that players roll their dice in. So more work required. As well as keeping peace with players that feel they've been cheated while other players get a free pass on their rolls.

 

[PFVA63]

Hi,

Its really not too bad. the Core book provides a table breaking things down from "Really, Really Easy" (with a Difficulty Level/target Number of 3) to "Nearly Impossible" (with a Target Number of 30) with eight additional steps in between.

The Table also gives examples such as "Easy" - setting a video timer or jumping a low fence, etc to "Normal" - driving a car in traffic, "Tricky" - driving at speed, etc.

To me it kind of feels a little better than other schemes that I have seen.

 

[Shonner]

Hi,

Its really not too bad. the Core book provides a table breaking things down from "Really, Really Easy" (with a Difficulty Level/target Number of 3) to "Nearly Impossible" (with a Target Number of 30) with eight additional steps in between.

The Table also gives examples such as "Easy" - setting a video timer or jumping a low fence, etc to "Normal" - driving a car in traffic, "Tricky" - driving at speed, etc.

To me it kind of feels a little better than other schemes that I have seen.

Primeval and Mongoose Traveller were written by the same guy. Mongoose Traveller has the inherent (or legacy, however you want to look at it) "Roll 8+" rule. The author went his own direction with Primeval. So are you more into the dinos? Or into the time-travel? Or you do something completely different in your Primeval games?

 

[PFVA63]

Primeval and Mongoose Traveller were written by the same guy. Mongoose Traveller has the inherent (or legacy, however you want to look at it) "Roll 8+" rule. The author went his own direction with Primeval. So are you more into the dinos? Or into the time-travel? Or you do something completely different in your Primeval games?

Hi,

I was really just looking for something fairly simple and semi-generic. Since Primeval is basically a modern era game with the ability to travel in time I thought it might have a chance of fitting the bill.