Starports!

[ShapeShifter]

Going straight into my library thanks

Just skiming through, are there tables missing on page 34 & 35? Relating to Starport Weightings, etc. It could be a formating error, bullet points gone mad and calling themselves Table 3.2 to Table 3.18? That doesn't quite make sense either tho.

Cheers!
Matt

I noticed that too. Let's hope that stuff gets a fuller treatment...

 

[Icosahedron]

Wow, where has this been all my life?
I've picked up some of it from the original sources over the years, but this compilation would have saved me the cost of buying Gurps Starports.
Definitely worth developing.

 

[Supplement Four]

Even missing little bits, it's more exciting than Mongoose's latest issue.

 

[MongooseFordy]

Even missing little bits, it's more exciting than Mongoose's latest issue.

***Yawn***

 

[Droptrooper.]

***Yawn***

Depite s4's bias I think he's right here. Updated and with or without some art this would be head & shoulders above much of Mongoose's output. I'm sure rather than make facetious posts Fordy you could possibly take a look and get some hints.

 

[MongooseFordy]

Depite s4's bias I think he's right here. Updated and with or without some art this would be head & shoulders above much of Mongoose's output. I'm sure rather than make facetious posts Fordy you could possibly take a look and get some hints.

It's nicely put together, if a bit dry. 'Head & shoulders above much of Mongoose's output' is merely a matter of opinion, and one I'd disagree with. But then I would, woudn't I.

 

[Droptrooper.]

Yes, you would.

I agree it's a bit dry and does need updating but compared to some of the Mongoose stuff it's got wings. Not bad for fan work.

 

[MongooseFordy]

Not bad for fan work.

No, it's very good for fan work. But fan work with a lot of contributors (I'm assuming many of whom have worked on official Traveller supplements before) and an infinite amount of time to produce it in.

 

[Supplement Four]

It's nicely put together, if a bit dry.

What's dry about it?

I think it's fantastic. If Mongoose were doing work like this, you'd be hearing me sing praises.

So..what's dry about it?

It doesn't have a pic of a leather-dressed, tatooed flight operator guiding a vessel into dock, with a Ninja Vargr and a Cyberpunk Darrian standing behind her?

 

[coliver988]

Wow, where has this been all my life?
I've picked up some of it from the original sources over the years, but this compilation would have saved me the cost of buying Gurps Starports.
Definitely worth developing.

I don't know - GURPS Starports does have a few other things as well. Like a lot of players/refs out there, I tend to pick & choose things. GURPS had a lot of useful (as in playable) chrome, and books like Starport & Far Trader have a lot of useful things to add that can be incorporated into any Traveller game from any version pretty much). Of course, from my interpretation GURPS Traveller is a very busy, large ship universe. Any time you start establishing rules for trade between systems (and GURPS has a version similar but different to the one in this particular Starport! guide) you also indicate the type of universe you are playing with.

But I really like to have multiple sources - they make for oddly interesting reading between other things.

 

[Border Reiver]

What's dry about it?

I think it's fantastic. If Mongoose were doing work like this, you'd be hearing me sing praises.

So..what's dry about it?

It doesn't have a pic of a leather-dressed, tatooed flight operator guiding a vessel into dock, with a Ninja Vargr and a Cyberpunk Darrian standing behind her?

Saucer of milk for S4?

It is dry, in much the same way that the original LBBs were dry. It wouldn't take a lot to spice it up a little without taking away from the original.

 

[Supplement Four]

Saucer of milk for S4?

It is dry, in much the same way that the original LBBs were dry. It wouldn't take a lot to spice it up a little without taking away from the original.

I didn't find the LBBs dry.

What are we talking about? Presentation? No pics? Layout?

What?

 

[robject]

It's dry in that it's very light on plotlines. It's more operations-and-color than "playable". To a referee it can be a useful resource, but not standalone. To a player it can be dull.

No, it's very good for fan work. But fan work with a lot of contributors (I'm assuming many of whom have worked on official Traveller supplements before) and an infinite amount of time to produce it in.

Not an infinite amount of time. And not professional time, except of course for Marc's stuff and the stuff culled from published sources. Time spent playing Traveller in general, and thinking about it in general, yes, is required to think in context of Traveller. Time to digest the setting. But not lots of time specifically in developing the material.


Pages 3 thru 10 comes from one accidental/random email exchange between me and Marc 10 years ago.

• Once you've got a framework (such as Marc's what I know text), the charts write themselves.

Pages 11-13 comes from a printed supplement, I suspect.

Pages 14-17 has some material from Jeff, some of which appears redundant with Marc's.

Pages 18-23 comes from stuff I culled off of the TML, perhaps over a week's time. If I were to dredge the archives for 1998 (give or take), I might be able to find the actual posts this material comes from.

Pages 24-36 comes from a printed supplement, I suspect.

Pages 37-61 comes from material Jon Buller and I cooked up over a few lunches, plus a couple of images copied or derived from the Happy Landings! article.



Side Note

• Now, thanks to Traveller5, a vast majority of these charts can be rewritten using starship design components. Which is on my list...

 

[RandyT0001]

It's nicely put together, if a bit dry. 'Head & shoulders above much of Mongoose's output' is merely a matter of opinion, and one I'd disagree with. But then I would, woudn't I.

At least she did more than 10 seconds of research about the book that she produced unlike some Mongoose supplement authors.
Mercenary
comes to mind. But then it would wouldn't it.

 

[MongooseFordy]

At least she did more than 10 seconds of research about the book that she produced unlike some Mongoose supplement authors.
Mercenary
comes to mind. But then it would wouldn't it.

Mmm, research on imaginary spaceports. I'd love to know where she got that info from.

 

[Supplement Four]

It's nicely put together, if a bit dry. 'Head & shoulders above much of Mongoose's output' is merely a matter of opinion, and one I'd disagree with. But then I would, woudn't I.

I've looked through Mongoose's Scouts book.

And, the MGT Core rule book.

The plainly presented tables...no pizazz at all...there's really nothing about the presentation about that book the is exciting. It's as dull as a technical manual.

And you call the Starports book "dry".

 

[Supplement Four]

Mmm, research on imaginary spaceports. I'd love to know where she got that info from.

Don't know why I'm surprised we have to spell it out: HE WAS TALKING ABOUT RESEARCHING TRAVELLER, THE 30+ YEARS OF MATERIAL THAT'S GROWN UP AROUND THE GAME BEFORE MONGOOSE CAME UPON THE SCENE.

 

[MongooseFordy]

I've looked through Mongoose's Scouts book.

And, the MGT Core rule book.

The plainly presented tables...no pizazz at all...there's really nothing about the presentation about that book the is exciting. It's as dull as a technical manual.

And you call the Starports book "dry".

I was actually talking about the style of prose, which reads a bit like a car mechanic's manual. As for presentation, I think the interiors for all our supplements are better than the plain interior of this pdf. You'll obviously disagree, but it's purely subjective - a concept you seem unable to grasp.

 

[MongooseFordy]

Don't know why I'm surprised we have to spell it out: HE WAS TALKING ABOUT RESEARCHING TRAVELLER, THE 30+ YEARS OF MATERIAL THAT'S GROWN UP AROUND THE GAME BEFORE MONGOOSE CAME UPON THE SCENE.

No, I believe he was principally referring to the research in Mercenary regarding weapon ranges, which had been a point of consternation with Randy for some time. But feel free to spell it out further if I'm wrong.

 

[Supplement Four]

No, I believe he was principally referring to the research in Mercenary regarding weapon ranges, which had been a point of consternation with Randy for some time. But feel free to spell it out further if I'm wrong.

So, you intentionally said something silly about researching nonexistent starports...