CT Only: Stealing the T5 Starship Design Rules to make Book 2+

[robject]

I've always loved Book 2. I've never been satisfied with Book 2. It has SO MUCH in SO LITTLE space. But it LACKS some things. I've pulled in stuff from MT and TNE and even T4, but the "impedance mismatch" is just too much for me.

But, I find I can pull in stuff from Traveller5 with very little pain. Enough to bring Book 2 into full flower. True, it's not really built for fighting ships, but with some imports from T5, for non-fighting ships 2000 tons and under it beats every other ship design system -- including T5.

The drive tables are the biggest enabler: T5 expands the hulls and drives, and lets me rationalize the W-X-Y-Z drives from Book 2. (The key to doing that is to re-label them by their rating-equivalent counterparts in T5.) I haven't replaced the DPT with one that includes the 300t, 500t, 700t etc hulls, but I want to get them in here somehow.

The next win is the power plant fuel usage from T5, which closely resembles the rational formulas used in HG and MGT. (Maybe it's not a win, but it makes more sense to me, regardless of its original intent)

The weapons list is larger than I need for Book 2, but I can bring in Particle Accelerators and Barbettes with no fuss.

I've pulled in some, not all, of the hull fittings -- landers, lifters, sweep wings (for the Serpent-class scout).

My copy of The Traveller Book is already marked up with penciled-in additions, and some price changes. I like the drive cost structure better in T5 -- it doesn't require a lookup, for one, further streamlining the process.


Importing these T5 features also makes smallcraft construction possible using Book 2 (and a judicious but short additional rule or two).

 

[Vladika]

I've always loved Book 2. I've never been satisfied with Book 2...

But, I find I can pull in stuff from Traveller5 with very little pain. Enough to bring Book 2 into full flower...

I have to agree with you there, T5 as far as ships go, is a real return towards Book 2. A move I enjoy.

 

[McPerth]

I havn't read T5, so what I'll say is just for Bk2. One of the things I always disliked from Bk2 design was the PP fuel, where the same PP fuel needs dependend on the size of the ship, needing less fuel as the ship grows larger.

As said, IDK if that is fixed in T5, but it is in MgT, and IMHO it could be adapted from there.

 

[robject]

I havn't read T5, so what I'll say is just for Bk2. One of the things I always disliked from Bk2 design was the PP fuel, where the same PP fuel needs dependend on the size of the ship, needing less fuel as the ship grows larger.

As said, IDK if that is fixed in T5, but it is in MgT, and IMHO it could be adapted from there.

You should check out my post ... uh, somewhere here ... that details just how much MgT inherited directly from an early draft of Traveller5. For example, PP fuel usage. (Anyway, yeah, that's one of the things in my OP that I ported back to Book 2 from T5).

Here it is.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Di...7237&highlight=mongoose+traveller5#post437237

 

[aramis]

I've always thought Bk2 was the more interesting approach, but that the low end drives were too granular. What I've been able to make sense of T5's design sequence is near-FF&S level detail on a Bk2 frame...

And it doesn't solve Bk2's issues, other than fuel. But MGT solved most of Bk2's issues already. MGT core is my Bk2+... except that it needs 1/2A=A–, A+, B+ and C+ drives to fill in the gaps.

The problems I see with Bk2:
No A–, A+, B+, and C+ drives
No Armor
No Labs, sickbays.
Too much fuel used.
No Mesons, PA's, nor Repulsors.

Of these, only the too much fuel isn't solved by MGT, and that's as much a Traveller trope as anything.

So, B2+ really need not pull much of anything from T5, except maybe the smaller staterooms.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Hey, Rob, Marc should thank you for making a sale for him. I've been planning to buy T5 as soon as he puts it up on RPGnow in PDF, but this thread has cinched it. Now I really want it for more than just completeness!