THE 3 BOOKS

[Ron]

I am planing a new campaign that will use the Traveller Book alone. I believe that there will several advantages to it.

Although I think advanced character generation is a nice game in itself, it takes too much time and it is not available to all careers. I would like to have a great variability of characters, but most people would only play with one of the four for which advanced rules are available.

I rather prefer the simple Book 2 spaceship rules to the more complicated High Guard version. Besides, I like the Book 2 feeling with smaller spaceships.

I would miss the more powerful weapons from Mercenary, but I ruling that those are military weapons not available to civilians.

Finally, I don't see a need to the more detailed star system generation from Scouts. I can do nicely with Book 3 and add some curiosities directly from my imagination.

If there is something that I would miss, is the extra basic careers from Citzens of the Imperium.

I've seen some images from the current Japonese version of Classic Traveller. Great art, I would like to have a copy in a language I could read.

 

[Ron]

I am planing a new campaign that will use the Traveller Book alone. I believe that there will several advantages to it.

Although I think advanced character generation is a nice game in itself, it takes too much time and it is not available to all careers. I would like to have a great variability of characters, but most people would only play with one of the four for which advanced rules are available.

I rather prefer the simple Book 2 spaceship rules to the more complicated High Guard version. Besides, I like the Book 2 feeling with smaller spaceships.

I would miss the more powerful weapons from Mercenary, but I ruling that those are military weapons not available to civilians.

Finally, I don't see a need to the more detailed star system generation from Scouts. I can do nicely with Book 3 and add some curiosities directly from my imagination.

If there is something that I would miss, is the extra basic careers from Citzens of the Imperium.

I've seen some images from the current Japonese version of Classic Traveller. Great art, I would like to have a copy in a language I could read.

 

[Ron]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
It's a shame that the weapons from Mercenary didn't make it into the later versions of Classic game, and I would have liked to have seen official rules for High Guard weapons, screens and armour (not the drives, or larger hulls though ) in Book2 ship design and combat.
CT 1-3 must be the most houseruled game in my collection - it's part of the fun of the game for me.

That would be a near perfect version of Classic Traveller!

 

[Ron]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
It's a shame that the weapons from Mercenary didn't make it into the later versions of Classic game, and I would have liked to have seen official rules for High Guard weapons, screens and armour (not the drives, or larger hulls though ) in Book2 ship design and combat.
CT 1-3 must be the most houseruled game in my collection - it's part of the fun of the game for me.

That would be a near perfect version of Classic Traveller!

 

[whartung]

The game is what you make of it, and the extra books are just extra detail.

If you feel you need that detail in your game, then feel free to use the other books, otherwise don't worry about it.

The beauty of the original 3 books was that it did what nothing else during the time did. It gave the referees a system for creating pretty much entire civilizations with a pencil and a pair of dice.

Compared to the original D&D's Little Brown Books, which was basically combat, magic, and monsters, Traveller also gave us interstellar ships, eco-systems, worlds, trade and governments.

An entire Traveller campaign can take place in the outback of some abandoned world or can span parsecs of space and time with the 3 LBBs.

The other books, the Adventures and the Supplements, simply added more data to the universe, while the extra Black Books gave more detailed accounts of the basic topics outlined in the original.

Today, I can't imagine playing the game without all of the supplements. I mean, there's no way I'm going to assume that Gauss Rifles don't exist just because I may not want to use Book 4 character generation for example.

And it's silly to not use them if they fit your campaign.

The most important book to bring to the game is the one in your head with your story. Use that others as you see fit. It's still Traveller in the end.

 

[whartung]

The game is what you make of it, and the extra books are just extra detail.

If you feel you need that detail in your game, then feel free to use the other books, otherwise don't worry about it.

The beauty of the original 3 books was that it did what nothing else during the time did. It gave the referees a system for creating pretty much entire civilizations with a pencil and a pair of dice.

Compared to the original D&D's Little Brown Books, which was basically combat, magic, and monsters, Traveller also gave us interstellar ships, eco-systems, worlds, trade and governments.

An entire Traveller campaign can take place in the outback of some abandoned world or can span parsecs of space and time with the 3 LBBs.

The other books, the Adventures and the Supplements, simply added more data to the universe, while the extra Black Books gave more detailed accounts of the basic topics outlined in the original.

Today, I can't imagine playing the game without all of the supplements. I mean, there's no way I'm going to assume that Gauss Rifles don't exist just because I may not want to use Book 4 character generation for example.

And it's silly to not use them if they fit your campaign.

The most important book to bring to the game is the one in your head with your story. Use that others as you see fit. It's still Traveller in the end.

 

[Ron]

Whartung,

I am creating a new universe based on the premisses of Traveller, like I my friends done before we have access to the latter LBB. As such, I am free to assume anything I think would fit my setting. I've no problem with restricting the kinds of weapons available to civilians.

I rather carry a single book to the game and instruct players that only that the campaign is based solely in that book, than carry a lot of volumes. Previously, I've played with a mix of rules from CT, MT, and T4. It's too complex to the casual player (which I define I and my friends now that we got to the late 30s, early 40s) and it didn't added much to the game.

As you said, each referee should know how much detail he wants in his game. I want very little, as simple rules doesn't need much investment from the players and allow them to keep focused in the storyline.

 

[Ron]

Whartung,

I am creating a new universe based on the premisses of Traveller, like I my friends done before we have access to the latter LBB. As such, I am free to assume anything I think would fit my setting. I've no problem with restricting the kinds of weapons available to civilians.

I rather carry a single book to the game and instruct players that only that the campaign is based solely in that book, than carry a lot of volumes. Previously, I've played with a mix of rules from CT, MT, and T4. It's too complex to the casual player (which I define I and my friends now that we got to the late 30s, early 40s) and it didn't added much to the game.

As you said, each referee should know how much detail he wants in his game. I want very little, as simple rules doesn't need much investment from the players and allow them to keep focused in the storyline.