Traveller Software aides

[Vanguard]

I'm looking for some ideas regarding what software people use to help their traveller games go smoothly. I've been out of the loop for a while, so I'm just wondering if anything has changed on that front.

Last time I ran a full-fledged game of Traveller, al I used was Galactic. Is that still the software of choice for general starmaps and such?

Any other software that you guys think I can't live without? I'm running a merchant-ish campaign in the spinward marches.

 

[BetterThanLife]

Depends on what version of Traveller you are playing. For CT I like High Guard Shipyard to crank out starships. For T20 Falkyn has an excellent Spreadsheet for starships. For planets and maps I like Heaven and Earth. You load in a Sector file and it generates everything, including system maps and plantary maps. Animal encounters, etc. Makes life much easier. There are starship encounter tables for the computer as well and I believe there is a trade and spec chart somewhere around here.

 

[Falkayn]

Bhoins, thanks for the praise!

I find sec2pdf to be an excellent tool for creating my own funky starmaps. I've also used Traveller Universe, but found that too much work to use at the moment (it's too hard getting import files to have the correct format).

 

[Vanguard]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I didn't mention which version because I havn't decided yet. It'll be T20, T4, or maybe we'll give the T5 playtest materials a spin.

You mention that H+E will generate maps, systems, etc...are the things that it generates persistant? That is to say, if I generate that stuff for a subsector, then close the program, will it all be the same next time I run it, or will it re-generate everything?

Thanks!

 

[aramis]

My software choice is usually an Appleworks Spreadsheet...


There is little support for Mac Users, since Rob when to the WinTel Dark Side...

OSX has helped (It's a fancy interface to BSD Unix...)

 

[Andrew Boulton]

H&E
Traveller Universe
Andrew Akins' FF&S2 ship design spreadsheet

 

[vutpakdi]

I run a PBEM, so one element of my essential software for running the game will be a little different than yours, but I'd highly recommend using a graphics program of some sort to do maps, deckplans and other visual aids. I happen to use Canvas but whatever you happen to have will work in a pinch.

I use StickyBrain (Mac only) to compose my posts (aka turns). StickyBrain is sort of a "post it notes+" on steroids application. Each post/turn is a seperate note, and StickyBrain makes it easy to search through all of my notes to increase my chances of making things consistent.

Ron

 

[FlightCommanderSolitude]

Hey Aramis, I'm working on an OS X mapping tool ... email me if you have any good ideas for features. I'm just getting my feet wet with OS X development (although I've been coding for a long time), so it might be a little while before I get anything out the door, but it's nice to know there are actually other Travellers using OS X ...

 

[BetterThanLife]

FOr H&E I'll be honest, I never tested to see if they are persistent. I know it asks you to save after generating a system so I would hope it saves the map it generated.

Originally posted by Vanguard:
Thanks for the suggestions!

I didn't mention which version because I havn't decided yet. It'll be T20, T4, or maybe we'll give the T5 playtest materials a spin.

You mention that H+E will generate maps, systems, etc...are the things that it generates persistant? That is to say, if I generate that stuff for a subsector, then close the program, will it all be the same next time I run it, or will it re-generate everything?

Thanks!

 

[Falkayn]

Originally posted by Vanguard:
You mention that H+E will generate maps, systems, etc...are the things that it generates persistant? That is to say, if I generate that stuff for a subsector, then close the program, will it all be the same next time I run it, or will it re-generate everything?

Traveller Universe stores everything in a database and is persistent ... beautifully so, actually.

sec2pdf is a script that runs against sector data files and creates PDF maps, so the maps are persistent, and so is the data. The ncie thing is you can vary your formatting files (i.e. have more than one) and so get different results. Say one map with a black background, and then the same map with a white background.

My starship design spreadsheet (and the vehicle/computer design ones on my downloads page) persist the data in the spreadsheet between uses, but are only really useful for creating stuff - not for playing with it.

Personally I don't use a computer at the game table, I find it's too intrusive and demanding of my time.

 

[savage]

I use a computer at the game table for certain activities... maps that I didn't bring...ships that I didn't bring...H&E...galactic...

Its time consuming unless you setup a ref web link page for yourself. And of course if you use H&E world builder without a computer the printouts would be enormous.

Savage

 

[Flynn]

I have used Galactic in the past for UWP management. I now use sec2pdf for my mapping needs, and a word processor app for keeping track of information.

This last year, I've written my own UWP manager of sorts. It started with the Collapse/Recovery process from the TNE:1248 playtest, and has since grown to incorporate my own UWP generator, a CT-to-GatewayEra Collapse procedure, and the beginnings of an Uncharted Space sector generator, as well as some utility features I find useful (such as a data scrubber to clean up some of the unrealistic UWPs from existing sector files online). I'm about to rewrite it, and I'm going to include an Allegiance Generator for those regenerated TNE:1248 sectors, etc.

I'm also working on a small T20/CT statblock generator to help me both in my personal games and in writing for QLI and online fanzine publications.

Once I'm at the table, though, it's just me, my notes and the players. (And the occasional mini, of course...)

Hope this helps,
Flynn

 

[Vanguard]

Last time I ran a big traveller game, I used Galactic at the gaming table. It was easier to use than paper charts, and I had a second monitor hooked up so my players could look at the map too.

It helped alot because my players didn't know how to read a UWP, so having the information summarized on the screen for them helped them plan out their routes.

I'm not nececarily looking to run mapping software for the players again, but any printed subsector maps would definitely need the UWPs on them...I guess I can just print up a key so they can figure them out.

 

[aramis]

At one point, I'd loaded all the GEnie files into a single monolithic excell SS.... that was about as advanced as I got DURING play.

To be honest, I still pull out maps and counters...

 

[Flynn]

Vanguard,

The sec2pdf application produces beautiful PDF maps with the UWPs printed for each world. I like 'em, and it seems that they would meet your needs.

Hope this helps,
Flynn