Traveller5 Reviews, I want an objective one

[Dragoner]

That was actually my first reaction. BytrPro started a thread based on my request to get some positive feedback going for T5. Hopefully we will start to see some good reviews of the Core Book.

I was just banned on [another site] for saying that. lol

 

[Baltech Budapest]

I was just banned on [another site] for saying that. lol

Really? Haha.
Best to stick around here then where the criticism is constructive.

 

[Original_Carl]

Those forums represent such a small number of RPGers, I'm often surprised at the amount of influence they are afforded.

The empty can rattles the most, I suppose.

 

[mechascorpio]

Those forums represent such a small number of RPGers, I'm often surprised at the amount of influence they are afforded.

The empty can rattles the most, I suppose.

At this moment there are 1842 users logged in and online at RPGnet. There are over 100,000 Members in its history, and currently 16,267 Active Members.

If that is your definition of small, I'd hate to see your rating of CotI.

 

[Dragoner]

Really? Haha.
Best to stick around here then where the criticism is constructive.

Yeah, I'm a big old meanie.

But through the playtest, I have and will continue to give content neutral opinions.

Those forums represent such a small number of RPGers, I'm often surprised at the amount of influence they are afforded.

The empty can rattles the most, I suppose.

They are large, but even their admin Cessna stated that they are anti-veteran, so Marc and the average trav player, who isn't, is not represented there. If you notice, it was all about attacking Marc and not about T5, funny for being a mong player and T5 betatester, I was kicked for a bogus reason, too funny; makes one think there are things going on behind the scenes.

 

[Hemdian]

Here’s a quick response I’ve posted to a couple of other forums (trying to counterbalance the negativity a bit):

One of the things that Traveller has suffered from in recent years is that when confronted by the sheer amount of material, many people’s brains just lock up and freeze. They seem incapable of understanding that, because Traveller is trying to support a very broad range of players, there is a lot of *optional* material.

For example, if you are setting a Traveller campaign on Earth then you don’t need anything that specifically relates to the Spinward Marches ... of the Gateway domain ... etc.

It’s the same or the T5 ‘core’ rules. Unless you are featuring clones or chimeras in your campaign you can ignore the rules on genetics. However, if at a later date you change your mind, it’s nice to know you have rules to cover that on hand. Other games would start with a ‘simpler’ set of rules and then address gaps with bolt-ons conceived as afterthoughts and with only partial success.

At its heart, the core of the core (so to speak), is an overhauled version of T4. So if a referee is already familiar with T4, then it shouldn’t take too long to become familiar with the essentials and be up and running a game. (Yes, there is some disorganisation but no more than a typical set of D&D.)

That’s not to say I’m happy with everything in T5: I prefer rolling high rather than low, I’ve always used the ‘advanced’ character generation careers rather than the ‘basic’ ones, and I want to see the big ships (cruisers and dreadnaughts). But there are more things in T5 that I like than I dislike. I had intended to treat T5 as a toolbox, mine it for ideas to add to my preferred rule set, but from what I’ve read I now intend my next campaign to be actually based on T5 instead.

 

[atpollard]

Apparently, DonM isn't the only person with Moderation powers on the T5 section,
so the new kid on the block is issuing a reminder of Rule 1 and the commitment to keep COTI civil.

Rule 1) No personal attacks.
You may attack ideas, subjects, or documentation. However you will not get personal at all.

[m;]I welcome negative reviews of T5, even scathing reviews, alongside any positive reviews, even gushing reviews.

However, derogatory terms for groups or individuals with whom we disagree and personal attacks on any individual, including Marc Miller,

IS A VIOLATION OF RULE 1 AND WILL EARN A WARNING OR INFRACTION.

Disagree to your hearts content, but remain civil.[/m;]

 

[madmike]

Having only come back to Traveller and Traveller discussion forums on the net within the last two years, I was horrified at the level of vitriol and really just plain nastiness leveled at Marc and many Traveller players over T5.

I remember being concerned about the direction of Traveller when Megatraveller and TNE were released, but realised over time that you either chose to use that system or stuck to the one you liked. There was no threat to any of the Traveller rules systems really. So perhaps this is the case? Not sure, but it has certainly worked up some people to post uniformed comments and often thinly veiled personal attacks.

I build scale model kits as one of my other hobbies and have been an active participant online for many years within the online scale model community. I am also a super moderator on one of the bigger scale model forums. The same issues occur there as well, so this sort of unsociable ill mannered rudeness is fairly common but no less acceptable.

Each incident seems to centre around an agitator and their followers.

Shame really.

 

[BytePro]

... But there are more things in T5 that I like than I dislike. I had intended to treat T5 as a toolbox, mine it for ideas to add to my preferred rule set, but from what I’ve read I now intend my next campaign to be actually based on T5 instead.

Like to hear more about that... http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=29774

 

[Original_Carl]

If that is your definition of small, I'd hate to see your rating of CotI.

CotI is hardcore Traveller fans. That's all that really matters to me.

I know a lot of gamers and I've been in the hobby for a long time. Very few of them participate in any RPG-specific online communities. Maybe that's just my own experience.

 

[DaddyDragon]

I'm still reading and absorbing the book. I haven't found anything so glaring that it eclipses Mongoose Publishing's track record on proofreading. But I knew that errata was going to be necessary when the hardcore playtesters on the beta forums were still turning in fixes and the book had gone off to print.

Traveller and Errata are like peanut butter & chocolate. And it works for my gaming purposes.

 

[DonM]

I'm still reading and absorbing the book. I haven't found anything so glaring that it eclipses Mongoose Publishing's track record on proofreading. But I knew that errata was going to be necessary when the hardcore playtesters on the beta forums were still turning in fixes and the book had gone off to print.

Traveller and Errata are like peanut butter & chocolate. And it works for my gaming purposes.

Can I borrow that line?

 

[pennshome723]

I my view it is another resource that will have other non-standard ideas for the game and that will get folks thinking and developing their own In-House rules. I don't fault any work, and if their is a error I make a note in the book for the correction and move on. I am just glad that the Dead Tree version has finally starting to ship, that means more stuff will come out eventually in time. More power to the Traveller game collectively for all!!!

 

[Vladika]

Traveller and Errata are like peanut butter & chocolate.

"Hey, you got Errata in my Traveller!"

"You got Traveller in my Errata!"

I love it! Perfect observation, and line!:rofl:

I'm going to have a Reese Cup and Milk, then go play Traveller...CT of course!

 

[Supplement Four]

I'm still reading and absorbing the book. I haven't found anything so glaring that it eclipses Mongoose Publishing's track record on proofreading.

There must be something that I don't understand about publishing, or, rather, publishing games. It seems that all rpg publishers have this problem.

Why is that? It doesn't seem like it would be that hard to get books mostly correct--to where errata was the exception and not the rule.

What's the reason that this happens, over and over, with different people and different companies?

 

[Drakon]

What's the reason that this happens, over and over, with different people and different companies?

Because gamers and authors are not idiots. So they "know" what the author meant, far better than a complete noob. A lot of times, they might need to reread a line several times before realizing the line is wrong.

There are jobs that can only be done by an idiot. Proofreading is one of them.

 

[Bloo]

There are jobs that can only be done by an idiot. Proofreading is one of them.

Or a disinterested third person, preferably a professional.

A better answer for Supplement Four is lack of resources (and publishing urgency, which is related to the former). Method of production can also be a factor.

 

[aramis]

There must be something that I don't understand about publishing, or, rather, publishing games. It seems that all rpg publishers have this problem.

Why is that? It doesn't seem like it would be that hard to get books mostly correct--to where errata was the exception and not the rule.

What's the reason that this happens, over and over, with different people and different companies?

Military regulation has the same issue with errata. It's been much reduced with computers, electronic proofreading, and extensive pre-publication commentary... but it's highly present. Dad had an hour a week allocated in his day job for updates and regulatory publications correction.

It's a factor of writing instructions. You don't know where the failure to communicate is until the observed behavior of the directed person is noticed by the writer to be other than what was intended. the only reason laws don't have this issue is that corrections are pretty well forbidden in democratic or republican forms of governance; still, court decisions form a kind of errata there, too.

fiction, however, normally has only grammatical and typographic errors, which seldom cause observed failure to communicate intent (other than by massave post-release flamage).

 

[curmudgeon]

There are jobs that can only be done by an idiot. Proofreading is one of them.

As someone who is a proofreader, and one who works with several game companies, I take offense to this. I understand what the author wants to say, which means I also understand what they are not saying. Proofreading also entails checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style consistency. If you hire an idiot to proofread a document, only an idiot will want to read it. If you hire a highly trained professional proofreader, you will get a professional, high quality document.

 

[Drakon]

As someone who is a proofreader, and one who works with several game companies, I take offense to this.

My sincere apologies. Obviously I need a proofreader for my own posts. I was attempting to be funny and had no intentions toward slighting anyone's profession.