Which GT items are useful for a CT game?

[Supplement Four]

I'm not a fan of GURPS at all, and as such, I've avoided picking up any GT items.

If I'm going to spend that kind of credits for gaming books, I want them to be 100% useful to my game. I don't want to have to convert 'em to my CT game (now...the TL means this in GT, but it means this in CT...what was it...or shit, forget it).

But...I see that Warehouse 23 has all the GT books on for $10 bucks.

And, I do have a noble in my gaming group now...a Marquis.

And...he's a Tukera noble.

So, having flipped through GT Nobles at the game store today, I think I'm going to shell out the $10 bucks and buy my first GURPS Traveller supplement.

Any other suggestions on what GT books are useful for a CT game?

See, I've looked at stuff like Starports, and typically I would love that book. But, all I see is a shit-load of conversion if I want to use those rules in CT. I don't want to put all that work into it. I might as well just purchase a supplement from any other sci-fi game and convert it to Traveller.

But, I am going to go ahead and get GT Nobles, so I'll take a look at any other GT books that you fine Travellerites think are worthwhile.

Suggestions?

 

[Supplement Four]

I'm not a fan of GURPS at all, and as such, I've avoided picking up any GT items.

If I'm going to spend that kind of credits for gaming books, I want them to be 100% useful to my game. I don't want to have to convert 'em to my CT game (now...the TL means this in GT, but it means this in CT...what was it...or shit, forget it).

But...I see that Warehouse 23 has all the GT books on for $10 bucks.

And, I do have a noble in my gaming group now...a Marquis.

And...he's a Tukera noble.

So, having flipped through GT Nobles at the game store today, I think I'm going to shell out the $10 bucks and buy my first GURPS Traveller supplement.

Any other suggestions on what GT books are useful for a CT game?

See, I've looked at stuff like Starports, and typically I would love that book. But, all I see is a shit-load of conversion if I want to use those rules in CT. I don't want to put all that work into it. I might as well just purchase a supplement from any other sci-fi game and convert it to Traveller.

But, I am going to go ahead and get GT Nobles, so I'll take a look at any other GT books that you fine Travellerites think are worthwhile.

Suggestions?

 

[Supplement Four]

Whelp, I was going to buy GT Nobles, but W23 wants nearly $8 bucks for shipping and there's tax, since I'm in Texas, bringing the total to just under $20.

Heck, for that price, I can buy it new locally.

I think I'll just wait. Maybe I'll stumble across it at a used bookstore.

Or, if I get on a GT kick, and spend $80 smacker, I can get shipping for free from W23.

I probably won't invest that in GT, though.

 

[Supplement Four]

Whelp, I was going to buy GT Nobles, but W23 wants nearly $8 bucks for shipping and there's tax, since I'm in Texas, bringing the total to just under $20.

Heck, for that price, I can buy it new locally.

I think I'll just wait. Maybe I'll stumble across it at a used bookstore.

Or, if I get on a GT kick, and spend $80 smacker, I can get shipping for free from W23.

I probably won't invest that in GT, though.

 

[aramis]

Whilst I disagree with both the model of the imperium envisioned by the authors and the nature of trade used, Far Trader is highly touted for being very faithful to modern command economies.

Behind the Claw provides a paragraph or more on each and every world in the marches. Some nifty stuff, like an Imperial Marine Testing Center on Wypoc/Lanth.

I don't know about any of the others...

 

[aramis]

Whilst I disagree with both the model of the imperium envisioned by the authors and the nature of trade used, Far Trader is highly touted for being very faithful to modern command economies.

Behind the Claw provides a paragraph or more on each and every world in the marches. Some nifty stuff, like an Imperial Marine Testing Center on Wypoc/Lanth.

I don't know about any of the others...

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by Aramis:
Whilst I disagree with both the model of the imperium envisioned by the authors and the nature of trade used, Far Trader is highly touted for being very faithful to modern command economies.

Actually, it's touted as being faithful to economics in general.

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by Aramis:
Whilst I disagree with both the model of the imperium envisioned by the authors and the nature of trade used, Far Trader is highly touted for being very faithful to modern command economies.

Actually, it's touted as being faithful to economics in general.

 

[Droptrooper.]

BtC and RoF are handy to compliment the relative CT supps. I enjoyed some of Ground Forces details but could leave others.

I really enjoyed the GT Aliens and Humaniti supplements for the background colour.

 

[Droptrooper.]

BtC and RoF are handy to compliment the relative CT supps. I enjoyed some of Ground Forces details but could leave others.

I really enjoyed the GT Aliens and Humaniti supplements for the background colour.

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by WJP:
Or, if I get on a GT kick, and spend $80 smacker, I can get shipping for free from W23.

I probably won't invest that in GT, though.

Well, a lot of the GT books have a lot of background material that can be useful for all versions of Traveller. There's even some of the rules-specific stuff that can be useful (take a character writeup and convert the advantages and disadvantages into a paragraph of text and you'll have a nice supplement to a UPP, for instance).

But it may be difficult to find eight useful books. Let's have a try, though.

The aliens books all have a lot of background stuff about each race. They come two races to a book, though (plus a few smaller writeups of minor races in each book (few of the minors are much good (IMO)), so if you're only interested in one of the two, the value goes down.

Humaniti has a very nice writeup of the Darrians .

Nobles has already been mentioned. I can only concur about its usefulness.

Rim of Fire. Useful if you plan to campaign in the Solomani Rim, otherwise not so useful.

Starports. Lots and lots of information about starports. Maybe a little too much. You can use the rules to design starports that will work with other rules, but that's only useful if you're not into detailed starports. Some very nice floorplans, though.

Sword Worlds. I'm biased, of course, but I really think SW is value for money. Most of it is background material that'll work with any rules set and there are a bunch of adventure and campaign ideas. The only question is if you'll like the background enough to run a campaign there. (You sure won't be able to use both SW and RoF ).

Try looking at some of the other GURPS books. I've often thought about using Planet Krishna as a formerly interdicted world that has recently been opened for limited contact, with the Scouts being the ones who are enforcing the technology ban. I'd probably make the Krishnans into a hominid race... It will require some work to convert to a Traveller universe, though.

I've found Ultra-tech I and II and Bio-tech quite useful as a source of ideas for thechnology that hasn't been covered by other Traveller books, but there's no denying that it sometimes requires some work to translate the game mechanics. And there's the whole tech level conversion muddle.


Hans

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by WJP:
Or, if I get on a GT kick, and spend $80 smacker, I can get shipping for free from W23.

I probably won't invest that in GT, though.

Well, a lot of the GT books have a lot of background material that can be useful for all versions of Traveller. There's even some of the rules-specific stuff that can be useful (take a character writeup and convert the advantages and disadvantages into a paragraph of text and you'll have a nice supplement to a UPP, for instance).

But it may be difficult to find eight useful books. Let's have a try, though.

The aliens books all have a lot of background stuff about each race. They come two races to a book, though (plus a few smaller writeups of minor races in each book (few of the minors are much good (IMO)), so if you're only interested in one of the two, the value goes down.

Humaniti has a very nice writeup of the Darrians .

Nobles has already been mentioned. I can only concur about its usefulness.

Rim of Fire. Useful if you plan to campaign in the Solomani Rim, otherwise not so useful.

Starports. Lots and lots of information about starports. Maybe a little too much. You can use the rules to design starports that will work with other rules, but that's only useful if you're not into detailed starports. Some very nice floorplans, though.

Sword Worlds. I'm biased, of course, but I really think SW is value for money. Most of it is background material that'll work with any rules set and there are a bunch of adventure and campaign ideas. The only question is if you'll like the background enough to run a campaign there. (You sure won't be able to use both SW and RoF ).

Try looking at some of the other GURPS books. I've often thought about using Planet Krishna as a formerly interdicted world that has recently been opened for limited contact, with the Scouts being the ones who are enforcing the technology ban. I'd probably make the Krishnans into a hominid race... It will require some work to convert to a Traveller universe, though.

I've found Ultra-tech I and II and Bio-tech quite useful as a source of ideas for thechnology that hasn't been covered by other Traveller books, but there's no denying that it sometimes requires some work to translate the game mechanics. And there's the whole tech level conversion muddle.


Hans

 

[Maladominus]

I'm a CT loyalist.

And is GURPS Traveller material useful to me? Yes. The background material alone is priceless.

For example, Rim of Fire is very useful in detailing the many unique worlds of the Solomani Rim. If we go strictly to "CT" publications, the only thing we have is that Solomani Rim supplement, which gives you detailed maps of the 16 subsectors, but hardly tells you anything about the worlds of the sector (other than bland UPPs).

 

[Maladominus]

I'm a CT loyalist.

And is GURPS Traveller material useful to me? Yes. The background material alone is priceless.

For example, Rim of Fire is very useful in detailing the many unique worlds of the Solomani Rim. If we go strictly to "CT" publications, the only thing we have is that Solomani Rim supplement, which gives you detailed maps of the 16 subsectors, but hardly tells you anything about the worlds of the sector (other than bland UPPs).

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by Anthony:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Aramis:
Whilst I disagree with both the model of the imperium envisioned by the authors and the nature of trade used, Far Trader is highly touted for being very faithful to modern command economies.

Actually, it's touted as being faithful to economics in general. </font>[/QUOTE]A great number of historians (most of my history profs included) don't see modern macro as being a valid model for pre-1800, nor for speculative economies.

And I should have used "Order-driven" instead of command.

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by Anthony:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Aramis:
Whilst I disagree with both the model of the imperium envisioned by the authors and the nature of trade used, Far Trader is highly touted for being very faithful to modern command economies.

Actually, it's touted as being faithful to economics in general. </font>[/QUOTE]A great number of historians (most of my history profs included) don't see modern macro as being a valid model for pre-1800, nor for speculative economies.

And I should have used "Order-driven" instead of command.

 

[Anthony]

Most of Far Trader is micro-economics, not macro-economics. In particular, the entire business about per-parsec pricing is straightforward supply and demand.

 

[Anthony]

Most of Far Trader is micro-economics, not macro-economics. In particular, the entire business about per-parsec pricing is straightforward supply and demand.

 

[MaineCoon]

Just based on this discussion, I now have on order Far-Trader, Rim of Fire (since Im planning a campaign in the Rim - solo female Zhodani agent subterfuge), and Starports.

My distaste for the Gurps system kept me from bothering with these books at all... never considered that they might be rules light and background heavy. Then again, I'm fairly new to Traveller, and my experience with other game systems has always been background material tied very closely with rules.

 

[MaineCoon]

Just based on this discussion, I now have on order Far-Trader, Rim of Fire (since Im planning a campaign in the Rim - solo female Zhodani agent subterfuge), and Starports.

My distaste for the Gurps system kept me from bothering with these books at all... never considered that they might be rules light and background heavy. Then again, I'm fairly new to Traveller, and my experience with other game systems has always been background material tied very closely with rules.