Payn's Ponderings Traveller Editions

[darjr]

My favorite is Mongoose Traveller. Though I only ever ran version 1 of that. I played Traveller via the hardback The Traveller Book when I was in my teens. The spaceship combat system really intrigued me and we even did a form of 3D combat using the vector system.

The big trick was when it dawned on me that PC advancement was best with increasingly better gear, wealth, and influence. Once I focused on that for character advancement it rung much more like early D&D advancement through the acquisition of magic items and wealth and influence. Well duh. But I was a kid.

Mongoose was a welcome change but still very classic. To me the advancements in the rules were profound but subtle. Like the inter party background rule in character generation. It built characters already in a group.

I did own GURPS Traveller (both versions) and a d20 Traveller starter kit and eventually the three black books but never played them.

Anyone get 5e to the table?

 

[dragoner]

Anyone get 5e to the table?

I play tested, have run, and most recently was a player in a T5 game. Overall I think the biggest paradigm shift from the old Classic 2d6+skill mechanic, is that it favors the characteristic more, over the skill.

I just picked up PDF of Cepheus Deluxe for a few $. This is the best version of Trav to date. Attached is a 100 T trader made with C Deluxe rules. Just to get a feel for the new design system.

Nice ship, clean stat block. My personal preference is more towards the deck plan, as that is were ships come alive; short or clean stat blocks facilitate that to a great deal. I bought CD when it came out, skimmed the rules, though I haven't played it yet. Last physical version of Traveller I bought was a facsimile edition, or what people are calling the "LWB" for Little White Book as it is the digest size.

 

[éxypnos]

I play tested, have run, and most recently was a player in a T5 game. Overall I think the biggest paradigm shift from the old Classic 2d6+skill mechanic, is that it favors the characteristic more, over the skill.

Nice ship, clean stat block. My personal preference is more towards the deck plan, as that is were ships come alive; short or clean stat blocks facilitate that to a great deal. I bought CD when it came out, skimmed the rules, though I haven't played it yet. Last physical version of Traveller I bought was a facsimile edition, or what people are calling the "LWB" for Little White Book as it is the digest size.

Yes, I too would rather have a deck plan. I once created a new 100 T scout with deck plan. Here it is: Freelance Traveller - The Shipyard - Mongoose Traveller Designs - Type M TL15 Scout/Courier

 

[dragoner]

Yes, I too would rather have a deck plan. I once created a new 100 T scout with deck plan. Here it is: Freelance Traveller - The Shipyard - Mongoose Traveller Designs - Type M TL15 Scout/Courier

Nice! I have a bunch of MgT1 plans I mean to convert over to CE at some point. Right now I am working on two ships, a J5 Explore Scout analog like from Andy Slack's design in White Dwarf #40, and a light carrier that is converted over from the Heavy Cruiser in the CE SRD, which is already sort of a carrier.

 

[Tom B1]

I played a little of the original Traveller back in the day. They had a huge presence here, as GDW was just down the road. I kind of regret not sticking with the game, because I had numerous chances to play games with Loren, Marc, Frank, and others, but I was more interested in D&D as a kid. The king of Traveller knowledge around here, outside of the designers, was Don McKinney. Sadly, he passed away, far too young, a few years ago. Still, there are a few old guard around here and I will direct them to this thread.

I started a Pirates of Drinax campaign a few months ago, and it has been a lot of fun.

Don was a wonderful fellow from my limited encounters with him online. His loss was very sad. I helped with some of the MT Errata identification and resolutions. R.I.P. Don.

 

[Tom B1]

<double post, removed>

 

[éxypnos]

Those should be nice ships! Since Ceph Dlx doesn't spec PP fuel it makes high Jump ships easier. E.g. this down and dirty CD version of an X-Boat

 

[Tom B1]

I just picked up PDF of Cepheus Deluxe for a few $. This is the best version of Trav to date. Attached is a 100 T trader made with C Deluxe rules. Just to get a feel for the new design system.

15 low berths or am I not reading that right? Just running cold sleep passengers?

 

[dragoner]

Those should be nice ships! Since Ceph Dlx doesn't spec PP fuel it makes high Jump ships easier. E.g. this down and dirty CD version of an X-Boat

26tons cargo isn't bad.

 

[éxypnos]

15 low berths or am I not reading that right? Just running cold sleep passengers?

Yes, based on passenger/freight table amount of passengers for each level for B&C class startports this is better than staterooms because of the Steward skill requirements plus additional stateroom needed for just the steward.

 

[éxypnos]

26tons cargo isn't bad.

ya, the lack of PP fuel helps.

 

[dragoner]

ya, the lack of PP fuel helps.

That is an interesting subject, of why they eliminated power plant fuel, that is something I missed, looking over the rules.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Note also: the Games Workshop version is CT1E... To my knowledge, they never upgraded to CT 2E.



Mongoose (MGT) 1E was derived from the GW version, not Marc's preferred CT2E...

Games Workshop/GW? Or Game Designers' Workshop (GDW)?

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Own many LBBs (sold all once, re-bought recently). I believe I have the 1977 version, but would have to check.
Have the Traveller Adventure, which I love to read.
Own many FASA and Judges Guild Traveller books.
Have the big floppy books from the 90's by Far Future Enterprises - the Adventures and Double Adventures books.
Recently purchased a couple of bundles of CT.
Basically, I've got a lot of CT.

Also own pretty much the entire line of GURPS Traveller - we used to play a lot of GURPS.

That said, have never run nor played but once either of those editions. I did run a short 4 month (maybe 8-10 sessions) of MegaTraveller. Sadly, in a move, those books were sold/given away.

Now about to resume a Stars Without Number campaign. I find SWN is an interesting spin on the B/X (or was it BECMI) system applied to a Traveller like setting, without the implicit setting.

 

[pemerton]

I did run a short 4 month (maybe 8-10 sessions) of MegaTraveller. Sadly, in a move, those books were sold/given away.

I've got a 3-book MegaTraveller set (players' book, referees' book, setting book). I've never played or GMed it. But my feeling is that it takes away two of the things that I really like about Traveller: the random PC gen (MegaT is still notionally random, but many of the results allow choosing from a cascade list); and the distinct subsystems that I've analogised to a PbtA game (replacing them with a universal task resolution system that reminds me a bit of Rolemaster in its basic structure).

 

[aramis erak]

Games Workshop/GW? Or Game Designers' Workshop (GDW)?

Games Workshop (Jackson & Livingston) UK was a licensee of Game Designer's Workshop (MIller, Chadwick, Brown, Wiseman), printing locally rather than importing.
They did the same type of deal with Flying Buffalo for T&T, and with Chaosium & Avalon Hill for RuneQuest 3rd Ed.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I've got a 3-book MegaTraveller set (players' book, referees' book, setting book). I've never played or GMed it. But my feeling is that it takes away two of the things that I really like about Traveller: the random PC gen (MegaT is still notionally random, but many of the results allow choosing from a cascade list); and the distinct subsystems that I've analogised to a PbtA game (replacing them with a universal task resolution system that reminds me a bit of Rolemaster in its basic structure).

That's a pretty fair assessment; a lot of people actively disliked both of those, which is why MgT mitigated one seriously and eliminated the other, but if you were fond of them you're not wrong.

 

[pemerton]

if you were fond of them you're not wrong.

My only quibble with this: the were should be are! I think my appreciation for both those aspects of Traveller has probably grown over time. It definitely has in respect of the various subsystems found in Classic Traveller.

 

[pemerton]

Games Workshop (Jackson & Livingston) UK was a licensee of Game Designer's Workshop (MIller, Chadwick, Brown, Wiseman), printing locally rather than importing.
They did the same type of deal with Flying Buffalo for T&T, and with Chaosium & Avalon Hill for RuneQuest 3rd Ed.

I've got a copy of the GW version of RQ3. It has some nice illustrations!

 

[Thomas Shey]

My only quibble with this: the were should be are! I think my appreciation for both those aspects of Traveller has probably grown over time. It definitely has in respect of the various subsystems found in Classic Traveller.

I meant "were" as in "liked them in CT, and saw them change in MgT".