(rpg) Traveller -- tell me why you like it?
- Thread starter TheLe
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painandgreed
First Post
One thing I noticed about MegaTraveller is that PCs had a tendency to end up rich and with high social status. So much so that I made my campaign one of political conspiracy that dealt with the future of the Imperium. It was the only way I could justify havign all those generals, admirals, and trader fleet captains in the same place.
Shadowdancer
First Post
Excellent summation, Psion.
Another plus, for me, of T4 that you didn't mention were the rules for running pocket empires. This is the single best aspect of T4 IMHO.
Another plus, for me, of T4 that you didn't mention were the rules for running pocket empires. This is the single best aspect of T4 IMHO.
Twowolves
Explorer
Since when was Firefly set in only one solar system?
The one thing I didn't like about MegaTraveller was the near total lack of examples. They assumed you had been playing CT and already knew things like, what sorts of skill checks you needed to plot a jump, or skim a gas giant, or hack a computer system, etc. That and there was almost no "day in the life" sorts of expositions, just benchmarks for certain tech levels. Describing what a TL14 starport was like (vs a TL16, or TL10 etc etc) without some examples was just offputting.
Lots of people hated TNE, but I was one of it's few fans. For the time, the system was pretty innovative, with multiple levels of success and failure, and very functional scaling between infantry, vehicle and starship levels of combat. Yes, Fire Fusion and Steel could be a very drawn out process, but I have yet to see anything since that gave you the keys to the factory like FF&S did. Also, people go on and on about the technical vagrities of Virus, but really, who cares? No one cared about the scientific rationale behind massive flying dragons in D&D, so why the big deal over the Crash? Fact is, computers today are vulnerable to ever more complex varieties of viral infections, and I had no problem with the concept of super-advanced viruses infecting super-advanced computers in a super-advanced science fiction world. And the whole idea of rediscovering space, the threat of vampire ships and virus, the discovery of isolated pockets of civilization, and the mystery of the Empress Wave all to make for a setting that could draw on years of past works and full of adventure possibilities.
But, that's just my opinion.
The one thing I didn't like about MegaTraveller was the near total lack of examples. They assumed you had been playing CT and already knew things like, what sorts of skill checks you needed to plot a jump, or skim a gas giant, or hack a computer system, etc. That and there was almost no "day in the life" sorts of expositions, just benchmarks for certain tech levels. Describing what a TL14 starport was like (vs a TL16, or TL10 etc etc) without some examples was just offputting.
Lots of people hated TNE, but I was one of it's few fans. For the time, the system was pretty innovative, with multiple levels of success and failure, and very functional scaling between infantry, vehicle and starship levels of combat. Yes, Fire Fusion and Steel could be a very drawn out process, but I have yet to see anything since that gave you the keys to the factory like FF&S did. Also, people go on and on about the technical vagrities of Virus, but really, who cares? No one cared about the scientific rationale behind massive flying dragons in D&D, so why the big deal over the Crash? Fact is, computers today are vulnerable to ever more complex varieties of viral infections, and I had no problem with the concept of super-advanced viruses infecting super-advanced computers in a super-advanced science fiction world. And the whole idea of rediscovering space, the threat of vampire ships and virus, the discovery of isolated pockets of civilization, and the mystery of the Empress Wave all to make for a setting that could draw on years of past works and full of adventure possibilities.
But, that's just my opinion.
Numion
First Post
My first contact with Traveller was TNE. I liked it a lot, even though the system wasn't that good. I liked the setting very much, and only later did I find out that it had pissed off a lot of people. This was inconsequential for me, though.
TNE's setting was pretty intriguing in it's handling of the effects of technological breakdown on a massive scale. It's true that the cause itself (the virus) is pretty implausible, but the effects were spot-on, IMO. Reformation Coalition was a good background for many kinds of adventures (or 'missions'), and the outside worlds were interesting.
My players got a kick out of the techno-aspects, and created an endless stream of new weaponry with Fire, Fusion & Steel :\
Believable aliens isn't the settings strength though. It's got furries for chrissakes!
TNE's setting was pretty intriguing in it's handling of the effects of technological breakdown on a massive scale. It's true that the cause itself (the virus) is pretty implausible, but the effects were spot-on, IMO. Reformation Coalition was a good background for many kinds of adventures (or 'missions'), and the outside worlds were interesting.
My players got a kick out of the techno-aspects, and created an endless stream of new weaponry with Fire, Fusion & Steel :\
Believable aliens isn't the settings strength though. It's got furries for chrissakes!
CarlZog
Explorer
Psion said:
I just went looking for this after reading your post. Unfortunately, it looks like this book is not only out of print but a bit difficult to get. I only found one copy on ebay, at $51 with two days to go. NobleKnight is selling it for $50 too. Too rich for my blood at the moment. :\
Carl
Twowolves
Explorer
Staffan said:
I must have missed that part. I own the series, watched each episode multiple times, and saw the movie on opening night, but nowhere did I get the impression it was all in one solar system. I'm probably wrong, but I got just the oposite impression. I mean, there was a secret, hidden planet for crying out loud! How do you hide a planet inside a solar system that is crawling with teraformers? And the whole thing about Reavers "reaching the end of space and going mad", ....Pluto ain't the end of space! Sheesh
MummyKitty
First Post
The CT series made it easy to create ad hoc adventures with the 76 patrons, Citizens of the Imperium, etc.-- you could roll a couple of dice and have an interesting subplot if characters went off the beaten track. The Amber Zone scenarios from the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society also were cool for filling in quick adventures. I do agree that the CT technology totally got dated, this is somewhat addressed in the GURPS books by saying nanotechnology was simply made illegal or restricted....
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