T20 Traveller 3 Vs 3.5 Srd

[Treebore]

Starship creation is difficult in direct relation to how familiar you are with the rules. For example, in Mega Traveller, some of the most complex systems ever created for Traveller, I can stat out a major Warship for the Imperium in about 12 to 15 minutes. I can do a scout-class ship in a few minutes.

I like the detail and specialization. Once you get "templates" worked up, combined with your understanding of the creation system you are using, you can make up variations on the same theme in half the time of doing one from scratch.

Besides, when you are so intimately familiar with the hull type, the weapon types, the defensive systems, cargo capacity, personnel capacities, power system, etc.. I find I can GM/DM a much more realistic game. In a science fiction game realism is much more important than a fantasy game, because "illogical" events can't be explained away by magic.

I haven't really tried T20, as Psion knows, but that is because I like Traveler/Megatraveller and can run a fun game just as easily with those rules as I could any other rules set. So I don't bother switching, especially since none of my players own their own set of books, and there is only two of them anyway.

 

[TDRandall]

Man that astrosynthesis looks sweet! The price is not, however, especially considering that right now all I have to use it for is to drool. I'll put it and fractal mapper on the "if I inherit from an unknown rich uncle or win the lottery" list.

Guess the existing Heaven & Earth will have to tide me over - http://www.downport.com/wbd/HEAVEN_&_EARTH.htm - it's even written to allow you to choose from which Traveller ruleset you want to use (IIRC, T20 was not there - GURPS was the most recent.)

Although I do wish you could go 3D in that - I really liked the example stereogram on that page, DMScott. Shoot, the whole site with subpages and links takes me WAY back to college and high school math days!

 

[Psion]

Not really - I used to design MegaTraveller ships without a spreadsheet, and didn't find it any harder than High Guard. Fire, Fusion, and Steel for Traveller: New Era was the one that looked to me like a spreadsheet would be good, but I never really played around with it.

I think tjoneslo's list has the right of it here -- MT is not as complicated as the likes of FFE, GV, or CORPS VDS, but it is certainly more complicated than high guard. MT basically adapts the striker system to do vehicles, and as such does things like track weight, determines agility by weight and power, and tracks smaller components like sensors and communication gear.

 

[LcKedovan]

Man that astrosynthesis looks sweet! The price is not, however, especially considering that right now all I have to use it for is to drool. I'll put it and fractal mapper on the "if I inherit from an unknown rich uncle or win the lottery" list.

Guess the existing Heaven & Earth will have to tide me over - http://www.downport.com/wbd/HEAVEN_&_EARTH.htm - it's even written to allow you to choose from which Traveller ruleset you want to use (IIRC, T20 was not there - GURPS was the most recent.)

Although I do wish you could go 3D in that - I really liked the example stereogram on that page, DMScott. Shoot, the whole site with subpages and links takes me WAY back to college and high school math days!

Just a FYI regarding Heaven and Earth, the creator is working on V2.0 now...

-W.

 

[DMScott]

I think tjoneslo's list has the right of it here -- MT is not as complicated as the likes of FFE, GV, or CORPS VDS, but it is certainly more complicated than high guard.

Sure, but "more complicated" and "requires a spreadsheet to successfully accomplish" are two different standards of difficulty. I responded to a post suggesting MT falls into the latter category rather than simply the former.

 

[tjoneslo]

Sure, but "more complicated" and "requires a spreadsheet to successfully accomplish" are two different standards of difficulty. I responded to a post suggesting MT falls into the latter category rather than simply the former.

I would suggest different people draw the line at different levels of complexity. I've seen many people request and/or require spreadsheets for doing High Guard designs. I, OTOH, take the time to do GURPS Vehicles designs with paper, pencil and a calculator. It all depends upon your tolerance for fiddly math.

I suspect that were I (or someone else) to create a starship design system for D20 future, it would fall in the complexity 2 or 3. I've yet to see any D20 vehicle design system exceed this level. Anything more detailed seems to provoke strong negative reactions in the audience.