Traveller 1e & Me

[Paul Farquhar]

I never had any problem with the skill system.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I would push back on this a bit. The original 1977 Classic Traveller has a robust skill system and tells the referee to make up whatever skills or rolls they deem necessary to cover whatever else they might need or want. The note on the bottom of page 20 is fantastic. It was edited and changed in subsequent versions which partially neutered the skill system.

“Skills and the Referee: It is impossible for any table of information to cover all aspects of every potential situation, and the above listing is by no means complete in its coverage of the effects of skills. This is where the referee becomes an important part of the game process. The above listing of skills and game effects must necessarily be taken as a guide, and followed, altered, or ignored as the actual situation dictates.

In some game situations, actual die roll results must be concealed from the players, at times allowing them to misconstrue the reasons for their success or failure. In other situations, the referee may feel it necessary to create his own throws and DMs to govern action, and may or may not make such information generally available to the players.

In order to be consistent (and a consistent universe makes the game both fun and interesting), the referee has a responsibility to record the throws and DMs he creates, and to note (perhaps by penciling in) any throws he alters from those given in these books.”

This is interesting. None of this is in the 1981 printing, nor do I think it's in the re-formatted versions that followed (Traveller Book, Deluxe edition which the OP has, etc.), which I believe all used the 1981 version as a source text. Thanks for sharing.

I don't think saying the ref can change or ignore rolls and game effects makes the system more robust, but fundamentally I think we agree, that it's playable as is (hence my enthusiasm above -- I've been playing it for almost 45 years; perhaps "inadequate" was too harsh, but I do feel many modern gamers will find it lacking).

EDIT: And here's a blog on the subject that quotes your passage, from the blog you mentioned in post 2 of the thread. I think it makes clear the limits of the task resolution system and the work expected by the ref.

 

[aramis erak]

Hello, friends. I have just purchased Deluxe Traveller, the old 1e box from 1983. I have never played Traveller before, and I am looking forward to getting to know the system, playing around with some campaign building based on old school pulp scifi, and generally nerding the f'out. I would love to hear any observations, advice, experiences, etc. from those who have played--and who, perhaps, continue to play-- this venerable game. I did look at the newer versions from Mongoose, but I decided to kick it wicked old school for now.

Technically, that's the 2nd edition.... Or maybe the 2.2 edition. If you have the 4 Little Black Books Deluxe, you have books 0-3. If you have the later Letter sized version, you have Starter plus some extras...
1981 and later printings have significant rules differences (mostly not at the character sheet level), mostly in ship design and subsector design. (1e has a different drive table, doesn't limit J-Drive to PP level, changes weapon damages to whole dice only, rewording of healing rules).

It assumes a low number of rolls being called for, and many use it like PBTA: only use skills when there's a clear move in the skill to use. (Marc has said several things about not rolling too much, but never to that level.)

Marc's envisaged task system is Xd6 ≤ Stat+skill. It's trimmed out by Loren Wiseman, and the only hint is in Book 0, which if your set is complete 2.0 deluxe, you have, and a few uncaught-by-Loren Xd6 < sum(atts of cooperating characters) mechanics in odd places.

I'll also note Marc's best advice from T5: MOARN: Map Only As Really Needed. Don't map a sector at start, map a subsector. Don't detail every system with book 6, just worry about the mainworlds.

And yes, damage does reduce stats for action purposes... but it's GM call on whether that happens before or after the adrenaline wears off.

Animal Encounters are a delightful thing if you can get your players off-ship on-world....

 

[aramis erak]

This is interesting. None of this is in the 1981 printing, nor do I think it's in the re-formatted versions that followed (Traveller Book, Deluxe edition which the OP has, etc.), which I believe all used the 1981 version as a source text. Thanks for sharing.

I don't think saying the ref can change or ignore rolls and game effects makes the system more robust, but fundamentally I think we agree, that it's playable as is (hence my enthusiasm above -- I've been playing it for almost 45 years; perhaps "inadequate" was too harsh, but I do feel many modern gamers will find it lacking).

EDIT: And here's a blog on the subject that quotes your passage, from the blog you mentioned in post 2 of the thread. I think it makes clear the limits of the task resolution system and the work expected by the ref.

There is no task resolution system. There are many individual action special case rules, and a combat skill system. Marc's original Task system was stripped from the drafts in editing.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It might be worth mentioning that White Dearf magazine in the early 80s regularly covered Traveller, including suggestions on running the game, and generic (ie not Third Imperium) adventures and stuff.

Travellers’ Journal was mostly Third Imperium focused.