Traveller T20

[Buttercup]

I know that the Traveller sourcebook has been available in some stores for about two weeks, give or take. But has anyone out there who preordered from the T20 website received their copy? I've been wondering when mine would come, and I'm starting to get a tad concerned about the delay. Especially since I already paid....

 

[RPGRealms]

See my post here:

http://www.TravellerRPG.com/cgi-bin/Trav/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000035

 

[Buttercup]

Thanks! I'll keep watching for Mr. UPS man then.

 

[Psion]

Got mine yesterday (Friday)

 

[JoeGKushner]

It's a big book but I'm almost, almost mind you, hardcovered out. I'll be looking forward to reading your review Psion. One of my buddies has it and I've only glanced through it, but it doesn't seem fully compatible with Star Wars.

RANT
Now maybe I'm wrong here, but I've looked through Fading Suns, Dragonstar, and Farscape and none of them are directly compatible with Star Wars. To have another game that doesn't look like it makes me think that sticking to Fantasy insures a broader base simply because we haven't seen a dozen different fantasy systems.

END RANT

 

[RPGRealms]

It's a big book but I'm almost, almost mind you, hardcovered out. I'll be looking forward to reading your review Psion. One of my buddies has it and I've only glanced through it, but it doesn't seem fully compatible with Star Wars.

RANT
Now maybe I'm wrong here, but I've looked through Fading Suns, Dragonstar, and Farscape and none of them are directly compatible with Star Wars. To have another game that doesn't look like it makes me think that sticking to Fantasy insures a broader base simply because we haven't seen a dozen different fantasy systems.

END RANT

Umm that would be because no one can make anything compatible with Star Wars. None of the material from Star Wars is OGL.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Yes, none of the material is OGL. However, take AEG for instance. Parts of Spycraft and clearly from Star Wars. Why go a different route with Farscape?

In addition, WoTC has provided, on at least one occassion with GRP, access to IP material. Counting the stuff from AEG, that's at least twice. Counting official settings like Ravenlfot and Kalamar, that's four times.

I'm afraid to me, that's not an acceptable answer for having four or more different science fiction games.

What would be acceptable is "WoTC charges too much for us to utilize their engine and while we can appreciate the crossover potential, at this time we feel that it would'nt be in our best interest."

Just my opinion mind you based on what products we've seen with Wizards IP in them.

 

[RPGRealms]

What would be acceptable is "WoTC charges too much for us to utilize their engine and while we can appreciate the crossover potential, at this time we feel that it would'nt be in our best interest."

That's pretty much a given isn't it? Considering that none of us went for a paid license and used the d20 license instead. Does it really need to be spelled out?

Me, I'm not interested in licensing the mechanics from Star Wars. The money it would cost isn't worth it. As far as losing any cross-over potential, I know plenty of folks that plan to do such SW/T20 cross-overs using rules from both books. Same with Dragonstar/T20 and Spycraft/T20 cross-overs. Me, I plan to run a personal CoC/T20 crossover.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Uh, actually, from my example where I list at least four different IP uses of WoTC, no, it's not a given.

 

[RPGRealms]

Uh, actually, from my example where I list at least four different IP uses of WoTC, no, it's not a given.

You asked why Fading Suns, Dragonstar, Farscape, and Traveller aren't compatible with Star Wars when other companies had already licensed mechanics from WotC for their games.

Since they obviously didn't license Star Wars, I figure it's a given that one of the reasons why is because they didn't feel it was worth the money. Otherwise they would have, wouldn't they? I know for a fact this is the case for at least one of them...

As a curiousity, what type of compatiblity would you have liked to have seen? If you step beyond the character and combat mechanics, pretty much everything else would require approval and licensing from LucasFilms in addition to a WotC license. Even with characters, you wouldn't be able to use the races from Star Wars without a LucasFilm license.

Mechanic-wise, about the only thing that isn't directly compatible in T20 with Star Wars is the fact we don't use Defense. While under the T20 rules our Lifeblood and Stamina points system works differently than the Wounds and Vitality of Star Wars, it wouldn't take much to use them the same way if that is what a Referee wants to do.