New Mongoose Traveller Product Element Cruiser Box Set Kickstarter - Feb 16th 10am

[MongooseMatt]

Greetings Travellers!

After the roaring success of the Great Rift box set (now on a ship to our warehouse) and the Pirates of Drinax mega-campaign (due to start shipping pre-orders this week), we are proud to present a brand new Kickstarter:

The Element Class Cruiser Ship Builder's Blueprint box set will go live this Friday(February 16th) at 10am GMT.



This box set is jam-packed full of giant (28" x 40") blueprints that showcase each deck of the Element cruiser family of ships (each deck is 105" long, when you lay the blueprints end to end!), together with the Element Cruiser handbook that describes how these ships are used, how they go about operations, and the duties of each member of the crew, together with full High Guard descriptions of the ships, optional modules and new equipment.



But we do not want to stop there - we are hoping that, with your help, we will be able to add at least one more book to this box set, giving referees all the tools they need to run naval/bridge crew campaigns, whether they are based upon one of the Element class cruisers or another ship (or space station, for that matter...). This will formally introduce a new style of play to Traveller, one that has been touched upon in the past, but never fully catered for, and it is something we are very excited about!

As with the Great Rift Kickstarter project, backing at the basic level automatically qualifies you for every stretch goal and, like the Great Rift (which turned from a 200 page project to nearly a 400 page set, plus three standalone adventures), that will hopefully mean you get a lot of Traveller goodness!

This project goes live on Friday morning, and we hope to see you all there!

[Swiftbrook]

Based on the picture, that ship has had many name over the years. In OT Sup 9, it the Ghalalk Armored Cruiser. In MT Rebellion Sourcebook it's the SEH class light cruiser.

Suggestion: Add a stretch goal that ups the blueprints to full color prints like the original Azhanti High Lightning boxed set.

Note: "Element Family (Lurisha Family)" sounds repetitive and weird.

[flykiller]

so the deckplans and basic book already exist, and you're seeking kick-starter funding to expand the book?

[Nathan Brazil]

Suggestions:
Add tail numbers and histories of the most famous ships.

Define its base of operations (Like a whole Imperial Naval Base!).

• If all Traveller ships undergo annual maintenance what is that like.
• And what about replacing munitions and crew lost and small craft
• During maintanence, gotta have shore leave. How does the navy deal with "bar fights" and other non-naval "activities" during this time.
• And what is the star system the base resides on like?
• Other ships of its squadron and their basic stats.

Have the Naval Campaign be your second book.

• Add a full organization table in case the Captain, XO, and other Section Chiefs buy the farm during a campaign. Oh and add stats for the personnel that are in positions the PCs are not occupying
• Have actual space battles - Maybe addy gimmicky things like battlemap, counters and such to fully support the existing space combat systems.
• If it is NOT the Fifth Frontier War, have the Campaign be somewhere where your ship makes a REAL difference like Vargr raider pacification in Corridor or supporting an actual Imperial Client State from incursion by a Non-aligned state or proxy war with a major race (K'kree maybe? ) or other where diplomacy is no longer the main option.

[Nathan Brazil]

Stretch Goals
(Inspired by Agent of the Imperium ) All of these came up
The Ships Troops Complement

• What is their deal? Marines are directly loyal to the emperor and not the ship.Hmm.
• When can they shoot the captain to save the ship?
• When are they used? When are they not?
• What are they packing?

Deckplans for other class ships in the squadron. Deck plans for the Naval Base?

Redshirt Adventures!
Most situations do not require the captain or primary bridge crew to get off the ship. Send in the Targets...errr....umm...Redshirts....umm..Speciali st Teams

Action Onboard! (As opposed to Aboard)
Scenarios to actually use the deckplans for personal combat, like boarding actions or alien infestaions

And of course that reminds me of...
Quarantine Service!
I want to know Jonathan Blaine's and the other four wafer's Stats

[mike wightman]

Change the plans to tower block like the original AHL and I'd be interested.

[MongooseMatt]

Originally Posted by flykiller

so the deckplans and basic book already exist, and you're seeking kick-starter funding to expand the book?

Basically.

We saw the value of this with the Great Rift - the original project (which is how it would have been released had we done it purely in-house, as it were) was set for 200-odd pages and three sectors. The Kickstarter pushed it to 400-odd pages, five sectors, a detailed 'lost' system and three standalone adventures.

All for no extra cost to the individual Traveller.

Can't really argue with that!

[MongooseMatt]

Originally Posted by Nathan Brazil

[*]Add a full organization table

Already in!

Originally Posted by Nathan Brazil

[*]Have actual space battles - Maybe addy gimmicky things like battlemap, counters and such to fully support the existing space combat systems.

We have been debating this list in the office - and this one is officially a Good idea. Don't know if it will be practical for the box set, but we are looking into it!

[flykiller]

giving referees all the tools they need to run naval/bridge crew campaigns

tried to start a game here doing exactly that ....

well I'm good with deckplans so I might get it just to see what you did. but I already have my own ideas about crews and ships and fleets and naval operations - is this box set likely to add anything to it?

[MongooseMatt]

Originally Posted by flykiller

is this box set likely to add anything to it?

Certainly hope so!

We will be doing lots of previews throughout the campaign, so keep an eye on the Kickstarter page and you will see where we are going with it (and have the opportunity to present your own ideas!).