The Crossroads (long, rant, melodramatic)

[Graham Spearing]

Are we making any progress? It would be nice to see if, at the crossroads, any decisions had been taken on the course of T5? How much has the debate here influenced the thinking?

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Graham
graham@tux.uklinux.net

[RobertFisher]

Maybe I'm an aberrant, but every group I've gamed with has always been willing to try new systems. It takes only one of the group to buy the rules. If they're good, we'll all buy them. If they're bad, they go on the shelf.

I've played Traveller, AD&D1e, AD&D2e, Warhammer FRP, Star Frontiers, Gamma World, GURPS, Rolemaster, Harnmaster, HERO, and AD&D3e. At least, that's what I remember. (There's at least one system that I can't even recall the name of.) I've got at least three RPGs (MegaTraveller, West End's Star Wars, and Ars Magica) on my shelf that I never had the pleasure of actually playing, but which myself and some friends read the rules for.

It's really hard for me to imagine a gamer saying, "I'm not going to ever try T5 because it isn't D20."

One problem with D20 is that the rules are changing so much. Star Wars D20 has a lot of different rules than D&D D20. Traveller D20 looks like it's going to have a bunch of different rules than either of those. Etc., etc. Granted, a lot of stuff doesn't change.

But, when you switch from Traveller to GURPS, there's also a lot of stuff that doesn't change. Switching to a different D20 game is going to be more like switching from Traveller to GURPS than like switching from GURPS Swashbuckers to GURPS Traveller.

So, I don't think it'll be too hard to recruit new players to T5 or CT (whichever I end up prefering).

Having said that, I, of course, agree that T5 should be the best SFRPG ever published!

What I'd really like, though, is for licensors and licensees alike to drop exclusive licenses. I want to see T5, GURPS Traveller, and Traveller D20 (which I thankfully will). I want to see T5 Star Wars, GURPS Star Wars, and D20 Star Wars. I want to see T5 Star Trek, GURPS Star Trek, and D20 Star Trek. I want to see T5 Babylon 5, GURPS B5, and D20 B5. I want to see GURPS Lord of the Rings and D20 LotR. (Sure, I'd like a T5 LotR's too.) I could go on and on. They should all compete.

I dunno, though. Are there enough dollars in the RPG market to support all that?

And yes, T5 isn't going to satisfy anyone, except maybe Marc Miller. (In the end anyway, I think I'd rather he be satisfied with it, whether I like it or not.)

I do have to say this, however. If the purpose of T5 is to have Traveller be a successful RPG again, and if it is a correct statement to say that CT has been the most successful version of Traveller by almost any measure, the conservative thing to do would be to update CT with as few changes as possible. While the reprints are fabulous, it'd certainly be nice to have the rules reorganized and to have the MT task system added. (And to have a more practical format than the reprints.) Despite it's age, I think that would be an RPG good enough to rival any currently on the market.

On the other hand, I'd love to see Far Future pull off the kind of feat Wizards of the Coast did. The new D&D is awfully close to what I would have created if I redesigned D&D, probably better. (I started to revise D&D several times. The new D&D does look a lot like those attempts.)

If Far Future wants to duplicate Wizard's success at updating a classic, they should copy as much as possible the methodology of the people who updated D&D. Whatever that method was, it certainly seemed to work well.


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Robert FISHER

[Crimson Cat]

Since I just returned to the rpg scene after a few years though I kept up through my brother who worked for pinnacle and worked on much of the deadlands materials. I think T-5 should start with what made it great in the first place. A streamlining of the CT rules and filling in the holes and contradictions would probably be the best bet for a solid game that would sell.
I do not like WOC for a variety of reasons and it seems they have butchered more than one rpg so I am not holding my breath to see if the d20 system will work. I think the d6 system of traveler worked fine why change it. I have only played the ct rules but find them very able to handle anything I need them to do in the campaign I am setting up.

[This message has been edited by Crimson Cat (edited 31 May 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Crimson Cat (edited 31 May 2001).]

[William]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by RobertFisher:
One problem with D20 is that the rules are changing so much. Star Wars D20 has a lot of different rules than D&D D20. Traveller D20 looks like it's going to have a bunch of different rules than either of those. Etc., etc. Granted, a lot of stuff doesn't change.

But, when you switch from Traveller to GURPS, there's also a lot of stuff that doesn't change. Switching to a different D20 game is going to be more like switching from Traveller to GURPS than like switching from GURPS Swashbuckers to GURPS Traveller.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, you're quite correct about it as far as the reality is concerned. You'll have to learn a lot of new rules to play T20 vs. any previous T system or even DND3.

But that's not as important as the perception of ease. "Oh, there's the D20 logo, I'll beer and pretzle that with my DND3 group next weekend." Yeah. Sure. And the first taste is always free...

In general though they are right - you know what to expect even if the detail differs. Just as a Trav grognard's ear's will perk up at the mention of Trin's Veil. I really doubt that T20 will be the _best_ version, but it may well be the most important. Let me give someone else the feeling I had when we were running down the coradors of The Gash rescuing the noble senator.

William
--
You better watch out What you wish for;
It better be worth it So much to die for.
Courtney Love