Published OTU scenarios: synopsis and location

[harunmushod]

Maybe it’s just me, but I am finding two aspects of most published OTU Traveller adventures frustrating.

1. Most don’t have synopsis for the referee setting out what the adventure is about and what might happen in the course of running it. You have to read the whole thing to determine if you might be interested in running it.

2. Most have specific settings and little information about the conditions that need to be present if the location is changed, without having to first read through the whole scenario.

Is there any reason why all published Traveller scenarios can’t include:

1. a simply written referee’s synopsis, with no dramatic or novelistic flourishes, just a clear explanation of what this adventure is about, including twists and other spoilers;

2. A section setting out either the conditions that must be present if the scenario is relocated, or, even better, a list of worlds where an adventure might be set without having to make anything other than cosmetic changes to the scenario. Or, if it is not possible to relocate an adventure, to explicitly say so and explain why. Travellermap.com has an excellent database search function that lets you specify any aspect of a UWP and related information for any planet in the OTU and it returns a list of systems that meet those criteria?

Surely, if those two things were clearly explained then sales and usage of such scenarios might increase, particularly if the setting options (number 2 above) are set out in the marketing blurb that can be read before you buy.

Happy to debate this. Also keen to know if there are any examples of published adventures that meet those criteria.

(First posted in Traveller RPG facebook group. Read the comments in this link: https://m.facebook.com/groups/travellerrpg/permalink/4694522900665848/)

 

[Blue Ghost]

Most of the adventures have pretty dry text. Artistic flourishes are in the old D&D adventure modules. Personally I wondered why there wasn't more flavor text for Traveller, but much of Traveller is "private security careers after the service" kind of stuff, soooo ... it's more or less military dry prose, and not Philip Marlowe pulp.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Personally I wondered why there wasn't more flavor text for Traveller

Company culture came out of wargames rather than RPGs.
You already knew the settings of wargames, as most were based on history at the time.

The original "flavor text" was the ref's SF collection. What more could you need?

 

[harunmushod]

Company culture came out of wargames rather than RPGs.
You already knew the settings of wargames, as most were based on history at the time.

The original "flavor text" was the ref's SF collection. What more could you need?

My concern isn’t about flavour, but practical: a referee’s need to find out what the adventure is about and what is likely to happen without having to read through the whole thing, and whether they can relocate it into their campaign in the increasing likelihood that their campaign isn’t set anywhere near the adventure’s primary location. I’d be happy enough if it was all dry text.

 

[Grav_Moped]

One really big problem is that a "Referee Only Summary (SPOILER WARNING!)" would be catnip to players.
Referees would have to assume that the scenario was pre-spoiled when running it.

 

[robject]

Some of the adventures are very bad at this. The Spinward Marches Campaign felt particularly difficult as an adventure, since it was quite sketchy, and then contained several independent (and interesting) sections, and yet had no table of contents.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Another issue is that some scenarios are based on world specifics beyond the UWP, and you'd need to import the entire world (and possibly several others) rather than just file off the serial numbers and repaint it.

An old one: Double Adventure 6: Divine Intervention/Night of Conquest.
The first one needs the following:
- Two offworld polities (which don't need to be single planets) of TL-13 and TL-12 respectively.
- 1 world with Atm 5,6, or 8, Gov D, and TL-6.
But: if you're re-using the plot on a world you've already generated, much of the flavor text goes to waste.

The second one needs pretty much the entire planet as written, but that planet has to be "out in the boonies" somewhere.
You could strip it to "balkanized, Atm 5,6, or 8, TL-5 with one of the governments only at TL-4", but again, at that point the flavor text goes to waste.
But: even describing the scenario is a spoiler, since it starts with an unexpected event.

 

[harunmushod]

One really big problem is that a "Referee Only Summary (SPOILER WARNING!)" would be catnip to players.
Referees would have to assume that the scenario was pre-spoiled when running it.

If you have players like that, you might want to point out to them that perhaps roleplaying games are not for them.

 

[Grav_Moped]

If you have players like that, you might want to point out to them that perhaps roleplaying games are not for them.

Or they could be referees when they're not playing characters.

 

[harunmushod]

Another issue is that some scenarios are based on world specifics beyond the UWP, and you'd need to import the entire world (and possibly several others) rather than just file off the serial numbers and repaint it.

An old one: Double Adventure 6: Divine Intervention/Night of Conquest.
The first one needs the following:
- Two offworld polities (which don't need to be single planets) of TL-13 and TL-12 respectively.
- 1 world with Atm 5,6, or 8, Gov D, and TL-6.
But: if you're re-using the plot on a world you've already generated, much of the flavor text goes to waste.

The second one needs pretty much the entire planet as written, but that planet has to be "out in the boonies" somewhere.
You could strip it to "balkanized, Atm 5,6, or 8, TL-5 with one of the governments only at TL-4", but again, at that point the flavor text goes to waste.
But: even describing the scenario is a spoiler, since it starts with an unexpected event.

To take the second example. If I’m looking for extra adventures for the Trojan Reach sector (which I am), I could probably transfer Night of Conquest to Inurin (E668776–5 Boderland/Trojan Reach) which is also between the Aslan Hierate and The Imperium and I’d just use the same flavour text.

And as for spoilers in the text, the players aren’t supposed to be reading it. If any of my players did it, I’d throw them out of the game.

 

[harunmushod]

Or they could be referees when they're not playing characters.

They could (although in my group we all referee different RPGs), but if they’re roleplaying they should be mature enough not to meta-roleplay.

 

[Spinward Flow]

If any of my players did it, I’d throw them out of the game.

That's a luxury you have when there are too many Players wanting to play in your games.
Most gaming groups cannot afford the luxury of losing too many Players that way ...

 

[coliver988]

To the thread's main point: flavor text. Yes, a SF universe is so big that you have too many choices, and if you don't want to play the adventure in the specific system described, you do have to file off the serial numbers so to speak to make it fit your universe. Then the flavor text becomes more of a suggestion to spark your own. That is (and I've probably said this way too many times) both the great and debilitating part of playing Traveller: it can be too big as you can have any sort of game you want. Unlike most fantasy RPGs that have a fairly narrowly defined world that most players can understand easily, Traveller has ALL the worlds. So, flavor text becomes too narrow and restrictive.

Having said that.... GURPS books have these great sidebars that have wonderful flavor text. They give me, as a reader, a sense of that particular universe. And I've never played any Traveller adventure as-is. They do get moved about and I do have to update the descriptions a bit, but still, they are great resources. And as noted, Traveller adventures tend to require a lot more work for the referee than most fantasy adventures. They are more of a toolbox, just as Traveller is a toolbox, to run your games with. You have to provide the flavor text that fits your interpretation of the universe you are playing in.

And finally, the comment about players reading the text. I'd hope that as Harunmushod says, they are mature enough not to meta-roleplay. Sometimes, particularly for Traveller, it can actually help the player to get more enmeshed in the universe to know some of the things going on rather than everything is a blank slate and only introduced by the referee. I can play better if I have a better understanding of what is going on as a player even if my character is entirely in the dark. One of the reasons why I really like shared world-building: everyone gets a say. Somewhere on this forum they indicated they started a game by not only having the players roll up characters, but also the home worlds. Together the group may up their subsector, so they understood that universe a good deal better. I've done similar things in other games as I really love a shared world (playing the Fantasy Trip in such a world now as we tradeoff who GMs the game. But the other GM has added some nice touches to the world I started back in high school, 40+ years ago! Before he was even born...)

 

[Blue Ghost]

Company culture came out of wargames rather than RPGs.
You already knew the settings of wargames, as most were based on history at the time.

The original "flavor text" was the ref's SF collection. What more could you need?

Yeah, very true. I just remember what a hurtful slog it was to actually read the old black and white booklet for Star Fleet Battles, and then how much of a chore it was to read the rules for other games, and how there was no ... "stuff" to make you feel like you were reading something from that world or universe. The Traveller LBBs fit that to a "T".

Whereas the D&D adventure modules read like a very spicey and flavorful "Choose Your own Adventure" book meant to be run for a group of people. The differences between TSR's narrative style and GDW's were night and day. But, even so, it's Traveller I prefer and not Gygax's incomplete creation. Those D&D adventure modules really read well. The GDW LBBs almost read like a calculus text or after-action report. Not a big deal, because the world presented was extremely rich and full of variety, whereas TSR's Greyhawk was your standard elves, dwarves and other folklore stuff world.

 

[whartung]

I just remember what a hurtful slog it was to actually read the old black and white booklet for Star Fleet Battles, and then how much of a chore it was to read the rules for other games, and how there was no ... "stuff" to make you feel like you were reading something from that world or universe.

Funny, never really felt that way about SFB. They're just game rules.

Probably because I never had to do it all in one go. That it was always an incremental learning process as we played the game. Other players knew the rules, there was just a communal understanding. Only when that understanding conflicted did we actually hit the rulebook, and then it was just a small section.

Other than that, the high level play was mostly straightforward.

 

[Condottiere]

Fantasy role playing is easier to create rules and settings for, even if you have alter the conditions how to create magic effects.

Consider that you could adapt Dungeons and Dragons to practically any fantasy franchise, and can be demonstrated with their inhouse created settings.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Funny, never really felt that way about SFB. They're just game rules.

Probably because I never had to do it all in one go. That it was always an incremental learning process as we played the game. Other players knew the rules, there was just a communal understanding. Only when that understanding conflicted did we actually hit the rulebook, and then it was just a small section.

Other than that, the high level play was mostly straightforward.

The original-original Star Fleet Battles rulebook had this very tiny print ... almost the kind of thing you see on a package of gum or on the side of a box of ... I don't know ... rice or pancake mix. And the deluxe rulebook was no different. The second or third edition rulebook was bigger and so was the type, so it was easier to read.

GDW's The Traveller Book was a decent read, but some of the adventures just didn't read like adventure. Fortunately the material was rich enough to really enjoy without needing a lot of descriptive prose.

Other games were just rules, as you say. Car Wars, Ogre / GEV, ... Trailblazer ... Star Smuggler ... lots of others.

I guess part of it was that there wasn't whole lot of art other than Dietrick (whom I love as an artist) and Keith's sketches (which I don't like a whole lot), and so a lack of flavor for an RPG very dry. Still, we had fun with it.