Actual size

[Agemegos]

Is your TU actual size?

Last night I showed my mother the second episode of Firefly ("Train Job", the broadcast pilot) with the audio commentary track by Jos Whedon and Tim Minnear. I am generally pretty impressed with the insight and conscious art with which Whedon constructs his scripts and produces his episodes, and one particular comment stood out. Among the changes that the Network insisted on was to make Mal Reynolds and the rest of his crew larger than life, when the original intention had been that the ought to be "actual size". Firefly was supposed to be "actual size" sci-fi, showing the struggles of people who had to live with things the way they were in a sci-fi setting.

I like SF done that way. Which is one of the reasons that I thought Jos Whedon's thing for teenaged girls with superpowers got out of hand with the "River Tamm the combat cuisinart" climax of Serenity. My SF games don't feature PCs who save the universe or overthrow the Evil Empire. They are about actual-size people who have to live with things the way they are, and are lucky to be able to makes a difference to a few hundred or a few thousand people, except by constant and diligent effort over a long term. One of the thing that appeals to me about Traveller is that it is set up to support actual size adventuring. But of course I know a lot of sci-fi fans like things larger than life, and PCs doing things that Really Matter.

How about you? Is your TU actual size? Or is it larger than life? Or do you run it sometimes one way and sometimes another, and how does that work out?

 

[PFVA63]

If I understand correctly

Hi,

If I understand what you are asking correctly, I think mostly I'm not big on "larger than life" stuff. Especially in Traveller. In a universe over 11,000 worlds big, I guess I always felt that the actions of most any small group wouldn'r really be that significant. Maybe its just me but I kind of think that just living and travelling around in a futuristic setting always seemed exciting enough.

Regards

PF

 

[wordserpent]

One of this things that makes Traveller unique is the fact that any character can get waxed at a moments notice. Got all F's for stats, that 3d6 auto pistol can still kill you. Got Brawling 6? Hey, I just took you out with a cudgel.

Even T20 characters are not safe as all weapons do damage to stamina AND lifeblood. Got Battle Dress? well okay, I may have to land my starship on you but I'll get you one way or the other.

(Yes I like an "actual size" Traveller Universe.")

 

[Gadrin]

Unless you go waaaaaay out, you can't really be larger than life in Traveller (like Grandfather part of your crew, or you've got all his gear, modified psi-power like a Jedi-knight, etc, etc)

I think that's part of the attraction of Traveller, is that for all of its high-tech and power, it really comes down to still having to be human.

As far as Firefly goes, I think that's why I like it, because they are mostly down-to-earth sized people. Good series, I didn't care for the movie.

There's plenty of other games out there that can fill your needs for over-the-top mind-blowing action, but how many times can Luke Skywalker save the universe ?
Movies or tv shows where they bring together "the group of diverse experts" to pull off the job of the century, usually means I turn the channel ( Guns of Navarone not withstanding...and I liked Gregory Peck's mention of exactly that ).

 

[Thuban]

"Actual size," with the caveat that if the adventurers are resourceful enough and lucky enough, they can achieve all that the hereditary nobility and the megacorporations will allow. Become a merchant prince, found and rule a colony, obtain a knighthood or a barony, yes. Succeed to the Duchy of Glisten or overthrow the Emperor and take the Iridium Throne? Pro'lly not.

 

[casquilho]

One of the things that I feel get's lost in many games is that the truely heroic character is the "normal guy" who does the right thing when asked to and thus does something larger then life.

In real life I think of many of the heros we have today. Firemen who run into a burning building to save people, but are just normal people in their day to day lives. They love, feel pain, get upset, have problems, and help others all at the same time.

That is how I like to run my Traveller. The character's are just normal people who, if they keep doing the right thing when faced with various issues will end up doing some things that are larger then life.

Daniel

 

[Merxiless]

I've run it all sorts of ways, i mean games in general, not just traveller.

This is as i recall the concept of Scope as defined in someone's guide to gamemastering that I can't recall just now, perhaps Iron Crown Enterprises.

Gamma World, they can affect more or less their tribe.

D&D the players can affect a nation, ultimately via rulership.

Traveller, most groups affect their personal fortunes, and perhaps political effects on a system wide, or subsector wide scale.

Star wars, certainly, the ultimate success of the rebellion in a hard fought campaign, is possible.

But not every Star wars adventure is, or has to be nor should be "Blowing up the spherical weapons platform of the week." That makes for a good movie once every 5 years, but as weekly adventures, it's more like...visit tatooine, pick up the rebel agent, and dodge imperials... leading to a skirmish space battle, leading to an attack on a critical imperial refueling station, etc etc.

I like "hard" sci fi, I like "soft" sci fi, I like space opera, i like swords and sorcery fantasy. I like star trek, I like "Aliens, the RPG."

But each one has a different feel, style, and setup.

It's all drama, and all good gaming.

 

[Renaissance Man]

Definitely an "actual size" man, myself.

And as with yourself Agemegos, Traveller attracted me because it really does seem geared to that sort of campaign style. You can shoehorn any game setting to any scope you like - even Traveller (using, say, pocket empires.)

But the great thing about actual size gaming is that if you're careful, you'll always have room to ratchet up the stakes a little bit higher.

And keeping your players relatively poor always helps. I don't know if there's any fans out there of Cowboy Bebop or Samurai Champloo, but the main characters in these storylines always begin an episode with an empty stomach. A little money on the table can be a big deal.

 

[aramis]

Is your TU actual size?

Last night I showed my mother the second episode of Firefly ("Train Job", the broadcast pilot) with the audio commentary track by Jos Whedon and Tim Minnear. I am generally pretty impressed with the insight and conscious art with which Whedon constructs his scripts and produces his episodes, and one particular comment stood out. Among the changes that the Network insisted on was to make Mal Reynolds and the rest of his crew larger than life, when the original intention had been that the ought to be "actual size". Firefly was supposed to be "actual size" sci-fi, showing the struggles of people who had to live with things the way they were in a sci-fi setting.

I like SF done that way. Which is one of the reasons that I thought Jos Whedon's thing for teenaged girls with superpowers got out of hand with the "River Tamm the combat cuisinart" climax of Serenity. My SF games don't feature PCs who save the universe or overthrow the Evil Empire. They are about actual-size people who have to live with things the way they are, and are lucky to be able to makes a difference to a few hundred or a few thousand people, except by constant and diligent effort over a long term. One of the thing that appeals to me about Traveller is that it is set up to support actual size adventuring. But of course I know a lot of sci-fi fans like things larger than life, and PCs doing things that Really Matter.

How about you? Is your TU actual size? Or is it larger than life? Or do you run it sometimes one way and sometimes another, and how does that work out?

My TU is as Chanbarra as Serenity (the movie) is...

Some realistic elements, some non. And the PC's are the main characters, after all.

 

[Icosahedron]

IMTU anything is possible - but as Thuban said, unlikely. The reason I would make it unlikely is simple - once the PCs have overthrown the Emperor, the only route is down. The best games I have played have had the players not knowing who to trust under the curfew of a totalitarian state, or struggling to stay out of the workhouse. So my vote would be actual size too.

Caveat: It's your players' TU too.
Sometimes players just want a good shoot-em-up with huge stakes. You could give em what they want and then offer them three choices for their characters:
1) Retire from the game and choose new characters.
2) Play out the daily grind of the desk-job you just bought yourself.
3) Play your character as a millionaire adventurer who hands over his 'empire' to an accountant (the dice) whilst risking life and limb again.

 

[Jacqual]

OK my take I like the fact that with traveller, you are life size in the scope of what you can do with your character. If I want more then I play a different game, all of which depends on my mood. And that young gal in the Joss Wheden Series/Movie known as Firefly/Serenity in my opinion is a left over SLAYER that is just extremly confused due to what the evil gov. did to her. Well that is my opinion at least.

 

[Agemegos]

This is as i recall the concept of Scope as defined in someone's guide to gamemastering that I can't recall just now, perhaps Iron Crown Enterprises.

There is some advice about balancing scale and scope in GURPS Space 4th edition. Might that have been it?

 

[epicenter00]

3) Play your character as a millionaire adventurer who hands over his 'empire' to an accountant (the dice) whilst risking life and limb again.

I know people who have that as their starting character concept. Self-made billionaire decides to pull a "Cleon the Weak."

 

[Gadrin]

And I remember posts by people saying (and I'm paraphrasing) "Made my first billion using the Merchant Prince rules" ( from CT ) while I believe the opposite is true of the GURPS Far Trader book.

Still aside from the military angle, most GURPSers prefer the "trading life" vs being a big shot -- IMHO, from what I've seen over the years at the GURPS JTAS site.

So my observation would be "down to earth" type characters for the most part. Again just my own 2¢.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Don't you just want to do something in Traveller that either gets you sent to a penal colony OR sent to be Knighted by the Emperor? You may not be Sector Duke someday, but why not?

 

[boomslang]

How about you? Is your TU actual size? Or is it larger than life? Or do you run it sometimes one way and sometimes another, and how does that work out?

MTU is Actual Size for most of the sophonts who live and work in it, but it can easily accommodate Larger Than Life Travellers; that's kind of the point: most folks spend their entire existences "in the world" (to borrow from the aforementioned Firefly), but PCs and certain NPC allies/rivals/foes often step onto the bigger (interstellar) stage... of course, many a timid PC party are quite content to spend their "adventures" in the shallow end of the pool and stay strictly small-time... longer life expectancies that way, I suppose -- after a taste of the lethality of high-tech combat, not all players still wish to be Big Damn Heroes...

YMMVIYTU, natch...