An Campaign Idea for Players New To Traveller

[Supplement Four]

I like the Idea of requiring the characters to share a comon background, if not a homeworld then at least a starcluster within J-1 or 2, One of the big problems I have with traveller is the scale, It is not condusive to concentrated campaign. TNE was nice because it encouraged a micro focus, and generaly assumed the PC's were from a small area. The worlds were more developed, compared with using a generic UWP.

You might be interested in the article linked to in my sig, then.

 

[rancke]

I like the Idea of requiring the characters to share a common background, if not a homeworld then at least a starcluster within J-1 or 2, One of the big problems I have with traveller is the scale, It is not conducive to concentrated campaign. TNE was nice because it encouraged a micro focus, and generally assumed the PC's were from a small area. The worlds were more developed, compared with using a generic UWP.

The scale is not a problem if the referee concentrates on a limited area. Granted, the support for such an approach is not overwhelming, but there have been some along the way. I think Twilight's Peak was the first try, and it was a bit scanty -- an entire area the size of a subsector in a single LBB -- but The Traveller Adventure followed and did it much better. And more recently (to toot my own horn a bit) there was the Sword Worlds book and the Regina Startown series of articles on JTAS Online -- both attempts to provide a limited coherent setting. (Very limited in the case of Regina Startown ).


Hans

 

[spank]

Homeworld generation

I think having a homeworld, table like the one you have would be a very good step towards creating focused campagin.
Another tool I like to use is contacts, If a PC has a network of contacts that gives them an reason to stay in a limited AO even if they are only playing a Merc, not trying to do something grander like build up a fiefdom.
One of my most favorite starting points for a campagin is to let the PC's have a derelict ship, Say for instance an old J-1 OR J-2 trader that is either free salvage, or very cheap. They can ease into the game slowly first getting the ship up and flying, then maybe spaceworthy, then eventually jumpworthy. They are not overburdened by large payments every month, and they can ease game.