Critical info needed by beginners?

[Daddicus]

What are the elements of T5 that beginners simply must learn about.

Are there any others that aren't as critical, but the game would suffer without an understanding of them?

And, what is "icing on the cake"?

I'm creating this list to track these ideas. As they pop up from forum commenters and are given the nod, I'll add them below. I've broken the lists into 3 sections: critical, important, and frosting on the cake. I'll start with some specific entries, but I hope the rest of you will swamp my list.

NOTE: Feel free to suggest moving items from one list to another.

Critical:

1. Characteristics
2. Task system (basics)
3. Hand-to-hand combat (basics)
4. Firearm combat (basics)
5. NPC Interations
6. Die rolling conventions
7. Hex and eHex numbers
8. Skills
9. Knowledges
10. Character Generation (humans)
11. The Personals
12. Technology levels (1-10)

Important

1. What is Flux?
2. Starship operations
3. Starship combat (basics)
4. Interstellar travel
5. Technology levels (10-15)

Frosting on the cake

1. System generation
2. Character Generation (non-humans)
3. How to interact with the Traveller universe
4. "Traveller's Guide to the Universe"
5. Starship armament
6. The makers
7. Technology levels (15-33)

 

[Spinward Scout]

What are the elements of T5 that beginners simply must learn about.

How do you distill all of that 600+ page book down to something that the players need to use?

1.) Task/Skill System Basics (it's T5 equivalent)
2.) Hand-to-Hand and Firearm Range Combat Basics (aka Close Quarters Combat)
3.) Starship Combat Basics (maybe not basic or too advanced?)
4.) Travel/Space Travel Basics
5.) 'How to interact with NPCs'
6.) 'How to interact with the Traveller universe'
7.) 'Traveller's Guide to the Universe' - with basic background info
8.) Specific setting info

I don't think players would need much else. I personally haven't been able to get my hands on T5 for various reasons (money mostly), but I'd be happy to work on this with everyone when I get a copy. I was going to start a new thread, but it seemed repetitive with this one.

 

[Hemdian]

Assuming you mean what does a Referee new to T5 need to know, as opposed to just new players, then here's my list.

To start:
Dice rolling conventions and hexadecimal
Characteristics
Skills and knowledges
Character generation for human characters
The task system
Personal combat
Basic knowledge of a Traveller universe

Later:
Starship operations
Starship combat
The personals
System generation
Character generation for non-human characters

Eventually:
The makers
Everything else

 

[Midgardsormr]

The elements that I pushed to my new players first were:

1. Characteristics and Skills. These are the things that define what the character can do and hint at who that character is. Understanding what they are and what they're for makes it possible to largely understand the character generation procedure.

2. The basics of the Task Resolution system. How the Characteristics and Skills are used to actually accomplish things in the game system. Harder jobs mean rolling more dice, and more capabilities mean higher target numbers.

These two things can permit me to run 90% of my game. Even combat to a limited extent.

Under the Important heading,

3. Personal combat. How getting hit affects the physical characteristics. How weapons and armor work.

4. The Personals system.

5. Tech levels. What kinds of stuff is likely to be available in this part of the universe? How does it make this society different from the one we live in?

Frosting:

6. It really depends on the campaign and the players. Starship operation is probably a big one. I'd probably put starship combat a little lower in the priorities, but if space combat is going to be a big part of the game, it could swap places with general operation.

7. More detailed variants of Task Resolution targeted at PCs' primary niches. For instance, I developed a deeper computer hacking task, with numerous examples and additional Mod options, because one of the PCs has a decent Programmer skill and tries to solve as many problems with that skill as he can. I really like the Medic skill as described in the book for its level of detail, and I try to give the same amount of detail to each of the PCs' most frequently-used skills.

 

[Daddicus]

Thanks, all.

Does anybody know how I can edit my opening post (to add your items)?

Thanks!

Jim

 

[Draconian]

One thing to tell the new players is never to arrange their characters single-file, spaced out, when exploring a new territory. Otherwise the rear of their single-file would constantly get geeked according to the Surprise rules, until there is no party left. The rear guy must tie a string of yarn to his gun-arm, and lead the yarn forward to the front-guy. Traveller yarn, for this purpose, is TL-2 (or most likely Ultimate Yarn-6 in unmistakable acrylic colours) and so dirt-cheap it doesn't pay to ship it. :rofl:

 

[Spinward Scout]

Does anybody know how I can edit my opening post (to add your items)?

Off the top of my head, I believe you only have 4 hours to edit a post - but don't quote me on that.

 

[Draconian]

Off the top of my head, I believe you only have 4 hours to edit a post - but don't quote me on that.

I checked with my message and it looks more like 24 hours. I made an earlier message above yesterday, and I still seem to be able to edit it.

 

[Daddicus]

Well, that's a problem. If I can't edit it, ... hmm.

But, the guy who opened the errata threads edits the opening post. Is this a moderator question?

I'm going to report my opening post. Perhaps they can tell me what the rules are.

 

[aramis]

Well, that's a problem. If I can't edit it, ... hmm.

But, the guy who opened the errata threads edits the opening post. Is this a moderator question?

I'm going to report my opening post. Perhaps they can tell me what the rules are.

24 hours or in the "Trusted editor" class of users. A class that gets revoked for even 1 infraction point.

 

[Daddicus]

24 hours or in the "Trusted editor" class of users. A class that gets revoked for even 1 infraction point.

Interesting. I accept.

Seriously, how would one go about earning "trusted editor"? I certainly would understand having to jump through a few hoops for such a title.

(In fact, if I ever get out of line, I WANT to be suspended or banned. It would mean I've lost track of my moral compass, doing to others as I would have them do to me, and that I have some lessons to learn. )

If you need me to join the moot, I'm OK with that. I just haven't been able to remember how to use PayPal, or I would already be signed up. I'll get my wife to show me again.

 

[aramis]

generally, 1 year membership, no infractions, and 150 rep. Look for the edit to appear on your old posts.

 

[Daddicus]

Guys, Aramis wrote me in a PM, so I'll take this part of the discussion there.

I'm not sure yet what will become of this thread. Does anybody else want to take the role? I do think it's a real need (for new people to the game).

I would offer to create a new one and edit it every 23 hours, but if I ran the board, THAT would be an infraction (it's cheating the system, IMO).

 

[Daddicus]

Well, I can edit now. I'll compile the responses and add them, hopefully tomorrow night.

Thanks!

 

[aramis]

Guys, Aramis wrote me in a PM, so I'll take this part of the discussion there.

I'm not sure yet what will become of this thread. Does anybody else want to take the role? I do think it's a real need (for new people to the game).

I would offer to create a new one and edit it every 23 hours, but if I ran the board, THAT would be an infraction (it's cheating the system, IMO).

It also wouldn't work.

Vbulletin calculates the edit window from first posting, not from last edit.

 

[Daddicus]

First post updated to this point. Feel free to suggest changes, though.

 

[cym0k]

The elements that I pushed to my new players first were:

1. Characteristics and Skills. These are the things that define what the character can do and hint at who that character is. Understanding what they are and what they're for makes it possible to largely understand the character generation procedure.

2. The basics of the Task Resolution system. How the Characteristics and Skills are used to actually accomplish things in the game system. Harder jobs mean rolling more dice, and more capabilities mean higher target numbers.

These two things can permit me to run 90% of my game. Even combat to a limited extent.

These.

For me T5 for new players boils down to:

1. Character Generation and what the numbers on the character sheet mean.
2. Dice rolling conventions: What is a task roll, flux roll and difficulties.
3. Task resolution.

3.1 Combat on man to man level.​

3.2 Flying a spaceship.​

3.3 Fighting with a spaceship.​

4. Trading and other mission specific details go here.