Finding new things in Traveller

[GM Joe]

It's funny. I started playing Traveller back when the "Starter Edition" came out. My friend was the referee for a couple of games but wasn't really into it, so I took over that responsibility and something clicked and it just took off. We played the heck out of Traveller.

But we were pretty young. Maybe 13 or so when we started playing Traveller (we'd already been through D&D, AD&D, Gamma World, Boot Hill, and a few others).

Of course I continued refereeing over the years, off and on. Used some of the newer versions as they came out, but always returned to CT. And of course played plenty of other RPGs...but always returned to CT.
Anyway, I took the last 10 years or so off from RPGs entirely. That sounds negative. It wasn't like I was sick of RPGs. I just had other priorities for a while, as happens sometimes.

Now that I've picked up CT again, it's funny that I'm seeing stuff in there that I was certain wasn't in the core rules. Like...default skills. And Battle Dress. Why did I think that came in with Book 4?

Granted, I've only pulled out TTB, so maybe it wasn't in the LBBs. Everything's stored away where it's not simple to reach, so I haven't pulled everything down yet. (I did order the four CT CD-ROMs from FFE a couple of days ago, though. I'm looking forward to having all that on PDF (tho I'll miss the DGP stuff)).

Anyway, am I the only one? Or have you re-read any old Traveller material and found something that you hadn't realized was there?

 

[robject]

I learn about things in CT pretty regularly. Just a couple years ago Wil brought up the fact that the Smallcraft skill description has in it a miniature space combat game, ready to play. I was amazed.

 

[atpollard]

Actually, I just came across something in CT under trade.
I had always used either the Administrator skill or the Bribery skill as a modifier for buying and selling speculative cargo ... after all it says right on page 105 of The Traveller Book:

Character Skills: Bribery skill and admin skill may be used as a DM at the level of the skill.

Then I recently happened to read on page 104 of The Traveller Book:

Character Skills.: If characters are skilled in bribery or admin, they may apply these as DMs for the sale of goods. Only one character may influence a sale.

That sounds to me like the PURCHASE of Speculative cargo is not influenced by character skills, only the SALE of the goods. If that is correct, then for years, I have been double dipping the character's skills ... oops.

 

[Timerover51]

It's funny. I started playing Traveller back when the "Starter Edition" came out. My friend was the referee for a couple of games but wasn't really into it, so I took over that responsibility and something clicked and it just took off. We played the heck out of Traveller.

But we were pretty young. Maybe 13 or so when we started playing Traveller (we'd already been through D&D, AD&D, Gamma World, Boot Hill, and a few others).

Of course I continued refereeing over the years, off and on. Used some of the newer versions as they came out, but always returned to CT. And of course played plenty of other RPGs...but always returned to CT.
Anyway, I took the last 10 years or so off from RPGs entirely. That sounds negative. It wasn't like I was sick of RPGs. I just had other priorities for a while, as happens sometimes.

Now that I've picked up CT again, it's funny that I'm seeing stuff in there that I was certain wasn't in the core rules. Like...default skills. And Battle Dress. Why did I think that came in with Book 4?

Granted, I've only pulled out TTB, so maybe it wasn't in the LBBs. Everything's stored away where it's not simple to reach, so I haven't pulled everything down yet. (I did order the four CT CD-ROMs from FFE a couple of days ago, though. I'm looking forward to having all that on PDF (tho I'll miss the DGP stuff)).

Anyway, am I the only one? Or have you re-read any old Traveller material and found something that you hadn't realized was there?

I am continually finding material in not just Classic Traveller (to include Starter and The Traveller Book} but other rules sets as well (like the Alien with Battle Dress in one of the original D&D supplements) over the years. That is also the reason that I re-read books and novels on a regular basis.

 

[aramis]

I am continually finding material in not just Classic Traveller (to include Starter and The Traveller Book} but other rules sets as well (like the Alien with Battle Dress in one of the original D&D supplements) over the years. That is also the reason that I re-read books and novels on a regular basis.

I keep finding new niggles in old rules as well. Such as I only just two days ago realized that, in AD&D 1E, only the first "20" on the hit tables is actually a hit on a modified 20+; the rest require a natural 20. And a 21+ requires a natural 20 and enough bonus to hit. So the 21 is "Nat 20 & at least +1 to hit" and the 25 is "Nat 20 and at least +5 to hit"...

Bloody game was hard enough just requiring a modified 21+ for a 21 on the table.

CT I find fewer...

Arthur: note also, the broker bonus also applies only on the sale of goods. (TTB 104. Paragraph prior to admin and bribery).

 

[GM Joe]

I learn about things in CT pretty regularly. Just a couple years ago Wil brought up the fact that the Smallcraft skill description has in it a miniature space combat game, ready to play. I was amazed.

Hey, that's right! Ship's Boat (I assume that's what you meant) does indeed have a mini space combat game in there. Neat!

 

[atpollard]

Arthur: note also, the broker bonus also applies only on the sale of goods. (TTB 104. Paragraph prior to admin and bribery).

I noticed that but didn't mention it because I was unsure how the later 'Broker' and 'Trader' skills might have affected it.

Hats off to Marc (or whoever wrote the trade rules), for a pretty elegant system. You can buy whatever you want at the 'fair market price' for that day and world ... the trick becomes to then use your 'skills' to find the right buyer.

 

[martletsquire]

Yep. The original trade rules were very elegant, so much so that I grafted them into my ADD games. The whole original system was very elegant, which is why I still use it.

The other books are cool to look at and troll for info and ideas, but I still Loooove CT. And as soon as Ranke comes through with the citation on the DD-14 series, I'll go read that up and find out what I've been missing.

 

[robject]

I always loved the Book 3 trade system. Sure it's a roulette game, and sure it pushes you to find a profitable port-pair and become a zillionaire, but maybe that's part of what makes it fun.

 

[rancke]

I always loved the Book 3 trade system. Sure it's a roulette game, and sure it pushes you to find a profitable port-pair and become a zillionaire, but maybe that's part of what makes it fun.

Speaking from personal experience, it is indeed a fun element. But, likewise from personal experience, you also get bored with it fairly quickly once you've constructed your money machine.


Hans

 

[robject]

Speaking from personal experience, it is indeed a fun element. But, likewise from personal experience, you also get bored with it fairly quickly once you've constructed your money machine.

Yeah, I seem to recall that, as well.

Unfortunately, Merchant Prince didn't even have my interest at the beginning

 

[aramis]

Yeah, I seem to recall that, as well.

Unfortunately, Merchant Prince didn't even have my interest at the beginning

Merchant Prince doesn't work all that well, either. It's not interesting to play, it's not terribly realistic, and it doesn't generate much useful RP-related data.

The primary realism failure is the single price regardless of . But it's not the only one. All types of goods having the same mods for world trade codes is the second one.

And, until its MT variant, it didn't tell you diddly about what was in that cargo,