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In one sentence - what makes the 'real' difference?

L

LiamKerrington

SOC-12
Hello there,

currently I am eager to learn more about T5. I don't own the game (yet) and was not part on the Kickstarter. But anyway ...

This thread is about a simple task. It especially addresses those of you who are familiar with at least one other Traveller Game in order to give a solid statement in this thread. And I am not interested in simple opinions like: "T5 is super!" or "T5 sux hell." I am interested in your opinion or view on this question:

If you had to show one major difference between T5 and other version in one single sentence, what would you say? Think of "difference" as the changes from earlier Traveller Editions to T5 - changes about character creation, basic principles of the rules, certain details, or whatever you may think of and seems to be especially striking or true to you ...

I'd like to keep the task itself as open as it is; but about the answers I'd like to ask you to make it as detailed as it suits the general message and as detailed as it is possible within a single sentence.

I ran through this forum-section and read a couple of more or less complex reviews; but I still don't get the point about the real differences between T5 and other games or the changes or evolution of the game so far.

Thank you very much. :)

Best wishes!
Liam
 
Last edited by a moderator:
One sentence at all or several one-sentence statements? :-) I am going with the latter.


T5's (random) character creation is more detailed and individual than that of any other version of the game.

T5 is missing good explanations and examples of the rules as compared to the most recent versions of Traveller.

T5's world and system generation is more or less equal to older versions, and far less detailed and realistic than GURPS Space (4e).

T5's combat system is way more abstract than any combat system I have ever seen.
 
T5 includes lots of 'Maker' rules that allow you to create all sorts of things and creatures, like MegaTraveller and Fire, Fusuon and Steel (TNE); but the T5 Makers tend to be simpler and less technical, like the revised Mongoose Traveller Vehicle book.

Technically one sentence, but I doubt that it would survive close inspection by an editor. ;)
 
The Biggest change to my mind for T5 is that everything is in one place, you shouldn't need to go and get a book to learn how to build aircraft, or ships or guns they are all included.
 
LiamKerrington said:
If you had to show one major difference between T5 and other version in one single sentence, what would you say? Think of "difference" as the changes from earlier Traveller Editions to T5 - changes about character creation, basic principles of the rules, certain details, or whatever you may think of and seems to be especially striking or true to you ...
Click to expand...

One sentence? Geez. Okay, here goes:

T5 opens up a whole range of new options for characters; clones, synthetics, your own aliens, etc ... standard SF tropes that have been largely missing from all previous editions of Traveller.

Of course that one sentence misses out a whole bunch of neat stuff.
 
Unlike most RPGs "Core Rules" -- including most versions of Traveller -- that are presented in a step-by-step manner to guide players (with examples and lists) through the procedures of creating characters and running a game, Traveller5 is more a reference collecting detailed design systems that assume an experienced GM will assemble a custom set of rules, build their setting and teach players the game.
 
Here's my attempt:

T5 presents many exciting ideas, but the execution of the game is rather poor; it reads like a beta version that was never finished.
 
T5's uses a variant of T4's task system, complicated by the convoluted multi-tier T5 skill system.

T5 system generation is Bk6 revised.

T5 Character Generation is needlessly vague due to the variable attribute names protocols included for use with the alien generation system.
 
Well, there is that.

Actually, yes. Mark it on your calanders, kids, I was wrong. :cool:

So, yeah MT and T4, since MT really had crunchy CharGen, also the Task system. But I still lean toward CT on the make your own TU meme it shares with T5.
 
fridge said:
So a Chimera of CT, MT and T4 then!
Click to expand...
Actually that's a good analogy, since it is actually a form of memetic engineering, which is analogous itself to genetic engineering, since the idea of memes was based on genes. So yes, a memetic chimera.
 
fridge said:
So a Chimera of CT, MT and T4 then!
Click to expand...

I don't see much, if any, MegaTraveller in it at all. I do see some CT, some T4, and a whole lot of "Let's replace FF&S" whole cloth out of nowhere. (Well, it does remind me a bit of Spacemaster 1E...)
 
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