Is Classic Traveller the right Traveller for me?

[Maud'dib]

Hey, hi there.
I'm not exactly a newcomer to Traveller .... but I'm interested in finding a version of Traveller that will fit my needs.
Let me explain:
Currently I own a copy of T4 that I purchased about 5-6 years ago. I was quite intrigued by Traveller's reappearance (at that time) and planned to purchase a number of the supplements, with the goal of pursuing Traveller roleplaying actively. Unfortunately, it failed to meet my expectations. The core book painted a picture of a very retro, 'white-bread', Space Opera Rpg that I could really find no connection with. The supplements were like bizarre engineering manuals.... barely coherent and visually nauseating. Suffice to say, T4 was tossed on my bookshelf and ignored.
Many years prior I had a copy of Megatraveller... but I recall not being very impressed with it as well.... and it 'disappeared' sometime within the past decade.


What I'm looking for is a fairly 'generic', accessible SF rpg that will allow me to easily present games from either a Hard or Soft SF standpoint. I'm not really interested in utilizing Traveller's pre-conceived setting.... too Space Opera for me... (kind of an odd mixture of 'uplifted' aliens and Dune, IMO). But rather just a 'tool' to present a variety of settings with ease.
I'm also not motivated to purchase the GURPS version of Traveller. I'm familiar with the system and find it too detail-oriented for my tastes.
Are there any recommendations or insight that anyone could provide?
Thanks.

 

[Secrect Cow Level]

I'd guess you would like CT as the core rules themselves are setting indepandant and the rules cover most sci fi concerns reasonably well. Also, the rules are simple and easy to use and apply. And if that were not enough, it's easy to add and adapt ideas and items into your game.

 

[phydaux]

personaly, i'm a detail guy, so i love GURPS Traveller. i'd have to say that CT is the total other end of the spectrum.

from what you say, i'd go with CT from the reprints. use books 1-3 and roll in the BITS "Task System". that will cover char gen, combat and "doing things". you can use those very basic rules to cover any sci fi setting.

if you're going to roll your own universe i would recomend you pick up GURPS Space. the book is system indipendent and covers all the topics you will need to concider when creating your own campaign universe.

 

[phydaux]

by the way, you say you're not keen on the Dune-ish nature of the Traveller universe, but you list your name as Maud'dib?

what gives? (grin)

 

[Maud'dib]

>>"by the way, you say you're not keen on the Dune-ish nature of the Traveller universe, but you list your name as Maud'dib?
what gives? (grin)"<<


I just find the combination to be a little odd. Perhaps I'm too much of a Dune purist... but there's a few SF Rpgs that seem to snatch liberally from Herbert's world (such as Fading Suns), that I find it rather irritatingly unoriginal. Why settle for an imitator when you can explore the original?

I hate to say it.... (I wouldn't want to be inflammatory on these boards)... but Traveller's extensively defined universe seems like a blah knock-off of some of the popular works in SF. Dune, Star Trek, and Star Wars come to mind. And if I want those features in a SF Rpg, I'd prefer to present them independently than take snippets from each for an odd kind of hodge-podge.

I'm just a snob.

 

[Artikid]

Actually I always thought Traveller was inspirde more by Asimov's Foundation and by Larry Niven... well ok the Psionic Suppressions remind me more of the Empire trying to exterminate the Jedi Knights but the Psionic Institute isn't that Jedi-like

 

[FlightCommanderSolitude]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Perhaps I'm too much of a Dune purist...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A Dune purist who misspells Muad-Dib's name?!

While I might concede the influence of Dune on the OTU, ST and SW definitely do NOT come to mind.

At any rate, I would definitely consider the CT rules if you're a referee who's comfortable with fewer details, simpler systems, and some improvisation. (Consider your players as well - the best campaign I ever played OR refereed was a series of Cthulhu adventures with two friends who had never really played RPG's: I ignored the rules, fudged every die roll, made just about everything up as the game progressed, and scared everyone's pants off everytime we played!)

(Well, their pants didn't actualy come off.)

(Anyways.)

The upcoming T20 might also be another good system to use, especially if you and your players are familiar with DnD3E.

-FCS

 

[hunter]

Dune influence in the OTU?

Dunno, I don't see it. Maybe I am missing something.

Star Wars *possibly* I could concede has some influence, but not Star Trek.

Foundation and Asimov very much I see the influence. I also see a good bit of influence from Imperial Rome.

Hunter


[This message has been edited by hunter (edited 29 July 2001).]

 

[tjoneslo]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hunter:
Dune influence in the OTU?


Star Wars *possibly* I could concede has some influence, but not Star Trek.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Considering Marc took the entire staff of GDW to see the film for "Research Purposes" and more than once, I'd say the Star Wars influence is a strong probability.

Both Frank Chadwick and Loren Wiseman had a strong interest and background in history. So if you are looking for real influences, read up on the 17th/18th century British empire and the Roman empire.

 

[TJP]

As Artikid said, Larry Niven's influence is evident in OTU. Especially his book with Jerry Pournelle "The Mote in God's Eye." The Langston Field is the black globe, the Moties sort of the Droyne, and there is the Empire of Man...

I quess for anyone who saw Star Wars way back when it was new, sci-fi never was quite the same anymore (for better or worse).

I wouldn't call OTU strictly soft SF (or space opera), though. Granted, it's not hard SF either, but it's a long way away from the Star Wars/Trek kind of SF. At least most of the gear in Traveller has its basics in real science.

 

[TJP]

Um, I forgot the real reply from my previous post. Getting senile, I quess.

To Maud'dib (or Muad'dib or Paul Atreides): I strongly recommend you check MegaTraveller again if only you can find a copy somewhere. The task system in it is excellent, very "light" (i.e. easy to use and learn plus fast) and adaptable. The combat system is OK (needs a little tweaking, perhaps) and character generation follows Classic Traveller's style.

I've been using MT since it's release, I've made a few modifications and patches to it, but the system is essentially the same. In these almost 15 years since I got MT I still haven't seen a task/skill resolution system to beat it.

 

[jalberti]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TJP:
I strongly recommend you check MegaTraveller again if only you can find a copy somewhere. The task system in it is excellent, very "light" (i.e. easy to use and learn plus fast) and adaptable. The combat system is OK (needs a little tweaking, perhaps) and character generation follows Classic Traveller's style.

I've been using MT since it's release, I've made a few modifications and patches to it, but the system is essentially the same. In these almost 15 years since I got MT I still haven't seen a task/skill resolution system to beat it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree. I have stuck with MT as well. I own other versions of Traveller, but for my gaming find MT the most playable and fun RPG system. This is not saying the others are not good, but I favor MT. It deserves a second look.

 

[Murph]

I find that Classic Traveller plus books 4,5,6,7,& 8 with the Megatraveller task system added is pretty close to a perfect system. Although I tend these days to using Cyberpunk 2020 for character gen, and combat.

 

[GypsyComet]

Nah. Chuck Book 8 and go back to the JTAS 1-4 articles for Robots. MUCH better edited and internally consistent.

 

[T. Foster]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TJP:
Um, I forgot the real reply from my previous post. Getting senile, I quess.

To Maud'dib (or Muad'dib or Paul Atreides): I strongly recommend you check MegaTraveller again if only you can find a copy somewhere. The task system in it is excellent, very "light" (i.e. easy to use and learn plus fast) and adaptable. The combat system is OK (needs a little tweaking, perhaps) and character generation follows Classic Traveller's style.

I've been using MT since it's release, I've made a few modifications and patches to it, but the system is essentially the same. In these almost 15 years since I got MT I still haven't seen a task/skill resolution system to beat it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree that MT is overall the best Traveller rulesystem to date, but I'd be very wary of recommending it to someone just starting out who has little to no previous familiarity with Traveller and no friendly vets nearby to answer questions and explain/clarify things.

For one thing, the MT rulebooks are terribly edited and organized, with very few clear and meaningful examples. To a CT vet making the upgrade who already knows how everything works this isn't that much of a problem (barring the errata), but for a newbie encountering Traveller for the first time, trying to understand the MT rulebooks can become a nightmare of confusion and frustration.

Another drawback is that MT, by replacing all of the core Book 1-3 systems with the more complicated 'advanced' systems which came later, sets the bar of complexity awfully high for beginners. CT's simple-baseline-with-optional-complexity modular system is very beginner-friendly -- a ref can mix and match simple versus complex versions as he chooses -- and MT loses this for the sake of cleanness, consistency, and completeness.

Yes, the MT task system is head and shoulders above any other version, and if you're playing CT with ALL of the advanced options in place (Books 4-7, Striker, AHL, Citizens, etc.) then MT's integration and regularizing of these options into the core system is a big plus, but I still feel that MT as it currently exists (barring some MT-revision-as-T^5 pie in the sky) is mainly fit for CT vets and 'advanced' players, and that beginners should stick with CT, at least to start with.

 

[TJP]

Yeah, T. Foster has a point there. MT is not the best of systems for a complete newbie to roleplaying. There are precious little examples of rules and, at least for a person not fluent in English (me), it gets difficult to follow at times. Oh, and don't forget to get the errata.

However, I understood that Maud'dib was not that green and had previous knowledge of Traveller (having owned MT and T4). With that in mind, I just wanted to give my two cents worth to this list of recommendations for a Traveller version to use.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Muad'Dib,

I hope this meets with your approval.

Long Live The Fighters! Long Live Muad'Dib!

Scout

<<<BEGIN PRECIS OF PRODUCT GENEOLOGY OF THE CREATION TRAVELLER BY DUKE MARC OF HOUSE MILLER>>>
The original Traveller product of House Miller is very high quality, very useable, and has been reproduced recently from the original content - possibly available locally. A second House Miller product has been very profitable throughout the Imperium - but not as popular with some. The low-quality copy created by the Guild of GDW is to be avoided. When House Miller reaquired the Traveller product, a new "improved" product was created, but was not as highly recieved as the original. The Traveller products of House GURPS also have a very high quality, and much alternate background support. It is also very amenable to permutation and immersion into other House GURPS products, but may be complex to the point of non-use - more data is needed. Recent codings have identified a product to be released soon - we are currently unaware of it's quality or useablility. Although similar products are very highly welcomed once used. Spies have identified it's code name as T20. Rumors persist of a future product that would bring all of the good qualities together, but leave the unwanted qualities out. We await this product with anticipation.
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