Sell me on Gateway

[EvilDrGanymede]

Basically, I'm trying to decide if it's work giving the Gateway book a shot. How does it compare to the 'Rim of Fire' GT book and TNE's 'Regency Sourcebook' (both of which I hold in rather high esteem for the sheer amount of detail in them). The only things I know about Gateway are from the Lords of Thunder adventure in MTJ4, but that was set a long time after the Rim War.

So, what does the Gateway PDF have in it? How d20-specific is it? what good plot hooks are there? What does it add to the Traveller background? What's unique about it?

 

[Morte]

Can't compare to the other books you mention because I haven't got 'em, but for what it's worth...


"So, what does the Gateway PDF have in it?"

- 9 page general history of the domain up to 995, followed by 4 page unified timeline

- 14 pages covering 5 human subraces, 15 non-human races, and 4 uplifted races. I think (in my newbie way) that maybe half of these are not well-known.

- 31 pages on regional powers: imperium, the K'kree/Hiver/Solomani powers, pocket empires of assorted size, megacorps, and certain powerful individuals. Lots of points of tension and potential conflict/adventure here.

- 79 pages of sector data, with 16 quadrant maps and complete set of UWP++ data, plus descriptive text entries (landgrabs) for about 3 systems per quadrant.

- 15 pages on "Life and Adventuring", i.e what the place is like and some tips/seeds.

- 31 page adventure called Cold Fuzion which seems generally decent.

- Appendices collating (repeating) some of the UWP++ stuff.

- No artwork (yet), those pages are all meat.


"How d20-specific is it?"

Almost entirely non-specific. Ability modifiers for races, stats for some NPCs in the adventure, I can't imagine any issues.


"what good plot hooks are there?"

It's not quite "76 adventures", but there's a pretty good supply to be found and some explicit seeds. As many are campaign ideas as adventure ideas -- it's a big scope, high level look at the domain.

Also, the QLI "Kursis Charter" and "Objects of the Mind" adventures are set in it, so you could work them into a campaign.


"What does it add to the Traveller background? What's unique about it?"

Can't help you there. I didn't play Traveller between 1982 and 2003.

It's generally well written and well laid out, good professional RPG book design -- better than the LBBs or the T5 drafts. I would have liked a CSV file with all the world data.

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Thanks Morte, that was useful

Anyone else?

Oh, how error-filled is the PDF too? I've heard mentions of incorrect/inconsistent UWPs in the sector data...

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:
Thanks Morte, that was useful

Anyone else?

Oh, how error-filled is the PDF too? I've heard mentions of incorrect/inconsistent UWPs in the sector data...

The current PDF does have a number of errors. That was part of the purpose of the early release, to help up locate these problems. Anyone who purchases the current PDF will also receive copies of any updates and a copy of the final PDF before the book actually goes to print.

Hunter

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Originally posted by hunter:
The current PDF does have a number of errors. That was part of the purpose of the early release, to help up locate these problems. Anyone who purchases the current PDF will also receive copies of any updates and a copy of the final PDF before the book actually goes to print.

Hunter [/QB]

Hmm. Do you have any idea when it might actually see print/when the final PDF will be up? One thing I don't like is a product filled with errors and inconsistencies - I'd rather get the full thing that doesn't have those problems (or not quite so many, anyway).

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:

Hmm. Do you have any idea when it might actually see print/when the final PDF will be up? One thing I don't like is a product filled with errors and inconsistencies - I'd rather get the full thing that doesn't have those problems (or not quite so many, anyway).

Hope to have an idea on that once the THB and screen get through the printer. The delays there have cause major havoc with our planned schedule.

Hunter

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Is there no standard printing company that RPG publishers use? Do companies not share info on who the good printers are and who the ones to avoid are? (I have no idea how that end of things works)

 

[mad13142000]

I vote yes on it...
The problem with the previous version of the Gateway Domain (4 sectors - The Judges Guild wrote the original) was that it didn't match up with the rest of the OTU - Interstellar states and pocket Empires were different as you crossed over the border, and some just didn't make sense. I think QLI did a pretty good job fixing most of these problems, and updating the sectors to canon...I did pick a few nits, but I just made the changes when I put them into Galactic...
Well worth the price of admission.
If only other RPG companies did the same thing with the PDFs, it puts games back into the price range of us people who play the most...

-MADDog

 

[Liam Devlin]

Morte stole the thunder, but he is correct<kudoes Morte!>. Gateway Domain is an excellent resource for the four (yep 4 SECTORS), big picture, and small scale seeds are strewn within it.

As previously stated, there are errors in the UWp's..minor things, like say Hi Pop worlds (pop 9, A) not having that listed on their Trade codes.
But gents, fer the price, ye cannae beat it!

Also might I add <aheam> Starfall cluster can also be dropped within it <Beta Quadrant/Glimmerdrift Sector> as well for yet even more mayhem, mischief, and good RP-fun.
...of course, Shane, Pete Scarrot/Zinzan, Paul Nemeth, and I are somewhat biased on this latter portion<aheam> we now resume local shameless plug-in commercials

5 star rating from this here heretic!

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:
Is there no standard printing company that RPG publishers use? Do companies not share info on who the good printers are and who the ones to avoid are? (I have no idea how that end of things works)

This is one of the biggest in the business, and the one who did the original print run which went off without a hitch. We had a problem with another printer on TA1, a printer we had use more a couple of times previously without any problems.

As annoying and exasperating as they can be, problems happen. Trust me I have screamed and bitched and raised immortal hell over this, but I also understand crap happens. What remains to be seen is if this customer is taken care of to his satisfaction.

Hunter

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Blimey, from the sounds of it I thought some two-bit crappy company was doing the printing, not one of the biggest!

Oh well, as you say problems happen sometimes. Would the final corrected version be up as a PDF before the hardcopy comes out? Or are you going to release them together?

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:
Blimey, from the sounds of it I thought some two-bit crappy company was doing the printing, not one of the biggest!

Oh well, as you say problems happen sometimes. Would the final corrected version be up as a PDF before the hardcopy comes out? Or are you going to release them together?

I will likely be posting a corrected edition in the next week or two as it is, cleaning up the problems that have already been spotted.

The 'final' PDF will be released when we have all the artwork in and the final layout complete. When we send the book to the printer we will make the final PDF available and close the sale of the PDF. It is a limited time offer and will not be sold once the book is in print.

Hunter

 

[aravain]

Will this site contact those people who bought Gateway and let us know that the corrected download is available? Although I try to visit this site on a frequent basis, there are time when I'm too busy in a week even for a quick peek.An email "heads-up" from Hunter (et.al.) would be much appreciated, so I do not miss a chance to get the "improved" edition. Of course, my printer is still mad at me for the print of Gateway I did ( I had to run out and get another cartridge and more paper)

In the future, is possible to offer a pdf sans borders to speed up printing or is what we are viewing a "printer's plate" master copy of a future "dead tree" product?