Straight Rules or House Rules

[tim_manley]

While I own all the Trav editions out there... CT has been my favorite. I've houseruled up my own version, tossing some MT into the mix (mainly the MT basic char gen) and added some more career paths and my own combat system that pre-dated MT.

I've been preparing a campaign with straight rules, limited purely to Books 1, 2 & 3. Of course I had to re-read them to make sure all the rules were fresh in my mind and I didn't "toss in" house rule by mistake.

So, my question to y'all that stick with CT. Do you stick with the rules as written or do you include your house-rules? If you include house-rules what are they?

 

[Jame]

I tend to prefer house-rules myself. If I were to run, I would have the basic careers but run them per year, with enlisted ranks allowed, promotions twice a term until E3, and promotion once per term once commissioned.

 

[Icosahedron]

Now that Supplement Four has gone native, I might be the most house-ruled CT player on the board.

What? Who threw that glove on the floor? :smirk:

FAR too many houserules to list. More houserules than official ones IMTU, I reckon.

 

[pendragonman]

FAR too many houserules to list. More houserules than official ones IMTU, I reckon.

But that is the beauty of CT, it is a very basic ruleset. You can tune it to your individual tastes very easily.

 

[tim_manley]

Agreed. The basic mechanics of the game are beautiful in their core simplicity. It's very easy to plug in different "add-ons" to change the flavor to suit.

Even using just the core rules you can make a steam-punk game with aetherships and zeppelins (ala space 1889).

Many of my "house-rules" were localized around the campaign I was running. I'd often fine-tune the game rules to fit MTU.

In the last campaign I ran one of the changes I made was to add a lot more player choices. In that game "Scout" was a service provided by the space navy, so it fell off the career list. But, the game world had a lot more interesting parameters than just that.

I had 5 career blocks: education, civilian, independent, government and military

Education
College
Naval Academy
Military Academy
Merchant Academy

Civilian
Employment
Doctor
Merchant
Clergy
Scientist

Independent
Belter
Pirate
Rogue
Hunter
Drifter

Government Service
Law Enforcement
Diplomat
Bureaucrat
Imperial Intelligence Service
Marshal
Noble

Military Service
Navy
Marines
Army

 

[Supplement Four]

Now that Supplement Four has gone native, I might be the most house-ruled CT player on the board.

Gone native with the injuns, feathers and all.



*Note that playing CT "by-the-book" does not necessarily mean playing the rules, verbatim, from the book. Before you scratch your head at that, remember the CT encourages customizations to fit certain circumstances and interpolation of the rules where the rules are thin.

For example, I may rule, when starting a campaign, that all players are from a certain homeworld. And, then, I may decide that the "Army" career on this particular world refers to the local ground army (and not the "Imperial Army"). So, I may limit the TL of equipment and skills gained in the Army career to the world's TL...and I may substitute some skills in the Army career skill charts for skills I want to have added to the campaign.

When people think of me playing CT strictly by the book, which I am doing, they may think that the Army career in Book 1 is exactly what my players roll on when rolling an Army character. That may not be the case.

In fact, I think CT players use the defacto chargen tables "as-is" too much. Careers should be "customized" for the campaign being played.

And...everything I mention here is not a "house rule". It's a customization encouraged by the CT rules--with a lot of precedent.

Another Army character, later in the same campaign, may be rolled up using different chargen tables with different restrictions, based on the world that Army character is from (if different from the original world where we kicked off the campaign).

Many rules, the chargen tables included, in CT are meant as "examples", not as "gospel". GMs are encouraged to use them as a base then tweak to taste.

And, THAT really is playing CT by the book (just not by the book that you might have originally imagined).

Classic Traveller is the best pnp roleplaying game ever written--and one of the reasons it is that is because it is so flexible.

 

[saundby]

Flashing bus bars and slide rules

I have my own universe for CT with a lot of Doc Smith-style tech in it. Moving in and out of jump releases a broad-spectrum EMP, so computers are tube, electromechanical, and mechanical. Shielding doesn't help since all mass making jump generates the radiant energy. More shielding around the semi diodes means more pulse to knock them out. The highest tech levels have jump-proof electronics, but they're darn rare. Scientists and navigators do carry slide rules (and other mechanical calculators.)

My ship design system is based on mass rather than displacement. Spherical hulls dominate the designs for this reason.

Other than this the mechanics of my game are pretty much LBB1-3 with some tweaked careers to produce some specialized characters for specific games.

At present I'm starting an MGT campaign that I'll be playing by the book, and in the OTU at that (a first for me.) My players enjoy the Doc Smith/Jack Vance/Harry Harrison elements of my game, though, so I expect a fair bit of that will come in.

 

[Icosahedron]

Explains the size of computers neatly enough. :smirk:

 

[mike wightman]

House rules for sure, but based on one version of Traveller or another usually.

Character generation includes the special duty roll and rule of 4 from MT, and I allow players to have lvl0 skill in every skill on the charts bar the advanced education table.

Task system - don't roll a 2, roll 8+, roll 12+, roll a natural 12 and we'll talk.

Combat system is based on a hybrid of T4 and T20 with some extra stuff thrown in - no first blood rule, crit hit on a double that hits (has the effect of the first blood rule).

 

[aramis]

I used the same basic idea (jump has an EMP), and micro-vacuum tube computers.

 

[sabredog]

I use Books 1-8 (though I rarely use the robot stuff) and Striker for combat n' vehicle design.

As far as house rules, Holy Toledo - where do I start? MTU has no Imperium, it's all been made up by me as it grew from the original 3 books 31 years ago (and then revised as I grew up countless times), and if I was smart I'd just toss the 12" stack of notebooks containing the house rules, mods, and expansions, and just use MegaTrav or something to save myself and my players headaches.

I'm currently trying to streamline it all down to a manageable weight so a lot of my house rules are either getting tossed out or redone.

My basic house rules are for ship combat: adapting HG weapons into LBB2 designs and combat, added more detailed hit tables (hit the bridge and I can tell you what subsystem broke, etc.), better rules for crew casualties to take armor, radiation, suit damage, etc. into account., some expanded rules for ship design including new systems (autodocs for example), and some other things here and there.

Personal combat includes weapon malfunctions and fixes under fire, a different method of melee that isn't Striker or CT, but works better. I use a slightly modified version of Striker combat that uses neither range bands nor ranges, instead it's free flowing and based a lot on what I think needs to be happening to keep things fast n' fun. Maybe that's more a style than a house rule.

Here's an example of my melee house rule:

 

[sabredog]

Melee Combat


Both parties roll 2D6 +Attack DM – opponent’s Defense DM +/- difference in Range

Whoever has the highest number wins, roll 2D6 + PEN + STR Modifer – armor = damage


Example:

Zack draws his cutlass against Dave’s Blade. Dave has Cloth / Zack has Mesh

Here are the stats:

Zack (STR-9) Cutlass-1 Dave (STR-11) Blade-2

Zack gets +3 Attack/-3 Defense (after his skill is added to both) Range=2

Dave gets +3 Attack/-4 Defense (after skill added to both) Range =1


Zack rolls 6 +3 (Attack) +1 (positive difference in range) -4 (Dave’s Defense) = 6
Dave rolls 8+3 (Attack) -1 (negative difference in range) -3 (Zack’s Defense) = 7 Dave wins

Dave rolls 6 (2D6) +3 (Pen) +1 (STR Modifier) for 10 points damage
minus Zack’s armor of 2 leaves 8 points damage to Zack




This system reflects that skill helps you hit and avoid getting hit, while strength causes more damage, and a longer weapon improves the chance of hitting your opponent. The reverse of all that is also true: someone with a big weapon, no skill, and too weak to properly use the weapon can still get cut to pieces by someone with a smaller blade and knows how to use it.

The Attack/Defense modifiers can be worked out well in advance on the character sheets, and just adding the STR modifier to the weapon’s PEN value beforehand takes care of the bookkeeping.

At first glance this is a little more complicated than gun combat, but I am taking into account that hand-to-hand combat involves a lot more than just one squeezing of the trigger while pointing a gun at the target from behind cover. The simultaneous rolls, DM’s, and range modifiers all simulate the flurry of attacks, blocks, dodges, body checks, and all the things that go on in hand-to-hand combat during the round.

The reason the gun combat damage table isn’t used is because the damage done is less dependent on where you hit as it is on how hard you hit. It’s easier to target the weak joints and head/neck in close combat with a blade than it is from 25 meters away in a running gunfight – so the hits are considered to be less random; it is assumed the combatants are hitting the most vulnerable and vital locations instead of just center of mass.

 

[sabredog]

And here's what I use for Striker gun combat to resolve damage: (hitting the target is the standard 8/10/12+ on 2D6 =/- DMS and skill)

Personnel Wounds

Roll 2D6+Pen+Skill (less Armor Value)

>Do not add Dex or Str modifiers for damage – only skill levels<

Result Against Player Character Against Generic NPC

3- No Effect No Effect

4-7 2D6 Light Wound

8-11 4D6 Serious Wound

12-15 6D6 Death

16+ 8D6 “ “


Wound Modifiers:

+1 Level of damage if weapon is an energy weapon or uses explosive ammo (but no effect is still no effect)

For example: A character in TL-12 combat armor (12 pts) is hit by a gauss rifle (Pen 7) fired by a gunner with a skill of 1 rolls 9 on 2D6. The result is (9+7+1)-12 = 2D6 damage.

In the above example if the shooter had used a TL-13 laser pistol the damage would have been (9+6+1)-12= 2D6 damage increased to 4D6 damage due to energy weapon damage.



For Generic NPC Wounds:

2 Light Wounds = 1 Serious
1 Light +1 Serious = 1 Serious
2 Serious = Death

 

[sabredog]

And these are for ship combat using Book 2:

Traveller Ship Combat Conventions

Expanded and modified High Guard/LBB2 rules to allow for small ship (5000 tons or less) combat.


Weapon Rules

Missiles – Per LBB2 missiles will always hit the target unless stopped by countermeasures. Missiles are fired at end of turn, and hit at end of following turn.

• ECM program stops all incoming missiles currently in flight on a roll of 7+
• Anti-Missile: Lasers can destroy one incoming missile on a roll of 8+ (+1/2 Gunnery skill, and +1 per laser in turret above the first one). Lasers used to fire on enemy targets are allowed to fire on incoming missiles.
• Sandcasters: Each incoming missile must save at 11- on 2D6 if sand is fired


Missile Types – Missiles may be fired from turrets or bays. Bay missiles (commonly called torpedoes) cannot be fired from turrets, but can be launched from ordnance hardpoints on small craft so equipped, i.e. FA-6 Avenger Torpedo/Bomber. A 50-ton missile bay fires 2 torpedoes at a time, a 100-ton bay fires 4.

• Standard HE: does 1D6 hits (less armor) applied randomly
• Standard HEAP: does 4 points damage (less armor) to one location
• HE Torpedo: as standard HE, but 3D6 hits
• HEAP Torpedo: 8 points damage (less armor) to one location


Energy Weapons – Each turret rolls only once to hit a target. All fired energy weapons in the turret hit on that single roll. For example, a triple laser turret firing all its weapons rolls once to hit, and then once on the location table for 3 points of damage against that location less armor.
• Beam Lasers – Beam lasers hit at 8+ (+/- appropriate DM) and do 1 point of damage each.
• Pulse Lasers – Pulse lasers hit at 10+ (+/- appropriate DM) and do 2 points damage each.
• Plasma / Fusion Guns – Both are short range weapons that can be fired from turrets and bays. Plasma guns do 3 points each, Fusion guns do 4. Bay versions are increased by 2 points.
• Particle Accelerator Weapons (PAW)-
• PAW turrets do 4 points damage (less armor) plus both crew and computer must save 9+ to avoid radiation damage. If failed the computer takes 1 point damage, crew take 1D6.
• PAW barbettes do 6 points (less armor) and 2 points/2D6 radiation damage
• PAW Bays 50-ton bays do 8 points damage (less armor) plus 4 points / 3D6 radiation damage. 100-ton bays do 12 points damage (less armor) plus 6 points/4D6 radiation damage.
Personal armor reduces radiation by that armor’s point value.

Sandcasters – Sand will stop incoming laser fire at a rate of I canister of sand per laser stopped. For example: a triple laser turret would do 3 points damage if it hit, but only 1 point if 2 canisters of sand had been fired.

• Sand is launched at the end of the turn and counts towards the next round of laser fire.
• Sand only lasts one round of laser fire.
• Launchers may only launch one canister per turn.
• Sand will not stop fusion/plasma guns or PAW fire.


Armor – Ships may be armored per High Guard rules.


Boarding Actions

In all matters concerning maneuver the ship with the highest agility rating will dictate the range between ships.

To board another ship, its vector and velocity must be matched. To force a boarding the attacking vessel must have a higher agility than the target. If this is the case then the pilot of the boarding vessel must roll 10+ (plus Pilot or Small Craft skill as DM) to match course and lock the craft together.

The high roll is to simulate any desperate maneuvering the target ship may try at the last minute.


Damage Control

Critical hits may not be repaired since the damage has destroyed the component.

Components damaged to zero cannot be temporarily repaired more than to half their original value. For example: a Jump-2 drive damaged to 0 and then repaired will only function as Jump-1 until permanent repairs can be made.

Turrets hit twice are destroyed and may not be repaired,

All repairs are considered temporary only and will fail after the next jump unless more permanent repairs can be made in a shipyard.

The time required to make a repair is equal to 2D6 combat man-turns minus appropriate skill level. For example: the Jump Drive takes two points damage in combat. The Engineer rolls 2D6 and gets 5…less Engineer-3 equals 2 combat man-turns to patch things up. It means the Engineer will need 2 turns working by himself, or only 1 if another character with Engineer skill helps.

 

[sabredog]

Oh, and I have always said that if you roll snakeyes on 2D6 it's always a failure, and a straight 12 is always success. So it always pays to try, but you might want to stand back a bit in case your buddy rolls that 2 and something bad happens.

 

[Icosahedron]

...the 12" stack of notebooks containing the house rules, mods, and expansions...

Sabredog lifts the gauntlet and slaps Icosahedron across the face with it.

Icosahedron eyes his tackle and wonders if he can match twelve inches...

Hang on, what're we doing, again??

 

[sabredog]

hmmmm....maybe I'm on the metric system here, ok, it's just 10"

But seriously, I have so much crap stacked up that sometimes I still find stuff I forgot about. A lot of it is great - I'm surprised at how good some is, but a lot probably is redundant if I just switch my game to MegaTrav or something.

A lot doesn't get used because the flavor of MTU has changed over time, too. I went nuts for a while, it exploded into something resembling Traveller in name and the skeleton only, then gradually pared it down (like I am now) to just the way I like it. But jeez, these rules and tables on cyber enhancements and growing customized biologs look pretty fun...and if I just add a little of these autonomous ship computer cores rules.....battlesuit trauma gear..... ahhhh, stop me please!!!!!

 

[Icosahedron]

hmmmm....maybe I'm on the metric system here, ok, it's just 10"

But seriously, I have so much crap stacked up that sometimes I still find stuff I forgot about. A lot of it is great - I'm surprised at how good some is, but a lot probably is redundant...

I know the feeling. I have a 4" stack of floppies, plus more on the hard drive, and some on one of these new-fangled stick thingys, plus the pile of stuff I actually printed out. Sometimes I stumble across two versions of a house rule cos I wrote it, forgot about it, and then reinvented the wheel when I met the same problem again.

One Day, when I simultaneously have the time and the inclination, I'll get the whole lot collated into an additional set of LBBs.

But then I'll add a couple of new rules...

 

[boomslang]

So, my question to y'all that stick with CT. Do you stick with the rules as written or do you include your house-rules? If you include house-rules what are they?

I try to avoid House Rules as much as possible; they're never properly playtested and invariably alter the game away from its core concept.

However I did decide that a spacecraft drive (of whatever type) is only destroyed after being damaged a full three levels below factor-A (which gets rid of the "glass jaw" of the Types S and A); the first hit knocks the drive offline (one repair attempt per combat turn), a hit to the second level below A seriously impairs a drive (one repair attempt per day), only being damaged to the third level below A totals the drive.

Plus, I am well-known as a "per parsec" rather than "per jump" heretic on cargo and passage rates, but that's covered elsewhere on these boards.

I'm also not hostile to purpose-built rather than randomly-rolled characters, so long as they 1) are vaguely feasible under the prior career tables (if applicable) and 2) bear not the slightest hint of Muchkinization...

Other than the occasional introductions of B4-style weaponry and other gear, the BT rules serve me well as they are written.

 

[aramis]

Plus, I am well-known as a "per parsec" rather than "per jump" heretic on cargo and passage rates, but that's covered elsewhere on these boards.

That's core in Mongoose Traveller, BTW.