Suggestions for content of a free T20 Lite module

[Jeff M. Hopper]

This is a thread split off to get some input from people on what should go into a free T20 Lite module designed to get new players interested in Traveller.

 

[Jeff M. Hopper]

One thing I'm planning is a last page that has links for the businesses currently producing Traveller product: FFE, QLI, SJG, Avenger, BITS, any others that crop up.

A listing of Traveller webzines would be included, so that JTAS and Stellar Reaches would be represented.

A listing of major forums with dedicated Traveller sections would be included: CotI, SJG forums, with a smattering of others.

All of the above would be on the last page. This way, the person downloading the module can get an idea of what is out there for support in Traveller. It may also be a way to help unite the fractured/balkanized Traveller market.

I'm considering including a listing on the last page of the different versions of Traveller, because questions on that subject seem to appear quite often. I'm not sure about that one, though.

 

[mbrinkhues]

You will need a decend-sized adventure , not the typical 2.5page generic intro from GM-screen 4711-08/15. The adventure should:

</font>

• Give some ideas on what makes the Traveller system "tick", showing
  </font>
  • </font>
  • Lack of magic/supertech</font>
  • Lack of instant interstellar com</font>
  • Gravtech, near unlimited energy</font>
  • Tech-Discontinuity</font>
  • JDrive and Jump-Delay to messaging</font>
• Give a fast-paced "action" adventure</font>
• Make sure it works with other than the default characters</font>
• Runabel in 4-8 hours (convention compatibel)</font>

I had some success running "cut down" variants of some EPIC adventures (Scout Cruiser and Merchant Cruiser)

 

[ravells]

MJD's latest adventure, Homecoming has a superb potted history of the Traveller universe. Something like that should be put into an appendix or maybe into a player's handbook lite.

Great idea, btw Jeff.

Ravs

 

[mbrinkhues]

Actually the "history part" is what in my experience stops a good deal of players. The universe seems "awfully big" because of this

 

[Qstor2]

Since its T20 you might want to "spotlight" the Gateway to Destiny supplement. Maybe set the adventure in one of the sectors in that book.

Mike

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Rather than T20-specific, make it a general intro to Traveller.

- A short history of the universe, tech, and races
- A mini adventure
- A history of the game
- Links to companies, COTI, etc
- Lots of pretty pictures

 

[stofsk]

I disagree. QLI has the T20 licence. It should take advantage of that and promote the ⌧ out of it.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Traveller is more than just T20. If you're just using it to promote that, you'd really have to avoid mentioning GT, the reprints, etc, and you risk turning off people who might like Traveller but hate D20. Just say, "This is Traveller. You can play it lots of ways, one of which is T20."

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Just two items:

· A comprehensive list of stores that actually stock Traveller resources, rather than those that will only place an order for you.

· A "quick-and-easy" method of converting T20 stats to and from other systems (CT, GURPS, et cetera).

The first would possibly provide an opportunity for new players to obtain their own material between weekly games, rather than wait the 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. Why pay more for a longer wait?

The second would provide an "official" means of converting favorite characters from other systems into T20. Otherwise, why bother with T20 when you're used to CT, MT, or even GURPS?

 

[Andrew Boulton]

I don't think either of those are practical.

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by Andrew Boulton:
Traveller is more than just T20. If you're just using it to promote that, you'd really have to avoid mentioning GT, the reprints, etc, and you risk turning off people who might like Traveller but hate D20. Just say, "This is Traveller. You can play it lots of ways, one of which is T20."

Yeah, but the point of this exercise is to promote T20, using T20 Lite - so everything else is pretty much irrelevant. If people are turned off by d20 then they're not even going to look at T20 lite anyway, so why bother trying to appeal to them?

The idea is presumably that people can try T20 Lite using this adventure and then go on to buy T20. It's a bit daft for a company to release a 'trial' version for people to try and then have them go buy something produced by another company to actually play the game fulltime.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

The initial posts talked of including details of earlier versions, plus links to the publishers.

You can't really talk about T20 without discussing the other editions, so why not do the job properly?

 

[Valarian]

A demo of the game should include the following:
- A quick run down of the setting
- A quick run down of the rules
- A set of stock characters
- An introductory adventure

One of the best introductory books I've seen the Vampire - The Requiem demo.

 

[flykiller]

stick with a single ruleset. you can mention at the end of the adventure that traveller spans other rulesets.

leave out the history, except a brief sentence or two directly related to the adventure itself, and perhaps a vague hint or two.

suggest no character generation. have a group of pre-generated characters players can pick from, each with either a full set of skills or a partial set of skills augmented by player choice.

have a great ship deckplan. may I suggest this one:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/EdM-2007/Page_1_Zephyr_220_Exterior.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/EdM-2007/Page_2_Zephyr_220_Deck_Plan.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/EdM-2007/Page_3_Zephyr_220_Stats.jpg

from this thread:

http://www.travellerrpg.com/cgi-bin/Trav/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000736;p=11

traveller is inaccessible because of its size and scope. make the adventure accessible and comprehensible to a new player, don't tell them more than they need to know at first.

don't let the adventure just dead-end, have a lead-in to further adventures.

 

[stofsk]

Originally posted by Andrew Boulton:
The initial posts talked of including details of earlier versions, plus links to the publishers.

Let those other versions worry about their own product and promotions, T20 should be trying to bring in new customers in order to increase its business.

 

[Klaus]

The lite rules come with the Merchant class. So a merchant (smuggling?) adventure springs to mind. A few other key classes (say Navy, Marine, Army, Scout, and Traveller) included as pre-gen for comparison.

 

[Jeff M. Hopper]

Originally posted by Malenfant:
Yeah, but the point of this exercise is to promote T20, using T20 Lite - so everything else is pretty much irrelevant.

The above is completely incorrect.

The point of this exercise is to promote TRAVELLER using the free rules of T20 Lite as a vehicle for that. The majority of tabletop gamers are d20 players used to DnD, so that is the fanbase this will be trying to appeal to.

Traveller will be shown as a setting which is available for multiple rulesets, not just T20. That is why I'm suggesting the back page entries, to show that while we may be a fractious bunch - we all still play Traveller.

 

[Jeff M. Hopper]

Originally posted by stofsk:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Andrew Boulton:
The initial posts talked of including details of earlier versions, plus links to the publishers.

Let those other versions worry about their own product and promotions, T20 should be trying to bring in new customers in order to increase its business. </font>[/QUOTE]By its nature of being used with T20 Lite, this module will help increase business for QLI. My goal is to not only promote T20, but all of Traveller as a whole. T20 Lite is the vehicle to do this.

 

[Jeff M. Hopper]

Ok, got a little more time to post now. Thank all of you for responding to the thread, your contributions are important.

Couple of things:

Michael Brinkhues -

Excellent suggestions, these are going to become the parameters of the adventures. Especially the idea about making them suitable for convention play. Thank you.


Ravs -

I was actually eyeballing One Crowded Hour by Avenger as an example of what a convention-oriented adventure should look like. A brief history of the OTU should probably go into the back of the module, a Library Data section, for lack of a better name.


Qstor2, Andrew Boulton -

T20 Lite is just the vehicle used to try and promote all of Traveller. I'll leave it up to individuals to decide what their preferred version of Traveller is.


Heretic Keklas Rekobah -

A list of brick-and-mortar stores which stock Traveller may be more difficult to obtain than you think. I'd have to contact every possible business in the world that sold Traveller, see if they have it in stock, and then compile that list. That's a lot of work that would take an inordinate amount of time. Placing the internet sites of publishers selling Traveller material into the back of the module is far more practical.

As for conversion rules, I'm going to have to research that. I'd rather not run into legal problems involing the different Traveller licensees, so I want to make sure that I do my home work and no mistakes are made. It may be that the best compromise for conversion rules are to dual stat everything in CT and T20, since CT is the root game that the rest have sprouted from.


Valerian -

The quick run down of the setting may be the most difficult part to write for me. I've asked a friend for a copy of the Vampire the Requiem demo to take a look at it. I'm also pulling out my old copy of Understanding Traveller for ideas as well.


Flykiller, Valerian -

There will be pregenerated characters for the module, definitely.


Flykiller -

I love the look of those deckplans, but I'd have to get permission from Ed M if I were to use them.


Klaus -

A merchant adventure is the angle of approach I'm using, so Great Minds Think Alike and all that.


To all of you, keep the suggestions coming. This is still in the brainstorming and notes stage of the game so far.