T5 Sourcebook Concepts

[Mickazoid]

Hi all: here's a thread for possible future T5 sourcebook concepts - I'll start it out with:

1. T5 Player's Guide (Chargen, enough basics on combat, homeworlds, species, equipment, etc. to provide a player with the opportunity to 'ramp up' to a T5 game independently)

2. Culture-specific books (basing your campaign in a certain sector)

3. Economics of Traveller (for that Firefly feel, guide for operating 'on the rim' of legality, of regulated space, etc.)

4. T5 MakerWare (Maker programs, whether web-based, iOs apps, Excel or other formats... inc. worldgen, etc.)

5. Referee's Screen (there was something in the kickstarter about a 2-panel sheet of common charts and tables but there are a lot of charts and tables so perhaps a laminated foldout)

...keep the suggestions coming!

 

[Rynak]

Equipment book (arms, armor and gadgets of various tech levels)
Ship book (fighter, patrol/scout sized, capital)
Vehicle book for all your ground/air travelling needs
Sophont book that contains information and stats for all the previously published sophonts.

With the rules how to make these things, unless the rules are already included in the main T5 book.

 

[pendragonman]

With the rules how to make these things, unless the rules are already included in the main T5 book.

As long as you run a small ship universe, those rules are in the holy tome.

BCS rules and ship examples.
TCS ported over to T5
Perhaps a quarterly/semi-annual magazine with adventures and completed "maker" examples.

 

[Original_Carl]

Perhaps a quarterly/semi-annual magazine with adventures and completed "maker" examples.

I like this idea a lot. This could also include rule corrections and additions. I would subscribe to this.

 

[Mickazoid]

I like this idea a lot. This could also include rule corrections and additions. I would subscribe to this.

I like that idea too - the RPG 'Torg' had a similar concept, with their 'Infiniverse' newsletter. Basically, the overall campaign arc of the game incorporated the various player groups' experiences... if enough players succeeded at certain campaigns/adventures, the grand story arc would be adjusted accordingly. A similar kind of 'interactivity' between the campaign arcs of printed sourcebooks and player groups could be a real draw.

 

[madmike]

Perhaps a quarterly/semi-annual magazine with adventures and completed "maker" examples.

Count me in on this. Coupled with perhaps a section within Freelance Traveller ezine and it might almost be back of the heady days of Judges Guild and the other excellent magazines like White Dwarf.

 

[Lore]

+1

 

[robject]

Equipment book (arms, armor and gadgets of various tech levels)
Ship book (fighter, patrol/scout sized, capital)
Vehicle book for all your ground/air travelling needs
Sophont book that contains information and stats for all the previously published sophonts.

The Compleat Mercenary
101 Adventure-Class Starships
101 Vehicles
76 Sophonts (assuming we know of 76 of 'em)
World Builder's Guide

 

[robject]

I like this idea a lot. This could also include rule corrections and additions. I would subscribe to this.

Me too, but I would prefer that errata be freely available, here and on FFE's website.

 

[mechascorpio]

Me too, but I would prefer that errata be freely available, here and on FFE's website.

Definitely on the FFE website and preferably mentioned on the original KS site as well. As long as it's only here, it's only accessible (and known) to CotI members. Not really fair to those who backed the Kickstarter who aren't members or even regular visitors here for it to be withheld.

Back on topic, what I'd like is something truly out of the ordinary for T5, rather than a rehash of something that's already been released in the past. What I'd really like to see, especially now with all these new concepts, tech levels and so on, is something completely unrelated to the Third Imperium. Something from the far, far, far future. Or a setting that reflects some of the "new space opera" of authors like Banks, Reynolds, Baxter and so on. Or a T5 version of "Outer Veil" or "Orbital" near future settings.

The idea of taking T5 and just redoing everything that's been done before in CT and other editions makes me wonder why I'd use a new version at all.

 

[robject]

Good point. I thought of COTI as an afterthought, since FFE owns it and most of us come here more often than FFE's website.

 

[MCEvans]

-snip-
Back on topic, what I'd like is something truly out of the ordinary for T5, rather than a rehash of something that's already been released in the past. What I'd really like to see, especially now with all these new concepts, tech levels and so on, is something completely unrelated to the Third Imperium. Something from the far, far, far future. Or a setting that reflects some of the "new space opera" of authors like Banks, Reynolds, Baxter and so on. Or a T5 version of "Outer Veil" or "Orbital" near future settings.
-snip-

Magnus von Thornwood is currently doing a PbP on CotI in that section now and if I've read his history for the setting right it is about +5k years from CT era. http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=29713

This is why I would love a quick players guide right now because I would like to join but can't afford the BBB for at least 6 months +

 

[Avenger Enterprises]

A good while ago one of the guys involved with T5 posted here that 'the sourcebooks are just waiting to be written' (I find that line amusing for all kinds of bad reasons).

Now, as far as I understand it, they're still waiting. I've mailed Marc several times about it (offering to write, not just saying that somebody should) but neither general queries nor specific suggestions have produced an answer.

I've been proposing that new sourcebooks should cover new ground. I mean, the Marches have been done. Repeatedly. Twice by me. If folks want Marches then they can get existing sourcebooks. It's time to explore new ground.

Thus far, nothing has come of this, but I'll pass along anything that I can if there's movement.

 

[Cryton]

GALAXIAD!!!!!

Cryton

 

[Avenger Enterprises]

Huh?

 

[rancke]

The Spinward Marches may have been covered several times, but it hasn't been done properly yet. Except for the Sword Worlds, of course. [*] And Aramis subsector, although TTA has a few blemishes in need of correction.

A single world is a huge place. 400 worlds with a millenium's worth of history each just can't be covered adequately in one standard sized sourcebook.

I'd love to be involved in a writeup of the Duchy of Regina[**]. Or Rhylanor or Mora or Trin or Glisten. Or District 268.

[*] Someone should make a smiley tooting a horn.

[**] The entire duchy would need a double-sized sourcebook. ​

Hans

 

[Jazzlvraz]

Huh?

The trademark notice on p.4 and the fifth footnote on p.17 mention "The Galaxiad". It apparently has something to do with "The Far Far Future" in 1902 IC, but as the other four footnotes reference the four prior game systems as "chronicling" their Eras, this must be something different, as it doesn't also list itself as a chronicle.

 

[pennshome723]

Now I like the idea of a World Builders guide, but I feel a System Builder and World Builder combo guide would be better. Really flush out how to design and build a complete solar system and flush out the many possible possibilities a GM might consider adding. Far to many GMs only flush out the main adventure world and don't give much consideration to the rest of the star system that it belongs too.

 

[Reban]

Somebody mentioned a while ago that there might be a sourcebook that combined Invasion Earth and Fifth Frontier War to show how wars are fought in the OTU using T5

It would flesh out how Ground Force and COACC units are organised and how invaders and defenders go about their missions. Basically it'd be "The Art of War" for T5.

I want that book but, I think it'd probably break my heart too....

 

[aramis]

GALAXIAD!!!!!

Cryton

Huh?

specif future era mentioned in drafts. TL20ish, hop and skip drives...