The quintessential traveller books?

[Lexx]

Speaking as someone who, foolishly, had a chance to be in on traveller from the beginning but didn't, I'd like to correct my mistake as much as possible by finding and reading the quintessential books needed to understand traveller.

I've read secrets of the ancients, I know most of the basics. I'm into gurps traveller (I like gurps as SJG is the last of the great 'golden age' gaming companies still around.)

So what other books realy give a grasp of the original traveller universe?

 

[Lexx]

Speaking as someone who, foolishly, had a chance to be in on traveller from the beginning but didn't, I'd like to correct my mistake as much as possible by finding and reading the quintessential books needed to understand traveller.

I've read secrets of the ancients, I know most of the basics. I'm into gurps traveller (I like gurps as SJG is the last of the great 'golden age' gaming companies still around.)

So what other books realy give a grasp of the original traveller universe?

 

[Vargas]

If you're looking for good CT era background material, get the JTAS reprints. There's a lot of good stuff there.

 

[Vargas]

If you're looking for good CT era background material, get the JTAS reprints. There's a lot of good stuff there.

 

[mormonyoyoman]

Originally posted by Lexx:
(I like gurps as SJG is the last of the great 'golden age' gaming companies still around.)

Now I know I'm old, since SJG still seems like a new company to me. (Even if SJ was much of Metagaming prior to...)

 

[mormonyoyoman]

Originally posted by Lexx:
(I like gurps as SJG is the last of the great 'golden age' gaming companies still around.)

Now I know I'm old, since SJG still seems like a new company to me. (Even if SJ was much of Metagaming prior to...)

 

[MJD]

Gateway to Destiny.

Yes, it's new, but it's a reworking of existing setting details to make the whole setting accessible to new players.

 

[MJD]

Gateway to Destiny.

Yes, it's new, but it's a reworking of existing setting details to make the whole setting accessible to new players.

 

[mike wightman]

Lexx, if you haven't done so already, try to get hold of The Traveller Adventure. This campaign book will give you a massive amount of detail as to what CT was/is all about.

 

[mike wightman]

Lexx, if you haven't done so already, try to get hold of The Traveller Adventure. This campaign book will give you a massive amount of detail as to what CT was/is all about.

 

[Lexx]

Thanks, is it in print or what? The traveller adventure, I mean.

 

[Lexx]

Thanks, is it in print or what? The traveller adventure, I mean.

 

[mormonyoyoman]

Originally posted by MJD:
Gateway to Destiny.

Yep, I think most of us will agree with this. Though I haven't much use for the D20 system (Levels in Traveller just seem wrong.) QLI is doing a great job of revitalizing the feel of classic Traveller. The best products have either no game stats to get in the way, or have both T20 *and* Classic Traveller statistics. IIRC, only the weapons book (T001?) has dual stats, but I could be wrong.

 

[mormonyoyoman]

Originally posted by MJD:
Gateway to Destiny.

Yep, I think most of us will agree with this. Though I haven't much use for the D20 system (Levels in Traveller just seem wrong.) QLI is doing a great job of revitalizing the feel of classic Traveller. The best products have either no game stats to get in the way, or have both T20 *and* Classic Traveller statistics. IIRC, only the weapons book (T001?) has dual stats, but I could be wrong.

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Lexx:
Thanks, is it in print or what? The traveller adventure, I mean.

It is no longer in print, sadly. It may re-appear some time as a FFE reprint, otherwise you're at the mercy of fate and ebay prices

I wonder if QLI could persuade MWM to let them print it as a dual stat adventure?

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Lexx:
Thanks, is it in print or what? The traveller adventure, I mean.

It is no longer in print, sadly. It may re-appear some time as a FFE reprint, otherwise you're at the mercy of fate and ebay prices

I wonder if QLI could persuade MWM to let them print it as a dual stat adventure?

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by mormonyoyoman:
The best products have either no game stats to get in the way, or have both T20 *and* Classic Traveller statistics. IIRC, only the weapons book (T001?) has dual stats, but I could be wrong.

TA1 Personal Weapons of Charted Space has both CT and T20 stats; very handy book
TA5 is T20 but IIRC Shane has some CT stats for it
TA4 76 Gunmen has CT and T20 stats for 4-tiered (Green, Regular, Vetern, Elite) versions of sophonts; very useful IMO
TA7 Fighting Ships has T20 only ship stats but they are very close to HG stats from what I understand. Good background info as well.
The other vechile TAs are T20 only and the other TA is a collection of short stories and an intro to the OTU and Gateway Domain.

The two Epic adventures are dual stated.

Gateway is largely statless and the UWPs are compatabile with CT. No ct stats for the races though the big ones are already stated in CT. (Droyne, Vargr, Aslan, K'Kree)

There is a discussion thread on adding a T20 extension to the BITS Task chart so you could convert T20 tasks to any other Traveller task system and I think several on converting ct characters to ct and vice versa.

Casey

[EDIT]Removed T20 M&M conversion bit as being off-topic[/EDIT]

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by mormonyoyoman:
The best products have either no game stats to get in the way, or have both T20 *and* Classic Traveller statistics. IIRC, only the weapons book (T001?) has dual stats, but I could be wrong.

TA1 Personal Weapons of Charted Space has both CT and T20 stats; very handy book
TA5 is T20 but IIRC Shane has some CT stats for it
TA4 76 Gunmen has CT and T20 stats for 4-tiered (Green, Regular, Vetern, Elite) versions of sophonts; very useful IMO
TA7 Fighting Ships has T20 only ship stats but they are very close to HG stats from what I understand. Good background info as well.
The other vechile TAs are T20 only and the other TA is a collection of short stories and an intro to the OTU and Gateway Domain.

The two Epic adventures are dual stated.

Gateway is largely statless and the UWPs are compatabile with CT. No ct stats for the races though the big ones are already stated in CT. (Droyne, Vargr, Aslan, K'Kree)

There is a discussion thread on adding a T20 extension to the BITS Task chart so you could convert T20 tasks to any other Traveller task system and I think several on converting ct characters to ct and vice versa.

Casey

[EDIT]Removed T20 M&M conversion bit as being off-topic[/EDIT]

 

[clementk]

I was going to recommend the CT Supplements reprints. But the GT main book duplicates the original library data albeit with some additions and changes and the GT line has Spinward Marches and Solomani Rim sector books. Before GT the MT Imperial Encyclopedia book was IMO the best single volume OTU book and is still handy. Some of the other MT books have some neato but at times over detailed info on the OTU. YMMV.

Traveller Downport has a nice section on the assumptions and history of Traveller, including the OTU.
Traveller Integrated Timeline

HTH,
Casey

 

[clementk]

I was going to recommend the CT Supplements reprints. But the GT main book duplicates the original library data albeit with some additions and changes and the GT line has Spinward Marches and Solomani Rim sector books. Before GT the MT Imperial Encyclopedia book was IMO the best single volume OTU book and is still handy. Some of the other MT books have some neato but at times over detailed info on the OTU. YMMV.

Traveller Downport has a nice section on the assumptions and history of Traveller, including the OTU.
Traveller Integrated Timeline

HTH,
Casey