To OTU or not to OTU?

[Ranger]

I guess it depends on a couple of things. What are your players looking forward to? Do they want the Traveller experience in the sense that they want Aslan and Vargr along side humans, or are they just looking forward to the hard edged Sci-Fi of Traveller? Is there an alternate setting they are really interested in (like Firefly) that would catch their imagination? How much OTU stuff do you have already?

If I were going to run a Traveller campaign right now, I could be talked into either OTU or homegrown depending on what the players really wanted to do.

 

[Ranger]

I guess it depends on a couple of things. What are your players looking forward to? Do they want the Traveller experience in the sense that they want Aslan and Vargr along side humans, or are they just looking forward to the hard edged Sci-Fi of Traveller? Is there an alternate setting they are really interested in (like Firefly) that would catch their imagination? How much OTU stuff do you have already?

If I were going to run a Traveller campaign right now, I could be talked into either OTU or homegrown depending on what the players really wanted to do.

 

[jwdh71]

As for me, while I have mostly played in OTU games, I've mostly ran ATU games myself. It started when I first bought Traveller, I had no idea that there was an OTU, as I had none of the adventures or campaign information. Traveller was always a way of playing in universes I created. When I was a player, I mostly played with GMs who used the OTU, albeit most of them heavily modified it to suit them.

So my recommendation is, if you have the time to spend, develop your own universe. If you don't have the time, or your players prefer it, play in the OTU.

 

[jwdh71]

As for me, while I have mostly played in OTU games, I've mostly ran ATU games myself. It started when I first bought Traveller, I had no idea that there was an OTU, as I had none of the adventures or campaign information. Traveller was always a way of playing in universes I created. When I was a player, I mostly played with GMs who used the OTU, albeit most of them heavily modified it to suit them.

So my recommendation is, if you have the time to spend, develop your own universe. If you don't have the time, or your players prefer it, play in the OTU.

 

[Whipsnade]

Robert Fisher explained:

"The OTU provides lots of support to me as ref, but it also comes with baggage."


Mr. Fisher,

I've never seen a pure OTU game and I've been playing Traveller since 1978.

Time for hands people; Has anyone here ever seen a pure OTU? Death in chargen? Throwing 5+ during low berth revival to avoid death? Passage sold and cargo hauled on the basis of announced destination and not the number of jumps? Anyone? Bueller?

The OTU is there to save you, the GM, time. and nothing more. If there is something about the OTU you don't like either ignore it or chuck it out. Treat the OTU like an off-the-rack suit; buy it cheap and then alter it to fit YOU and YOUR game.

As a wise man(1) once said, 'Canon is for authors'. Don't let canon and canonicity enter the picture and don't worry about canon and canonicity either. Play YOUR game YOUR way. Use those bits of the OTU that save you time and the hell with the rest!

Have fun!


Sincerely,
Larsen

1 - Hans Rancke-Madsen

 

[Whipsnade]

Robert Fisher explained:

"The OTU provides lots of support to me as ref, but it also comes with baggage."


Mr. Fisher,

I've never seen a pure OTU game and I've been playing Traveller since 1978.

Time for hands people; Has anyone here ever seen a pure OTU? Death in chargen? Throwing 5+ during low berth revival to avoid death? Passage sold and cargo hauled on the basis of announced destination and not the number of jumps? Anyone? Bueller?

The OTU is there to save you, the GM, time. and nothing more. If there is something about the OTU you don't like either ignore it or chuck it out. Treat the OTU like an off-the-rack suit; buy it cheap and then alter it to fit YOU and YOUR game.

As a wise man(1) once said, 'Canon is for authors'. Don't let canon and canonicity enter the picture and don't worry about canon and canonicity either. Play YOUR game YOUR way. Use those bits of the OTU that save you time and the hell with the rest!

Have fun!


Sincerely,
Larsen

1 - Hans Rancke-Madsen

 

[flykiller]

if you intend to keep the adventure limited to a subsector, home brew is fine. if you want it to be sector wide, the otu provides a great ready-made framework.

 

[flykiller]

if you intend to keep the adventure limited to a subsector, home brew is fine. if you want it to be sector wide, the otu provides a great ready-made framework.

 

[aramis]

Remember, if all you're doing is changing setting issues, there are vast areas in the next spiral arm which Yaskodray might have settled protohumans upon... or even one of his children might have, and not told him...

Larsen:
Unless you're running CT, failed survival is NOT auto-death. (MT specifically reversed which was canon and which was option for failed survival. Later editions followed MT's lead.) Counting that change, in MT, yes, I've run many games that meet the criteria listed above... I've run the Traveller Adventure by the Traveller Book several times (6 partial runs... none have ever completed it.)

But I do agree with the quote of Hans Rancke-Madsen. To paraphrase: Use canon as a base, not a noose. Go where it leads you... even when that's contradicted by stuff in print.

 

[aramis]

Remember, if all you're doing is changing setting issues, there are vast areas in the next spiral arm which Yaskodray might have settled protohumans upon... or even one of his children might have, and not told him...

Larsen:
Unless you're running CT, failed survival is NOT auto-death. (MT specifically reversed which was canon and which was option for failed survival. Later editions followed MT's lead.) Counting that change, in MT, yes, I've run many games that meet the criteria listed above... I've run the Traveller Adventure by the Traveller Book several times (6 partial runs... none have ever completed it.)

But I do agree with the quote of Hans Rancke-Madsen. To paraphrase: Use canon as a base, not a noose. Go where it leads you... even when that's contradicted by stuff in print.

 

[Whipsnade]

Aramis explained:

"Unless you're running CT, failed survival is NOT auto-death."


Mr. Aramis,

You are, of course, correct sir. I should have used another example for "OTU Rules That No One Uses Even When They Are Playing In The OTU".

"Counting that change, in MT, yes, I've run many games that meet the criteria listed above... I've run the Traveller Adventure by the Traveller Book several times (6 partial runs... none have ever completed it.)"

Wow, even the 5+ low berth survival roll? In CT, medic-2 gives you a +1 to that but even a 4+ survival roll can sting. MT must have made changes to that one too, but I can't remember the now.

IIRC, death in chargen and the low berth survival rolls were the first things my group changed in our games... about 15 minutes after we opened the box!

"To paraphrase: Use canon as a base, not a noose. Go where it leads you... even when that's contradicted by stuff in print."

That should be printed on the cover of every Traveller product.


Sincerely,
Larsen

 

[Whipsnade]

Aramis explained:

"Unless you're running CT, failed survival is NOT auto-death."


Mr. Aramis,

You are, of course, correct sir. I should have used another example for "OTU Rules That No One Uses Even When They Are Playing In The OTU".

"Counting that change, in MT, yes, I've run many games that meet the criteria listed above... I've run the Traveller Adventure by the Traveller Book several times (6 partial runs... none have ever completed it.)"

Wow, even the 5+ low berth survival roll? In CT, medic-2 gives you a +1 to that but even a 4+ survival roll can sting. MT must have made changes to that one too, but I can't remember the now.

IIRC, death in chargen and the low berth survival rolls were the first things my group changed in our games... about 15 minutes after we opened the box!

"To paraphrase: Use canon as a base, not a noose. Go where it leads you... even when that's contradicted by stuff in print."

That should be printed on the cover of every Traveller product.


Sincerely,
Larsen

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by kafka47:
A real cool 1248 sourcebook for the OTU would have the different voices speak from the grave would give a new feeling and give 1248 the history that most feel TNE Mk 1 destroyed.

Survival Margin 2 : Post-Virus Boogaloo?

Casey

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by kafka47:
A real cool 1248 sourcebook for the OTU would have the different voices speak from the grave would give a new feeling and give 1248 the history that most feel TNE Mk 1 destroyed.

Survival Margin 2 : Post-Virus Boogaloo?

Casey

 

[hirch duckfinder]

of course i tweak the otu to fit the current situation , whatever that may be. however much canon there is , it cannot cover all(most?some?) eventualities in a HUGE galaxy . but i still consider it a fantastically cool concept.....

mankind finally left earth to find the galaxy teaming with life and HUMAN BEINGS EVERYWHERE!!!!!

brilliant!

i've never understood why people find it restricting, i've never had a problem fitting any adventure i wanted into it.

good luck anyway.

 

[hirch duckfinder]

of course i tweak the otu to fit the current situation , whatever that may be. however much canon there is , it cannot cover all(most?some?) eventualities in a HUGE galaxy . but i still consider it a fantastically cool concept.....

mankind finally left earth to find the galaxy teaming with life and HUMAN BEINGS EVERYWHERE!!!!!

brilliant!

i've never understood why people find it restricting, i've never had a problem fitting any adventure i wanted into it.

good luck anyway.

 

[RobertFisher]

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:
I've never seen a pure OTU game and I've been playing Traveller since 1978.

Mr. Whipsnade,

Of course. Of course. I'm a big believer in treating any published setting the same as a homebrew. If MTU is the OTU, it's still MTU. I don't care what anyone thinks is "canon".

(In fact, when composing that first message of this thread, I spent a lot of time trying to word it so as to recognize this.)

But if you use the OTU, that implies you're keeping something. If I say I've decided to run an OTU game & then toss all the baggage, then I really haven't decided to run a OTU game.

Likewise, a "pure" homebrew may not be so pure & may borrow liberally from the OTU.

So, "pure" OTU & "pure" homebrew are not really issues here. Rather, we are talking in general terms about different regions on a continuum.

 

[RobertFisher]

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:
I've never seen a pure OTU game and I've been playing Traveller since 1978.

Mr. Whipsnade,

Of course. Of course. I'm a big believer in treating any published setting the same as a homebrew. If MTU is the OTU, it's still MTU. I don't care what anyone thinks is "canon".

(In fact, when composing that first message of this thread, I spent a lot of time trying to word it so as to recognize this.)

But if you use the OTU, that implies you're keeping something. If I say I've decided to run an OTU game & then toss all the baggage, then I really haven't decided to run a OTU game.

Likewise, a "pure" homebrew may not be so pure & may borrow liberally from the OTU.

So, "pure" OTU & "pure" homebrew are not really issues here. Rather, we are talking in general terms about different regions on a continuum.

 

[hirch duckfinder]

then why not set it in the imperium with any adjustments you need?
gives you access to loads of resources including some really good adventures.....

 

[hirch duckfinder]

then why not set it in the imperium with any adjustments you need?
gives you access to loads of resources including some really good adventures.....