Understanding the use of T20 equipment?

[Mr. Oberon]

I've been looking over some things in the book, and the first thing that strikes me is that the equipment is not defined very well, or at all in some cases.
What are the D20 stats of a Meson communication array? How does it work? What is it's usefulnes? The ship building guide tells us the cost, but not why I want it...
Things like this are running all through the book... Are you guys going to release an equipment guide?

 

[Mr. Oberon]

Anyone at all?

 

[MJD]

It's communications device that uses a meson stream. We had so many things to put in and explain that getting into the physics and mechanics of how stuff works was not really an option. Details will appear in other materials, but for now I suggest thinking about it the way Star Trek transporters are to me "oh, it's a gizmo that moves things from your ship to somewhere else" without worrying about its mechanics.

I mean, how many of your players will actually know how to use a radio, or how it works? What they really want is the ability to communicate.

 

[DrSkull]

I think what Oberon was getting at was that the book doesn't explain what good a Meson Communicator is over a standard radio or laser communicator

to wit: a Meson Communicator allows you to communicate with another ship without the possibility of interception. The comm beam also can travel through solid objects. (Radio can be heard by anyone, laser com can't be intercepted, but must be line of sight without obstruction)

 

[Mr. Oberon]

Thanks. But there are lots of things like this... Have a book you would reccomend for traveller descriptions of equipment and tech?

 

[T. Foster]

In the short term your best bet is probably to just ask questions here as they pop up. There are plenty of knowledgeable old grognards around who'll be happy to help you out.

In the long term, the most comprehensive single source for Traveller tech info is probably Fire, Fusion, & Steel, published by GDW for Traveller: The New Era. Out of print, but not too terribly rare.

 

[Uncle Bob]

OTOH, I have been playing Traveller for over 20 years, and I had never heard of a meson communicator before. Knowing about meson weapons it was immediately obvious, but that may be because I was an old gearhead even if I rejected FFS.

This is the first serious criticism of T20 I have heard (besides requiring me to buy a *grr* D&D book for the first time in 25 years). If there wasn't room in 250+ pages to explain a technology, it should have been left for a supplement. After all, T20 has been sold to us as a way to make Traveller accessible to new players, not as an improved system for us cogniscenti.

 

[DaveShayne]

Originally posted by T. Foster:
In the short term your best bet is probably to just ask questions here as they pop up. There are plenty of knowledgeable old grognards around who'll be happy to help you out.

In the long term, the most comprehensive single source for Traveller tech info is probably Fire, Fusion, & Steel, published by GDW for Traveller: The New Era. Out of print, but not too terribly rare.

Alternately T4's Central Supply Catalog has lots of the tech stuff in it with explanations for most of it.

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by MrOberon1972:
I've been looking over some things in the book, and the first thing that strikes me is that the equipment is not defined very well, or at all in some cases.
What are the D20 stats of a Meson communication array? How does it work? What is it's usefulnes? The ship building guide tells us the cost, but not why I want it...
Things like this are running all through the book... Are you guys going to release an equipment guide?

Description of Meson communication systems can be found on page 250 in the Design Sequences chapter.

Hunter

 

[matrix cypher]

another thing ive noticed is in the equipment chapter is the cybernetics have a big lack of discriptive text as far as game effect. most can be extrapolated on but one that gets me is the cyberjack/implant. it gives a discription but nothing on what programs your brain can run or what effect it has on opperating the varios equipment it effects.

 

[AllenS]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
[QB](besides requiring me to buy a *grr* D&D book for the first time in 25 years).

The book says "Requires The Use of a Roleplaying Game Core Book by Wizards of the Coast." The most common of those is of course the D&D Player's Handbook, but there are others. You could, for example, buy the revised Star Wars core book. Or d20 Call of Cthulhu. Or Wheel of Time. Or you could even hold out for a bit and buy the upcoming D20 Modern. You don't have to neccesarily buy D&D.

Allen

 

[Mr. Oberon]

Ah-Ha! Found it! Thanks hunter. I looked carfully throught equipment and the starship rules for the info, along with the rear dictionary, but could not find it.

Friendly word of advise for the next printing: After all of the equipment and construction rules, place a seperate chapter with "what this does" with referances at the other chapters where they are mentioned. Still conserves space, and allows you to look up info on a subject easier no matter what chaper you are in already.

Just a thought... (remember: Hindsight is always 20/20)

Or perhaps an equipment encyclepedia (sp) that describes everything in detail... Also give fluff text with differing builders across the traveller universe. (Sol Cyberdine: Mech Men for the hard jobs...)

 

[Herodotus]

The equipment I've been trying to figure out is the Shotgun. It says it is capable of firing both slugs or buckshot, but does not say what the difference is between the two rounds? Also it has three entries under damage. I figure those have to deal with range, but I can't find any text to support it. Right now I'm treating buckshot as auto fire with a +3 to hit. Can anyone help me here?

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Herodotus:
The equipment I've been trying to figure out is the Shotgun. It says it is capable of firing both slugs or buckshot, but does not say what the difference is between the two rounds? Also it has three entries under damage. I figure those have to deal with range, but I can't find any text to support it. Right now I'm treating buckshot as auto fire with a +3 to hit. Can anyone help me here?

Page 204, Non Standard Ammunition

 

[eclipse]

Originally posted by MrOberon1972:
Thanks. But there are lots of things like this... Have a book you would reccomend for traveller descriptions of equipment and tech?

TNE's Fire, Fusion & Steel is a great book. It's more how to build things than an equipment listing though. I found GURPS:Traveller Ground Forces to have a good equipment list.

If you can find a copy of T4's Central Supply Catalog, that give a good overview of personal equipment, including vac suits, armor, exploration gear, and more.

 

[hawkwing98]

In case anyone wanted to know

Note on the buck shot and Slug round
the Buck shot is a spead of bb pellets hurts like hell and will kill at close range but not long range...Also note Police and SWAT and FBI and any other alphabet soup government organizations are taught to bounce the pellets off of the ground to "skip" them in to legs and knees....Yes I have done this feat it works

a Slug is a solid shot used to kill stuff dead..

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

Slugs and rifled slugs are single chunks of lead or whatever but BUCK shot is NOT bb's

Shot is multiple round balls of varient sizes.

most bird shot is the size of bb's or smaller.

BUCK shot is about .30 caliber (they can only cram about 6 into a shell)

thanks.

 

[GypsyComet]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
OTOH, I have been playing Traveller for over 20 years, and I had never heard of a meson communicator before. Knowing about meson weapons it was immediately obvious, but that may be because I was an old gearhead even if I rejected FFS.

??

The Meson communicator was introduced in, IIRC, Striker, and was also in MT.

 

[justacaveman]

Actually you can cram about a dozen buckshot pellets into a shotshell, depending on caliber of shotgun and whether you're using 3" magnums etc..

Buckshot is lethal for quite a distance. It's like being hit by several 22's at the same time.

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

My point was that BUCK shot are not bb's

Some sizes of BIRD shot are even smaller than bb's but BUCK shot is BIG and LETHAL at range.

Point taken though Lord Rhys, I know somone who handloads his own shells who can cram a lot more than 6, 00 size pellets into his shells but I believe the rules have stated in the past something like six to eight.