CT Only: Using Navigation in place of jump tapes

[aramis]

Yup. ALL of the early RPGs are "direct descendants" of D&D in that sense. Traveller fell considerably farther from the tree than nearly any other in that first generation, though.

I'd argue that RuneQuest actually falls further...

RQ	D&D	Traveller
7 attributes, (STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA)	6 atts (Str Int Wis Con Dex Cha	6 atts Str Dex End Int Edu Soc
3d6	3d6	2d6
To-Hit and Armor Penetration separated (armor reduces damage)	To-hit and Pen combined	to Hit and Pen Combined; Striker/AHL separates it in the 80's
Totally classless	Class & Level	Class but not level
clear opposed roll mechanics	No opposed roll mechanics	No opposed roll mechanic
coupled to a setting from the get go	No setting and only weak setting implications	fairly strongly implied setting in core, explicit setting in later editions
large format	small format	small format
Reliant on d10's & d6's	d10's optional* d6's required	d6 only
Hit Locations matter	No hit locations	No Hit Locations
Fantasy	Fantasy	Sci-Fi

Setting wise, Traveller's quite different; mechanically, RQ is more distant. (And a year later).

 

[Lapthorn]

I apologize for the confusion. [...]

No problem at all and apologies if I seemed irritated - I share your broad approach, as I understand it, in terms of the risk that Third Imperium setting material obscures the original thrust of the game.

However, FWIW, I don't think the suggestion materially upsets the balance of Books 1-3. Almost any group with a ship surely could scrabble together 10k for a jump tape/cassette unless the ref is being spectacularly mean. This idea just gives them another option to consider, with a risk and a reward.

I like adding rules content that gives players more options, where that content is with the grain of the game as I read it. Others' MMV, naturally, and I can certainly see the appeal of strict adherence to Bks 1-3, for clarity if nothing else.

 

[creativehum]

No problem at all and apologies if I seemed irritated - I share your broad approach, as I understand it, in terms of the risk that Third Imperium setting material obscures the original thrust of the game.

However, FWIW, I don't think the suggestion materially upsets the balance of Books 1-3. Almost any group with a ship surely could scrabble together 10k for a jump tape/cassette unless the ref is being spectacularly mean. This idea just gives them another option to consider, with a risk and a reward.

I like adding rules content that gives players more options, where that content is with the grain of the game as I read it. Others' MMV, naturally, and I can certainly see the appeal of strict adherence to Bks 1-3, for clarity if nothing else.

I agree absolutely with what you just wrote. Absolutely.

I need to admit one more error on my part:

I prefer the Space Lane rules found in the 1977 edition. And my brain defaulted to them, even though they have not been part of the game since the original rules. And the Space Lane rule and the Jump Cassette rules fit together in an important way:

In cases where a generate program is not available, starports have single-use flight plans (in self-erasing cassettes) available for all worlds within jump range, and for which space lanes exist ( see Book 3).

[Emphasis added]

If you're familiar with the Space Lane rules, you can quickly see how the game originally made the traveling off the well traveled trade routes a real effort for the PCs -- since even with Jump Cassettes they would be limited to well established Space Lanes..They had to get that generate program if they were going to move beyond them. So early adventures would be adventures on the main trade worlds, and then they'd be hustling to get the Credits to buy Generate to start exploring off those lanes.

You were not working with that assumption (I am very sure) and I was, and for that I apologize. My bad.

 

[ffilz]

I agree absolutely with what you just wrote. Absolutely.

I need to admit one more error on my part:

I prefer the Space Lane rules found in the 1977 edition. And my brain defaulted to them, even though they have not been part of the game since the original rules. And the Space Lane rule and the Jump Cassette rules fit together in an important way:


[Emphasis added]

If you're familiar with the Space Lane rules, you can quickly see how the game originally made the traveling off the well traveled trade routes a real effort for the PCs -- since even with Jump Cassettes they would be limited to well established Space Lanes..They had to get that generate program if they were going to move beyond them. So early adventures would be adventures on the main trade worlds, and then they'd be hustling to get the Credits to buy Generate to start exploring off those lanes.

You were not working with that assumption (I am very sure) and I was, and for that I apologize. My bad.

Although if you go strictly by 1977 rules, this was also less of a limitation. In 1977 the starting software package is always Mcr 2...

On the flip side, since I like this limitation, I will be using the 1977 jump cassette rule, the space lanes rule, but with the 1981 starting software package rule (which is Mcr 1 for a Model 1 or Model 1/bis computer).

Frank

 

[Lapthorn]

. And the Space Lane rule and the Jump Cassette rules fit together in an important way

Very interesting - I was not aware of that.

I would really enjoy trying a 1977-rules game just to see how all these little details played out.

 

[ffilz]

Very interesting - I was not aware of that.

I would really enjoy trying a 1977-rules game just to see how all these little details played out.

See this post for a two-subsector play area I'm setting up with intent to use these rules (well, actually, I will for the most part be running 1981 Traveller, with the use of thee 1977 Space Lanes rule and the Jump Cassette rule).

So those space lanes shown will be the only places a starting PC ship would be able to go to until they are able to afford to purchase (or are able to write) the Generate program.

Frank

 

[samuelvss]

My first though with Cassette is a 200rd ammo box for a shipboard tertiary weapon. But i also encountered adverts for computer cassette hard drives in the 70's... winchester style platter cassettes. 10 MB each. And slide cassettes holding 30 ea 35mm slides.

Tapes cassettes were always "cassette tapes" or just "tapes."

Good points indeed.

I assumed there was a different anachronistic element to the term, however. I drove 12 hours a couple of weeks ago to get here, a drive made possible by "books on tape." Of course, I had neither tape nor tape player, but "books on CD" just sounds so wrong. We still talk about "tin foil," to a lesser degree "lead pipes," and the M1 Garand confused the "clip" and "magazine" for firearms indelibly in U.S. vernacular.
Buffaloes do not have wings, nor chicken fingers. It's language; it doesn't have to make sense. Some obscurity in terminology is great chrome, like Heilein's "tanglefoot" gas in Starship Troopers.

 

[Lapthorn]

See this post for a two-subsector play area I'm setting up with intent to use these rules (well, actually, I will for the most part be running 1981 Traveller, with the use of thee 1977 Space Lanes rule and the Jump Cassette rule).

So those space lanes shown will be the only places a starting PC ship would be able to go to until they are able to afford to purchase (or are able to write) the Generate program.

Frank

I think you may have forgotten to include a hyperlink? I'd be really interested to see this.

 

[ffilz]

I think you may have forgotten to include a hyperlink? I'd be really interested to see this.

Sorry. Try this

https://plus.google.com/103968574990660180814/posts/3FyBLkNCg9R?iem=4&gpawv=1&hl=en-US

 

[Lapthorn]

Cheers!