mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
Too bad. Problems with players? They start arguing about real life religious issues? I've never had any such difficulties.
I always liked that Yrth used 'real' religions (fantasy versions based on historical faiths, as nothing in a game is 'real').
Whatever works for you, though!
Not arguing. Have been in more than one game (As GM or player) where some players act passiv-aggressiv against ALL religious NPCs presented in a Yearth setting with a peak against the Christian church. Since Atheists and "party book" Christians are quite the norm in Germany this is not uncommon
The problems with the DSA players are more extrem since the way it is written "the 12" can be interpreted as demanding behaviour somewhere between "Inquisition" and "Taliban" from their priests and some players do them that way while others like to put the (rather silly) religion(s) in the background.
One thing I've started doing is using the effects of electronics communication on language more. It allows a new paradigm to dialogue to remember that this has been an aspect of language for thousands of years just as much as writing. For instance crew members can carry on small talk while at their workstations if the Captain doesn't know, or doesn't mind. Normal social gathering places or institutions(messes, coffeehouses, etc) keep their own website, thus having a virtual as well as a face-to-face aspect. It also provides as I have said elsewhere, a replacement for "the holodeck". Or even more like "The Captains Table" star trek series. It is a way to have interlude stories. One can have the characters meet at a website. It makes it easy to explain the presence of a character I wish to be present that would be awkward to include in a FtF meeting(because of geographic distance, say, or social status, or whatever). It also allows different characters to be in a different place doing different things while they meet on the net. In fact the only real limitation is communication beyond jump space, and communication involving numbers above the human mental capacity. For the matter of that, modern technology is capable of this today and social custom is adjusting. But more efficient electronics makes that easier.
Naturally "You all meet on the net." doesn't completely replace, "You all meet in an inn." But it is an interesting alternative for an amateur writer to work with.
Naturally "You all meet on the net." doesn't completely replace, "You all meet in an inn." But it is an interesting alternative for an amateur writer to work with.
One thing I haven't used much is fantastic elements in the direct plot line(as opposed to side stories). It just doesn't seem to fit well in most cases.
I also didn't have the Big Darned Heroes changing the course of the universe. As the plotline centered around a trading clan hired to carry supplies for the Astron Project that was reasonable enough.
One technique I borrowed from TV sci-fi. Instead of writing in novel form, I write it in interconnected short-stories or "episodes". Some episodes are stand-alone and some have to do with a recurring theme. I also used "seasons" which are easy enough simply by substituting the trade calender for the TV calender. It is a spacer's right to either rest or extra pay in winter-a carry over from on world trade-and the ship needs maintenance anyway. Therefore the characters would instinctively think in terms of years rather then continually. In fact much feels more like a TV series rather then a novel.
I have surprised myself by the way characters are improving. I have not until recently been a character writer .
I am writing on the internet not on paper. Only a few people can see it and even they can't see all of it. It is really not as good written down as it is in my mind but probably every would-be author has thought that. Maybe someday I will be great. Or not as the case may be. Tolkien took ages to write his stories and he never really thought he would be what he was. On the other hand there are a lot of would-be Tolkien's that are just not so.
I also didn't have the Big Darned Heroes changing the course of the universe. As the plotline centered around a trading clan hired to carry supplies for the Astron Project that was reasonable enough.
One technique I borrowed from TV sci-fi. Instead of writing in novel form, I write it in interconnected short-stories or "episodes". Some episodes are stand-alone and some have to do with a recurring theme. I also used "seasons" which are easy enough simply by substituting the trade calender for the TV calender. It is a spacer's right to either rest or extra pay in winter-a carry over from on world trade-and the ship needs maintenance anyway. Therefore the characters would instinctively think in terms of years rather then continually. In fact much feels more like a TV series rather then a novel.
I have surprised myself by the way characters are improving. I have not until recently been a character writer .
I am writing on the internet not on paper. Only a few people can see it and even they can't see all of it. It is really not as good written down as it is in my mind but probably every would-be author has thought that. Maybe someday I will be great. Or not as the case may be. Tolkien took ages to write his stories and he never really thought he would be what he was. On the other hand there are a lot of would-be Tolkien's that are just not so.
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One part I didn't use is calling Aslan, "Aslan". In the one story to date that had them I called them "Fteirle". This was a simple recognition of the fact that my readers were more familiar with Narnia then Traveller and hence I had to make allowances. Fteirle is a cool word anyway.
Everything Leo said (eerie ... 
)
I used all those houserules/omissions...every one. Guess they make alot of sense!
)I used all those houserules/omissions...every one. Guess they make alot of sense!
Right now, my regular gaming group is in the middle of a long term D&D campaign, so I don't use any parts!
But back in the day, I seriously stripped down the Classic trav rules.
Parts of Classic Traveller I Did Not Use:
Character death during chargen. After the first time, I said, "Lame!' and made it an automatic discharge. This was back in 1977-78 before that became a semi-official rule.
Positive DMs to hit for poor armor. I never liked that some armor made you an easier target. I only used the negative DMs. Of course, this made jack and mesh pretty much useless, but made unarmored NPC civilians much more likely to survive.
Most of the computer programming rules. Why have a weapon that can't fire without a particular program? Why have a special program just so your pilot and gunner skills actually mean something? I assumed all those programs were hard wired into the equipment from the start. Only specialty programs (Auto Fire, Anti Hijack, etc.) were not.
Vectors. Not once, ever.
Most of the OTU. I used Regina subsector as the start of my first real campaign, tried using the Spinward Marches for another, then made up my own cobbled together setting. Any published adventures I used had the names, serial numbers, etc. filed off.
Vilani names. I still remember introducing the major villain in the "Sky Raiders" trilogy, a tough, Sidney Greenstreet/ Jabba the Hutt mobster, destined to hound the PCs for three exciting adventures. His name? Enerei Kalamanaru. Say it out loud: Eh-neer-ee Kal-uh-man-uh-roo. Doesn't it just say, "I'm a rough, tough gangster, don't mess with me, or you'll be sleeping with the space mantas?" No? My players didn't think so either. They laughed and laughed, and laughed some more. No more Vilani names.
Most of the expanded character books (Mercenary, High Guard, etc.). I liked the simplicity of the original rules so much. I liked that you could roll up a character in a few minutes. I hated most of the heavier weapons in Book 4 (FGMPs, PGMPs, especially). Only Citizens of the Imperium got use from me.
To me, this was the strength of the original rules. They were so simple and straightforward, you could tinker away and almost never break them (not that we didn't try :devil.
Is it??!!
I can't even say it ...
I pronounced it Fit-ear-lay at first.
But looking at the book it may be closer to Fut-Air-Luh
or maybe Fut-Tar-Lah.
And anyway different clans will pronounce it differently as will humans who live near them.
It is plausible that the humans in my stories will prefer the usage "Fteirle" to "Aslan". Humans in my tales are more comfortable with Aslan then many from the Imperium. They often trade with incoming Ihaiti, they have a warlike outlook on life, and they have units of Aslan vassals in their military service whom they regard rather like English regard Gurkhas. They have philosophical and cultural clashes, and sometimes fight wars but they are also often friendly with Aslan. Vargrs are different: they have no honor.
Oh wait, wrong show.
I once wrote an episode in which the human hero stopped a local feud between an Aslan ally of his clan and an Aslan rival by challenging the opponent to a chess-duel in which the loser swore to stand still for seven blows of a claw/ayloi. The Aslan were intrigued at a new way to fight a duel, and also at a good way to to save the bother of fighting a feud.
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Currently, I don't use Traveller M-drives nor Jump Drives. I use my "space translation" drives in my game.
Like someone else said, "Grandfather", or however you spell the Droyne name. Yaskoday or something?
In my scheme of things there's room for more than one old/ancient/high-tech civ that's come and gone. The Droyne may be the most prominent because of all their leftovers, but I think Traveller can fit a few others in there without disrupting the huge scheme of things Traveller.
Darley51
SOC-9
Hybrid....
Computer Software: Jump-2 (or any number above 1) is good for Jump-2 AND Jump-1.
Basic software package (maneuver, navigate, jump, etc) is hardwired into the ship (through the drives) and doesn't count against computer ability... damage to drives, though, can damage the software the operates them, too...
Turrets can be operated/fired from either the bridge or the turret (and they can be slaved together from the bridge, etc). Gunnery Program allows anyone to fire it without negative DMs, Gunnery skill allows operation with or without the program (but no program = no DM).
Free Traders (and others with scoops) have a fuel purifier (why have scoops if you can't cook your own gas?) - but not as good/rugged as a scout or military grade model...
Death in character generation? Critical Injury instead... and they have to invent the story to go with it (and maybe a nervous tick, or too...)
and EVERYONE has that crappy air system that the scouts have complained about for years... just no one noticed because the parts are part of the life support fees you pay at each starport... land in the wild often enough, and the Scout Fugg (think "Gateway Fugg" but more pronounced) comes and gets you...
Scout vessels come equipped with dual purpose bunks... sleep on it when you want.... cold sleep when you're injured badly enough (same rolls as the emergency cold sleep berths) - mercenary and smaller military vessels have the same outfit (the bigger ones have a full service medbay, small ships don't necessarily have the space....) Some safari and other types of charter ships have been known to have similar equippage...
YMMV
Computer Software: Jump-2 (or any number above 1) is good for Jump-2 AND Jump-1.
Basic software package (maneuver, navigate, jump, etc) is hardwired into the ship (through the drives) and doesn't count against computer ability... damage to drives, though, can damage the software the operates them, too...
Turrets can be operated/fired from either the bridge or the turret (and they can be slaved together from the bridge, etc). Gunnery Program allows anyone to fire it without negative DMs, Gunnery skill allows operation with or without the program (but no program = no DM).
Free Traders (and others with scoops) have a fuel purifier (why have scoops if you can't cook your own gas?) - but not as good/rugged as a scout or military grade model...
Death in character generation? Critical Injury instead... and they have to invent the story to go with it (and maybe a nervous tick, or too...)
and EVERYONE has that crappy air system that the scouts have complained about for years... just no one noticed because the parts are part of the life support fees you pay at each starport... land in the wild often enough, and the Scout Fugg (think "Gateway Fugg" but more pronounced) comes and gets you...
Scout vessels come equipped with dual purpose bunks... sleep on it when you want.... cold sleep when you're injured badly enough (same rolls as the emergency cold sleep berths) - mercenary and smaller military vessels have the same outfit (the bigger ones have a full service medbay, small ships don't necessarily have the space....) Some safari and other types of charter ships have been known to have similar equippage...
YMMV
G
gloriousbattle
Guest
I don't use a lot of stuff:
1. Pretty much the whole Traveller starhip system. Full Thrust works better, and I like the weapons and defenses better. Ya wanna buy a starship? 1 Full Thrust point value = 1,000,000 CR.
2. Grandfather and the ancients. This was good, but everybody knows about it. It's kinda like playing a Lord of the Rings rpg and trying to pretend that you don't know Sauron is trying to get the ring back, or even that the ring exists.
Instead, I am using the vampires (not ships, but actual blood drinkers) from Space Gamer #74 as my own, supremely evil, ancients, who are still around (though very few sophonts know it) trying to destroy the universe and corrupt sentient life.
3. Anything that I think is overly complex. I guess I basically play Traveller-Lite.
1. Pretty much the whole Traveller starhip system. Full Thrust works better, and I like the weapons and defenses better. Ya wanna buy a starship? 1 Full Thrust point value = 1,000,000 CR.
2. Grandfather and the ancients. This was good, but everybody knows about it. It's kinda like playing a Lord of the Rings rpg and trying to pretend that you don't know Sauron is trying to get the ring back, or even that the ring exists.
Instead, I am using the vampires (not ships, but actual blood drinkers) from Space Gamer #74 as my own, supremely evil, ancients, who are still around (though very few sophonts know it) trying to destroy the universe and corrupt sentient life.
3. Anything that I think is overly complex. I guess I basically play Traveller-Lite.
Same here. Turret gunners in PlexiglasTM bubbles went out of style ~1945.
Mine have always been weapon stations on the bridge.
One can excuse having replaceable generators(for lasers), or ECM pods and small missiles carried in the hold I suppose. But it is really hard to justify turret gunners. At the least the turret would be more efficient automatically. I suppose a gunner could chose from a selection of patterns.
Higgipedia
SOC-11
Yeah, but turret gunners LOOK cool. And if they are cool and not practical, cool wins in a game.
That said... I've been in the turret of a Humvee and I've messed around with the Remote Weapons Systems in the new MRAPs. The gap in situational awareness you have in a turret compared to a narrow camera in a remote setting is huge. I prefer being a turret gunner to using an RWS.
At the ranges involved, it makes no difference if the gunner is in the turret or using a RWS; he's reliant upon the same sensor kit in either case. Mainly because the enemy craft is just a spec at 50km+, let alone the 1250km+ of medium range under Mongoose....
Cool wins until it strains suspension of disbelief unbearably. That comes at different times for different people and it some ways is rather arbitrary. I couldn't think of an explanation that satisfied me and so I couldn't swallow it. Honestly I did try.
