What's the latest word...

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Ummm...

Yep, that is probably exactly why I prefer point buy systems - why suffer
the same sad fate in game as in reality ...

What, that's why it's called role playing. And point based systems of CharGen is for Timmy and Munchkins! I am old, well old enough to remember all games being Random CharGen and I have some Vilani Tendencies, basically, I hate point based, but most of my player group are a bunch of untrustable Timmies...

And if your life is a sad fate, well, sorry, I have recently just realized mine is much closer to where I wanted it to be.

 

[rust]

Ah, well, I am old enough to be of the Runequest/Basic Roleplaying crowd,
and we never got that used to later fashions like that random character
generation you youngsters keep talking of ... :rofl:

 

[Trent]

Saying all people who want points buy system are munchkins or such is unfair and more or less a group attack on a large segment of the rpg population.

I do not like random chargen as I like certain types of characters, and I like to pick interesting quirks that I want to play.

 

[rust]

Now, seriously: I have been playing Traveller since 1978, and we have al-
ways converted the latest Traveller version into the latest Basic Roleplay-
ing science fiction game with a percentile and point buy system, from Fu-
ture World over Ringworld to Cthulhu Rising.

Right now I am beginning to translate Mongoose Traveller into the new BRP,
for the same reasons: We find a percentile system more intuitive, and we
like to play characters that have at least the minimum competence required
to fit well into our rather detailed settings.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Ummm

Saying all people who want points buy system are munchkins or such is unfair and more or less a group attack on a large segment of the rpg population.

I do not like random chargen as I like certain types of characters, and I like to pick interesting quirks that I want to play.

OK, so I am not fair, plus I am a bunch of other not nice stuff too. :devil: Hi, I am Magnus the @sshole, meet me.

Still, if you can't RP what you get, are you really RPing or just playing around? 'Sides, I make my character, well a Character, and thus add my own quirks and stuff with pure make believe.

Me, I totally dig on the Challenge of Random, and I am biased as I said, My Group is a bunch of Timmy Munchkins. That is only one of the reasons though. I am sure there might be decent RPers who don't do Random CharGen, but true, I don't have as much respect for them....in fact, I think of it as a weakness...and pain (random CharGen) is weakness leaving the body, or in this case, mind.

But all this matters not, as I have my own opinions and they have the weight of the hot air (or elctrons) that I expound them with...

 

[CosmicGamer]

Really folks, did you get to pick points in life? Not me, well, not that I remember....

I did.

Picked for myself what my hobbies would be: Athletics(co-ordination)-1 {Tennis}, Gun(slug rifle)-1 {hunting and target shooting}, Survival-2 {Hiking, Camping, Hunting, Trapping, Volunteer wilderness search and rescue}, Mechanic-1 {fixing up cars}...

I won't go into choosing college major, minor, classes, career, job.

Just answering your question. This in no way voices an agreement or disagreement with random roleplaying characters, using a point system, or any other character generation system.

 

[aramis]

Ah, well, I am old enough to be of the Runequest/Basic Roleplaying crowd,
and we never got that used to later fashions like that random character
generation you youngsters keep talking of ... :rofl:

Yeah, but at least y'all rolled your stats!

Sure, you got to pick your skills... until 3rd ed.

CT: choices were continue, which table to roll skills on, which skill you got on Gun Combat or Blade Combat.
MT: Continue, Position (not required anymore), Which table to roll on, which skill in the roughly 40% of rolls that resulted in cascades.
TNE: Continue, Position, Which skills taken from the allowed list, which hobby.
T4: Continue, position, which table, possibly even which skill, lots of cascades as well.
T20: COntinue, Position, skills taken if level made, poltroonery.
MoTrav:
- RR: Continue, Position, which table, which specialty on many skills, if term is ironman or not.
- PB: stats and skills, and with GM's permission, terms. (Age determines point total)
GT: Stats and Skills, age. (point total fixed, without regard to age).

I've found that many really good roleplayers produce excellent point buy characters. They also can play random characters. But in general, point buy allows for much more adherence to a concept, and random roll is better when the concept is not preextant. MoTrav gives the choice, and that choice gives the GM a better set of tools than either alone.

 

[rust]

GT: Stats and Skills, age. (point total fixed, without regard to age).

Not quite so. If one chooses the disadvantage Youth, the points in skills can-
not exceed (2 x age).

 

[aramis]

Not quite so. If one chooses the disadvantage Youth, the points in skills can-
not exceed (2 x age).

Age in GURPS tell you where you can spend you points, not how many points you get.

Age in MoTrav sets your point total.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

And Magnus eats some crow.....

I did.

Picked for myself what my hobbies would be: Athletics(co-ordination)-1 {Tennis}, Gun(slug rifle)-1 {hunting and target shooting}, Survival-2 {Hiking, Camping, Hunting, Trapping, Volunteer wilderness search and rescue}, Mechanic-1 {fixing up cars}...

I won't go into choosing college major, minor, classes, career, job.

Just answering your question. This in no way voices an agreement or disagreement with random roleplaying characters, using a point system, or any other character generation system.

OK, first Cosmic, I have been hoisted on my own petard there....I never thought about it but, curses if you aren't right, I too, picked my skills, but not stats, or some disads.

And to add to the Humbling, I just got a warning for being over mean....

Sorry, really, I have stepped over a line and I apologize.

I had thought my last line of my last post (not this one) had explained that the post is my own personal opinion, which thanks to Cosmic I have to eat anyway, and that they were basically of zilch value except to me.

And I guess, I should get more sleep before I post....

Look, I really dig you peeps, and yes even the point based peeps, I mean I can't talk to much smack since I do have like a dozen or more GURPS books....so please, accept my very heartfelt apology and know that I don't really hate anyone here (yet It's a Joke!). And yes not even if you prefer point systems. I just don't personally....see it's me not you.

You're OK, and me, I am a butt-munch.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Oh and confession time....

I, myself am....a Timmy Munchkin....I follow Timmy (the patron saint of mini/maxers and gamers everywhere), but I belong to the RP sect of St. Timmy's religion...sad but true. Yep, give me any character and a background and I'll Timmy my @ss off in RP, I just don't follow Timmy the Calculator, just most of my friends do.

Also, when I am tired, as I was when I got into the mini-flame war, my first...sorta. I was something at a much smaller board and probably got away with more than I should have and thus have some bad habits. Plus when I am tired the Super-Ego goes to sleep and thus Ego and Id have a field day...sorry.

And to top it all off, after reviewing the record, I must admit that I also dig semi-random, which CT really is as Aramis pointed out above also...

Dangnabbit, I feel sorta guilty....

In other (good) news, I just got my Traveller dice!!!! So, I shall end this post, open my package and then do some RL stuff, and hope that this will clear things up and let you all know that I am sorry for having 6 terms of bad habits....

Laterness,
Magnus

 

[robject]

Magnus Thornwood is really an OK guy. Keep your chin up, dude. Just ask yourself "What Would a Shugilii Do?"

Release Date No clue.

Progress? Pretty much everything in the CD exists now, with two of the most important bits -- chargen and tasks -- having gone through multiple playtest iterations. Combat is the other most important part which is next to be pushed through playtest. And I'm as antsy as all getout for it to get there.

Point Buy? A revision of T4 chargen had a points-based quickgen sidebar for each career; I haven't seen something like that for the latest version of Traveller. It would probably make more sense for the referee to decide how to allocate points, since there must be different ways which suit different people.

Artificial Life Forms? It has interesting and useful rules for genetics, robotics, and computers. This is indeed a tech facelift, though it doesn't seem to go in the traditional cybernetic-implants direction so much. (Not that a supplement couldn't do that...) Mongoose Traveller and TNE did a good job of cybernetics.

A reboot of traveller's original storyline? Traveller as a whole is being rebooted. The core book has very little OTU taint -- maybe the same amount as The Traveller Book or The Mongoose Book. And yet, it serves some material which is arguably not OTU, and therefore provides some support for a wider variety of Sci-Fi. (At the same time, though, it appears that Mongoose Traveller will be the platform of choice for staging alternate settings; this only makes sense since they have a larger staff).

 

[Trent]

Speaking of traveller dice, you think some die company could crank out a new set of them, perhaps in black crystal style, with the symbol actualy pressed into the die so it doesn't wear out.

And don't tell me it couldn't be done! I've seen some incredibly stupid "elven dice" that had these basically unreadable numbers deeply stamped into the dice faces and then inked so they wouldn't chip off. If they can make a set of those elven number die stamps they can make an imperial sunburst!!!

 

[aramis]

You can get custom dice made by several companies.

Runs about $2-$3 per die for single non-standard face. One company seems to be laser-cutting.

 

[Trent]

You can get custom dice made by several companies.

Runs about $2-$3 per die for single non-standard face. One company seems to be laser-cutting.

I'll look into that...

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Then let me know....

Really can't have too many Traveller dice...especially with inset Imperial Starbursts and numbers....mmmm, yummy.

I mean don't get me wrong I love my new/old Traveller dice, it's just that I foresee them wearing and the paint chipping, etc...

And thanks Robject...but I did deserve it. OTOH, I am trying to think first, and what would the Shugilii (one of the few Bilanidin words I actually know and can spell without checking, progress....and yes I will be getting back to the Bilanidin...soonish) do, why pickle the whole bunch.

 

[Trent]

Really can't have too many Traveller dice...especially with inset Imperial Starbursts and numbers....mmmm, yummy.

I mean don't get me wrong I love my new/old Traveller dice, it's just that I foresee them wearing and the paint chipping, etc...

And thanks Robject...but I did deserve it. OTOH, I am trying to think first, and what would the Shugilii (one of the few Bilanidin words I actually know and can spell without checking, progress....and yes I will be getting back to the Bilanidin...soonish) do, why pickle the whole bunch.

ENGRAVE or STAMP the sunburst logo INTO the die a millimeter or so, then fill it in with colored paint, then put a clearcoat over it, it should be as durable as any other engraved number.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Moderator!

ENGRAVE or STAMP the sunburst logo INTO the die a millimeter or so, then fill it in with colored paint, then put a clearcoat over it, it should be as durable as any other engraved number.

He's over here talking all dirty to me.

Really it's OK, I like it! *waggles eyebrows* Tell me more do they come in different colors for the different Services and for Genetic Dice...telll me more..*mad die lust*:devil:

 

[Liebrzij]

Hmm . . . If I sent him a check for the full amount of the CDs does that mean I have "Pre-ordered"? If not, then how does one "pre-order"? If it does mean that I am one of the lucky few then where/how do I view this forum?

-Respectfully

 

[DonM]

If you pre-order T5, then Marc sends me your e-mail and you send me a "join request" here on CoTI (go to the Private Messages area, click on "Group Memberships" and select Traveller5).

If your CoTI e-mail address matches the order list I have, you're in. If not, you'll get a PM from me saying I couldn't match you up, and asking for more information.

Eventually you'll be given access to the "Traveller5 Private Access Forum", and there you can see what's happening...