I don't think there's an actual answer to this because they're all pretty similar and easy to port between. I use cepheus just because. are you gonna go full autismo and generate the whole setting on the front end?

>>97507772
So far I'm thinking of only doing a subsector and moving on from there.

>>97507772
Why did you pick Cepheus over Mongoose 2e?

damn, traveller really is dead huh

>>97507690
The mong1e physical book is still pretty easy to get, cheaper than mong2e, and more complete than mong2e. I don't think there are any changes between the two that are anything more than a lateral move, mechanically speaking.

>>97508357
Oh also I like 1e art better than 2e, the 2e graphic design is pretty shit imo.>>97508207

>>97507690
Those are all similar enough that it should hardly matter. If you aren't bothered with the setting I'd just use Cepheus Engine given that it's free. Once you're familiar with it then pick through other versions for rule variants.

Getting Started with Traveller
https://desuarchive.org/tg/thread/91005556/#91008597

>>97507690
Mongoose 1E is hour best bet as Cepheus is a spin off and 2E is the sequel. You have also discovered the brilliance of Traveller. The Universal profiles make it easy to port stuff over from the various editions regardless of rulesets. T20 and GURPS being exceptions to the easy part.

>>97509335
Not op, but I'm seriously considering gurpstrav both because I think either of my groups will prefer it, and because I want to play some kind of gurps at some point.

OP here. I guess I'll just go with Mongoose 2e and use 1e supplements in case anything is missing. Cheers guys. Shame about Traveller General though.

>>97507690
You forgot GURPS Traveller.

>>97511642
>Everyone says to use 1e
>Guess I'll use 2e

Why even make the thread?

>>97512186
>Everyone says to use 1e
Not trying to be a douche here, just actually confused about all these versions that are so similar but so different at the same time. Barely anyone even replied to the thread, and even though people have suggested to pick 1e/Cepheus nobody gave any reason as to why it's a better option than 2e. Care to elaborate?

>>97512251
>>97508357
I elaborated right here. It's cheaper, the art is better, and it's more complete in one book than the 2e book is. Any changes between 2e and 1e are lateral moves, there are no improvements. 1e is also arguably more "toolkit" than 2e is (but only slightly so.)

>>97507690
probably any will work
maybe modern ones are better accomodating for generating random stuff
I'm using M1ed if only because that got into my hands first

>>97507690
I use Mong2e because those were the books that were easier for me to get. I suppose I'll agree with the rest of the thread & say it doesn't really matter. I will also agree that if you want to run 2e you should get the Traveller Companion, maybe some of the other books they list as "core" on their website.

I'll agree that it'd be better as one package, but I don't really get the other reasons people in this thread have given for Mong 1e. I won't doubt that the art could be better but that doesn't actually matter for running the game. Nor price, since you can find 2e's quickstart rules for free & 1e's pdf online easily. If all the changes are lateral, not positive or negative than it doesn't really matter.

>>97517829
If any mechanical changes are lateral, than all we have to go on are aesthetic choices. The mong1e book is more complete, better laid out, and has better artwork. I would rather read 1e than 2e.

And a lot of people like having a physical book at the table, so cost does matter. You can get a barely used copy of 1e for half the price of any listing I ever see for 2e on Amazon or eBay. That's kind of a no brainer. Your post boils down to
>If you ignore all the ways that the 1e book is better than the 2e book, they're exactly the same!

It's bonehead shit. Stop being a bonehead.

>>97507690

>CT
The original and still the best. Easiest to learn as a player, easiest to modify as a GM. The Share Thread will have links to almost all of it; GDW and 3rd party

>Cepheus Engine
Core and a lot of supporting materials are free. Uses the SRD Mongoose created from CT. Added benefit of CE is that the rules and setting are intertwined around each as you'll find in much of CT.

>MgT1e
The additions, changes, and other updates don't make it better than CT/CE just somewhat harder and more time consuming to use. They added complexity for complexity's sake because that's what "modern" players supposedly want. They also completely failed in their alleged goal of making the Traveller a "universal" sci-fi rules set. The non-Trav setting they released for 1e ranged from poor to godawful.

>MgT2e
Less of an update and more of an excuse to sell more splats. Where you could run a game with the MGT1e core book alone, you have to buy a couple 2e books to get the 2e "core". They have released a shit ton of 3I setting splats ranging from, good to godawful so there's a LOT of material to look over.

The links the Share Thread will give you will have a rules comparison PDF and a "getting started with Traveller" PDF. Both are worth reading.

If you absolutely MUST have a physical splat sitting on the table during play, most of 2e can still be purchased. You'll only be able to find used 1e books for sale.

>>97518443
>The non-Trav setting they released for 1e ranged from poor to godawful.
Nah, it's got dope Judge Dread and Strontium Dog settings and Orbital 2001 was incredibly well liked.

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>>97518443
Speaking of cepheus anyone ever try out this supplement?

>>97518681

Orbital 2100 is for Cepheus and not MgT.

We'll have to disagree about Dread and Strontium Dogs. Just as with Hammer's Slammers, I found that Mongoose changed those settings to fit the rules instead changing the rules to fit the settings.

>>97520779
Orbital 2100 originally released for Traveller. The very first edition had the traveller logo on it.

I'd say use Mongoose 2e since it's more approachable/some of the edges are smoothed off, but be prepared to delve into the more specific details of individual scenarios by falling back on the splatbooks for Mongoose 1e.

For example my party recently decided to do some slave trading. No news of where to find such info in 2e, it's got an entire chapter in one of the handbooks for 1e.

>>97520903
>Orbital 2100 originally released for Traveller. The very first edition had the traveller logo on it.

No. The 1st edition was released in 2016 and had the writer's Paul Elliot's Zozer Games logo.

You're probably confusing Qrbital 2100 with Outworld Authority. Paul Elliot wrote both; O:2100 for Cepheus which Elliot helped develop and OA for Classic Traveller under the Mongoose licensed TAS imprint.

Traveller has been around for almost 50 years now. Keeping track of all the publishers is hard.

>>97509340
It's not bad if your group already has played GURPS or Traveller. If they are new things for you guys not so much.

>>97520279

It's very good. Like early CT, it's easy to learn, easy to modify, and has just enough of a setting to to help and not handcuff a GM.

There have been a few supplements released that can be used with it. One called "Gift of the Maker" was released by Mongoose and is a sort of prequel for O:2100. That may explain >>97520903's confusion.

>>97520981

This is good advice. MgT2e has more of what current players think an RPG should have. A lot of Traveller has an OSR feel to it, not surprising as the game dates from the RPG era that OSR tries to emulate.

The only downside is that you'll have to buy more MgT2e splats besides the core book to have a workable game.

>>97520981
>>97521280
I really don't understand what "edges" 2e has filed off in regards to 1e. They are 90% the same game. 1e isn't a rare book, if we're talking about physical books, and if we're talking about PDFs, it's a moot point. The 1e core is a more complete book that the 2e core. 1e is objectively the better get.

>>97521086
Why would it not be a good introduction to gurps? I've ran some traveller over the years.

>>97521593
>The 1e core is a more complete book that the 2e core. 1e is objectively the better get.

1e is a better choice and for all the reasons you've stated. The question now is whether the OP can find the 1e core book as easily as the books they'd need to use 2e.

It's not about you and me. We could find a physical copy of 1e on Amazon, eBay, or wherever. The OP seemingly wants something easier than that. So they can go to the Mongoose site, wave a credit card, and spend more money than they need to do buying more more books than they should.

After all, getting players to spend more money no real reason at all was the thinking behind Mongoose releasing 2e.

>>97521593
>I really don't understand what "edges" 2e has filed off in regards to 1e.

2e does more of the "thinking" for the players and GMs. Players today can't come up with a PC backstory beyond "Uhh.. they're an orphan." and that even begs the question of why PCs even NEED a backstory in the first place.

1e and to a greater extent 2e does more of the pregame and in-game "creative" work for the players/GMs by presenting a shit ton of tables to mindlessly roll on in the hopes of being creating pages of contacts, friends, Ancient artifacts, and other bennies they can use in play.

RPGs haven't employed a Braunstein style of play in which rulings are made instead of rules being quoted for decades now. People want every jot, tittle, happenstance, and potential occurrence in play covered, explained, codified, and reduced to a formula or look-up so they can sleepwalk thru their sessions without any upsets.

2e provides more of that than 1e which provided more than TNE which provided more than MT which provided more than late CT and so forth.

>>97522008
>2e does more of the "thinking" for the players and GMs. Players today can't come up with a PC backstory beyond "Uhh.. they're an orphan." and that even begs the question of why PCs even NEED a backstory in the first place.
>1e and to a greater extent 2e does more of the pregame and in-game "creative" work for the players/GMs by presenting a shit ton of tables to mindlessly roll on in the hopes of being creating pages of contacts, friends, Ancient artifacts, and other bennies they can use in play.
How does 2e do this differently than 1e? They both use the exact same kinds of career and life event tables. How does 2e do this to a greater extent than 1e?

>>97522035

2e has more splats providing more details for more careers.

>>97522048
How does "game has splats with more careers" have anything to do with anything that you said in >>97522008
And, besides that non sequitur of an answer, more splats that are more specifically third imperium related aren't what OP is looking for, and my entire point is that 1e is better because you don't *need* more splats.

>>97522091
>my entire point is that 1e is better

I've been agreeing with that from the beginning, Sheldon.

All I've done is point out why some people might want 2e over 1e. Not you, not me, but other people.

>>97522137
You've been doing a very bad job of it. I guess thank you?

>>97521896
>It's not about you and me. We could find a physical copy of 1e on Amazon, eBay, or wherever. The OP seemingly wants something easier than that. So they can go to the Mongoose site, wave a credit card, and spend more money than they need to do buying more more books than they should.

So, if we're talking pirating, it took me a few minutes to find the 1e pdf. It's very easy to find. One could assume that if they could find the 2e PDF, they could find the 1e one.

>>97522173
>You've been doing a very bad job of it.

Really?
>Less of an update and more of an excuse to sell more splats.
>The only downside is that you'll have to buy more MgT2e splats besides the core book to have a workable game.
>1e is a better choice and for all the reasons you've stated.

>I guess thank you?

No, Sheldon, thank you. Thank you for reminding me why I should never engage with autists.

>>97522251
It's weird you'd try to lie and say that's what happened, when people can follow the reply chain in this very thread. I asked a question, you gave a vague, meandering non-answer, I asked for specific clarification, you gave a dumb, unrelated answer, and now you're weirdly doubling down on a point that you're claiming you don't care about. Who's autistic here, bud?

>>97521896
>1e is a better choice and for all the reasons you've stated. The question now is whether the OP can find the 1e core book as easily as the books they'd need to use 2e.
OP here. Honestly I won't be buying any books, desu, I don't understand why anons here assumed I was going to buy physical but that's not the case. Even if I had to buy the books, I'd get PDFs instead. The point is: the thread isn't about availability or cost, it's only about the differences between editions and which is more suitable for a homebrew setting.

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>>97521052
>>Orbital 2100 originally released for Traveller
>No.
nta

Trivially correct by title but wrong by majority of content which was released for Traveller.

The Orbital book was released for Traveller in Dec 2012. The original back cover, pic related, said it's for Traveller and this interview with Paul Elliot confirm this even if he calls it 2100 which was not the title in 2012.
>When Mongoose introduced the Traveller license, I knew this was a chance to put out an alternative setting for Traveller and brought out Orbital 2100, a hard SF solar system SF setting.
>Paul Elliot interview.

Cepheus Engine came out in 2016. Orbital 2100, also from 2016, is a redacted and expanded revision of Orbital removing the Traveller specific elements for licensing purposes and adding spaceship construction while leaving the setting is unchanged. Drivethru rpg customers got a 50% discount for Orbital 2100 if they had already purchased Orbital.

Is the traveller book a good entry point, or are more current editions better?

>>97507690
From a 30,000ft view, these games are similar enough that there isn't any significant difference.
CT or Classic Traveller is a great system that still works today. There's 8 core books for a complete rules set and they are all easily obtainable. Just be careful as some of the rules step on each other a little bit. Easily corrected but you'll want to make sure you know what's going on before fielding it at the table.
MgT 1e is a great attempt at redoing the CT rules all cleaned up with a few minor tweaks. Mongoose suffers from poor editing. These books can sometimes be a little frustrating when you're trying to understand a rule only to discover that they fucked it up with a mistype and didn't correct it in the proofreading. MgT 1e also had a great third party content community that did some great stuff.
MgT 2e has a few minor changes; they reduced the total number of PC skills by combining a few, they changed some of the vehicle rules, an d they added a couple of modernizations to the mechanics. (they replaced some of the fixed modifiers with a advantage/disadvantage die) They spread the core rules out over several 200+ page books, 11 of them for $50 each.
Cepheus Engine is worth looking at not as the SRD but in the variants. Hostile is a 80s industrial scifi game. These Stars are Ours is a 50s/60s pulp scifi setting. Clement Sector is a high tech lost colonies game.

We run cepheus because our setting is homebrewed and we wanted something more setting agnostic, its worked well in our campaign for over a year and we have no complaints with it. If we were using the third imperium setting or whatever its called we'd run traveller, but I don't know the differences between 1e/2e. If you're playing online then maybe availability of good foundryvtt support could be a factor, there's an unofficial 2d6 system for foundry that covers cepheus pretty well at least

>>97507690
I would recommend 2e 2022e (note there is also a 2e 2016e, the two are different and not terribly clearly noted)
It is the one that most folks are playing online, it has better ship combat than Classic or 1e / cepheus
(still not great mind you)

>>97523166
I've played a lot of Mongoose 2e and I can tell you with certainty that the three core books are really shittily written. I haven't checked out 1e or classic but if people here are saying the books are better crafted, I recommend believing them.

>>97525844
>we wanted something more setting agnostic
my homebrew setting just has the spaceports owned by inter-polity space jew banks, there's not really any awkwardness around not using the TI setting

>>97524520
> the traveller book
You need to be more specific. Which "the traveller book"?

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>>97529422
There's several the traveller book? I thought there was just the one the book

>>97529532
Sorry, with the proper capitalisation clearly indicating it was the actual book title not just some semi-literate poster throwing in an unneeded article there was no room for confusion on my part.

>>97524520
Being Traveller other than Traveller The New Era or Marc Miller's Traveller means it's fine. If you have modern players with modern expectations of how games run you might be better off with Mongoose or T5. If you want a more intricate system use T5. Both of those are being developed still.

If you want a simpler system and old school style then Classic like that book is the way to go. If you decide to change editions then it won't have been much of an entry point as the mechanics in different editions tend to be very different and the setting lore often changes too

1e core was fine and the compact version was super good value but the big issue with 1e was the rapidly diminishing quality of the line which fell off a cliff before long. Products were inconsistent, poorly thought out or just plain useless. 2e update 2022 fixed a few things and has a much clearer layout than the 1st version of 2e. Also the example subsector chapter was cut to make way for more useful stuff. Despite the huge product line this book is all you need to play.

>>97531042
>Despite the huge product line this book is all you need to play.
How well do you fare in 2e without the central supply catalogue? I bought core, CSC and high guard and while I definitely could do without the third, the second has seen a lot of use in giving the players not just money sinks, but useful item possibilities.

>>97533588
>How well do you fare in 2e without the central supply catalogue? I
I genuinely don't know what the other anon is talking about. The core book of 2E really has everything you need to run a game (or at least the updated 2022 version does)
It contains
>Vehicles
>Wide array of equipment including various suits, augments, weapons and support equipment
>All of the ships your players will actually encounter including lab ships and mercenary eggs
>World generation rules and trading value charts
>Stats for Aslan and Vargr for use
Honestly it's even more thorough than the classic traveller books 1-2-3 collection most tell you is all you need for play.
Maybe the older version of 2E is lacking but as it is the revised core rules should give you all you need to get playing.

>>97535057
I recommend checking out the central supply catalog pdf. No need to buy it but it has a shit load of items and while a lot of them are useless, a lot of them are exactly the opposite. My players have dug leafing through it and finding shit to blow their money on after a big pay day on a high tech world. The core rulebook does have a good number of suits and weapons but I found its gadgets and utility stuff to be limited.

>>97535077
Oh yeah I've seen it, it's amazing. I love huge catalogs of items that range from feasible to life saving to bat shit insane. The old cyberpunk 2020 and Shadow run had fantastic examples of such stuff as well. Nothing gets peoples minds jogging quite like an array of sparkling toys spread out. Sure you may never actually require that deep sea survival suit, but it looks cool and wouldn't it be nice to have it just in case?

>>97507690
Aperently lord weird slough fegs traveller album is based on an introductory adventure
Anyone knows which one?

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kQXM6jnPPzXk5gLwqftLE6A4Rt3l_ZThw&playnext=1&index=1

>>97537562

Supposedly "Imperial Fringe".

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>>97537562
They released a follow up traveller album recently too.

>>97518000
Dude, I really don't care about art, I don't pick the book up to show off to my table like I'm doing reading time for first graders.

I also like real books at the table, & I'll agree on the other things too, if OP buys the 2nd edition like it seems he wants to then he should print out an index for the core rulebook.

>>97541878
Yeah the second one is fantastic in my opinion
One of the few albums where I love every song

>>97542421
If I have a choice between a book I enjoy looking at, and a book I don't enjoy looking at, I'm going to pick the one I enjoy looking at. The art is part of the inspirational nature of the book as an artifact. Art can also communicate information: the first version of the 2nd edition book has dogshit, isometric ship floorplans that are harder to read for no reason. I believe they changed it for the next version, but I honestly can't remember.

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>>97542530
Agreed. Very solid album.

Classic Traveller is in this almost enviable position that the OSR isn't. There exists 50 years of homebrew content but there hasn't been this watering down that classic D&D editions are dealing with. It's kind of bittersweet in a way, as that content really doesn't get much love, but it is insulated from the same types who damaged the OSR community with their low effort slop. Most of them end up making stuff for Mothership, I reckon.
Highly recommend checking out Freelance Traveller. Tons of stuff to pull from.

>>97542530
>>97544102
Where can I listen? The youtube link earlier said unavailable and it's not on spotify

>>97544295
I don't know how anon fucked up sharing a link but just look it up on YouTube dude it's all there

>>97544379
>https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kQXM6jnPPzXk5gLwqftLE6A4Rt3l_ZThw&playnext=1&index=1
Sheeeit you right, thanks anon the intro to spinward marches immediately goes hard.

>>97544295
it's on there, search for the artists name as a topic. You'll have to scroll down a bit, though.

>>97544102
I think it's interesting that traveller doesn't have the toxic purity spiral that the osr has spiraled into. No one is arguing about whether or not TNA or Gurps traveller counts as worthy of discussion, and even the people who prefer classic to mongoose are will to discuss the merits and flaws of both systems.

It sucks that discussion about the game is usually so dead, but I assume thats because people who would be talking about Traveller are actually playing the fucking game as opposed to talking about the game.

>>97545241
I think there's just not that many of us.

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>>97545241
>>97545848
A shame too because I really think Traveller kicks ass. I wish "generic" space opera sci-fi were more popular. It seems most people who want to play a sci-fi RPG end up playing something like Star Wars or 40k.

I say we make an effort to maintain a Traveller general. I know it has been tried in the past, but it would be nice to see the playerbase expand. Maybe some sort of community project where we roll up some systems and piece together a small chunk of a setting. Or even just post inspirational art, fiction and play reports. It wouldn't even have to be a Traveller exclusive general, but something like /hsg/ but for general sci-fi gaming that doesn't already have an explicit thread.

>>97546839
>I say we make an effort to maintain a Traveller general.
That's been an on and off thing for many years. Also, /tg/ is really really shit compared to what it used to be. There aren't enough people here anymore to reasonably grow the playerbase. At its height, the thread was most people sharing some stuff happening in their campaigns and more commonly the thread being bumped with example characters, planets, jobs, etc. It was a nice repository for all the PDFs but those can still easily be found. I appreciate your love of the game, because it's great, but you'll have to settle for discussions when you have something interesting from your campaign to discuss.

How do I get into traveller?

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>>97507690
>>97507772
FPBP
All the content is easily interchangeable. All that really matters is presentation.

Just get Mongoose 2nd edition, with the updated corebook that has ship-creation rules inside of it. This edition is getting new content, new hardcover books you can guy in person and touch all you want. I really do like the full colour interior artwork and fancy feeling ship layouts.

Since the thread is here, are there rules for running domain level play in Traveller anywhere?
Ruling over a country, nation, planet, world, ect?
I know where the megacorp rules are, but haven't seen anything akin to rulership.

>>97553976
Pocket Empires for T4.
Supplement 12 Dynasty for MgT1e.

>>97553048
>>97509278
Good thread on this.

>>97554403
>>97554510

An excellent suggestion as both are good resources. Add Imperial Squadrons from T4 to that. World Tamer's Handbook from TNE is worth also looking at. It's almost ACKS-like and covers setting up a colony from a high level perspective.

Be sure to get the errata for Pocket Empires too, otherwise you'll have trouble running it. T4's shit tier editing makes Mongoose's institutional shoddy efforts look like the OED.

sweet

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why are the pdfs for mongoose's shjit and CT so hard to find? is mongoose like Dan Fox or something

>>97565779

Are you fucking retarded or something? The last several Share Threads have seen various anons posting links to extensive CT and MgT troves.

>>97566179
>Are you fucking retarded or something?
it's a bait post

>>97566179

oh. I went to the r*brandly and couldnt find anything, I dunno.

man. the space combat in this game is a straight up wargame like Battletech. I guess thats to be expected but wow. Anyuone here done space battles in it?

>>97568810

GDW were wargamers and wargame designers years before creating Traveller. They kept releasing wargames right up to the end too.

There are dozens of space combat games in Traveller across all the versions. CT alone has LBB:2, Mayday, HG2, TTB, a range band version, and others I'm sure I missed. Some are quick, some are extremely detailed, some involve the PCs intimately, some all but ignore the PCs, some are tactical, some operational, and some strategic.

>>97569152
The starter set has another space combat system that I know some people prefer.

>>97568810
For large space combats things can just be done narratively focusing on what the PCs are doing. Battles can easily lead to a blow out or an eye watering repair bill. My approach is to plan likely encounters in advance and they often lead to a bit of cat and mouse or a tail chase with minimal actual exchange of fire. To get credible results though you do need a pretty good grip of how sensors work and ships' velocity vectors can make anything but a high speed fly by impossible quite often.

>>97569152
NTAYRT

Can you play 2e with hexes? Or is it theatre of the mind or both

>>97569420
>Can you play 2e with hexes?

Sorry, but I don't know. While I've gleaned bits and pieces from MgT2e's various adventures, I haven't looked much at it's core rules.

Ship combat in other versions can be switched from hex to tabletop minis to range bands to theater of the mind so I'd be surprised if MgT2e was any different.

>>97569463
Iirc, MT2e and 1e used range bands.

>>97569420
MGT 2e Traveller Companion (update 2024) has a chapter on vector based and hex based combat movement.

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>>97569420
Yes, the Range Bands of the mongoose editons are just a poorly communicated movement point system on a line
If you have more than 2 combatants or fire a missile volley that could conceivably be outmaneuvered, you will want to use this movement point system on a grid instead

Pic related, scale on the left is RAW, scale on the right is what my group uses, with each hex being 1'000km
Do note that if using Large Bay Particle Beams or other distant range weapons, you will need a particularly large grid, or to adopt a different scale

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Where does one actually find a game of trav?

>>97570285
Buy the book and run it yourself.

>>97570285
It's a painfully niche product, so you're either going to have to run it yourself or go to some discord server specifically for it.
I understand that's not palatable, but the Traveller demographic is more tolerable and mature than other RPG demographics in general. Also, you just have to cope with the downsides of an online pickup group because finding a game randomly out in the wild is going to be impossible without dumb luck.

Opinions on megatraveller?

>>97572646

IMEHO:

Extended chargen for all careers was a plus.
Good sysgen and trade system
Ship construction got too detailed for too little improvement.
Ship combat was godawful range band only , no vectors allowed, mess
Task system could have been better
Setting sucked in two ways. 1st: the Rebellion should have had an endgame in mind BEFORE they released. 2nd: CT got worse over time as the setting got more and more intertwined with the rules. MT finished the job as the rules and setting are indistinguishable.

>>97573573
>2nd: CT got worse over time as the setting got more and more intertwined with the rules. MT finished the job as the rules and setting are indistinguishable.
I annoys me that FFG/Mongoose doesn't have the original 77 version of the game POD or PDF. Even if just for archival purposes it would be nice to have them.

>>97573881

Go to Miller's FFE site. You can buy CT77 there.

>>97573573

Forgot to add that, while I used many bits and pieces from MT, I stuck with CT as a rules system.

That's one of the best aspects of Traveller. You can borrow stuff from all the versions over the nearly 50 years it's been published and easily kitbash them into your game.

>>97573573
So..., The Traveller Book, Citizens of the Imperium, and ship combat from Starter Traveller is still the best way to go?

>>97573990
Doesn't look like it? They have a cdrom of "classic traveller" but it looks like it's probably the 81 version.

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Are there any books that are all ship deck plans? I love these kind of charts

>>97574779
>>97575234

le sigh...

Go to the share thread, search for a rebrand link ending in 616, and follow your nose.

>>97574740

Tastes vary. I'm a minimalist kind of guy so what you listed is all I'd need to play. Other people would want different and/or more and that's okay too.

>>97574779 here
I know that the PDF *exists* I'm saying that I would gladly pay money to be able to get a well printed hardcopy of the 77 rules, the same way they keep the 81 rules constantly available. I think it's weird that they treat the older version like a redheaded stepchild under the stairs.

>>97575276
What would the title of the deck plan book be?

>>97575779
Four Classic books that spring to mind are:
Supplement 7 Traders and Gunboats
Adventure ? Leviathan
IISS Ship Files (by FASA)
Supplement ? Lightning Class Cruisers

>>97575937

Excellent suggestions all. I’d add the CT boxed game Snapshot to that list.
MT has Starships Operators Manual plus a few deck plans in sourcebooks like Knightfall.
GT has several books featuring single designs, the Statships books has a few, and there’s even one covering modular cutters
MgT has dozens of deck plans. Nearly every book contains one or more. Sadly, because Mongoose is too retarded to chew gum and fart at the same time, their plans are almost entirely isometric in nature and can’t be used as “play mats”.

Jump1

>>97580626
Dude, if you don't have anything to post, just let the thread die. There isn't any reason to keep a zombie thread up on the board if there isn't any conversation happening.

>>97580644
Precisely. If >>97546839 is still around, this is why the general died. You're supposed to make a thread about a subject when you want to talk about it. Generals are cancer.

>>97575234
Starship Geomorphs is a neat 3rd party product you might like

>>97580644
OP here. I haven't replied to the thread for a long time at this point. I just guess people are still interested in traveller.

Does anyone have a space station/star base generator similar to the world and planet generator or shipbuilding?

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>>97575779
If you are after classic deckplans, all of the original designs (as well as most of the designs from classic adventures, suppliments and magazines of the time) are available for free download on Deviant Art. They are all drawn in the style of the old Azhanti High Lightning ship boarding wargame (15mm scale)
https://www.deviantart.com/badruk

>>97570285
I run a CT/Cepheus mash-up game and I never have a hard time finding players. What I have a hard time finding is players that know what it is.

>>97588163

GT:Starports has rules for building stations and bases.

We're starting a Traveller campaign tomorrow night actually. The GM is planning on running us through a scenario called High and Dry, and he's said he's going to replace the scout ship with something more interesting for a group to run instead of an unarmed scout ship. Anyone know what a Vargyr Speculative Trader is supposed to look like? Also, any advice for the game?

>>97590642
You mean Bu and Embla or something else?

>>97590893
I think he means GURPS

>>97590801
>Anyone know what a Vargyr Speculative Trader is supposed to look like?

Depends on the version, but they're all interesting ships. The one in CT's IISS Ship Files is especially wild.

>>Also, any advice for the game?

Don't get hung up on either the rules, canon, or rolling dice. Just have fun.

>>97590914
Ah, then I´ll take a look over there as well. Thanks, both of you

>>97590914
>I think he means GURPS

I did and my apologies for using acronyms instead of taking the time to write clearly. Here's a list of acronyms for the various versions we dopey old grognards generally use.

CT - Classic Traveller.

CT77 - the original 1977 release

CT81 - the "updated" 1981 release that included corrections, errata, and rules changes to CT77. When people mention CT or Classic this is the version they're usually referring to.

MT - MegaTraveller. The mid-80s update to CT.

TNE - Traveller the New Era. More a reboot than an update. Dropped CT/MT RPG mechanics for GDW's so-called house system that was used in Twilight 2000, 2300AD, and Dark Conspiracy.

Traveller:2300 - The original release of 2300AD. Whether GDW ever meant it to be part of Traveller is something they never admitted or denied.

T4 - Marc MIller's Traveller. An attempt by Miller to relaunch Traveller after GDW folded. Generally agreed to be the worst version.

T:20 - a d20 version of Traveller released by the late owner of CotI. Quite a bit of material was released for T:20.

GT - GURPS Traveller. Very different RPG system naturally but it's sourcebooks are some of the best written for the game and easily borrowed from.

MgT 1e and 2e - Mongoose Traveller the current published version.

T5 - Miller's last(?) released version. It's been described more as an RPG kit than a playable game. Posting as much on CotI, the forum owned by Miller, is a bannable offense.

There a several other "minor" versions like one that uses the HERO system and another based on SJG's The Fantasy Trip.

No matter the version or system, there's something in every version that you can borrow for your game.

>>97591035
>Depends on the version
MgT2, fwiw. We're all new to the game and our GM picked up books at Gencon last year.

>Don't get hung up on either the rules, canon, or rolling dice. Just have fun.
Good advice. It's too easy to sweat that stuff sometimes.

>>97591397
>MgT2, fwiw.

That's a good solid version. You group should enjoy the session. 2e has a LOT of splats with lots of bells and whistles you can add to your game. Keep things simple at first. Then, as you get more comfortable, start adding whatever you want to make the game your own.

Most - not all - of MgT1e's and 2e's are isometric so the "map" of the ship might be isometric too. Whatever it is I'm sure your GM has everything well in hand.

>Good advice. It's too easy to sweat that stuff sometimes.

That's a good way to put it; don't sweat the small stuff. We're doing this fun, right? Sometimes people forget that.

>>97591193
What makes T4 the worst?

>>97593733
Requires you to acknowledge and support players who use TL12 tech to make trans characters who transition fully from genetic male to genetic female. It's hard coded in the rules, but those characters will still never be a woman.

When I try to download GURPS Far Trader from the 616 collection, the file seems to be corrupted and won't display. Is it just me?

>>97593980
Disregard the previous post - I used a pdf repair tool

>>97591193
You missed HERO Traveller, it's the version we play and I love it. Everyone forgets about HERO Traveller.

>>97595066
>You missed HERO Traveller,

>>97591193
>There a several other "minor" versions like one that uses the HERO system

Herpity derpity doo...

>>97591193
T4 must be really bad if it's worse than the d20 version.

>>97593733
>What makes T4 the worst?

Little to no play testing or editing. As written earlier, T4's editing makes Mongoose's admittedly execrable editing look like the Oxford English Dictionary.

- The original "First Survey" splat, for example, used the same UWP codes for the 1000+ systems listed. (A fixed version was released later)
- T4's version of FF&S was play tested by gear heads on the TML who identified hundreds of problems with the text, formulae, tables, etc. The necessary errata was collected, submitted, and then completely ignored. The Imperium Games writers submitted the original manuscript to the printer resulting in a useless splat. You cannot use T4 FF&S without an errata document created by fans.
- Pocket Empires and Imperial Squadrons are both unplayable without fan-created errata documents. As with FF&S, play test feed back was ignored.

There are many other examples of the same hurried, slapdash, incompetent "work" put into the T4 line. Perhaps the biggest reason for this were the people Miller chose to work on the project. There was little experience in professional rather than "fanon" publishing. Miller also innocently tapped the now infamous Ken "Whit" Whitman to handle a lot of the final manuscript work. You'll notice that a lot of T4's problems involve rough drafts being published rather than final manuscripts with errata applied.

And trannies had nothing to do with it. T4 came out years before that nonsense heated up.

>>97595634
>Ken "Whit" Whitman
Lol there's a name I haven't heard in a while. What a massive steaming pile of shit.

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>>97595658

Can confirm. I was the armorer and fight choreographer for Brothers Barbarian's first season. I hadn't met Ken before, but I knew Larry Elmore, Herschel Zahnd, and and few other people Tim Gooch and Ken put together for that project, and holy shit I will never work with or put trust in Ken again. If you *ever* see his name on a project, go the other way. Fuck that guy. He not only didn't pay for 2 years after the project, but stole one of the swords I rented for the project and refused to reimburse me.
>Tim paid for it out of pocket ~18 months later when he heard about it and how I was going to go to court over the broken contract. Dude's a stand-up guy with poor taste in friends.
>I'm in this shot, with the buckler

I had no idea Ken was involved with Traveller. That's just extra ammo to never ever have anything to do with that edition.

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>>97595634
>The original "First Survey" splat, for example, used the same UWP codes for the 1000+ systems listed.

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If i was gonna play Traveller, i'd want to be a Viper Mk3 pilot. Which is not gonna happen because Traveller is not that kind of game. In that case, i'd wanna drive a Hunter for ground ops, but that may not be doable. In which case... I'd want Tribes Power armor.

How would i build a Medium Frame and weapons, TA/T3 flavored?

>>97599049
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xj3pHYpRbM

Heck, for that matter add in the light and heavy frames.

I grok it would not be for every situation, but i'd still love to play this.

>>97598650
>If you *ever* see his name on a project, go the other way.

IIRC there's a website that keeps tabs on all his "business" ventures and tries warning his latest victims. He's a real piece of work.

>>That's just extra ammo to never ever have anything to do with that edition.

While T4 is hands down the worst version of the game, there is still stuff you can plunder for your own games and campaigns. Pocket Empires and Imperial Squadrons are fun pencil & paper, strategic level, 4X/ACKS-style games as long as you get your hands on the errata for them. People have created spreadsheets for both to help with the record keeping.

>>97588514
>https://www.deviantart.com/badruk

Thank you for this. I'd lost the link years ago,

I've got the CotI errata document for T4 but it's a pdf file. Any suggestions about to share it with you all?

>>97593769
>It's hard coded in the rules, but those characters will still never be a woman.
Literally and objectively wrong. Cope, chud.

>>97615334
sorry anon, traveller is sci-fi, not fantasy.

Are there any generally good Classic Traveller books to use with Cepheus/Cepheus Deluxe? I kind of want to make a campaign where the PCs are smugglers.

>>97621260

All of CT dovetails neatly with Cepheus. After all, Cepheus is derived from an SRD based on CT.

Twilight's Peak and The Traveller Adventure both feature PC crewed trading vessels working in certain parts of the Marches. While both have an over arching meta-plot, you can easily scrap that and just use the world descriptions, encounter tables, and other bits to flesh out a region where the PCs act as smugglers.

Forex: One of the worlds detailed in TTA has an active war involving several nations. How about some arms smuggling?

>>97621457
>How about some arms smuggling?
Works too, thanks. I'll check out your suggestions.

>>97621260
While not for Trav/Cepheus, Platt's Smuggler's Guide from WEG's d6 Star Wars line might be useful.
d6holocron.com/downloads/books/WEG40141.pdf

>>97622281

Now THAT is an excellent suggestion. Completely slipped my mind. Thanks, anon.

>>97623051
You are welcome. There might be something for you in Tramp Freighters, but I think the trade/smuggling systems there are rather far removed from Traveller.

>>97507690
How do i get into classic traveller? which book do i run? also is there any explanation of how to run it? I get it's a sandbox, but what else do you do? is it just Star trek?

>>97628078
Classic Traveller has a Book Zero, more of a pamphlet really, called How to Play Traveller or Refereeing Traveller or something.

>>97628078
>>97509278
If you actually look, the answers will present themselves.

>>97628078
>is it just Star trek?
No, it has very little in common with Star Trek. The main setting is the Third Imperium, or even some nonsense in other editions, which is not like ST at all. Nothing in the mechanics shouts ST and a few are anti-ST, such as the ships are too small, no shields, need fuel for interstellar travel, and even with tech level maxed out you might be short on ST style toys, and you'd want to tweak careers for character creation but despite that you could play a ST campaign using Traveller. Before FASA released its ST RPG Traveller was the best suited game to adapt to a ST setting of the few scifi games around, even though the first scifi game was inspired by ST. I am talking about older Traveller, I don't know about people using the recent editions but there's no reason they shouldn't be.

Jump-1

>>97628078

An anon in the /travgen/ thread a couple of years ago used to run Traveller intro games at his FLGS. Thus is what I remember him posting:
- He'd have a stack of pregen PCs the players could choose from. He also gave them points to modify stats and skills as they saw fit during the game.
- He has 2 players shoot each other's PC before the game started to show how deadly combat is.
- He kept one pair of D6 in the middle of the table and only let the players roll when he told them to. He said people want to roll the dice far too much instead of just stating their PC's actions.
- He used stripped down rules and a simple adventure to keep things moving. He did have several splats from various versions for the players to look thru while playing the session.
- He always warned people not to get hung up on the game's Third Imperium (3I) setting. The game originally had no setting but the 3I quickly grew until it took over and many games today bog down into 3I trivia contests. (cont.)

>>97639606 (cont.)

Go to the /traveller616 trove and both The Traveller Book (TTB) and the Mission on MIthril/Across the Brightface double adventure (DA) in the Classic Traveller section. TTB is a collection of the various rules in one book. The DA is a pair of what we now call hexcrawls. With both you'll have easy rules to use and an easy adventure to rum.

Another anon mentioned Book 0 (LBB:0). You can get it in the same trove. It's good read, but not absolutely essential.

If your group finds the game interesting, the 2nd edition of the Mongoose version is a good rules set. It has and does more of what "modern" players believe a RPG should have and do. Classic is definitely OSR, although it predates OSR by decades.

Also, Traveller shares almost nothing with Star Trek and Star Wars. There are few man portable energy weapons; no phasers or blasters. Travel is very slow compared to ST and SW. Interstellar communications is limited to the speed of shipping; no subspace transmissions. Forex, it take one week to jump from one system to another, so asking a question and getting an answer takes two weeks. That means the people on the spot have to deal with problems because any help/advice is literally weeks away. That means any PCs who might just be visiting might be the only people with the skills and equipment to tackle any number of jobs.