Thread: GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars

I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of the background history presented.

1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your impressions of it?

2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from others?

3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.

The only questionable item in the GURPS Traveller canon would be Behind the
Claw; you do have to sift through the "Lorenverse" materials as opposed to
OTU materials. As for Interstellar Wars, it remains the only published work
on the period, so it is canon until something else replaces it.

That's my take from Marc on the subject.
__________________________________
"My real e-mail address is owned by someone else..."

I recommend also being wary of the Minor Aliens and Humaniti books, too. They added several races for other properties into GURPS Traveller. I doubt they are canon.

The parts on established races are great. But they added some that I would think are not canon.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 10:00 AM, Donald McKinney [Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:
>
> The only questionable item in the GURPS Traveller canon would be Behind the Claw; you do have to sift through the "Lorenverse" materials as opposed to OTU materials. As for Interstellar Wars, it remains the only published work on the period, so it is canon until something else replaces it.
>
> That's my take from Marc on the subject.
> __________________________________
> "My real e-mail address is owned by someone else..."
>
>

It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to allow me to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to run a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time, the Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.

I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what would become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big Damn Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot the Ziru Sirka.

Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.


---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :

I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of the background history presented.

1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your impressions of it?

2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from others?

3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.

"Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."

So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)

> It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to allow me
> to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to run
> a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time, the
> Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>
> I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
> pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what would
> become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big Damn
> Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot the
> Ziru Sirka.
>
> Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>
>
> ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>
> I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of
> round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality
> of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of
> the background history presented.
>
> 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your
> impressions of it?
>
> 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from
> others?
>
> 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon
> Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is
> that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look
> worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel
> more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>
>
>
>
>

It's their choice. ;)


---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :

"Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."

So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)

> It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to allow me
> to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to run
> a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time, the
> Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>
> I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
> pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what would
> become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big Damn
> Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot the
> Ziru Sirka.
>
> Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>
>
> ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>
> I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of
> round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality
> of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of
> the background history presented.
>
> 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your
> impressions of it?
>
> 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from
> others?
>
> 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon
> Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is
> that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look
> worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel
> more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>
>
>
>
>

I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character generation.

Derek Stanley
Sent from my iPhone...

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, c[Traveller_TNE] <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
>
> It's their choice. ;)
>
>
>
> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
>
> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
>
> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
>
> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to allow me
> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to run
> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time, the
> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
> >
> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what would
> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big Damn
> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot the
> > Ziru Sirka.
> >
> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
> >
> >
> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
> >
> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of
> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality
> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of
> > the background history presented.
> >
> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your
> > impressions of it?
> >
> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from
> > others?
> >
> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon
> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is
> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look
> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel
> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

A most misunderstood rule.

How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?

It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another one when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)

Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to D&D style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D players grief about that.

It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.


---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :

I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character generation.

Derek Stanley Sent from my iPhone...


On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE] <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:


It's their choice. ;)



---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :

"Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."

So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)

> It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to allow me
> to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to run
> a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time, the
> Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>
> I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
> pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what would
> become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big Damn
> Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot the
> Ziru Sirka.
>
> Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>
>
> ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>
> I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of
> round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality
> of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of
> the background history presented.
>
> 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your
> impressions of it?
>
> 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from
> others?
>
> 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon
> Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is
> that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look
> worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel
> more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>
>
>
>
>

It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like that. So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?

We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I forget though.

Derek Stanley
Sent from my iPhone...

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, [Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:
>
> A most misunderstood rule.
>
> How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?
>
> It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another one when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)
>
> Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to D&D style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D players grief about that.
>
> It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.
>
>
>
> ---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :
>
> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character generation.
>
> Derek Stanley
> Sent from my iPhone...
>
> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE] <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
>
>>
>> It's their choice. ;)
>>
>>
>>
>> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
>>
>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
>>
>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
>>
>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to allow me
>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to run
>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time, the
>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>> >
>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what would
>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big Damn
>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot the
>> > Ziru Sirka.
>> >
>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>> >
>> >
>> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>> >
>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of
>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality
>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of
>> > the background history presented.
>> >
>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your
>> > impressions of it?
>> >
>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from
>> > others?
>> >
>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon
>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is
>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look
>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel
>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>
>

That's what makes the PCs such sociopaths once play begins. They have seen
first-hand how the very rules of the game would just as soon kill them
before play begins. Thus existentially embittered, they lash out in any
way possible against social, ethical, and moral obligations as a
substitute for rebelling against the rules themselves.

> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character
> generation.
>
> Derek Stanley
> Sent from my iPhone...
>
>> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, c[Traveller_TNE]
>> <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
>>
>> It's their choice. ;)
>>
>>
>>
>> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
>>
>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
>>
>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
>>
>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to
>> allow me
>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to
>> run
>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time,
>> the
>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>> >
>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what
>> would
>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big
>> Damn
>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot
>> the
>> > Ziru Sirka.
>> >
>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>> >
>> >
>> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>> >
>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort
>> of
>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that
>> quality
>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some
>> of
>> > the background history presented.
>> >
>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are
>> your
>> > impressions of it?
>> >
>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it
>> from
>> > others?
>> >
>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller
>> Canon
>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is
>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look
>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd
>> feel
>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>

"Of course I did. This was just the first character that survived..."

Or, in character, "I pay honour to all the Scouts that paved the way before us. Shame about that steamroller."


---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :

It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like that. So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?


We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I forget though.

Derek Stanley Sent from my iPhone...


On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, alanbgam@... alanbgam@... [Traveller_TNE] < > wrote:


A most misunderstood rule.

How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?

It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another one when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)

Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to D&D style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D players grief about that.

It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.



---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :

I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character generation.

Derek Stanley Sent from my iPhone...


On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE] <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:


It's their choice. ;)



---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :

"Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."

So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)

> It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to allow me
> to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to run
> a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time, the
> Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>
> I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
> pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what would
> become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big Damn
> Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot the
> Ziru Sirka.
>
> Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>
>
> ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>
> I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort of
> round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that quality
> of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some of
> the background history presented.
>
> 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are your
> impressions of it?
>
> 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it from
> others?
>
> 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller Canon
> Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon, but...is
> that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that look
> worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd feel
> more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>
>
>
>
>

I always loved the way characters died in character generation.

First, it game me lots of NPCs to use later (they were already dead,
right? Just postponing it a bit)

Second, it gave a lot of flavor and insight into the game's universe

Finally, it gave the game a lot of color and attitude compared to the
other weenie RPGs. Any cry-baby can play a game where your characters are
guaranteed to survive chargen.

> It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like that.
> So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?
>
> We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total
> added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I forget
> though.
>
> Derek Stanley
> Sent from my iPhone...
>
>> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, [Traveller_TNE]
>> <> wrote:
>>
>> A most misunderstood rule.
>>
>> How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?
>>
>> It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a
>> character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another one
>> when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)
>>
>> Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to D&D
>> style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D players
>> grief about that.
>>
>> It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.
>>
>>
>>
>> ---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :
>>
>> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character
>> generation.
>>
>> Derek Stanley
>> Sent from my iPhone...
>>
>> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE]
>> <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
>>
>>>
>>> It's their choice. ;)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
>>>
>>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
>>>
>>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
>>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
>>>
>>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to
>>> allow me
>>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to
>>> run
>>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time,
>>> the
>>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>>> >
>>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
>>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what
>>> would
>>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big
>>> Damn
>>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot
>>> the
>>> > Ziru Sirka.
>>> >
>>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>>> >
>>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort
>>> of
>>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that
>>> quality
>>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some
>>> of
>>> > the background history presented.
>>> >
>>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are
>>> your
>>> > impressions of it?
>>> >
>>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it
>>> from
>>> > others?
>>> >
>>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller
>>> Canon
>>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon,
>>> but...is
>>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that
>>> look
>>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd
>>> feel
>>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>
>>
>

Derek Stanley
Sent from my iPhone...

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:57, [Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:
>
> I always loved the way characters died in character generation.
>
> First, it game me lots of NPCs to use later (they were already dead,
> right? Just postponing it a bit)
>
> Second, it gave a lot of flavor and insight into the game's universe
>
> Finally, it gave the game a lot of color and attitude compared to the
> other weenie RPGs. Any cry-baby can play a game where your characters are
> guaranteed to survive chargen.
>
> > It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like that.
> > So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?
> >
> > We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total
> > added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I forget
> > though.
> >
> > Derek Stanley
> > Sent from my iPhone...
> >
> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, [Traveller_TNE]
> >> <> wrote:
> >>
> >> A most misunderstood rule.
> >>
> >> How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?
> >>
> >> It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a
> >> character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another one
> >> when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)
> >>
> >> Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to D&D
> >> style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D players
> >> grief about that.
> >>
> >> It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :
> >>
> >> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character
> >> generation.
> >>
> >> Derek Stanley
> >> Sent from my iPhone...
> >>
> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE]
> >> <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> It's their choice. ;)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
> >>>
> >>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
> >>>
> >>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
> >>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
> >>>
> >>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to
> >>> allow me
> >>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to
> >>> run
> >>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time,
> >>> the
> >>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
> >>> >
> >>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
> >>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what
> >>> would
> >>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big
> >>> Damn
> >>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot
> >>> the
> >>> > Ziru Sirka.
> >>> >
> >>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
> >>> >
> >>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort
> >>> of
> >>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that
> >>> quality
> >>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some
> >>> of
> >>> > the background history presented.
> >>> >
> >>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are
> >>> your
> >>> > impressions of it?
> >>> >
> >>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it
> >>> from
> >>> > others?
> >>> >
> >>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller
> >>> Canon
> >>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon,
> >>> but...is
> >>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that
> >>> look
> >>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd
> >>> feel
> >>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>

I never quite understood the mentality behind killing players during chargen, I liked the, Special Duty and Wounded, bits during chargen. Those always spoke to me of something cool I needed to figure out when I was writing up my 10 page short story background.

So I had a special duty when I was a marine and I was injured, what was that all about.

I had a 4 term character who had 3 special duties, was injured twice and never got promoted. That spoke volumes about a lack of respect for authority.

Derek Stanley
Sent from my iPhone...

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:57, [Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:
>
> I always loved the way characters died in character generation.
>
> First, it game me lots of NPCs to use later (they were already dead,
> right? Just postponing it a bit)
>
> Second, it gave a lot of flavor and insight into the game's universe
>
> Finally, it gave the game a lot of color and attitude compared to the
> other weenie RPGs. Any cry-baby can play a game where your characters are
> guaranteed to survive chargen.
>
> > It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like that.
> > So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?
> >
> > We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total
> > added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I forget
> > though.
> >
> > Derek Stanley
> > Sent from my iPhone...
> >
> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, [Traveller_TNE]
> >> <> wrote:
> >>
> >> A most misunderstood rule.
> >>
> >> How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?
> >>
> >> It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a
> >> character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another one
> >> when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)
> >>
> >> Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to D&D
> >> style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D players
> >> grief about that.
> >>
> >> It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :
> >>
> >> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character
> >> generation.
> >>
> >> Derek Stanley
> >> Sent from my iPhone...
> >>
> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE]
> >> <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> It's their choice. ;)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
> >>>
> >>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
> >>>
> >>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
> >>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
> >>>
> >>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to
> >>> allow me
> >>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to
> >>> run
> >>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time,
> >>> the
> >>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
> >>> >
> >>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
> >>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what
> >>> would
> >>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big
> >>> Damn
> >>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot
> >>> the
> >>> > Ziru Sirka.
> >>> >
> >>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
> >>> >
> >>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort
> >>> of
> >>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that
> >>> quality
> >>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some
> >>> of
> >>> > the background history presented.
> >>> >
> >>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are
> >>> your
> >>> > impressions of it?
> >>> >
> >>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it
> >>> from
> >>> > others?
> >>> >
> >>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller
> >>> Canon
> >>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon,
> >>> but...is
> >>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that
> >>> look
> >>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd
> >>> feel
> >>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>

I must confess to never having killed a player during chargen, no matter how tempting it might have been.


---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :

I never quite understood the mentality behind killing players during chargen, I liked the, Special Duty and Wounded, bits during chargen. Those always spoke to me of something cool I needed to figure out when I was writing up my 10 page short story background.


So I had a special duty when I was a marine and I was injured, what was that all about.


I had a 4 term character who had 3 special duties, was injured twice and never got promoted. That spoke volumes about a lack of respect for authority.

Derek Stanley Sent from my iPhone...


On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:57, dcndcn13@... dcndcn13@... [Traveller_TNE] < > wrote:


I always loved the way characters died in character generation.

First, it game me lots of NPCs to use later (they were already dead,
right? Just postponing it a bit)

Second, it gave a lot of flavor and insight into the game's universe

Finally, it gave the game a lot of color and attitude compared to the
other weenie RPGs. Any cry-baby can play a game where your characters are
guaranteed to survive chargen.

> It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like that.
> So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?
>
> We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total
> added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I forget
> though.
>
> Derek Stanley
> Sent from my iPhone...
>
>> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, alanbgam@... alanbgam@... [Traveller_TNE]
>> < > wrote:
>>
>> A most misunderstood rule.
>>
>> How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?
>>
>> It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a
>> character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another one
>> when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)
>>
>> Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to D&D
>> style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D players
>> grief about that.
>>
>> It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.
>>
>>
>>
>> ---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :
>>
>> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character
>> generation.
>>
>> Derek Stanley
>> Sent from my iPhone...
>>
>> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE]
>> <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
>>
>>>
>>> It's their choice. ;)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
>>>
>>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
>>>
>>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
>>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
>>>
>>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to
>>> allow me
>>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going to
>>> run
>>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long Time,
>>> the
>>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>>> >
>>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it was
>>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of what
>>> would
>>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big
>>> Damn
>>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to loot
>>> the
>>> > Ziru Sirka.
>>> >
>>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>>> >
>>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to sort
>>> of
>>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that
>>> quality
>>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about some
>>> of
>>> > the background history presented.
>>> >
>>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are
>>> your
>>> > impressions of it?
>>> >
>>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about it
>>> from
>>> > others?
>>> >
>>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller
>>> Canon
>>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon,
>>> but...is
>>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that
>>> look
>>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background, I'd
>>> feel
>>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>
>>
>

Remember that Traveller grew out of board games like Imperium and En Garde
(not really a boardgame, but a pre-RPG), so some of it is an artifact of
that. It was also a play-balance issue, in that assignments with a greater
chance of promotion and skills came with a greater chance of death.
Everybody each got only one PC in Imperium, and they weren't essential to
play, so the death during chargen probably wasn't the "obstacle" there is
was in a pure RPG. But every character generation was like a little novel
being written, and the chance of death added to that interest. Face it,
most things in life that are easy end up looking like they're not worth
much anyway.

And it's not like the "you died" thing prevented us from playing (but it
did make the first night when everyone created characters run a little bit
long, and scare off the people who probably didn't want to play an RPG
anyway), it's not like when we hit a rule we disagreed with we all
blue-screened out and sat there inertly for six hours until our parents
got home and rebooted us. We dealt with it, and said, "okay, you were
severely wounded and instantly mustered out right then," or whatever other
work-around we used. Death during chargen gave far more to us than it took
away. For example, we all still remember that. How many other things you
did during those years do you remember that clearly?

Nonetheless, the conventional wisdom was that it was stupid, off-putting,
and not desired by the mob, so we naturally had to get away from it.

> I never quite understood the mentality behind killing players during
> chargen, I liked the, Special Duty and Wounded, bits during chargen.
> Those always spoke to me of something cool I needed to figure out when I
> was writing up my 10 page short story background.
>
> So I had a special duty when I was a marine and I was injured, what was
> that all about.
>
> I had a 4 term character who had 3 special duties, was injured twice and
> never got promoted. That spoke volumes about a lack of respect for
> authority.
>
> Derek Stanley
> Sent from my iPhone...
>
>> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:57, [Traveller_TNE]
>> <> wrote:
>>
>> I always loved the way characters died in character generation.
>>
>> First, it game me lots of NPCs to use later (they were already dead,
>> right? Just postponing it a bit)
>>
>> Second, it gave a lot of flavor and insight into the game's universe
>>
>> Finally, it gave the game a lot of color and attitude compared to the
>> other weenie RPGs. Any cry-baby can play a game where your characters
>> are
>> guaranteed to survive chargen.
>>
>> > It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like
>> that.
>> > So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?
>> >
>> > We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total
>> > added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I
>> forget
>> > though.
>> >
>> > Derek Stanley
>> > Sent from my iPhone...
>> >
>> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, [Traveller_TNE]
>> >> <> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> A most misunderstood rule.
>> >>
>> >> How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?
>> >>
>> >> It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a
>> >> character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another
>> one
>> >> when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes
>> survived.)
>> >>
>> >> Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to
>> D&D
>> >> style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D
>> players
>> >> grief about that.
>> >>
>> >> It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> ---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :
>> >>
>> >> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character
>> >> generation.
>> >>
>> >> Derek Stanley
>> >> Sent from my iPhone...
>> >>
>> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE]
>> >> <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
>> >>
>> >>>
>> >>> It's their choice. ;)
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> ---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
>> >>>
>> >>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
>> >>>
>> >>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
>> >>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
>> >>>
>> >>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to
>> >>> allow me
>> >>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going
>> to
>> >>> run
>> >>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long
>> Time,
>> >>> the
>> >>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
>> >>> >
>> >>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it
>> was
>> >>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of
>> what
>> >>> would
>> >>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less
>> Big
>> >>> Damn
>> >>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to
>> loot
>> >>> the
>> >>> > Ziru Sirka.
>> >>> >
>> >>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
>> >>> >
>> >>> >
>> >>> > ---In , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
>> >>> >
>> >>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to
>> sort
>> >>> of
>> >>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that
>> >>> quality
>> >>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about
>> some
>> >>> of
>> >>> > the background history presented.
>> >>> >
>> >>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are
>> >>> your
>> >>> > impressions of it?
>> >>> >
>> >>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about
>> it
>> >>> from
>> >>> > others?
>> >>> >
>> >>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller
>> >>> Canon
>> >>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon,
>> >>> but...is
>> >>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that
>> >>> look
>> >>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background,
>> I'd
>> >>> feel
>> >>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
>> >>> >
>> >>> >
>> >>> >
>> >>> >
>> >>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
>

The doc in our current TNE game has a strength of 3 . it was 1 (asteroid/space station background), but  i made him buff it to 3.  But he's also a filthy dirty psion. :P

Kat, our dilettante (athlete[gymnast]/admin/noble) has the scores that makes Derek twitch: CBCA9B, and i watched her roll them up.
The other two are "mere" humans with a normal spread of scores.

I'm trying to think if any of my players have died in the years since, and
I'm pretty sure that my cousin played with us once, so at least one has
died.

> I must confess to never having killed a player during chargen, no matter
> how tempting it might have been.
>
>
> ---In , <nightrim@...> wrote :
>
> I never quite understood the mentality behind killing players during
> chargen, I liked the, Special Duty and Wounded, bits during chargen.
> Those always spoke to me of something cool I needed to figure out when I
> was writing up my 10 page short story background.
>
>
> So I had a special duty when I was a marine and I was injured, what was
> that all about.
>
>
> I had a 4 term character who had 3 special duties, was injured twice and
> never got promoted. That spoke volumes about a lack of respect for
> authority.
>
> Derek Stanley Sent from my iPhone...
>
>
> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:57, dcndcn13@... dcndcn13@...
> [Traveller_TNE] <
> > wrote:
>
>
> I always loved the way characters died in character generation.
>
> First, it game me lots of NPCs to use later (they were already dead,
> right? Just postponing it a bit)
>
> Second, it gave a lot of flavor and insight into the game's universe
>
> Finally, it gave the game a lot of color and attitude compared to the
> other weenie RPGs. Any cry-baby can play a game where your characters
> are
> guaranteed to survive chargen.
>
> > It still kind of ticks me off when I see characters with a UPP like
> that.
> > So you're telling me you never rolled anything below a 10?
> >
> > We used to do 2d6 x 7 and scrap the lowest roll. I think of the total
> > added up to less than 20 something we could add in a few points. I
> forget
> > though.
> >
> > Derek Stanley
> > Sent from my iPhone...
> >
> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 16:29, alanbgam@... alanbgam@...
> [Traveller_TNE]
> >> < >
> wrote:
> >>
> >> A most misunderstood rule.
> >>
> >> How else are you meant to regularly roll 9ABCBA characters?
> >>
> >> It was pretty much stated in the book that if you didn't like a
> >> character, you could "enlist" him in the Scouts, and roll up another
> one
> >> when he died. (It didn't always work, since they sometimes survived.)
> >>
> >> Sure, it took up a bit of time, but it was a viable alternative to
> D&D
> >> style "roll three dice and pick the best two". Nobody gave D&D
> players
> >> grief about that.
> >>
> >> It's surprising how many people never picked up on that.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ---In
> , <nightrim@...> wrote :
> >>
> >> I thought most trav meme's had to do with death during character
> >> generation.
> >>
> >> Derek Stanley
> >> Sent from my iPhone...
> >>
> >> On Mar 2, 2015, at 14:34, alanbgam@... c[Traveller_TNE]
> >> <Traveller_TNEyahoogroups.com> iwrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> It's their choice. ;)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ---In
> , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :
> >>>
> >>> "Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them."
> >>>
> >>> So carpetbaggers and opportunists it is! (Kidding...joke on the CT
> >>> ethically-challenged merchant crew meme)
> >>>
> >>> > It's been a long time since I looked at it, and it's not handy to
> >>> allow me
> >>> > to refresh my mind, but my impression was positive. If I was going
> to
> >>> run
> >>> > a Traveller campaign in the future, and it's been a Real Long
> Time,
> >>> the
> >>> > Interstellar Wars period would be a serious contender.
> >>> >
> >>> > I'd probably set it a fair way into the wars, at a point when it
> was
> >>> > pretty obvious the Terrans were going to win, and the roots of
> what
> >>> would
> >>> > become the Ramshackle Empire were starting to appear. So: less Big
> >>> Damn
> >>> > Heroes, and more about carpetbaggers and opportunists trying to
> loot
> >>> the
> >>> > Ziru Sirka.
> >>> >
> >>> > Where the PCs would fit in would be up to them.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > ---In
> , <wildcat_hal@...> wrote :
> >>> >
> >>> > I picked up GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars a few days ago to
> sort
> >>> of
> >>> > round out my Solomani Rim collection. Initial impression is that
> >>> quality
> >>> > of the publication seems good, though I have some concerns about
> some
> >>> of
> >>> > the background history presented.
> >>> >
> >>> > 1. For those of you who have purchased this in the past, what are
> >>> your
> >>> > impressions of it?
> >>> >
> >>> > 2. Whether you have purchased it or not, what have you heard about
> it
> >>> from
> >>> > others?
> >>> >
> >>> > 3. Where do you put publications like this one on the 'Traveller
> >>> Canon
> >>> > Totem'? In theory, everything published by SJG is not canon,
> >>> but...is
> >>> > that totally true? I ask because if there are nuggets there that
> >>> look
> >>> > worth mining and incorporating into the CoE setting background,
> I'd
> >>> feel
> >>> > more comfortable doing that if there is consensus on the issue.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

In the run-up to the publication of 5th Frontier War Marc did a promotion
where for a SASE you'd get an autogenerated Traveller character assigned
to a counter in the game (just like the original Imperium concept). Mine
was a Marine Colonel, assigned to the 1071st Imperial Marine Regiment, so
I always assumed he was the CO. But he was unplayable, his SDE were
something like 143. His skills weren't bad, but he had to sit behind a lot
of armor plate back at HQ.

My brothers also each got one, and they were really awful, just one or two
terms each. The three together served as a reminder of what actual
auto-rolled characters looked like without all of the fudged rolls
generally practiced. I think they were also all basic 4-year term chargen
and not the Merc-style year-by-year expanded chargen.

> The doc in our current TNE game has a strength of 3 . it was 1
> (asteroid/space station background), but  i made him buff it to 3.  But
> he's also a filthy dirty psion. :P
>
> Kat, our dilettante (athlete[gymnast]/admin/noble) has the scores that
> makes Derek twitch: CBCA9B, and i watched her roll them up.
> The other two are "mere" humans with a normal spread of scores.
>

Just thinking about character survival rolls in other genres:

"Your character is bitten by a radioactive spider. Make a survival roll."
(dice rattle)
"Oops".

The fudged version goes like:

"Your character is caught in the detonation of a gamma bomb. Make a survival roll".
(dice rattle)
"OK, your character musters out immediately, and is a big, dumb green monster",

On Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 9:00 AM, Donald McKinney
[Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:

>
>
> The only questionable item in the GURPS Traveller canon would be Behind
> the Claw; you do have to sift through the "Lorenverse&quot; materials as opposed
> to OTU materials. As for Interstellar Wars, it remains the only published
> work on the period, so it is canon until something else replaces it.
>

Since Martin wrote both MgT and the GURPS spinward marches books, did the
problematic section get written over?

--
Evyn

I actually did buy Gamma World back when, with the intention of grafting
it into my D&D campaign, or my Traveller campaign, or something, but
merely read through it once or twice. There was an evolution game with
cards that you would line up three at a time (head, body and tail or
something like that) back in the '70s and we used that for creature
encounters.

> Just thinking about character survival rolls in other genres:
>
> "Your character is bitten by a radioactive spider. Make a survival roll."
> (dice rattle)
> "Oops".
>
> The fudged version goes like:
>
> "Your character is caught in the detonation of a gamma bomb. Make a
> survival roll".
> (dice rattle)
> "OK, your character musters out immediately, and is a big, dumb green
> monster",

Yes. Yes, it did. As far as I can remember, MGT Spinward Marches should be canon accurate.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 10:31 PM, Evyn MacDude [Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:
>
>
>
>> On Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 9:00 AM, Donald McKinney [Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:
>>
>> The only questionable item in the GURPS Traveller canon would be Behind the Claw; you do have to sift through the "Lorenverse&quot; materials as opposed to OTU materials. As for Interstellar Wars, it remains the only published work on the period, so it is canon until something else replaces it.
>
>
> Since Martin wrote both MgT and the GURPS spinward marches books, did the problematic section get written over?
>
> --
> Evyn
>

As a Traveller referee I had three basic rules:
1. This is a gathering of friends and we're here to have fun.
1a. That doesn't mean you are allowed to behave like a braying jackass.2. To whom much is given, much as expected.3. Unless you want to take the time to look it up in the rulebook and show me where I got it wrong, my rule is law.3a. Questions?  See rule #13b. I admit when I'm wrong, do you?

Character generation starts in my games with a simple question, "what do you want to be?"  Once I've talked through with the player what they want as an end result, I walk them through the character generation process to the point they are ready to play.  Dice rolling for stats is subject to my official "Hollywood Dice Rules" (if you blow the roll badly, we do another take).  Gun toting side kicks need high strength, not so much education, and so on.  Want to be a super intelligent, highly educated, former naval officer that's handy with a pistol?  Ok, Mr. Bond, but don't expect any easy scenarios, or that the NPCs you'll face will be "thug with a small group of minions working for him.". 

Mon Mar 2, 2015 9:31 pm (PST) . Posted by: "Evyn MacDude" macdudeus
On Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 9:00 AM, Donald McKinney
[Traveller_TNE] <> wrote:

>>
>> The only questionable item in the GURPS Traveller canon would be Behind
>> the Claw; you do have to sift through the "Lorenverse" materials as
opposed
>> to OTU materials. As for Interstellar Wars, it remains the only published
>> work on the period, so it is canon until something else replaces it.
>>

>Since Martin wrote both MgT and the GURPS spinward marches books, did the
>problematic section get written over?

Not really. If you compare the two books, they don't cover the same ground.
The definitive Marches 1105 book probably remains to be written, but I'm
hoping the OTU will move on instead of being stuck in the 1105 rut. And as
for Martin, I'm was kind of hoping he'd return to Far Avalon. I should ask
him...

I'd like to see the Lorenverse move on as well, but SJGames doesn't appear
to be interested in that either.

And in any case, my personal hope would be for a systemless approach for
the OTU setting (so the materials could be used for any system the referee
wants, from CT to TNE to T5 to HERO to Action!, or even Pathfinder Far
Future), and for system books that provide mechanics for a Traveller game
separate from the setting, much like CT's core was mostly setting
independent.

__________________________________
"My real e-mail address is owned by someone else..."