I have run Mongoose Traveller, the first one; years later I ran Classic Traveller and it felt similar but also a bit weirder because the civil
careers aren’t there. But that betting element during character creation is there, of course. I don’t know if many people play that way, however.
People click on generators until they get a character they like, I fear.

I started thinking about a short Traveller replacement based on
conversations with Frotz. I never had any concrete plans and so it never
went anywhere.

https://alexschroeder.ch/pdfs/Halbardier.pdf

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote:

On 6/20/2024 10:07 PM, Alex Schroeder wrote:

People click on generators until they get a character they like, I fear.

Which seems o.k. if you'd need a quick replacement character, I guess.
But your also missing an interesting part of the game. The betting
game, trying to advance your character as much as possible, or
as much as you like, before the game starts.

I started thinking about a short Traveller replacement based on
conversations with Frotz. I never had any concrete plans and so it never
went anywhere.

https://alexschroeder.ch/pdfs/Halbardier.pdf

There's one thing about Traveller: it's a complete game. Much more so
than OD&D. For me there seems hardly any need to fiddle around, find
my preferred initiative rule or whatever. You can just take the little
three booklets and confidently start playing. It'll work without
any house rules needed.

Yeah, I have to say the character generation system really is one of the
best parts of Mongoose Traveller, as it gives you a fully-fledged
backstory. It's not quite OSR though, as it involves too much investment
into the character at the beginning.

So since I've run MgT1, CT and T5, and played CT, I think MgT and T5
*seem* to offer more options and interesting life path events. But
don't they actually give you more limitations? Which no doubt help
in making up our minds? CT hardly gives you any rails to orient
yourself. To my mind, that's a feature. Especially the "Others"
carrer leaves wide room for interpretation.

That's a general thing about rpg rules I feel: The more advanced an
an edition is (by name, by number and year of publishing) the more
specific it gets. Specificity may well feel like "more options",
because they're all spelled out. But the old and lean rules sets
never prevented you from adding as many unnamed options to your game
as you want.

I was recently thinking about maybe playing Traveller Adventure 4:
Leviathan in MgT, as that is a very nice sandbox adventure (with a
moving base).

A great idea, I was thinking about that one too, on and off. It might
well be a master class in domain style gaming. Since at the primary
player level PCs would be among the highest ranking officers on the
ship. While of course they could go on many adventures themselves,
it would be highly realistic if they'd send regular crew members
on individual missions planet side: an open table of
red shirts ;)

I also like that at the officer level there are many tactical issues
to debate, and star ship encounters might lead to some good old
tabletop space fighting.

I'd be in! :D

Also, CT would be my preferred rules choice, but I guess you knew
that already.

Cheers,

lkh

--
xmpp: lkh@jabber.sdf.org
mastodon: @lkh@social.sdfeu.org

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 6/21/2024 12:52 AM, Kyonshi wrote:

On 6/20/2024 10:07 PM, Alex Schroeder wrote:

I have run Mongoose Traveller, the first one; years later I ran Classic
Traveller and it felt similar but also a bit weirder because the civil
careers aren’t there. But that betting element during character
creation is
there, of course. I don’t know if many people play that way, however.
People click on generators until they get a character they like, I fear.

I started thinking about a short Traveller replacement based on
conversations with Frotz. I never had any concrete plans and so it never
went anywhere.

https://alexschroeder.ch/pdfs/Halbardier.pdf

Yeah, I have to say the character generation system really is one of the
best parts of Mongoose Traveller, as it gives you a fully-fledged
backstory. It's not quite OSR though, as it involves too much investment
into the character at the beginning.

It does work as a sort of party game though: everybody sits around the
table and tries to create their character, and sometimes you manage to
get connections with the other players. That's all very neat and easy,
and I think it would be a great way to spend a first session.

I only played Traveller once (if you don't count Megatraveller CRPG
which I enjoyed too) and the session consisted of making a character.
Never actually did anything. I found it fun anyway.

I used Heroes of Legend in 2e AD&D quite a bit which has a similar
background generation (no betting though, and no chance of death,
unplayable characters yes) for fantasy. I eventually found it a bit too complicated and long and affecting character power and pared it down considerably. I stopped using it sometime in 3e altogether, but
occasionally fondly reminisce about 'session 0' where we'd spend a good
portion of the first session making backgrounds with it.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> wrote:

On 6/21/2024 12:52 AM, Kyonshi wrote:

On 6/20/2024 10:07 PM, Alex Schroeder wrote:

I have run Mongoose Traveller, the first one; years later I ran Classic
Traveller and it felt similar but also a bit weirder because the civil
careers aren???t there. But that betting element during character
creation is
there, of course. I don???t know if many people play that way, however.
People click on generators until they get a character they like, I fear. >>>
I started thinking about a short Traveller replacement based on
conversations with Frotz. I never had any concrete plans and so it never >>> went anywhere.

https://alexschroeder.ch/pdfs/Halbardier.pdf

Yeah, I have to say the character generation system really is one of the
best parts of Mongoose Traveller, as it gives you a fully-fledged
backstory. It's not quite OSR though, as it involves too much investment
into the character at the beginning.

It does work as a sort of party game though: everybody sits around the
table and tries to create their character, and sometimes you manage to
get connections with the other players. That's all very neat and easy,
and I think it would be a great way to spend a first session.

I only played Traveller once (if you don't count Megatraveller CRPG
which I enjoyed too) and the session consisted of making a character.
Never actually did anything. I found it fun anyway.

There's this distinction now that crpgs are not actual rpgs. If people in
the elder times (the 80s...) had known that. A lot of early attempts at computer games were attempts to get the DnD experience into a solo format
with the computer playing the role of the DM.
Even Colossal Cave started out like that.
Nowadays people will of course say those aren't real roleplaying games.

I used Heroes of Legend in 2e AD&D quite a bit which has a similar
background generation (no betting though, and no chance of death,
unplayable characters yes) for fantasy. I eventually found it a bit too complicated and long and affecting character power and pared it down considerably. I stopped using it sometime in 3e altogether, but
occasionally fondly reminisce about 'session 0' where we'd spend a good portion of the first session making backgrounds with it.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)