Just getting this ready - let us know your thoughts on the World Builder's Handbook, and if you see any issues here!
World Builder's Handbook Feedback
- Thread starter MongooseMatt
- Start date
alex_greene
Guest
One thing I do love in any game book is really nice art, and Traveller does not skimp on that.
Look at this gorgeous example from page 253. Just begging to be printed out, framed, put on my living room wall, along with some other art from various Traveller books.
Look at this gorgeous example from page 253. Just begging to be printed out, framed, put on my living room wall, along with some other art from various Traveller books.
No glitches spotted at this early stage but some observations and a question:
P254 (Quote) - "A sane Referee is unlikely to take the time to fully develop dozens or hundreds of systems for an adventure or campaign..." I'll leave that thought with everybody.
I do like items like "What colour is the sky" and "How big/bright is that thing in the sky"; seemingly simple but not simplistic and a grand way of establishing that the gang are no longer in Kansas.
It is a crunchy book and so not that much space for artwork. What there is is good and relevant.
And a question which I think I know the answer to (yes) but worth asking (and maybe it has already been answered in the Book) - presumably this system would work perfectly well for 2300AD? I would like to think so. And if so do you think that there would there be any tweaks necessary for that universe?
P254 (Quote) - "A sane Referee is unlikely to take the time to fully develop dozens or hundreds of systems for an adventure or campaign..." I'll leave that thought with everybody.
I do like items like "What colour is the sky" and "How big/bright is that thing in the sky"; seemingly simple but not simplistic and a grand way of establishing that the gang are no longer in Kansas.
It is a crunchy book and so not that much space for artwork. What there is is good and relevant.
And a question which I think I know the answer to (yes) but worth asking (and maybe it has already been answered in the Book) - presumably this system would work perfectly well for 2300AD? I would like to think so. And if so do you think that there would there be any tweaks necessary for that universe?
And p.17, sub-heading "Unusual and Paculiar Object Mass" should be "Unusual and Peculiar Object Mass".
p.31, "undisguisable" should be "indistinguishable".
And now I'm going to cease my pedantry for today and just enjoy reading.
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
Mostly. But it doesn't use the national or colony profile UWP-like things from 2300.
Why? Didn't think of it until just now.
*sigh* Great, now there's a conversion article I should write in the future.
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
Hmm. That looked familiar... it's a mirror (with a lightly different sky hue, which might just be a publish artifact - or a filter) of the art used on page 235 of Aliens of Charted Space 3. I hope the artist got paid twice. (Or not, work for hire, so technically no rights unless granted, I would think. It's more a question of fairness than law. It's also possible the artist did all this on their own and resubmitted - pure speculation on my part.)
It's a really good illustration in both cases.
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
I feel like I'm calling in an artillery strike on my own position.
p. 17: "UNUSUAL AND PACULIAR OBJECT MASS" Paculiar a peculiar spelling for peculiar.
It's actually hilarious because I know exactly how this came about. It's a long convoluted story - which I won't share for lack of space or time to type it all out - but it definitely shows the complexity of editing these books and how one simple change late in the process can lead to further errors.
p. 17: "UNUSUAL AND PACULIAR OBJECT MASS" Paculiar a peculiar spelling for peculiar.
It's actually hilarious because I know exactly how this came about. It's a long convoluted story - which I won't share for lack of space or time to type it all out - but it definitely shows the complexity of editing these books and how one simple change late in the process can lead to further errors.
CordwainerFish
Emperor Mongoose
Given that the text at the start of the first column continues the previous page, it sure looks that way.
Some but not all of the equipment art is shaded outlines on Apple viewers again.
(Please do not say "use other software instead". I have good reasons not to and I have no need to debate those reasons.)
Oh yes, and I noticed that later as I paged thru. And yes, I'm on a Mac, although using a third party PDF reader. And same here, there is NO option to reasonably read on anything else.....sorry Mac's and iPad/iPhone are embedded in the household, no debates needed. But, I'd think that there shouldn't be a need to be specific anyways.......a PDF is a PDF (or so I'm told).
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
Using software from the hated Adobe company on a computer running an operating system software from the loathed Microsoft corporation, there is indeed artwork on the top of page 167.
(Don't want to debate either, I love my iPad, tolerate my iPhone, and only use hated and loathed software for historical and employment-related reasons).
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
From DriveThru a comment on the diagram on page 15: The second category of stars should be labeled 'Ib' not 'Ia".
It was correct on my version, but if I had known they where going to take my crappy mock-up and just clean up the text, I would have spent more time getting it to look pretty. Same goes for p. 23.
The system overviews on 64, 66, and 68 look better than mine, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have added the shadows to the stars, because, like, they glow, so they ought to be the light source (and then all the worlds would technically be half lit, so maybe just no shading on the orbs at all).
And from DriveThru... I'm #1! At least for the day. So thanks everyone!
It was correct on my version, but if I had known they where going to take my crappy mock-up and just clean up the text, I would have spent more time getting it to look pretty. Same goes for p. 23.
The system overviews on 64, 66, and 68 look better than mine, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have added the shadows to the stars, because, like, they glow, so they ought to be the light source (and then all the worlds would technically be half lit, so maybe just no shading on the orbs at all).
And from DriveThru... I'm #1! At least for the day. So thanks everyone!
Seffix
Cosmic Mongoose
Quite enjoying this book, and found this on p.38:
Continuing with the example, Zed’s mainworld is not defined, so this system will be entirely created using the expanded method. Rolling 2D for gas giants, a 7 indicates that they and a further roll on the Gas Giant Quantity table with DM-1 for the post-stellar object (the white dwarf) and DM-1 for four or more stars results in 11-2 = 9, which is four gas giants.
Continuing with the example, Zed’s mainworld is not defined, so this system will be entirely created using the expanded method. Rolling 2D for gas giants, a 7 indicates that they and a further roll on the Gas Giant Quantity table with DM-1 for the post-stellar object (the white dwarf) and DM-1 for four or more stars results in 11-2 = 9, which is four gas giants.
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
'exist' is the missing word between 'they' and 'and'. My bad, as this word does not exist. Yet. In the book.
Thanks for catching it
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
Copying this here to keep it consolidated:
p. 15:
Add an asterisk (*) after the Type and Hot column headings. Add the following text as a footnote to the table:
*Stars are Class V main sequence stars unless they result from Special or Unusual rolls.
Add a DM section below the table:
(oh, and fix the diagram so the second blob of stars reads 'Ib' instead of 'Ia' )
Finally, rewrite the first paragraph ('Most star...)" to read just:
Brighter, more massive stars are rarer than the smaller M-types. On a roll of 12, roll 2D again and consult the Hot column to
determine the star’s type.
Note that Hot should be capitalised as it refers to the column heading.
p. 16 change text at the bottom of the first column:
"Star Type table" to "Type column of the Star Type Determination table"
p. 15:
Add an asterisk (*) after the Type and Hot column headings. Add the following text as a footnote to the table:
*Stars are Class V main sequence stars unless they result from Special or Unusual rolls.
Add a DM section below the table:
| Stars of Class Ia - IV | DM+1 on the Type column |
| Protostars | DM+1 on the Type column |
(oh, and fix the diagram so the second blob of stars reads 'Ib' instead of 'Ia' )
Finally, rewrite the first paragraph ('Most star...)" to read just:
Brighter, more massive stars are rarer than the smaller M-types. On a roll of 12, roll 2D again and consult the Hot column to
determine the star’s type.
Note that Hot should be capitalised as it refers to the column heading.
p. 16 change text at the bottom of the first column:
"Star Type table" to "Type column of the Star Type Determination table"
