Traveller 5

[F33D]

Which sounds a lot like the usefulness/application of the first edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D), "back in the day"

Not at all. the 1st Ed of AD&D was a complete game that had organization and could be played without any other references. You either haven't read that and/or haven't looked at T5.

[2330ADUSA1]

As soon as I get my in the mail copy of T5 and read it ( I will read it cover to cover) I will comment on it for everyone!

[dragoner]

Which sounds a lot like the usefulness/application of the first edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D), "back in the day"

Not at all. the 1st Ed of AD&D was a complete game that had organization and could be played without any other references. You either haven't read that and/or haven't looked at T5.

What other references does T5 need?

The AD&D comparison is fairly dead on, T5 is Advanced Traveller.

[dragoner]

Must admit it seems very confusing as to who the book is actually aimed at. Is it just aimed at the very serious existing Traveller players? Because there cant be many of those around.

I just want something simple to play Traveller games with - something like updated CT books, which were great, concise, fun, playable rules books. Yes some of them missed the mark but on the whole they were superb...and cheap. You could buy one every few weeks as a kid. Not so now it seems. I find Mongoose stuff is very expensive and most of the MGT books are waffle.

How is T5 supposed to be helping get new blood into the Traveller universe at 650 pages and £60 or whatever? Weird.

The market is dead, nothing will revive it, the kids have moved on to computer games. Can't say much about the "book", as I'm all electronic; but there was about 200-300 pages cut from the playtest materials. I was a CT guy up until I switched to mongoose about a year ago, and that is because there are more players, it is still my fav rules set, but whatever, at least CT stuff is still useable for all other iterations.

[F33D]

What other references does T5 need?

Once you actually study the T5 book and try to run a game you'll find out.

[dragoner]

What other references does T5 need?

Once you actually study the T5 book and try to run a game you'll find out.

In other words, you are just making it up, nice. That's is what I figured though.

BTW: My T5 Campaign (Spinward Marches: A Broken Land) still exists, it is just on hiatus for the last 6 months. So yeah, already have run a game.

[ShawnDriscoll]

T5 is Advanced Traveller.

Yeah, right. What nonsense is this now?

[dragoner]

So I guess that "must read" if you are going to play T5, are the T5 core rules?

You know it's the negativity that is bad for trav, period, it is like a cancer; no matter what rule set. If you don't like it, cool, but making up stuff is uncool, that hurts the whole trav world.

I'm not down with the whole "edition wars" bs, but then I'm also the wrong-doer who defended the Luriani supplement at that other place, but I guess I'd rather create than debate, maybe it's my ADD:



Or helped the blind guy with mong chargen at another site, Matt might remember.

If I am to be cast in the role of Horatius, cool, I'm a rpg'er, I can do that.

[Jeraa]

T5 is Advanced Traveller.

Yeah, right. What nonsense is this now?

Well, I believe at one point T5 and Mongoose Traveller were to be compatible. Mongoose Traveller being the more simplier of the two, with T5 being the system for those who want more complicated rules.

I don't know if that was accurate, or if it is still true if that was the case. Just what I've heard.

[ShawnDriscoll]

Well, I believe at one point T5 and Mongoose Traveller were to be compatible. Mongoose Traveller being the more simplier of the two, with T5 being the system for those who want more complicated rules.

I don't know if that was accurate, or if it is still true if that was the case. Just what I've heard.

I don't know who started that rumor. The two games are different from each other, though, just like Hero Traveller and GURPS Traveller are different. Different character generation, different attributes, different skills, different die roll mechanic. I forget what era Traveller 5 takes place in (the referee can choose any era). About the only thing the same between Mongoose Traveller and Traveller 5 is that 1 ton is 13.5 cubic feet, and there are 6 attributes in T5 that are also used in MgT. Other than that, they are two different games.

ADDED:
An extra item here. After reading through Mongoose Traveller, players have an idea of what kind of goals their characters will work towards. What kind of story/adventure to role-play. After reading Traveller 5, there is none of that for the players. Traveller 5 is a "toolbox" for making one's own role-playing game. But the reader first has to have a game idea they want to design an RPG for. Getting a group of players to sit down at a table or in a Google Hangout for a couple of nights to create their characters and homeworlds is not ever going to happen using Traveller 5. It will happen though with a role-playing game that is designed by a referee, who used the Traveller 5 toolbox to make it. In other words, the entire game was house-ruled by someone first before playing can happen. The rules can be very simple though. A lot of the rules can just be ignored completely (maybe there is no combat in the first few game sessions, so no need to design that part of the game yet). Those that just want to play a game, won't need to have a copy of Traveller 5. It'll be of no use to them, unless they too plan to design an RPG, which no player does in the middle of a game.

[GamingGlen]

T5 is Advanced Traveller.

So T5 uses THAC0?

(edit: here, let me add an emoticon to indicate sarcasm, since it seemed to have gone by some people. )

[dragoner]

T5 is Advanced Traveller.

So T5 uses THAC0?

something like that

[ShawnDriscoll]

T5 is Advanced Traveller.

So T5 uses THAC0?

T5 uses nD6, rolling under or equal to (sometimes just under) a character's attribute + their skill level. n = the number of dice rolled as difficulty goes up (according to the referee).

[The Dark Avenger]

There was a statement early on in Mongoose Traveller development that the plan was for Mongoose to produce a standard, accessible Traveller and T5 would be a more complex but compatible version. Not sure how much co-development went on though, and T5 is an entirely different rule set to Mongoose Traveller these days.

[rgrove0172]

All this is very interesting but I dont have an opinion at all Im afraid as Ive been waiting over 5 weeks for my copy and havent recieved it yet.

[lordmalachdrim]

Backed the kickstarter and was very excited to get this bad boy. Even paid extra shipping to have the book shipped as soon as it came in with out the extras.

I then spend the next 2 weeks reading the thing to try and figure it out and keep slamming in to the walls of text and diagrams every couple of dozen pages. I made it 230 out of 656 pages before I put it in the closet.

Here's the issues I have. Seperate Range bands for planetary, altitude, ocean depth, and space.

Poorly written text to explain things (errata being gathered on CotI for release as a free download).

Stat lines for various senses: Vision, Touch, Hearing, Awareness, Smell, Perception that are express in a letter and number code that is different for each one.

Several dozen damage types/effects (corrode/bullet/slash/balst/emp/frag/gas/hot/infection/psi/burn/elec/magnetic/bang/stench/pain/cold/rad/sound/poison/flash/vacc/wound/pen/grav/tranq) and the armor effects/mods for each


I could go on but you get the idea.



***Addendum****

If you live around Utica, NY and want to take a look let me know.

[GypsyComet]

I don't know who started that rumor. The two games are different from each other...

It was stated at Mongoose's launch that the ship design system was informed by the T5 draft, and they are still largely compatible in the sub-2kton range.

As for the other tools in T5, many can be used for other editions in whole or in part.

T5 is a complete set of rules, and not even that complex to play. Getting to that point will require some effort though. The complexity comes in the pre-game stages.

T5 will not replace Mongoose Traveller, nor should it.

[ShawnDriscoll]

I don't know who started that rumor. The two games are different from each other...

It was stated at Mongoose's launch that the ship design system was informed by the T5 draft, and they are still largely compatible in the sub-2kton range.

It would make sense that Mongoose Traveller's core rule ships match those already established in the Traveller Universe, and stay within jump parameters. After that, all bets are off. As we see with alternate starship drives and tech levels in both MgT and T5.

[GypsyComet]

t would make sense that Mongoose Traveller's core rule ships match those already established in the Traveller Universe, and stay within jump parameters.

Except that, barring tech effects, T5's drive volumes ARE MGT's drive volumes, at least at the low end. They also use the same fuel calculations. There are two different basic ways to calculate jump fuel, across various editions, and MGT and T5 both use the same one. This is not coincidence.

The effect is positive, however, in that T5's ship section can be mingled into MGT ship design as a Ref wills. While this has almost always been true of mingling different editions (GT and TH excepted), MGT and T5 ships start from the same assumptions, something no two consecutive editions have managed before.

[ShawnDriscoll]

MGT and T5 ships start from the same assumptions, something no two consecutive editions have managed before.

I would argue that both game designs started with Classic Traveller as their starting reference. But all three games (CT, MgT, and T5) are very different games, each with different skills and skill levels. Then the die mechanics of each are alien to each other. But at least 1 ton is still 13.5 cubic meters in all three games. It's the unit of game space.