[GK Games] Ships of Clement Sector 5: Traders and Scouts

[Gypsy Knights Games]

Ships of Clement Sector 5: Traders and Scouts is now available at Drive-thru RPG at this link!

Gypsy Knights Games is proud to present the fifth entry in our newest line of products dedicated to the starships of Clement Sector.

In Ships of Clement Sector 5: Traders and Scouts, Gypsy Knights Games brings you not one vessel but a total of seven ships! The book features ships such as the Palomino-class runabout, the Starlight-class light trader and the Explorer-class long range scout.

Ships of Clement Sector 5: Traders and Scouts comes complete with beautiful views of each of these ships. Each ship is shown with full deckplans and statistics to make your use of our product simple, easy, and fun.

Though designed specifically with our Clement Sector setting in mind, each of these ships could easily be used in any Traveller setting.

Get on board! Adventure awaits!

"Traveller" and the Traveller logo are Trademarks owned by Far Future Enterprises, Inc. and are used with permission. The Traveller Main Rulebook is available from Mongoose Publishing.

[Gypsy Knights Games]

Megan R. has posted a 5-star review of Ships of Clement Sector 5: Traders and Scouts! If you'd like to see what Megan had to say about our newest ship book, click on the link below!

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_r ... _id=133987

Thanks Megan!

[phavoc]

You guys put out some high quality work, but Megan R hasn't met anything that isn't a 5 star review (she occasionally does a 4, but mostly 5's). I've found a number of her reviews to be factually incorrect as well. I've come to the conclusion that her reviews are essentially worthless, which is unfair to publishers and gamers alike.

GK Games deserves better reviews than from Megan R. Hopefully some of your customers will come out and give a review worth reading.

[Annatar Giftbringer]

Alright, here's a non-Megan review:

Another excellent book from GK!

Immediately after flicking through this book for the first time, I wanted to start new campaigns with each of these new ships - I even bought the Beltstrike adventure book in order to learn more about belting, to see how the Goldrush could be used.

The seven ships introduced in this book are all useable in one way or another. Depending on the campaign played some could work perfect as PC vessel, and others are great as encounters or just in the background to make the universe more varied.

The Starlight is a perfect starting ship for a small group of players, (almost) regardless of the type of game being played. Small, reasonably affordable, with a little space for cargo and passengers.

The Palomino Runabout fells more like a sports car in space, at least to me. It can take its owner/crew/the player(s) where they need to go, and in comfort, but you won't be hauling cargo or shuttling passengers with it. As a courier, executive transport, mini-yacht or simply a personal transport (for bounty hunters, VIPs, or players wishing to travel in style for example) though, it will get the job done! (Plus it looks good too) It does have an air raft hangar for planetary travel, and I do like that it has stairs between the cockpit and main deck. Practical? Maybe, maybe not, but I personally like the design touch. Only minor nitpick is that the flavor text says unarmored but it does have 4 points of crystaliron.

The Billings class free trader is just what it sound like. It has room for both passengers and cargo, and with jump 2 it's a viable alternative to the Far Trader from the main book, a design I've never quite liked personally. More expensive, but you also get more for your money.

Next up, the Goldrush, a 200 dT FTL capable belting ship. A home away from home, a base for belting operations. The upper deck is for living, with state rooms, common room and med bay. The lower deck has a cutter hangar and two cargo holds. In order to use this ship to its fullest, it's recommended to install a belting module in the cutter (available in Clement Book 4 - Small Craft). For those that do not want to play a belting campaign the ship would make an interresting encounter, perhaps the players find one out in deep space, adrift, or they work aboard one at the beginning of a campaign, before being abducted by pirates and forced into a life of looting and plunder...

The Explorer class long range scout would fit equally well for a scout-based campaign that wants something new, or as a larger (400 dT) ship for almost any group of players. With the right weapons it could work as a light warship, or courier duty, PC transport/home base and so on. Due to the way Zimm drives work within the Clement setting, long range does not mean jump 3+, but rather that it does have fuel for 2x 2 parsec jumps without refuelling.

The Nigaloo can also be used for scout games, or exploration. Think scout meets lab ship, with a touch of adventuring. It looks like a stretched Goldrush, and has lots of room for crew and mission staff. The labs can, of course, be converted into storage if a group of players wants to play different kinds of games. It has hangar space for a 30 dT boat, and a vehicle garage for ATV and air raft, and like the Explorer it has fuel for 2x jumps. The sensors are very advanced, and it looks and sounds perfect for expeditions and players wanting a bit more flexibility than offered among the smaller vessels in the game. And as I type this I realise that a Nigaloo can easily be converted into a great mercenary or pirate vessel...

Finally, there's the Dromedary class tanker. Perhaps not the most exciting ship for players to work on, but a very welcome sight when the fuel runs low! They could be used as encounters, escort quests or merely to populate the universe with more diverse ships.

To me, GK Games ship designs have always felt believable, thought through and 'realistic' and the ones in this book are no exceptions. Great work, keep it up!

[Gypsy Knights Games]

Alright, here's a non-Megan review:

Another excellent book from GK!

Immediately after flicking through this book for the first time, I wanted to start new campaigns with each of these new ships - I even bought the Beltstrike adventure book in order to learn more about belting, to see how the Goldrush could be used.

The seven ships introduced in this book are all useable in one way or another. Depending on the campaign played some could work perfect as PC vessel, and others are great as encounters or just in the background to make the universe more varied.

The Starlight is a perfect starting ship for a small group of players, (almost) regardless of the type of game being played. Small, reasonably affordable, with a little space for cargo and passengers.

The Palomino Runabout fells more like a sports car in space, at least to me. It can take its owner/crew/the player(s) where they need to go, and in comfort, but you won't be hauling cargo or shuttling passengers with it. As a courier, executive transport, mini-yacht or simply a personal transport (for bounty hunters, VIPs, or players wishing to travel in style for example) though, it will get the job done! (Plus it looks good too) It does have an air raft hangar for planetary travel, and I do like that it has stairs between the cockpit and main deck. Practical? Maybe, maybe not, but I personally like the design touch. Only minor nitpick is that the flavor text says unarmored but it does have 4 points of crystaliron.

The Billings class free trader is just what it sound like. It has room for both passengers and cargo, and with jump 2 it's a viable alternative to the Far Trader from the main book, a design I've never quite liked personally. More expensive, but you also get more for your money.

Next up, the Goldrush, a 200 dT FTL capable belting ship. A home away from home, a base for belting operations. The upper deck is for living, with state rooms, common room and med bay. The lower deck has a cutter hangar and two cargo holds. In order to use this ship to its fullest, it's recommended to install a belting module in the cutter (available in Clement Book 4 - Small Craft). For those that do not want to play a belting campaign the ship would make an interresting encounter, perhaps the players find one out in deep space, adrift, or they work aboard one at the beginning of a campaign, before being abducted by pirates and forced into a life of looting and plunder...

The Explorer class long range scout would fit equally well for a scout-based campaign that wants something new, or as a larger (400 dT) ship for almost any group of players. With the right weapons it could work as a light warship, or courier duty, PC transport/home base and so on. Due to the way Zimm drives work within the Clement setting, long range does not mean jump 3+, but rather that it does have fuel for 2x 2 parsec jumps without refuelling.

The Nigaloo can also be used for scout games, or exploration. Think scout meets lab ship, with a touch of adventuring. It looks like a stretched Goldrush, and has lots of room for crew and mission staff. The labs can, of course, be converted into storage if a group of players wants to play different kinds of games. It has hangar space for a 30 dT boat, and a vehicle garage for ATV and air raft, and like the Explorer it has fuel for 2x jumps. The sensors are very advanced, and it looks and sounds perfect for expeditions and players wanting a bit more flexibility than offered among the smaller vessels in the game. And as I type this I realise that a Nigaloo can easily be converted into a great mercenary or pirate vessel...

Finally, there's the Dromedary class tanker. Perhaps not the most exciting ship for players to work on, but a very welcome sight when the fuel runs low! They could be used as encounters, escort quests or merely to populate the universe with more diverse ships.

To me, GK Games ship designs have always felt believable, thought through and 'realistic' and the ones in this book are no exceptions. Great work, keep it up!

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed it!

[Gypsy Knights Games]

And the error he mentioned in the review concerning the description of the Palomino has now been repaired. You can download the new version from DTRPG if you've already purchased it.

[Traveller-61]

You guys put out some high quality work, but Megan R hasn't met anything that isn't a 5 star review (she occasionally does a 4, but mostly 5's). I've found a number of her reviews to be factually incorrect as well. I've come to the conclusion that her reviews are essentially worthless, which is unfair to publishers and gamers alike.

GK Games deserves better reviews than from Megan R. Hopefully some of your customers will come out and give a review worth reading.

Interesting; I have always found her reviews informative and usually accurate.

Anyway on to the book - on wishlist for the moment and on my hard drive when cash allows. I am not playing Traveller at the moment but am always on the lookout for well designed and well illustrated ships; and on the strength of the Small Craft book I shall be adding this to my collection.

DW

[phavoc]

Alright, here's a non-Megan review:

Another excellent book from GK!

To me, GK Games ship designs have always felt believable, thought through and 'realistic' and the ones in this book are no exceptions. Great work, keep it up!

Excellent! This is a far better review than the ones Megan R puts together. Not to mention that you spent the time reading the product and found (and reported) errors. These are the types of things that I think most players and potential customers want to see. While there isn't anything wrong with paid reviewers, it doesn't help one if the reviewer never, ever seems to find fault with a product nor is it useful if they don't actually, yanno, READ the damn thing before they write a review.

And the error he mentioned in the review concerning the description of the Palomino has now been repaired. You can download the new version from DTRPG if you've already purchased it.

THIS is why I like to patronize the smaller publishers. There seems to be an annoying trend by the larger game publishers to make fundamental errors in proofing work prior to it getting published. I've seen it with Mongoose (though they did the right thing by replacing some of their biggest mistakes), I see it now with Catalyst Games and their publishing 5th edition Shadowrun supplements.

The bigger companies don't seem to be as responsive. But the smaller ones are able (and willing) to listen to their customers and fix the problems. Obviously it is far easier to update a PDF than it is once you print something, but overall I think smaller publishers are doing a better job.

Please keep up the good work.

[madmike]

Thanks all.

As soon as the the error was mentioned we moved to sort it out. As errors go, it is a minor one, but an error nonetheless.

The biggest compliment one can get from a designers point of view is that the design will be used.

[Gardensnake01]

Thanks all.

As soon as the the error was mentioned we moved to sort it out. As errors go, it is a minor one, but an error nonetheless.

The biggest compliment one can get from a designers point of view is that the design will be used.

Just a curiosity, I take it from the "we" in your post above and your location of Perth that you are Michael Johnson, the author of this book, Is that correct? If so, great work. I particularly liked the Long Range Scout.

Thanks,

William

[madmike]

Just a curiosity, I take it from the "we" in your post above and your location of Perth that you are Michael Johnson, the author of this book, Is that correct? If so, great work. I particularly liked the Long Range Scout.

Thanks,

William

Hi William

I am the author yes, and many thanks for the compliment.

I love the Clement Sector setting and accepting John's offer of joining the team as an author is one of the best decisions of my gaming life, since buying Classic Traveller over thirty four years ago.

[Gypsy Knights Games]

I love the Clement Sector setting and accepting John's offer of joining the team as an author is one of the best decisions of my gaming life, since buying Classic Traveller over thirty four years ago.

And getting you to write them is certainly one of the best decisions I've made in running this company. Your work (and Ian's and Brad's) is greatly appreciated!

[Gypsy Knights Games]

THIS is why I like to patronize the smaller publishers. ...

The bigger companies don't seem to be as responsive. But the smaller ones are able (and willing) to listen to their customers and fix the problems. Obviously it is far easier to update a PDF than it is once you print something, but overall I think smaller publishers are doing a better job.

Please keep up the good work.

We will do our best!

We try really hard to keep the mistakes from being there in the first place. They do occasionally slip by us. When we find them, we make every effort to correct them as quickly as possible.

Thanks for the kind words!

[madmike]

And getting you to write them is certainly one of the best decisions I've made in running this company. Your work (and Ian's and Brad's) is greatly appreciated!

Both Ian and Brad bring the books to life!

[Gypsy Knights Games]

Now available at Paizo's online shop at this link!

[Annatar Giftbringer]

A question popped into my head earlier today... What to do with it? Put it in a corner and leave it there? Nah, I'll throw it out here instead:

Which ships can be assumed to be equipped with some form of landing gear? From this book mainly, but also from previous clement books.

From book 5 I'd guess all but the tanker (and possibly the goldrush?)

All the small craft from book 4, the attack boats but not their tender from book 2, possibly the Kiviat (or not) and everything except Atlas and Farragut from the main book?

[madmike]

A question popped into my head earlier today... What to do with it? Put it in a corner and leave it there? Nah, I'll throw it out here instead:

Which ships can be assumed to be equipped with some form of landing gear? From this book mainly, but also from previous clement books.

From book 5 I'd guess all but the tanker (and possibly the goldrush?)

All the small craft from book 4, the attack boats but not their tender from book 2, possibly the Kiviat (or not) and everything except Atlas and Farragut from the main book?

Cool question

The best way to answer it is to list what ships do not have landing capability.

Kiviat, Vulkan, Moltke, Orbital Pods, Dromedary, Goldrush and Farragut.

Hope that answers your question.

[Annatar Giftbringer]

It does answer my question, thanks! Kinda what I figured, but now I know for sure

Edit: wait a minute... I think I see a pattern here... It really is as simple as streamlined = landing gear, isn't it? Never given it any thought before, but it does make sense hat a ship designed to travel in-atmosphere can also land...

[phavoc]

It does answer my question, thanks! Kinda what I figured, but now I know for sure

Edit: wait a minute... I think I see a pattern here... It really is as simple as streamlined = landing gear, isn't it? Never given it any thought before, but it does make sense hat a ship designed to travel in-atmosphere can also land...

Technically, depending on the actual physical configuration of the ship, parts of it may act as landing gear. Think of how a seaplane has permanent sponsoons attached where say a different one will have retractable landing gear. Having anti-gravity capabilities can make a huge difference for spacecraft that want to land without having to install landing gear (or even partial landing gear).

[madmike]

It does answer my question, thanks! Kinda what I figured, but now I know for sure

Edit: wait a minute... I think I see a pattern here... It really is as simple as streamlined = landing gear, isn't it? Never given it any thought before, but it does make sense hat a ship designed to travel in-atmosphere can also land...

Most times yes, but a ship can be steamlined so it can scoop fuel as well, but still not have landing gear.

In saying that, a ship without landing gear and has a streamlined hull form can land, but on water. David Drake does this with the starships in his RCN novels.