2300AD Core Book Preview

[Wil Mireu]

As someone else pointed out, it is a topic that still pops up on RPG forums. This change has no effect on the game (it still gets pronounced the same way and it is a viable change for evolving language) and side steps the issue entirely. For the cost of one letter.

If you kept it as "Käfer" though you would have kept the german authenticity (and the meaning) though, and also removed any complaints about alternate meaning. All you would have had to do is put an accent over the "a", arguably is less effort than adding an extra letter and saves you space in the text too.

I've followed 2300AD since it was first released and I never heard of anybody complaining about "Kafer" being potentially offensive. I guess it's possible that this offensive meaning is something that has only appeared in the past few years though. But you'll note that any confusion with the offensive version is entirely caused by people mistaking the word for something that is spelt and pronounced completely differently. It's not a problem with the word itself, it's a problem with people being ignorant. I just think it's very sad that you've decided to pander to the ignorant people, and not give your audience credit for any intelligence.

It may be easier to understand if you live in our world for a moment. I have a woman in South Africa praying for my soul because we once published a book about demons.

And why on earth would you be concerned about or cater to ignorant morons like her? Your audience is much smarter than that!

 

[Rick]

I find the original spelling very offensive - I can't find the umlauts on my keyboard! Seriously though, I think spelling it 'Kaefer' makes more sense all round and it really shouldn't matter (after all, one man's dwarves are another's dwerrow - please don't tell me we have to police every different use of a name!)

 

[Jacqual]

I myself do not care how it's spelled if the new spelling with the ae prevents the game from getting any negative publicity it is worth it. From the perspective that it is different then the origional spelling then so be it. In anyone's home campaign they can spell the word any way they want, it has no bearing in my life or Mongoose's game at that point. I played RPG's from way back and I remember the whole D&D is devil worshipping and the books are possesed and all that crude, I really do not wanna read that my science fiction game is rascist, and I feel the Mongoose is realy trying to keep everything nice and polite. So Matt I appreciate your efforts in trying to provide a fully positive outlook on your games and trying not to insult anyone thank you.

 

[Old timer]

+1 to the above post.

 

[Strithe]

I would like to see your "logic" for that statement, because I just explained why they had no justification for changing it at all. This discussion wouldn't be happening at all if they'd just kept them as "Käfers".

As someone else pointed out, it is a topic that still pops up on RPG forums. This change has no effect on the game (it still gets pronounced the same way and it is a viable change for evolving language) and side steps the issue entirely. For the cost of one letter.

It may be easier to understand if you live in our world for a moment. I have a woman in South Africa praying for my soul because we once published a book about demons.

It takes all types in this world and if an extra e spares me some pain, I will happily pay for the extra ink :

I have no problem with the change, it doesn't affect the game as you say, and the fact it's a more accurate transliteration was news to me. I just think you're being a bit optimistic about keeping stupid people from being stupid: the same people will likely point out that a certain African nation should have its name re-spelled Nijeeria, or you'll get the animal rights people complaining that using the Kaefers as villains encourages cruelty to insects. But, I guess you have to pick your battles.

On the stuff that actually matters (and apologies if it's covered elsewhere already):

I'm looking at the page counts from the TOC's of 2320 & Mongoose 2300. It'll be interesting to see how they compare when the book arrives.

Minor issue with the artwork on the aliens: the Kaefer's head is a little indistinct (I'm guessing it's looking down & to one side). Other than that, it's sufficiently hulking & menacing.

I'm curious, how do the world write-ups compare to previous editions like 2320 & the original 2300? Even in the old Colonial Atlas, a couple of worlds got relatively short shrift.

The preview of the nation / colony profile is very interesting.

How does the selection of equipment compare to previous editions of 2300/2320? Is there less emphasis on military gear?

I'm still asking about color colony maps (I've got the ones Colin did for 2320, but I'd like to have some un-exploded colonies)...

Is there a rough time-table on when the non-French Arm sourcebooks will be available? I'm most interested in these neglected parts of the 2300 universe.

 

[locarno24]

And why on earth would you be concerned about or cater to ignorant morons like her? Your audience is much smarter than that!

Who's been telling you lies?

But agree with the above; looking forward to the book and if it saves heartache then just go with it. There are principles to die in a ditch over. The spelling of a slang name for a non-existent species in a game isn't one of them...

 

[Colin]

Well, the current plan is:
French Arm Adventures
Tools For Frontier Living
French Arm Sourcebook
Chinese Arm Adventures
Aconit Run (Adventure/sourcebook)
Chinese Arm Sourcebook
American Arm Adventures
Flight of the Bayern (Adventure/sourcebook)
American Arm Sourcebook
Core Adventures
Core Sourcebook

Or something like that.

 

[Colin]

In the Arm sourcebooks, each world will get the same amount of space dedicated to physical data, geography and encounters, and each colony on that planet will likewise get equal shift. There will be maps of each colony, along with maps of major cities/installations, in addition to maps of the world. In addition to worlds and colonies, there will be information on major outposts, commonly encountered spacecraft, vehicles, equipment, and organizations.

The Arm adventures will feature at least one of the intelligent races native to that area of space, and will encompass three adventures of approximately 3o pages each.

The Aconit and Bayern sourcebook/adventures will have data about the ship, including more detailed drawings of important spaces, and a series of linked adventures. Each will be in the range of 90 or so pages.

 

[Traveller-61]

Well, the current plan is:
French Arm Adventures
Tools For Frontier Living
French Arm Sourcebook
Chinese Arm Adventures
Aconit Run (Adventure/sourcebook)
Chinese Arm Sourcebook
American Arm Adventures
Flight of the Bayern (Adventure/sourcebook)
American Arm Sourcebook
Core Adventures
Core Sourcebook

Or something like that.

To quote my wallet: "Ouch!!!" :lol:

Seriously though looking very good for 2300AD.

Just one question (apart from which of my organs I will have to sell to pay for all this) - will the 'Tools for Frontier Living' feature the contents of the old Ground Vehicle Guide?

DW

 

[FreeTrav]

But hey, if people can supposedly confuse those two words, how about this:

A "nagger" is someone who nags, and it's pronounced "nah-gger". The racist word "nigger" has an "a" instead of an "i" (which, if you notice, is less of a difference than between Käfer and kaffir) and means something completely different and is pronounced "ni-gger". So should people stop using the word "nagger" for fear of someone confusing it with the racist term? No, because it's two different words, with two different pronounciations, and two different meanings.

I'll just point out that there was an uproar in Washington DC when a politician used the word "niggardly" in referring to another politician (who happened to be black) and his attitude toward government spending on 'necessary' services.

 

[GamerDude]

It does, the "ae" became an accepted alternative for the "ä", mainly
because early keyboards, software solutions and optical recognition
systems could not handle the "ä" well.

aren't the two dots called something like an "umlaut" (or close, I never can remember)?

 

[rust]

aren't the two dots called something like an "umlaut" (or close, I never can remember)?

Yes, the two dots turn a normal vowel into an "Umlaut" with a
different pronunciation. In the case of the "a" the normal pro-
nunciation would be like the "a" in "garden", as the Umlaut "ä"
it is pronouced like the "a" in "make". The vowels "o" and "u"
also have an "Umlaut" version, "ö" and "ü", but I am not awa-
re of any equivalent English pronunciation.

An "Umlaut" was originally written as "vowel + e" (= "ae", "oe",
"ue"), as for example in the Anglosaxon language, too, where
the "ae" became a single letter (sorry, my keyboard does not
have it). Later on people found it easier to make the two dots,
and with the early ASCII without the "Umlaut" version the "vo-
wel + e" became an accepted alternative again.

 

[dalek4890l]

Well, the current plan is:
French Arm Adventures
Tools For Frontier Living
French Arm Sourcebook
Chinese Arm Adventures
Aconit Run (Adventure/sourcebook)
Chinese Arm Sourcebook
American Arm Adventures
Flight of the Bayern (Adventure/sourcebook)
American Arm Sourcebook
Core Adventures
Core Sourcebook

Or something like that.

How wildly optimistic would I be if I asked for release dates for all of the above...and got them. Will the overload of work on ACTA:SFB be likely to affect the 2300 releases, I do appreciate that you have limited time and it's best to concerntrate on the items that are selling well but... I would like my 2300 core rulebook sometime.

That is an impressive looking line-up though.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Will the overload of work on ACTA:SFB be likely to affect the 2300 releases, I do appreciate that you have limited time and it's best to concerntrate on the items that are selling well but... I would like my 2300 core rulebook sometime.

Star Fleet does not touch RPG production at all!

 

[Colin]

There's other stuff I would like to see, like campaign books for a military campaign, a troubleshooting campaign, and an exploration campaign, a Star Cruiser II with an RPG-centric starship combat and campaign system, using the current ship design rules, an Alien sourcebook, and other goodies.

I would really like to see a 15mm ground combat miniatures system, with real 2300AD miniatures, of course. And 2300AD ship minis. <drool>

There are no plans in the works for any of these, but they are things I would like to see.

 

[dalek4890l]

There's other stuff I would like to see, like campaign books for a military campaign, a troubleshooting campaign, and an exploration campaign, a Star Cruiser II with an RPG-centric starship combat and campaign system, using the current ship design rules, an Alien sourcebook,.

Alien sourcebook, Kaefer Dawn by any chance?

I would really like to see a 15mm ground combat miniatures system, with real 2300AD miniatures, of course. And 2300AD ship minis. <drool>

There are no plans in the works for any of these, but they are things I would like to see.

There was a macro-combat system for 2300 in an old challenge magazine (number 41) that even had five scenarios. They were almost exclusively Texas Rangers against Ebers and while you had large numbers of Ebers (240 in one scenario) the Texans were usually about a squad in a couple of vehicles.

For miniatures while they are not in any way official the NSL (neu Swabian League) and NAC (New Anglian Confederation) miniatures that Ground Zero Games produce are so close to being like 2300 miniatures should be that it is almost painful. You can also get them in 25mm scale (as well as 15mm ) if you feel like showing off........or want to put on an impressive demonstration/participation game for the ground combat rules that don't exist, and aren't even planned.

 

[Grazelander]

If you're looking for 2300 flavored minis combat rules try looking up "Tomorrows War" from Ambush Alley Games, nice set of post modern to early sci-fi tabletop rules for any scale. Even has a timeline that reads very like a 2300 type background, although without the aliens.

 

[Lysander]

Well, the current plan is:
French Arm Adventures
Tools For Frontier Living
French Arm Sourcebook
Chinese Arm Adventures
Aconit Run (Adventure/sourcebook)
Chinese Arm Sourcebook
American Arm Adventures
Flight of the Bayern (Adventure/sourcebook)
American Arm Sourcebook
Core Adventures
Core Sourcebook

Or something like that.

Wow!

Really look forward to the Chinese and American Arm books. French Arm is great but the Chinese Arm (at least in my image) reminds me so much of Firefly/Serenity. In the midst of the Kafer war in the French Arm, with most military assets moved there, one would think the Chinese Arm would be a great place for characters to be involved in intrigues, piracy campaigns (as privateers on either side...or both), exploration, trade and troubleshooting.....not to mention a chance to play a Texas Ranger.

My sense of the Chinese Arm is that the closer you get to Procyon the more the colonies start looking like settlements out of the middle ages. Plus the Chinese arm has the mysteries of the Ebers (and their homeworld), the Sung and the Xiang.

If I am not mistaken, it is the American Arm that ultimately connects to the yet undiscovered Beta Aquilae Cluster (from Colin's "2320") which is an adventure goldmine...curious if we will see it the the "American Arm' book.

Looking forward to the "Flight of the Bayern" as well. As much as I like what William H. Keith did with "Bayern" (and so many other Traveller adventures he and his late brother, Andrew, wrote), I always thought that Bayern could be greatly expanded, and frankly, an adventure that characters could play for years on end.

What an exciting time for Traveller 2300!

 

[chrisdw]

As an old time grognard I have the core book and french arm adventures on pre-order and if the publication plans go go as outlined I know where most ofg my RPG spend is going for the foresable future. 2300AD looks like being my "go to" setting for science fiction.

Chris D-W

 

[ramira]

I have just discovered Mongoose's initiative and as someone who once played in 2300 PBEMs a decade ago, I should be very happy to see this develop successfully. I hope some thought will be made to supporting online play facilities.

And as an African, I am happy to see the hideousness of the Kaffer corrected to be Kaefer. It was always for me a distraction and unpleasant to see, as I speak also German and knew it to be also bad transliteration of Käfer. Easy for les blancs to hand wave away, but annoying. So a voice in support of that correction. I do hope that the massacre of the French language is partly corrected as well.