2300AD-Traveller Mix: Which supplements next?

[Azgulor]

I'm prepping a campaign that will largely be based on a 2300AD framework but with TI Traveller elements, as both my players and I prefer the near-term setting of 2300AD over the Third Imperium. However, given the wealth of material that I have of Traveller ships that utilize maneuver & jump drives, I'll be using the default Traveller starship technology. No grav vehicles, though. So, Vehicles of the Frontier is a definite must-buy, but I'm on the fence over purchasing Bayern on the chance there is enough supplemental & inspirational material to use or just getting some of the JTAS books to round out my JTAS collection.

Any suggestions? Does Bayern have enough setting & supplemental material to be useful or is it too married to the stutterwarp aspects of 2300AD? I currently have JTAS 1,3, & 4; any "must haves" I should consider if Bayern won't fit the bill?

 

[bytedruid]

It sounds like you know what stories you'd like to tell, but I also found the "French Arm Adventures" to be a nice addition since it gives good examples of the pacing and breadth of lower-tech story arcs. I picked up a brand new copy from ebay for less then the list price. Granted, It's for the previous addition of the system, but that doesn't matter much.

 

[Bryn the 2300AD guy]

Bayern would work well in a TL-11 Terran Confederation, possible better than 2k3. It was always an oddity in 2k3, because it required some universe changing tech changes to work. The Pleiades are ca. 150 parsecs rimward from Terra, and thus away from the Vilani Imperium.

For the "rift," instead of dumping a drive, have a disposable fuel tank or something instead.

 

[Bryn the 2300AD guy]

French Arm Adventures has essentially no additional material, apart from a little canon-breaking Pentapod stuff, than the original GDW books, which are far better formatted.

I recommend getting the whole of GDW's 2k3 corpus in one shot from MWM directly: https://www.farfuture.net/Contents CDROM 2300AD.pdf

 

[Sigtrygg]

French Arm Adventures has essentially no additional material, apart from a little canon-breaking Pentapod stuff, than the original GDW books, which are far better formatted.

I have to ask - what did Mongoose print that breaks pentapod canon?

I recommend getting the whole of GDW's 2k3 corpus in one shot from MWM directly: https://www.farfuture.net/Contents CDROM 2300AD.pdf

I second that.