Anyone used The Great Rift as basis of campaign?

[nerfherder]

I am considering running a game of Traveller with my regular gaming group (who have all moved online now - allowing us to include members that have moved away). One person has been running D&D for the last 9+ months, and another is ready to run Call of Cthulhu (Berlin).

I'd like to offer something different, and I've been a fan of Traveller since the 80's, though rarely got to run or play it. So, I thought I'd start preparing a game of Traveller. I've bought the core rulebook so far.

I quite like the idea of keeping the scope small, and not overwhelming the players with information about the Empire. I'd also like to include exploration as a central theme.

The Great Rifts looks like it may be useful, so I was wondering if anyone else had used it, and what they thought of it?

 

[Galadrion]

Well, if your players wind up with an exploration/trading focus, I imagine that the Islands would be a good bounded play area. There's actually plenty of systems which are (reasonably) accessible for missions of one sort or another, while the surrounding emptiness will keep them from running off easily... unless you give them a chance to escape. (I think one of the PC MegaTraveller games was similarly limited - the jump capability to escape the area just wasn't available... except as one of the late-game rewards for a mission. Kept the player from running off uncontrolled.) Plus, if you want to add one or another different focus, it's none too difficult. Scientific/investigatory, political/diplomatic, mercenary... all of these are more than possible, given a little effort.

Rift areas are actually a fairly effective way to create a role-playing 'sandbox' without invoking game-master fiat; simply set up an area with no simple means of escape and, for Finagle's sake, don't give your players any particular reason to escape! (If you make that mistake, they will regard it, quite rightfully, as a challenge! And, players being players, they'll likely come up with way to manage it.) If, on the other hand, you set them up in a somewhat bounded area with plenty of opportunities, they'll happily wander around doing all sorts of things (many of which you may not have even planned to set up!) and never even consider that they might be "trapped".

Edited to add: Sorry, got slightly side-tracked. I haven't actually used The Great Rift for this purpose, since I haven't actually been in a group since before it was published, but I've used the concept several times before, in most of the published editions. Hmph. As well as analogous methods in just about every other role-playing game system I've ever run. One of the key techniques to keeping a group happy is to give them enough challenges inside the limits you've placed on them that they don't even realize there are limits. You'd be surprised how easy it is to conceal that little detail, even from players who are well aware of your methods...

 

[Condottiere]

Firefly.

Or just hint at science fiction tropes associated with the themes you want to introduce in your game, without deluging them with information.

 

[paltrysum]

I'm running a campaign that started with Islands in the Rift, so that might count. The thing is, we'll be running Flatlined next which is likely to end up taking them out of the Great Rift. The Islands subsectors are a great place to start a campaign, but for my money, I can't resist the pull of the greater Third Imperium setting. We'll see where they go. They'll get to decide where they want to go next after the events of Flatlined, so if it's back into the Rift, then so be it. Martin Dougherty did a nice job on it. It's a great setting.

 

[QuinZ33]

I am considering running a game of Traveller with my regular gaming group (who have all moved online now - allowing us to include members that have moved away). One person has been running D&D for the last 9+ months, and another is ready to run Call of Cthulhu (Berlin).

I'd like to offer something different, and I've been a fan of Traveller since the 80's, though rarely got to run or play it. So, I thought I'd start preparing a game of Traveller. I've bought the core rulebook so far.

I quite like the idea of keeping the scope small, and not overwhelming the players with information about the Empire. I'd also like to include exploration as a central theme.

The Great Rifts looks like it may be useful, so I was wondering if anyone else had used it, and what they thought of it?

Deepnight Revelation campaign might be good for you.

 

[nerfherder]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'll probably buy The Great Rift PDF set, and see what clusters of worlds there are that inspire me. I'll also look up Islands in the Rift.

I just bought the Bundle of Holding, so that was good timing