Ask MongooseMatt ANYTHING!!!

[Terry Mixon]

Okay, not really anything, but when we post questions about the rules or potential typos in the feedback area, we often don't receive a response, so I'm creating this thread in the hopes of getting some response to questions we have, even if it is "we're looking at that" or some such.

I'll kick this off with a question I posted a few days ago. The emergency low berths in High Guard 2022 Update are listed at MC1 a pop. Seems real pricy since Mongoose 1e and all the previous versions of Traveller we checked had it being KCr100. In Mongoose 1e, it was listed as MCr.1 and we suspect a typo. Can we get some clartity on that so we can update the starship build sheet to reflect what we suspect if we're right? Thanks.

Also, allow me to suggest that adding KCr, BCr (or GCr to please @Geir), and TCr to your repertoire would be really helpful and would minimize the complaints about not having comma separation in your big numbers, too.

And sorry for all the wild AMA questions you're about to get @MongooseMatt.

 

[shirgall]

Rules that contradict each other have no point existing. Whether you call it insanity, sloppiness, laziness or ignorance - it carries negative connotations for the game system. The PTB's need to choose which one is valid, and that is what is valid.
Editing should eliminate proposed rules that conflict with existing rules, unless the goal is to supersede the existing rule - in which case that needs to be plainly stated.
Setting specific rules need to be stated as setting specific.

Yes, I agree with calling out a deliberate straying from the rules and the editors should note it as well.

 

[DigrizJB]

I would like to see a "High Guard Companion" compiling the "Alternative Rules" additions and changes that have appeared throughout various Adventures or Supplements and referencing the original sources.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Those rules will contradict one another unless you make value judgements about what is in, what is out, and what has to be changed. The philosophical content is "optionality doesn't hurt the referee or the system or the brand". It does require some curation for the referee. Put the widely-agreed and solid gameplay stuff in the core, yes. But the rest, give them elbow room to be creative.

No. Just no.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Rules that contradict each other have no point existing. Whether you call it insanity, sloppiness, laziness or ignorance - it carries negative connotations for the game system. The PTB's need to choose which one is valid, and that is what is valid.
Editing should eliminate proposed rules that conflict with existing rules, unless the goal is to supersede the existing rule - in which case that needs to be plainly stated.
Setting specific rules need to be stated as setting specific.

Exactly this! yes!

 

[MasterGwydion]

I would like to see a "High Guard Companion" compiling the "Alternative Rules" additions and changes that have appeared throughout various Adventures or Supplements and referencing the original sources.

I did see something about a rules compendium being put together by Mongoose. Maybe a shipbuilders' compendium needs to be written. Oh wait! Isn't that what High Guard is supposed to be? High Guard even has an optional section already.

 

[DigrizJB]

When I was a teen in the Eighties, I worked part time in a small county law library, adding newly published supplements to the existing legal code books housed in the library. The publisher would regularly compile new laws and send out supplements to append the existing case law tomes. Eventually, but not every year, they would publish a revised edition that covered all of the changes.

I like that authors add new options and would like to be able to reference those options without owning every supplement. To your point, it would be great if the "Companion" supplement defined which rules had changed. Also. I do NOT want a 400 page High Guard. And definitely NOT a damn binder that I have to add individual pages.

 

[MasterGwydion]

When I was a teen in the Eighties, I worked part time in a small county law library, adding newly published supplements to the existing legal code books housed in the library. The publisher would regularly compile new laws and send out supplements to append the existing case law tomes. Eventually, but not every year, they would publish a revised edition that covered all of the changes.

A revised edition or merely an updated printing within the same edition? They are not the same things. Encyclopedia Britannica used to do the same. Updating every year and all of the new printings included the latest updates, but they only released a new edition every several years.

I like that authors add new options and would like to be able to reference those options without owning every supplement. To your point, it would be great if the "Companion" supplement defined which rules had changed. Also. I do NOT want a 400 page High Guard. And definitely NOT a damn binder that I have to add individual pages.

I agree with all of this. Just one thing to point out.

High Guard is already almost 300 pages and doesn't feel like it has too much in it. If it was High Guard: Charted Space it would have even less pages currently. No need for the Exotics section (4 pages). The Crew Roles section (14 pages) could be taken out as that has nothing to do with ship construction and is covered better in SOM. Fleet Battles (29 pages) could be taken out too. Save that for when they actually figure out how they want fleet battles to work and give it its own book. Just that cuts the current page count by 47 pages. Fill that up with actual stuff for building ships or just make the book 47 pages less than the current book.

That is just stuff off the top of my head. I am sure there are other things as well that could be done.

 

[Terry Mixon]

A revised edition or merely an updated printing within the same edition? They are not the same things. Encyclopedia Britannica used to do the same. Updating every year and all of the new printings included the latest updates, but they only released a new edition every several years.

I agree with all of this. Just one thing to point out.

High Guard is already almost 300 pages and doesn't feel like it has too much in it. If it was High Guard: Charted Space it would have even less pages currently. No need for the Exotics section (4 pages). The Crew Roles section (14 pages) could be taken out as that has nothing to do with ship construction and is covered better in SOM. Fleet Battles (29 pages) could be taken out too. Save that for when they actually figure out how they want fleet battles to work and give it its own book. Just that cuts the current page count by 47 pages. Fill that up with actual stuff for building ships or just make the book 47 pages less than the current book.

That is just stuff off the top of my head. I am sure there are other things as well that could be done.

I’d prefer to leave the Exotics section in. I build ships for my purposes that use them. Have the options are worthwhile.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I’d prefer to leave the Exotics section in. I build ships for my purposes that use them. Have the options are worthwhile.

I love the exotics section too, but does it really belong in Charted Space? Remember, that my suggestion was for High Guard: Charted Space. Plus, that is 4 pages. I doubt leaving it in would cause too much harmful bloat.

 

[Terry Mixon]

I love the exotics section too, but does it really belong in Charted Space? Remember, that my suggestion was for High Guard: Charted Space. Plus, that is 4 pages. I doubt leaving it in would cause too much harmful bloat.

I hear you. As exotic tech, it can be part of Charted Space. It is, after all, exotic, so far from common. That doesn’t mean not present at all.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I hear you. As exotic tech, it can be part of Charted Space. It is, after all, exotic, so far from common. That doesn’t mean not present at all.

I would like to disagree, but High Guard agrees with you.

 

[mavikfelna]

As a perfect example of what we're talking about, There is a rather important High Guard change in Deepnight Revelations 4, page 78. This simple rule removes the 1 ton limit for all fuel tanks. This was removed for small craft in SCC but not larger ships. This doesn't affect alot of ships but in large ships where every ton matters, like a 100 trade ship, it can help. Up until I just found this, I've always assumed it was house rule so I haven't turned on that ability in @Arkathan's spreadsheet, but it is in actually an official rule and it will affect some of the official redesigns I do, where instead of increasing the endurance weeks, I can just use smaller fuel tank.

I shouldn't have to find out about this is an adventure book, which I may never buy. And since it affects official designs, we need to know if we should alter them by adding weeks of endurance or by reducing the fuel tank and adding cargo space.

These need to be collected in a rules compendium regularly until they can be added to the official rulebooks so everyone can find them. There needs to be rules and cannon bible that the writers MUST follow unless they can make a convincing argument as to why they are violating it and how it's going to affect the rest of the rules. If it's a rule or change they are making that covers something not currently covered, that's different and as long as they look at that consequences of the rule they are adding it's probably fine. But that's exactly the sort of thing that needs to be added to the compendium.