Considering 5FW - what do I need?

[drl2]

I'm thinking the next campaign I run will be a Traveller one, and I'm considering the 5th Frontier War adventures (in part because some of my likely players are already in a Drinax game and that GM plans on doing Deepnight next).

I'm trying to understand which books I should get. I've seen a review or two saying there's a lot of information in the individual adventures that makes the main Fifth Frontier War book not strictly necessary... what would I be losing out on by not having the main book? How necessary is War Fleets?

For the three currently published adventures, Whispers and Opening Moves are described as excellent intros to the setting, and, er... I haven't seen much about Flashpoint beyond Mongoose' blurb. Do these adventures flow into each other in a way that makes sense and doesn't overlap on the time line? If it makes sense to run the sequentially, what's the best order to do so?

 

[Vormaerin]

That depends a lot on what you want to be doing. You really don't /need/ any of the 5FW books if you are running a merchant ship. Just knowing there is fighting and raiding going on is sufficient. If you want your players to be interacting specifically with the war, like doing missions in systems that are contested or have been invaded, then you probably want the book related to the region you are expecting to play in.

The big book is full of interesting information, but it is large scale and only indirectly applicable to most campaigns that are not focused on military officers. It can provide insight into the kinds of situations in each region, especially for regions that don't have a published book yet (most of them).

 

[ottarrus]

The 5FW is constructed somewhat differently than Drinax.
Opening Moves seems to be the beginning of a campaign arc centered on the Rimward Front... Five Sisters, Dist. 268, Glisten. Whispers in the Abyss is wholly unconnected except for being set in the 5FW timeframe. It is, however, a whole campaign in one book. That might be helpful.

 

[CordwainerFish]

Apart from the obvious like the Core Rulebook, Behind the Claw would probably be useful.

 

[ottarrus]

Apart from the obvious like the Core Rulebook, Behind the Claw would probably be useful.

Good point.

 

[Condottiere]

For an overview, you probably need every (new) publication associated with it.

Or, only those focussed in the subsectors(s) you're running your campaign.

 

[collins355]

The "Fifth Frontier War" book is mostly completely disposable - unless you're particularly interested in MJD's take on the war and its protagonists. I say mostly because at the far back end of the book are a couple of chapters that may be useful for actual RPG gaming, starting on page 173 with "Running the campaign" and continuing on page 184 with "Narrative event resolution". But these are by no means essential to a GM.
As others have noted, there doesn't seem to be any obvious link at all between "Opening Moves" and "Whispers...". They're separate stories and you could buy one or the other to serve as the start of a campaign during the FFW. "Flashpoints" is another unconnected adventure, apart from being set around the time of the start of the war. Flashpoints riffs off the old CT adventure Expedition to Zhodane and part of the adventure takes place in the Consulate, although it starts in the DMZ.
"War Fleets" is another book like 5FW that just gives you meta stuff from the view of one author (the aforementioned MJD). The majority of ship designs in it are well beyond anything players could aspire to possess.