Do MGT Traveller ships have anti-gravity for lift?

[fusor]

Well, Marc owns the canon, it is his to do with it whatever he likes and whenever he likes. Changes to Marc's canon by others, including Mongoose, are by some people seen as not legitimate.

Yes, but people complain about the changes that others make far more than the changes that Marc makes - even if those changes could alter things as much as the others. If Marc decided that fantasy-style magic was suddenly avaliable in the 3I then I wouldn't be surprised if those people just accepted it, but if someone else said that those same people would be baying for their blood in seconds. Sure, the latter would be "less legitimate" but I don't see how that means that MWM can make big changes and get less complaint for it. Like I said, they're going nuts over a bloody deckplan change on CotI (which makes no difference to anything), but they're fine with clones and makers and other new stuff that affect the setting even more.

 

[rust2]

Yes, but people complain about the changes that others make far more than the changes that Marc makes - even if those changes could alter things as much as the others. If Marc decided that fantasy-style magic was suddenly avaliable in the 3I then I wouldn't be surprised if those people just accepted it, but if someone else said that those same people would be baying for their blood in seconds. Sure, the latter would be "less legitimate" but I don't see how that means that MWM can make big changes and get less complaint for it.

There are a couple of roleplaying settings, mostly older ones (e.g. Glorantha, Tekumel, Third Imperium ...), where the original authors have reached the status of their setting's supreme being and their fans have become used to more or less regular major changes. In the case of Glorantha they even invented the verb "to greg" for Greg Stafford's changes of the canon - an element of the canon has not be changed, it has been "gregged". And the Third Imperium gets "marced" now and then by its ruling ancient. Changing something without the consent of a setting's supreme being is not just wrong, it borders on heresy. :mrgreen:

 

[fusor]

There are a couple of roleplaying settings, mostly older ones (e.g. Glorantha, Tekumel, Third Imperium ...), where the original authors have reached the status of their setting's supreme being and their fans have become used to more or less regular major changes. In the case of Glorantha they even invented the verb "to greg" for Greg Stafford's changes of the canon - an element of the canon has not be changed, it has been "gregged". And the Third Imperium gets "marced" now and then by its ruling ancient. Changing something without the consent of a setting's supreme being is not just wrong, it borders on heresy. :mrgreen:

Yeah, I don't really go for these cults of personality.

 

[Sigtrygg]

It could all be fixed by a definitive guide to the setting...

 

[Reynard]

The earlier editions have done that in volumes. Mongoose has chosen not to get bogged down with that because they want a bit more flexibility with content yet still give fan some stable foundation to start from IF they want it.

 

[fusor]

The earlier editions have done that in volumes.

I don't think any edition has published a dedicated "Guide to the 3I" book. All the 3I info is scattered around all over the place in multiple books in multiple editions, with lots of contradictions and omissions.

 

[Reynard]

And the sum of all parts make a whole including each edition creating a large potion of 3I history past, present and future.

 

[phavoc]

The earlier editions have done that in volumes. Mongoose has chosen not to get bogged down with that because they want a bit more flexibility with content yet still give fan some stable foundation to start from IF they want it.

I suppose that's one way to put it. However I agree with fusor on this and see it more as omissions than "flexibility". Explaining that a missile turret holds 3 up to 3 missiles with 3 in the launcher isn't "bogging down" the game with excessive information. It's an omission.

The rules are, unfortunately, too prone to omissions of this type. This whole thread is attributable to an omission rather than flexibility.

 

[fusor]

And the sum of all parts make a whole including each edition creating a large potion of 3I history past, present and future.

I think the point is that people don't want to (and shouldn't) have to get a thousand books from 8 different editions to figure out what the 3I is like. The only reason not to put it all in a single definitive, setting-neutral product is the fact that it'd take some poor sap forever to bring it all together and wheedle out the inconsistencies and having all make some kind of sense. But of course the longer that takes to be done, the more material is out there to wade through.

 

[-Daniel-]

The earlier editions have done that in volumes.

I don't think any edition has published a dedicated "Guide to the 3I" book. All the 3I info is scattered around all over the place in multiple books in multiple editions, with lots of contradictions and omissions.

Just curious, would the old Library Data books at least come close? They were not crunchy rule books, rather just information on varies things from the setting.

 

[-Daniel-]

I think the point is that people don't want to (and shouldn't) have to get a thousand books from 8 different editions to figure out what the 3I is like.

This is why, for the most part, I never say I am running an OTU game. I know I am missing some of the stuff, editions I missed or ignored, 3rd party products that are now treated as canon, and vast amounts of material I just will never get a chance to read. I like the setting and will use stuff from it. But I just can't afford cost or time to learn it all so I can use it all. :mrgreen:

 

[fusor]

The earlier editions have done that in volumes.

I don't think any edition has published a dedicated "Guide to the 3I" book. All the 3I info is scattered around all over the place in multiple books in multiple editions, with lots of contradictions and omissions.

Just curious, would the old Library Data books at least come close? They were not crunchy rule books, rather just information on varies things from the setting.

That sort of thing would be a good part of such a tome, yes. I wouldn't want it all to be in that sort of 'encyclopaedia' format though, I think there needs to be some longer sections that cover things like history, races, society etc.

 

[-Daniel-]

I don't think any edition has published a dedicated "Guide to the 3I" book. All the 3I info is scattered around all over the place in multiple books in multiple editions, with lots of contradictions and omissions.

Just curious, would the old Library Data books at least come close? They were not crunchy rule books, rather just information on varies things from the setting.

That sort of thing would be a good part of such a tome, yes. I wouldn't want it all to be in that sort of 'encyclopaedia' format though, I think there needs to be some longer sections that cover things like history, races, society etc.

I had often thought something with longer essay type entries (the history of the fleet type thing) along with articles with Designer notes and input. Sort of like reading the handouts in a school class maybe. But how much to cover and thus how large of a product should such a book be? To really cover even a large part, let alone all of the background and setting specific fluff would be quite a large volume.

 

[fusor]

To really cover even a large part, let alone all of the background and setting specific fluff would be quite a large volume.

If they can make an enormously oversized rulebook in T5, they can make an enormously oversized setting book too .

 

[-Daniel-]

To really cover even a large part, let alone all of the background and setting specific fluff would be quite a large volume.

If they can make an enormously oversized rulebook in T5, they can make an enormously oversized setting book too .

True, very true. :mrgreen:

 

[Reynard]

Is there a reason a topic about the existence of anti-grav systems in Traveller has slid into a tangent on the existence of the 3I setting?

 

[phavoc]

Is there a reason a topic about the existence of anti-grav systems in Traveller has slid into a tangent on the existence of the 3I setting?

Thread drift (tm). It happens to the best of them.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Yup, and there have been some classics lately - existence of ice moons around gas giants in far away systems, a page of jokes about - actually not really sure what they were all about.

To be fair I think the question was answered a while back - the standard MgT maneuver drive is based on 'gravitic' technology - stated in CRB and HG - and if you want them to function as ag lifters they can and if you don't they can't.

 

[-Daniel-]

Is there a reason a topic about the existence of anti-grav systems in Traveller has slid into a tangent on the existence of the 3I setting?

The simple answer is that once the core question has been beat to death then the thread lacks focus and the conversation begins to wonder to other topics. Sort of like how you have brought the focus to thread drift. :mrgreen: