Free Epic Campaign - The Pirates of Drinax

I like what the CT Book 0 (Introduction To Traveller) says under Modifications (not sure what Mongoose version might have):
... All changes should be rational, logical, and scientifically sound...
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Its too bad the 100D rule didn't abide by this same concept ;)

The 100D mechanic is an arbitrary game mechanic with no 'scientific' basis. When applied to 'any body' as Mongoose Traveller does - it unfortunately conflicts with other RAW for many OTU folks.

Logically it also has issues. The 'any object' is a vague definition - a micrometeorite or even space dust is 'any object' (and how about a Lyman-alpha blob - is that 'an object'). Thus, taking the Rules As Written, one could say no jump could succeed.

Oh - and what is 100D for a black hole? ;)

As a game mechanic designed for logical game limits - to provide an element for adventure we can hang RP on - it is great (we can't jump yet - we could all die!) . If only it were limited itself so that its greater impact didn't break the intent behind other mechanics, suspenders of disbelief, or worse, game play.

100D for standard worlds works really well for me as long as there are different diameters based on a rational 'reason' that doesn't get stupid or silly when it comes to other objects and rule mechanics.
 
The Mongoose rules do not provide instructions on how to calculate the travel time to the jump limit because it is NOT a rules thing... it is a physics thing.

Given distance and acceleration (both given in the rules book) you can calculate travel time using standard high-school physics:

D = Vo*t + 0.5*a*t^2

The 100D limit is fully explained (from a rules point of view) on page 141 of the Rulebook (it also explicitly states that you have to be 100D from Earth AND Sol, so solar limits DO apply in MGT). It also explicitly states that you cannot jump from Earth to Mars when Sol is in the way...

NOW, what the rules DON'T say and what everyone is arguing about is the assumption about the final velocity. Previous editions (TNE) explicitly stated that momentum is conserved (meaning speed and direction) - that is also one of the basic laws of nature, so nothing surprising there.

Also, Scoundrel, page 44 mentions that it is quicker to leave a planet than arrive since when leaving it can apply full thrust to the jump limit, while when arriving it must slow down to avoid a crash. Thus the IMPLICATION is that ships depart under full thrust to the Jump Limit.

As you can see there is NO CONFUSION about what the rules say. Unfortunately, the rules say NOTHING about what the incoming ship's initial velocity will be. But this is not surprising, the Combat Rules ignore velocity and concentrate on acceleration as well; which is not consistant with the laws of nature.

Personally, I use the Zero-velocity at each end of the trip (relative to the target world) as a good ASSUMPTION and simplification over having to keep track of all the various relative velocities.

Another implication of the RAW, is that there will be Jump Lanes - ships travelling to the same world will tend to go to a place at the 100D limit that optimize (I didn't say minimize!) the emerging trajectory relative to the target planet. BUT, these lanes will be constantly changing as the worlds move around their suns etc, so there isn't a single, constant point that all ships travelling to a world will always go to.

What does all this mean? Well, basically, it comes down to... whatever you want. The rules are vague (probably on purpose) so that you can have your setting run how you like it. Don't want Pirates? Great-ignore relative velocity and let ships jump in or out anywhere they want outside the 100D limit - perfectly OK per the Rules as Written. Want pirates, then use the Jump Lane idea and residual velocity to allow pirates to predict where ships will likely emerge at a given time from a given system (with a predicted velocity) and there you go. BOTH are acceptable.
 
Sucks to log onto this forum everyday, see that this thread has been updated, hope for the release of the next chapter of Drinax and then find that it is actually one more chapter in a very long dialogue about rules.
 
JRoss said:
Sucks to log onto this forum everyday, see that this thread has been updated, hope for the release of the next chapter of Drinax and then find that it is actually one more chapter in a very long dialogue about rules.
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Agreed. I would love to run this campaign for my group, because of what I have seen so far, I think they would love it. But if the episodes have so much time between they are released, not sure if that pace would work for my group.
 
allanimal said:
JRoss said:
Sucks to log onto this forum everyday, see that this thread has been updated, hope for the release of the next chapter of Drinax and then find that it is actually one more chapter in a very long dialogue about rules.
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Agreed. I would love to run this campaign for my group, because of what I have seen so far, I think they would love it. But if the episodes have so much time between they are released, not sure if that pace would work for my group.
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We started it last week. Nicely set up campaign for some freewheeling action I think. Going to run episode 1 tonight but it should take a couple of sessions. After that it might be a bit of random pirating if we are still waiting. At least we have the summaries of the later adventures so a little bit of character development and foreshadowing is possible. Plus the additional missions at the back could keep you going for a while.

I started work on some tables to generate random 'prey' ships in more detail though they are still in the early stages. Does anyone know of any similar resources out there for Traveller?
 
I look forward to the next release of The Pirates of Drinax. Even though in a moment of exhaustion-induced inattention I accidentally called the setting "The Pirates of Climax" somewhere else, thus turning the whole setting into cheap Eighties Star Wars ripoff porn at the stroke of a key ...
 
(Barely succeeds in resisting any number of off-color replies to previous post.)

Dear Mongoose:

Please forgive the complaint. I understand busy better than a lot of people (I'm a doctor in a newborn ICU.) However, the glacial pace of releases for this campaign is going to render it very difficult to use if not impossible unless it picks up. I would rather wait for the book and pay for a great campaign all at once than have it trickle out over more than 12 to 18 months; I will have had to develop most of the key worlds on my own by that time and your excellent material will not be nearly as useful.

Thanks. We may now return to the usual fillers in this thread as we wait for an update.
 
JRoss said:
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I found King Oleb and his Hawk Warriors.
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Interesting. When I read the adventure, my mental image of King Oleb was based on Brian Blessed - not so much based on in his role in Flash Gordon, but in his role as Augustus from I, Claudius. However, I could never play any NPC in a fake Brian Blessed voice simply because I can't be LOUD ENOUGH! :lol:
 
Just finished adventure 1 - lots of fun. Easily the best free rpg product I ever used. Nice work Gar! (particularly on all the little references in naming)

The Harrier got severely messed up in the final showdown so it looks like there will be several weeks of hanging out in the floating city while she is repaired. Time to delve into scheming Drinaxi politics and get some rivalries (plus duelling) going on for the hand of Princess Rao.

Plenty of 'side quests' to be getting on with but we anxiously await chapter 2.
 
Wow, it has been nearly 6 months since the first part of this campaign came out, with no sign of parts 2 and higher. Will we ever see the rest of it? Based on what I have seen so far, I would totally pay for the whole thing, rather than wait for, at this rate, years to see the whole thing.

Any word from Mongoose on when the rest of this will be out?
 
I have finally finished editing part two, and it is now in layout, and Gareth is already on the case with part three!
 
Wow, it has been nearly 6 months since the first part of this campaign came out, with no sign of parts 2 and higher. Will we ever see the rest of it? Based on what I have seen so far, I would totally pay for the whole thing, rather than wait for, at this rate, years to see the whole thing.
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Agreed - both in the fact that I'd happily pay for it, and the comment about the time.

That said, Secrets of The Ancients tended to have a month or two between parts as well. Pirates at least has the advantage that this doesn't matter - you can happily fill several weeks gap with generic "Lets go be bad guys..." piratical capers. Secrets was more of a problem with its (several) cliffhanger endings "when suddenly...nothing happened...(but it happened suddenly, mark you!)."
 
msprange said:
AndrewW said:
In terms of part 2 being released, doesn't appear to have made it to the site yet.
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Just waiting for a deck plan!
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The hordes are waiting out here, its a very good campaign and we want more. :mrgreen:

Have you tried motivating the staff, floggings, cut the rations, chain them to the desks till things are done. :twisted: :wink:
 
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