Games and Recreation in Traveller

[alex_greene]

What sort of card games and games of chance do characters play in-game in Traveller? I'm presuming that games such as chess, Go, poker and backgammon somehow manage to survive the thousands of years between now and the Third Imperium, and are successfully imported into that era: but apart from the competitive sport of Grav Ball, what else do they play?

Tall Card?

 

[AndrewW]

Grav sled racing?

Ship races of course. Might have an obstacle course where each ship in turn goes though and has to hit certain points, fastest time wins. Could have gravitational anomalies. Automated low yield lasers firing as you make a tight turn, probably not enough to do serious damage but enough to slow you down or distract the pilot. Various pieces of space junk that randomly move around on the course with any impact adding a time penalty. Could be some nebula that disrupts your sensors you have to navigate through.

 

[Zemekis]

This thread gave me the wonderful idea of having a space race sometime with my group. I will use VIPER as base game for that.
http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/gamesin.php?UniqueNo=1255
I guess that can be easily adapted to Traveller.

As for other games, why not some sort of Blood Bowl?

 

[alex_greene]

I was hoping for some sort of card game, like yer whist, rummy, cribbage etc. I'm just wondering what the Vilani would have considered a traditional game, anything from the equivalent of chess to backgammon etc.

But grav sled racing's a good one. At least it's something the players can run. If it's in the corridors of a large enough ship, the Referee can break out those deck plans for racecourses.

 

[GypsyComet]

I'm just wondering what the Vilani would have considered a traditional game, anything from the equivalent of chess to backgammon etc.

While they may not have invented the game, I suspect the Vilani are truly cut-throat Monopoly players...

 

[Woas]

The characters in the game I ref use their downtime while in Jump a) training skills and b) playing their own game of D&D.

 

[Ishmael]

in MTU, lacrosse is a big sport

 

[EDG]

Pyramid, duh

 

[Alan Hume]

Freelance Traveller had a contest about stuff like this a little while ago
could be worth your while checking them out

 

[Jame Rowe]

Don't forget video games...

 

[whtknght]

Tall Card?

Plums are Tall. I bet Septic Vacc.

 

[Infojunky]

Well IMTU drinking and whoring are the main sports of the Scout service, follow up closely by "You-touched-it-last", "Paperwork pong" and "Jarhead Baiting" (it's like bull baiting but with marines).

With that Gin is the card game of choice, played be the Marches deck (3 colours (Green, Purple, Orange) and 6, 11 card suits).

 

[fireyphoenix22]

Between glasses of the best hooch scouts can brew,

its always good to bait the newbies into a game of Fiz-Bin

 

[Maedhros]

On a related note...

Would a Grav Sled Racer or even a professional athlete fall under the "Entertainer-Performer" career?

 

[alex_greene]

They'd probably be the Professional Athlete career path, one which - presumably - a Mongoose Entertainer supplement will likely cover.

As for card game experts, it's likely that there'd be a Gambler career path of the Entertainer career that we haven't come across yet, either.

And as for someone who designs new card games, he'd come under Citizen, and probably have Trade skill specialising in card games and games of chance. Not the same as Gambling skill, because the Trade skill overlaps somewhat more with the Trade speciality of toymaking.

 

[Supergamera]

Having been reading Poul Anderson lately, I can imagine "interactive, improvisational drama" (pretty much LARP) being popular among ship crews. It encourages social interaction, and gets people away from staring at screens all day.

 

[alex_greene]

Eyeliner, black nail polish and black lace and velvet, then? I can't imagine burly Imperial Marine types going for that ... though when you think about it ...

 

[The Chef]

i spy with my little eye something begining with S...

 

[whtknght]

i spy with my little eye something begining with S...

Stars

I spy with my little eye something that begins with B.....
I spy with my little eye something that begins with M.....
I spy with my little eye something that begins with E.....

And that your Honor is when I shot him.

 

[whtknght]

On a related note...

Would a Grav Sled Racer or even a professional athlete fall under the "Entertainer-Performer" career?

Yes

Aren't all professional sports events broadcast to your vid screen for their entertainment value?