Help..new player buying Traveler

[MrHemlocks]

I played Traveler way back in the late 1970s and just recently want to start running a SCI-FI rpg. I am DMing Call of Cthulhu, Dungeon Crawl Classic and now was looking into Traveler.

I do not want to old version of the game but the newer, updated, core rules. Where do I start? There are so many books and many of them seem almost the same thing. What is The Third Imperium and 2300 AD? Are they different from Traveler core game?

Also, how would you compare Traveler to Rogue Trader?

 

[alex_greene]

Start with Traveller Core Rulebook. That's all you really need. The rest just supplement the game.

The Third Imperium (3I) is the official Traveller setting. The basic alien types encountered in the 3I setting are listed in the core rulebook - Aslan, Vargr, Droyne, Zhodani. The first of the 3I supplements for Mongoose Traveller is The Spinward Marches, a distant sector on the border of the Third Imperium which is considered a bit of a backwoods by the main worlds of the Imperium. The adventure setting Tripwire furnishes greater detail of the worlds within a subsector of the Spinward Marches called Jewell.

I've not touched Rogue Trader, so I would not compare the two games.

 

[IanBruntlett]

Start with Traveller Core Rulebook. That's all you really need. The rest just supplement the game.

See http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/signsnportentsarchive for free articles.

See http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/traveller/adventures-and-campaigns.html for free (PDF) copies of Secrets of the ancients and a not yet finished copy of Pirates of Drinax.

 

[nats]

I played Traveler way back in the late 1970s and just recently want to start running a SCI-FI rpg. I am DMing Call of Cthulhu, Dungeon Crawl Classic and now was looking into Traveler.

I do not want to old version of the game but the newer, updated, core rules. Where do I start? There are so many books and many of them seem almost the same thing. What is The Third Imperium and 2300 AD? Are they different from Traveler core game?

Also, how would you compare Traveler to Rogue Trader?

Welcome back to Traveller Mr Hemlocks! The Mongoose rules are very good and seem to have accumulated all of the old Traveller stuff into a unified whole which is very nice. Not only that but its far more useable around a table actually playing the game than CT ever was, as well as having some nice stuff you can mess around with on your own.

In terms of where to start try getting the Core Rule Book and then after that perhaps get the Spinward Marches source book if you wish to play in the 'official' Traveller setting of the 3rd Imperium. After that everything else is pretty much optional. Get the full size books wherever possible - the small ones are actually a lot smaller than the CT books (around A5 size) and as such the text is difficult to read in artificial light IMO.

After the above stuff I would recommend (all superb):
Referee Screen - must have for gaming
Central Supply Catalogue - for loads of equipment
Starports - best book I have read yet by Mongoose
760 Patrons 2nd Edition - lots and lots of adventure ideas
[some Classic Traveller adventures from Ebay] - you cant beat them, especially the double adventures
1001 Characters - for instant NPCs, Patrons, etc

Then you also might want to try (more subjective material):
Library Data - good background stuff but unfortunately difficult to read as its only available as a small format book
High Guard - for small ships and advanced large ship combat rules
Scout - survival /exploration rules etc
The various 'careers' books Scoundrel, Agent, Mercenary, Dilettant, Merchant Prince, Psion - depending on which you are interested in - I am gradually getting all of them)
Traders and Gunboats - if just for the liner, safari ship and the corsair!
Vehicle Design Handbook
Robot
Cybernetics
Spinward Encounters

 

[JRoss]

^What they said. 2300 AD is a different setting for Traveller that is published by Mongoose and goes back a long time. I'd also recommend Spica's Outer Veil setting if you like hard science.

My personal preference of Career books is as follows:
1. Dilettante- great fun, all sorts of options for being rich and powerful without unbalancing play
2. Agent/Scoundrel- could have been combined into one book; they complement each other nicely
4. Scout- actually makes you want to play as one
5. High Guard- good Navy fun, even if a bit buggy
6. Mercenary- Good but could have had a bit more to say about Army/Marines
7. Merchant Prince- Just didn't interest me
8. Robot- it doesn't work; it is very buggy and does not fit with other types of characters

Some other notes:
Get Dynasty. It's fun. Very much so.
The Campaign Guide is great for a struggling ref, but for some reason everything ends up in a zombie apocalypse.
If you want the Vehicle books, get the one called Supplement 3 & 4 that has both combined into one. The rules in the combined book have been fixed from the separate products.
Cybernetics is a cool book. If you have someone who wants to play as a robot, just have them play as a Cyborg instead but say that they are a robot.

 

[AndrewW]

If you want the Vehicle books, get the one called Supplement 3 & 4 that has both combined into one. The rules in the combined book have been fixed from the separate products.

That's 5-6, not 3 & 4...

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Core Rules is the obvious start.
The thing to note is all the the other books I mention may have typos or conflicting rules in comparison to the Core Rules in one manner or another. Still they are a great springboard to get your own campaign together. I have found that these supplements provide excellent universal use regardless of campaign and cover what you need for most games.
Book 2: High Guard - build spacecraft from small one man fighters to behemoth dreadnoughts.
Supplement 4: Central Supply Catalog - weapons aplenty, armor, lots of other gear, plus rules on Tech Levels and prototypes.
Supplement 5-6: Vehicles Handbook - designing non-space vehicles and battle armor
Supplement 11: Animal Encounters - design all your creatures
Books add character types and campaign styles. Supplements add equipment and goodies for the Referee. A good rule of thumb is that the Books and Supplements are generic and the titles really describe what they are about for easy selection.

Also, how would you compare Traveler to Rogue Trader?

I have all the 40K RPG Core Books to make comparision. This is my opinion in comparing the rule sets between MgT with the rules as written and 40K Roleplay rules as written:
Traveller is hard science, realistic and small scale compared to 40K Roleplay feeling like space fantasy and epic as far as everything goes.
Experienced Traveller PC characters "feel" more small scale, say like Only War or Inquisitor characters, or beginning Rogue Traders characters.
Traveller starships cannot destroy planets or alter a planet's landscape much, barring nukes and such. PC's have access/ownership to starships, but at best may own the 40K Warp-capable "shuttle". Forget about them owning even a 40K "escort".
MgT psionics is much more subdued even if using Book 4: Psion. At best affect one mind at a time.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Also, how would you compare Traveler to Rogue Trader?

If one were to simulate a Rogue Trader campaign using the Traveller rules, I would recommend the following books. This is to get you in the ballpark for the rules to simulate effect. Scale it up till you get your 40K epic feel.

Core Rules
Book 1: Mercenary (if you have armies hiding in your ship holds to fight for you)
Book 2: High Guard (to make your starships. Still they are not your kilometers long Grand Cruisers and such)
Book 4: Psion (extra mental powers and design rules on mentally piloted "Warp" ships)
Book 7: Merchant Prince (economics rules if you don't just take things.)
Supplement 4: Central Supply Catalog (weapons, armor, gear, modifications to such)
Supplement 5-6: The Vehicle handbook (planet craft and battle suit design rules)
Supplement 8: Cybernetics (includes, "biotech equivelent" modifications, not just cybernetics)
Supplement 11: Animal Encounters (creatures are "realistic", well mostly)
:roll: If you really want a "Space Marine", go with Supplement 8 and Supplement 5-6 to make your monstrosities... :twisted: