Main Rulebook vs Little Black books

[Paladyn]

Hello to Everybody.
As a long standing S-F fan and roleplayer I''m deeply interested in Traveller. I played it long time ago and would like to make return, so I have one question that bothers me. Please, excause me if this question was asked before and I repeat it, and answet it or direct me to right topic.

So... Is a difference between game material presented in main rulebook versus Little black books? Is main book a compilation of small ones or little ones are expansion to big book?

 

[rust]

There were several Traveller versions in between the famous little black
books and the Mongoose Traveller versions, for example MegaTraveller
and Traveller - The New Era, and each of these versions added to the
Traveller rules or modified them.

So, while the "framework" of Classic Traveller (the LBBs) and Mongoose
Traveller is still the same, and both systems are almost compatible, the-
re are also many minor changes and differences based upon the other
versions or newly introduced by Mongoose.

I do not have a detailed list of the differences, but perhaps one of the
other users here can direct you to one.

What I can say from my point of view is that Mongoose Traveller is an
expanded and improved version of Classic Traveller, and if you did like
the LBBs, there is a very good chance that you will love Mongoose Tra-
veller.

Hope that helps.

 

[Paladyn]

Thank you very much. What about those "LBB's" published by Mongoose and it's main rulebook?

 

[rust]

I am not sure what you mean by "those LBBs published by Mongoose",
but I think it is the Pocket Edition:
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1616&qsSeries=51

This is just a reprint of the main rulebook minus the sidebars, otherwise
I am not aware of any differences.

 

[dmccoy1693]

There isn't much I can add so allow me to say, "Welcome to the boards and I hope you enjoy MGT (Traveller, Mongoose Edition)."

 

[Paladyn]

Ok, one more time, it seems i can't spell clearly, today.
So, from what I know, Mongoose published Traveller in form of black books (ones with black cover, Supplement X and other, Book X, Adventure X and like...). Then, there is Traveller rulebook and Traveller Rulebook pocket edition. I'd like to buy one of these but wander, if material is the same in these. For now, pocket edition of Traveller Rulebook looks to me best.

There isn't much I can add so allow me to say, "Welcome to the boards and I hope you enjoy MGT (Traveller, Mongoose Edition)."

I hope so and thank you for heartly welcome.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Yea, the Traveller Main Rulebook and the Traveller Pocket Edition are one in the same. The biggest difference, size. Smaller font, but same great content.

The various other black cover books (Supplement X, Adventure X, etc) are all expansions that work in any setting (not OTU specific, OTU books have The Third Imperium logo and a picture on the cover). These black books expand the rules in various directions but are not necessarily required for play.

 

[rust]

Ok, one more time, it seems i can't spell clearly, today.

No, my bad.

I got a bit confused because "little black book" is normally only used
for the original Traveller edition of thirty years ago. :lol:

And yep, as mentioned, all black cover books are expansions of the
main rulebook (e.g. character careers, equipment, etc.) or generic
adventures not tied to a specific setting like the Third Imperium.

For a start, I would recommend the main rulebook or the pocket edi-
tion (but do not forget to download the footnotes / sidebars if you
take the pocket edition, some of them are worth having).

 

[EDG]

I guess we'd better start calling the Mongoose books "Big Black Books" then (BBB)

 

[Paladyn]

I guess we'd better start calling the Mongoose books "Big Black Books" then (BBB)

Speaking, of. what sice are those books? I thought it were half A4

 

[rust]

Speaking, of. what sice are those books?

The same size as the rulebook, approximately 28 x 22 cm.

 

[whtknght]

Speaking, of. what sice are those books? I thought it were half A4

Actually, they are A4 or letter size. The LBB of 30 yr ago were half size

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

The new Mongoose 'Traveller' books are Standard International Paper size (i.e. A4 - nominally 210 mm x 297 mm).

The old GDW LBB were half that size (A5 - nominally 148 mm x 210 mm).

'Letter' size is a an old Imperial paper size that has pretty much disappeared from use outside the United States—everyone else has gone metric and uses the International Standard paper sizes now.

 

[alex_greene]

As for the books themselves, Mongoose have to date released the following:-

- Traveller Core Rulebook
- Traveller Pocket Rulebook

Book 1: Mercenary
Book 2: High Guard
Book 3: Scout
Book 4: Psion
Book 5: Agent
Book 6: Scoundrel

Supplement 1: 760 Patrons
Supplement 2: Traders and Gunboats
Supplement 3: Fighting Ships
Supplement 4: Central Supply Catalogue

Adventure 1: Beltstrike
Adventure 2: Prison Planet

Imperium: The Spinward Marches
Imperium: Alien Module 1 - Aslan
Imperium: Tripwire

There are a few more planned, including two Vehicle Guides - Civilian Vehicles and Military Vehicles. The Vargr book, Bad Moon Rising and Strontium Dog are somewhere in the offing, along with three sector maps.

Oh, and Judge Dredd.

 

[AndrewW]

There are a few more planned, including two Vehicle Guides - Civilian Vehicles and Military Vehicles. The Vargr book, Bad Moon Rising and Strontium Dog are somewhere in the offing, along with three sector maps.

Oh, and Judge Dredd.

And Traveller Referee's Screen.

Though no longer offered they also released Babylon 5 and Warships of Babylon 5.

And for future offerings you can add:

Bounties & Warrants
Democracy Falls
Judge's Handbook
Supplement 7: 1,001 Characters

And mention of a robot core rulebook.

 

[alex_greene]

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I ought to add:-

"And loads, loads more!"

 

[EDG]

'Letter' size is a an old Imperial paper size that has pretty much disappeared from use outside the United States—everyone else has gone metric and uses the International Standard paper sizes now.

Of course, the US has to be different about everything
(Letter size is rather annoying, I much preferred A4 but even Canada's been somewhat corrupted by some of its southern neighbour's idiosyncracies and I can't find A4 here. At least they use metric for road measurements though)

Legal size though, THAT'S really useless.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

The new Mongoose 'Traveller' books are Standard International Paper size (i.e. A4 - nominally 210 mm x 297 mm).

Uhm, no, they're not. They're US Quarto or "Letter" size - slightly wider than A4, but also slightly shorter.

The old GDW LBB were half that size (A5 - nominally 148 mm x 210 mm).

The UK print editions were/are - these are the ones printed under licence from GDW by Games Workshop in the UK. The US print editions were/are half of a US Quarto/Letter sheet in dimensions.

 

[BP]

My MGT books are printed in the U.S. and they are exactly Letter and half-Letter sized with binding (8.5" x 11" and 5.5" x 8.5" - trimming must be minimal or intentional). A gut feeling says that printings elsewhere probably don't match this form factor... hence the debates.

[My old (U.S. printed) CT digest sized are actually 8 3/4" x 5 3/4" (222 mm x 146 mm?).]

And yes, the U.S. is still firmly entrenched in the old British system - a sad state of affairs that is compounded by the extremely poor math proficiency propogated by our pre-college schools, whose textbooks, by the year 2000, were under the exclusive control of foriegn nationals (actually of only one country)...

On a somewhat related note: refer to a U.S. pre-millenium mars failure at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/news/mco990930.html and follow up on Dr. Edward Weiler's last quote at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/index.html :?

(What was this topic about anyway? )

 

[EDG]

And yes, the U.S. is still firmly entrenched in the old British system - a sad state of affairs that is compounded by the extremely poor math proficiency propogated by our pre-college schools, whose textbooks, by the year 2000, were under the exclusive control of foriegn nationals (actually of only one country)...

Are you seriously suggesting that "foreign nationals" (from one country, whatever that may be) are somehow involved in a conspiracy to render America's educational system ineffective?

It's nothing to do with anybody else. Blame your teaching system, blame your schools, blame the apathy of people in those schools, but blaming "foreign nationals" for it is completely preposterous.