Mongoose and the 5th Frontier War

[Thile]

I must say that I really do enjoy that Mongoose is publishing Traveller: Third Imperium products and keeping this great game alive and I can also understand why the date was set back to 1105-ish and not continuing where GURPS, GDW and T4 went.

But as I am about to start a new campaign using Mongoose Traveller into this-oh-so-wonderful universe, I wonder if you will let the history unfold with the Fifth Frontier War in 1107-1110 and if you do support the game with TAS news as GDW did?

Thanks yet again, for this wonderful initative!

Mathias

 

[Thile]

I must say that if Mongoose would launch the Fifth Frontier War, it would be fantastic to have a source book dedicated to this war, with both news, information and a lot of adventure ideas for any type of player group (Military, scout, merchants and paramilitary mercs).

 

[rust]

The Tripwire adventure for Mongoose Traveller describes the
situation in the Jewell Subsector before the beginning of the
war, and Mongoose has mentioned that the war will exist in
this version of Traveller. However, I am not sure that the TAS
news will be possible, because the Journal of the TAS is now
published by Steve Jackson Games for the GURPS version of
Traveller.

 

[Thile]

Or any news like that, when I ran my old Mega traveller game, handing out news really spiced up the game, so if possible, does not need to be TAS, but any news would be so wonderful.

 

[AdrianH]

There used to be a wargame "Fifth Frontier War". Perhaps Mongoose could republish that? Alternatively, ACTA:FFW. (I already have the original wargame so would not buy it again, but I'd probably buy ACTA:FFW straight away...)

 

[Thile]

That would be nice, but I rather see a RPG source book than a board game.

 

[Jame Rowe]

That would be nice, but I rather see a RPG source book than a board game.

I agree. Also, I'd suggest a few sourcebooks to take it year by year. And from both sides.

 

[GypsyComet]

On the assumption that the original boardgame is available, if only in a compact form, from FFE, I agree that we probably don't need another attempt at it. RPG coverage similar to the first time around, via news items and articles on the forces participating, would help add depth to the setting as Mongoose is publishing it.

This does bring up a "feature" of the Mongoose edition. The original edition of Traveller made the assumption that books were published in timeline time, so the game calendar moved with *every* book even if nothing of the timeline was in that book.

By comparison, every other big setting (and the non-GDW editions of Traveller, for that matter) has spent considerable effort and multiple products defining the start point. Some then start the clock, or only advance the clock in "adventures", while others never leave the starting date. A few, often highly regarded if still niche, only change the game date at edition changes.

Mongoose is now several years and two dozen books in, and the date is unchanging. How then are we going to get to the Fifth Frontier War? A book that, like Battletech's examples, encapsulates a period like a history book would? Seems a bit sterile.

As for "other" Traveller games to go with the RPG, I do think that modern Traveller is suffering a bit for its lack of supporting boardgames.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Maybe you do the 5FW like an adventure book? Take a group of players and move them through the various major events of the war. Perhaps a military game? Each "episode" is a major battle or encounter or prelude to a battle, once the adventure is complete, the 5FW is over.

OR, maybe they need to do something like Secret of the Ancients and the new Pirates Adventure... Make it something for free and episodic.

 

[Dave Chase]

Rikki that's a neat idea

To add to it

Some covert operations that either side hires the players for, or the players discover about the covert operation

Military boarding actions on non military ships increase

Smuggling becomes extremely profitable, as long as you are not caught

Players hired for a relief supply run, or a normal non-critical supply run for a military outpost

Former Scout ( a player in the group) gets called back up for service but since they don't have a ship, the players and their ship are 'hired' also
Former Scout (as above) gets called back, and is allowed to bring a few buddies along as draftee's on the scout ship that the navy furnishes.

Dave Chase

 

[AndrewW]

Former Scout ( a player in the group) gets called back up for service but since they don't have a ship, the players and their ship are 'hired' also
Former Scout (as above) gets called back, and is allowed to bring a few buddies along as draftee's on the scout ship that the navy furnishes.

Dave Chase

Could be running messages or doing reconnaissance.

 

[GamingGlen]

*blows the dust off my draft notice* (not really, it was in my FFW box)

Barely able to read the fading print:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imperial War Ministry
Office of Troop Selection
Regina/Regina

(my real name, and an address from an era ago: college)

Greetings,
A selection committee of your peers ... (blah blah.. patriotic drivel,
protect the Empire.. blah blah) ...
The results of your registration physical and aptitude tests are:

Scout (my real name) 663668, Age 38, 5 terms
Gun Cbt-1, Navigation-2, Mechanical-2, Electronic-3, JoT-1, Pilot-1

You are hereby assigned and ordered to immediately report for duty with Scout Squadron 54.

You are directed to report to your assigned unit for duty as soon as possible.
These orders allow travel pay reimbursement for middle passage upon arrival at your destination.

Admiral Donosev
For the Imperium
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*whew* with that END I'd doubt I'd make too many Low Berth revivals.
But that counter "Scout Squadron 54" always had a special place in my
heart when I played FFW.

Anyone else send in to GDW for a draft notice when FFW came out?

 

[Hans Rancke]

*blows the dust off my draft notice* (not really, it was in my FFW box)

New canonical evidence! Huzzah!!

There's an Admiral Donosev in charge of the Office of Troop Selection on Regina, and he's not attached to the 193rd Fleet but works under the Imperial War Ministry.

I wonder if he's a descendant of Villemina Donosev?

You are directed to report to your assigned unit for duty as soon as possible.
These orders allow travel pay reimbursement for middle passage upon arrival at your destination.

Reimbursement? One must hope the reactivated personnel all are rich enough to lay out the money to pay for their travel...

Anyone else send in to GDW for a draft notice with FFW came out?

Sadly, no. I could have, but I didn't get around to it in time. Procrastination has always been one of my greatest flaws.


Hans

 

[GamingGlen]

Hmm. I hope "I" rolled high on the mustering out cash rewards so I can get there. Of course, I could still be in the Scout service for all I know. But then, wouldn't I get free passage?

But I got to thinking: I got 10 skill "points", yet looking at my original LBB1 a 5-term Scout cannot get that many, and that's assuming I didn't make any characteristic rolls (and looking at my characteristics, that can be believed). But perhaps by FFW's release some adjustments were made to character generation; it has been a long time ago, and I recall something mentioned about a change where Scouts get 2 per year.

 

[GamingGlen]

Back to FFW itself...

I'd rather see a new game put out for a different war, perhaps the Solomani Rim War. (Is there any other major wars? my OTU lore is quite fuzzy) I already own FFW anyway.

Perhaps this new one would be more balanced. But I'm torn between FFW's combat vs Imperium's combat as I really like Imperium and kinda wish there was a way to play it with more than 2 sides. I think Imperium, although FFW's fleet combat would be quicker, would make a good start for a multiplayer strategic war game (I'm a big fan of those).

 

[Jame Rowe]

Each of the Frontier Wars and the Civil War would count as major wars.

Though if they do the Solomani War they should - nay, NEED TO - resurrect the Gateway to Destiny setting. Just redo the Khuur League (add more planets) and up the Tech Level so that most places that are under TL 9 fall between TL 9 and 11.

 

[Hans Rancke]

Given the nature of the FFW with it's politics on the Imperial side (Duke Norris "finding" an imperial warrant and using it to make himself head honcho)

The quotation marks are inappropriate (Or possibly not[*]). Norris didn't make up his Imperial Warrant (it was his elevation to archduke he fudged). He had asked Strephon for a warrant, but the light cruiser (not the Kinunir) that had brought it from Capital went down on Algine. Norris pretended to be sick and to go into a retreat, then led an expedition down on Algine. Something must have gone wrong, because it took him two years to get back (he could have fetched a new warrant from Capital in that time :wink.

[*] There is one mysterious diary entry in Survival Margin that suggests Norris also faked the warrant. Perhaps he failed to retrieve the real one and made up a replacement himself. If so, he must have been kicking himself for wasting two years on his trip to Algine .

Hans

 

[steelbrok]

Given the new Zhodani motivation for starting the 5FW (given in their Alien module), I don't see how the war can unfold as it does in previous canon.

The Zho high command will know how important the capture of Rhylanor is. We're no longer talking about a limited war to keep the Imperials inside their borders, this is now a life and death struggle for the Consulate.

The Zho are experienced in power projection over vast distances (look at the core expeditions). That being so I'd expect them to bring the bulk of their fleets from all over the consulate to bear as soon in the war as possible (and if they think they need more take a few years to build them in the coreward/spinward portion of the consulate away from prying eyes).

The Zho just can't afford to attack, be repelled and accept a return to the status quo ante

 

[tzunder]

I'd like the War as a book in and of itself, a 'history'. A GM can then move the clock forward and play it, or just ignore it and keep their game as is.

One could also do a Rebellion 'history' as well, or a Solomani War history, but not progress the core setting books, these histories are self contained.

People can then ignore them or embrace them.

 

[kafka]

maybe this is better here...

So a History of the Fifth Frontier War, written as just that, a blow by blow history with some stats and adventure seeds, but keep the core game at 1105 so this is there if you want to move into the VFW.

Sort of like the CT Spinward Marches Campaign for CT but with players in the thick of it...interesting...I like it. Long ago, I proposed to Liam D. that he write such a campaign based upon his experiences in Iraq. He echoed the sediment, that it could also be mapped onto Homer's Odyssey.

I also was intrigued by the film Tears of the Sun & more recently Whistleblower (I admit it I like Monica Bellucci) however both films also deal with rescue in some way. I think that overlaying with conflict of the FFW would make a cracker adventure campaign.

You could have war for the war buffs and tree hugging adventures for the more passive...in the end have a resolution that home is not the same as you left it.