New setting for Traveller needed

[F33D]

IMHO the only point in publishing a new setting is if they can do things with it they can't do in the OTU, and I don't see how a setting with all the same tech assumptions and using all the same rules does that.

Simon Hibbs

Having a real frontier for one. That CAN'T exist in the 3I. There are tons of possibilities that are constrained by the 3I setting that you've overlooked. I gave you just one.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

If I'm reading F33D correctly, he wants something that can be grown out of the settlingless books (CRB, Careers, etc) already in print, but which isn't the Imperiums.

Exactly.

And if you don't like that setting, because someone mapped it all out, then what?

 

[F33D]

If I'm reading F33D correctly, he wants something that can be grown out of the settlingless books (CRB, Careers, etc) already in print, but which isn't the Imperiums.

Exactly.

And if you don't like that setting, because someone mapped it all out, then what?

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[Dave Chase]

IMHO the only point in publishing a new setting is if they can do things with it they can't do in the OTU, and I don't see how a setting with all the same tech assumptions and using all the same rules does that.

Simon Hibbs

Having a real frontier for one. That CAN'T exist in the 3I. There are tons of possibilities that are constrained by the 3I setting that you've overlooked. I gave you just one.

And your problem with OV (Outer Veil) setting is because TL 11 is the norm and TL 12 is cutting edge?

Other than Jump and a few big ship items, what is missing from TL 12 that TL 14 has? TL 15 to TL 16 is cutting edge in the OTU

Dave Chase

 

[dragoner]

Having a real frontier for one. That CAN'T exist in the 3I. There are tons of possibilities that are constrained by the 3I setting that you've overlooked. I gave you just one.

Move outside of charted space, it is tiny, that is what I did:

 

[F33D]

Move outside of charted space, it is tiny, that is what I did:

If you read my opening post, you'll see that this is what I was proposing as a new published setting. More or less. I am NOT talking about individual GM creation. But, a commercial product. :?

 

[Golan2072]

And your problem with OV (Outer Veil) setting is because TL 11 is the norm and TL 12 is cutting edge?

To be more accurate, TL10 is the norm at the Core, TL11 is high-tech, TL12 is in R&D at best.

Other than Jump and a few big ship items, what is missing from TL 12 that TL 14 has? TL 15 to TL 16 is cutting edge in the OTU

This is one of my per peeves with Traveller - not enough shiny gadgets at higher TLs (especially TL14-15). TL12 does have some shiny loot (Gauss Rifles, PGMPs, Grav Belts) and TL13 has Battledress (a bit high for powered armour, IMHO; should be TL11), but later TLs mostly give you better versions of the same things. Nothing mind-blowing for the most part.

 

[F33D]

This is one of my per peeves with Traveller - not enough shiny gadgets at higher TLs (especially TL14-15). TL12 does have some shiny loot (Gauss Rifles, PGMPs, Grav Belts) and TL13 has Battledress (a bit high for powered armour, IMHO; should be TL11), but later TLs mostly give you better versions of the same things. Nothing mind-blowing for the most part.

Yes. It would be nice to have those TL's fleshed out more. Everything from vacc suits to food processing on ships, etc., etc.

 

[GypsyComet]

TL13 has Battledress (a bit high for powered armour, IMHO; should be TL11)

TL13 is where Battledress *as described* is available. TL12 powered armor is seen in TNE, and it may be available in even bulkier form at TL11.

TL13's other revolution is meson weaponry at ship scale.
Man-portable Fusion weaponry is TL14.
Black Globes are reverse engineerable at TL15.

In general, though, TL14-16 all sort of blur together, at least as portrayed in CT and MT.

There are personal equipment evolutions through that range, but you have to go to other editions to find them.

 

[Golan2072]

This is one of my per peeves with Traveller - not enough shiny gadgets at higher TLs (especially TL14-15). TL12 does have some shiny loot (Gauss Rifles, PGMPs, Grav Belts) and TL13 has Battledress (a bit high for powered armour, IMHO; should be TL11), but later TLs mostly give you better versions of the same things. Nothing mind-blowing for the most part.

Yes. It would be nice to have those TL's fleshed out more. Everything from vacc suits to food processing on ships, etc., etc.

Exactly. What Traveller needs is cool, revolutionary, life-changing gadgets for TLs 13-15. One problem with the OTU is that it is VERY conservative with technology and its applications, so life on a TL15 world looks similar to that on a TL12 world - once you get grav cars and grav belts, things don't change much. So a logical cut-off point is TL13. In OV, low-tech items are TL9, common tech is at TL10, high-tech is TL11, R&D is working on TL12, and alien artefacts are TL13. No need for TLs 14-15.

 

[F33D]

Yes. It would be nice to have those TL's fleshed out more. Everything from vacc suits to food processing on ships, etc., etc.

Exactly. What Traveller needs is cool, revolutionary, life-changing gadgets for TLs 13-15. One problem with the OTU is that it is VERY conservative with technology and its applications, so life on a TL15 world looks similar to that on a TL12 world - once you get grav cars and grav belts, things don't change much. [/quote]

I think WE see it as the OTU being conservative when it is really the copyright owner thinking that there is enough there to play the game with. Early in the game there were articles in House mags that started creating higher TL items but it stopped in the early-mid 1980's.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

F33D is just a troll. His post wasn't a serious one. Just call your setting Traveller TL15+ and go away.

 

[CosmicGamer]

No, a different setting that uses the same rules & Tech assumptions.

What Traveller needs is cool, revolutionary, life-changing gadgets

Sparks are erupting from my computer and smoke is drifting out the back. An error message says "Does not compute!"

 

[F33D]

What Traveller needs is cool, revolutionary, life-changing gadgets

Sparks are erupting from my computer and smoke is drifting out the back. An error message says "Does not compute!"

Oh no! :mrgreen:

 

[Prime_Evil]

No, a different setting that uses the same rules & Tech assumptions.

The problem is though, a setting designer has to make some changes to make a setting feel different than the 3I setting. Otherwise, it'll just be a sci-fi heartbreaker. I mean, what can you do with a different setting that has the exact same tech assumptions that you can't do with a non-standard sector in Traveller? Why can't you use something like Reaver' Deep or Hiterworlds or whatever? Doing a sector that is vastly different than the Marches means the designer doesn't have to recreate the wheel and still use the 3I name, insuring higher sales than a new setting.

I'm not sure about this. It is possible to build a setting that 'feels' different to the default 3I setting without much change to the technological assumptions or the rule systems. Heck, the 2300 setting does this to some extent - although admittedly there are a few areas where things are fairly different. For example, imagine a setting where human augmentation with cybernetics and biotech are more common.

 

[Golan2072]

No, a different setting that uses the same rules & Tech assumptions.

The problem is though, a setting designer has to make some changes to make a setting feel different than the 3I setting. Otherwise, it'll just be a sci-fi heartbreaker. I mean, what can you do with a different setting that has the exact same tech assumptions that you can't do with a non-standard sector in Traveller? Why can't you use something like Reaver' Deep or Hiterworlds or whatever? Doing a sector that is vastly different than the Marches means the designer doesn't have to recreate the wheel and still use the 3I name, insuring higher sales than a new setting.

I'm not sure about this. It is possible to build a setting that 'feels' different to the default 3I setting without much change to the technological assumptions or the rule systems. Heck, the 2300 setting does this to some extent - although admittedly there are a few areas where things are fairly different. For example, imagine a setting where human augmentation with cybernetics and biotech are more common.

Well, except for capping most technology at TL11 and having safer low berths, OV stays VERY close to the basic Traveller technological assumptions. There are some rule changes, as well as setting-specific careers (which you can ignore and use the default ones from the TMB), but the overall setting is grounded in the Traveller rules.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Well, except for capping most technology at TL11 and having safer low berths, OV stays VERY close to the basic Traveller technological assumptions. There are some rule changes, as well as setting-specific careers (which you can ignore and use the default ones from the TMB), but the overall setting is grounded in the Traveller rules.

I love OV so far and agree that it shows that it is possible to achieve a very different feel with the same technological assumptions and rules. However, OV doesn't offer the sheer scope and scale of the 3I. That's not a criticism, just a statement that the emphasis of the setting is different.

 

[Golan2072]

Well, except for capping most technology at TL11 and having safer low berths, OV stays VERY close to the basic Traveller technological assumptions. There are some rule changes, as well as setting-specific careers (which you can ignore and use the default ones from the TMB), but the overall setting is grounded in the Traveller rules.

I love OV so far and agree that it shows that it is possible to achieve a very different feel with the same technological assumptions and rules. However, OV doesn't offer the sheer scope and scale of the 3I. That's not a criticism, just a statement that the emphasis of the setting is different.

Also, OV is not space opera, while the OTU can be described as such.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Also, OV is not space opera, while the OTU can be described as such.

True. OV has more of a hard SF feel.

 

[rust]

System does matter. A setting that keeps the same rules and
technology assumptions of the core Mongoose Traveller mate-
rial can only have a different kind of window dressing (like dif-
ferent interstellar states, different alien races and thelike), but
on the player character level there could only be minimal dif-
ferences. Careers, skills, combat, trade, space travel and all
that would remain unchanged, the player characters would ha-
ve exactly the same options, only with a different background.
For me this does not work, in my view a fresh new setting re-
quires rules and technology assumptions tailor made for the
specific setting and intended campaign, at least my attempts
to use the core Traveller material unchanged to create some-
thing that really feels different and new have failed miserably.