New Traveller Universe: Pioneer

[sandy_freelance]

Teaser? Like, hmm. You're part of a 2-person crew constructing Genesis VI, an inflatable space hotel set up like a bunch of grapes, a series of cross-linked inflated stand-alone 'bubbles'. You'd left your vacc suit while checking each 4m^3 'bubble' room, and just have your tools and torch for accessing conduits in the soft walls, when a sudden 'boom' blows out the row of bubbles between you and where you left your suit: (0 = a bubble room, x = you, s = suit, —- = row of deflated 'bubbles')


0x00
—---
0s00

The deflated chambers between are in vacuum now and form a 4 meter gap. Because of the blowout, the —-- gap is widening by 1 meter every minute. Given the leaks, you've got maybe 4 minutes of viable air in each bubble on your side. Each bubble is connected by a sealable door that takes 2 minutes to open then 4 minutes to reseal, but if you skip safety checks you can open one in 2D x 5 sec and reseal it in 3D x 5 sec (it might make it leak but that'd be the least of your problems). You can last 1D x 5 seconds in vacuum before passing out (with death 2 minutes later), so odds are against you opening then sealing a door on the 'safe' side from vacuum in time. If you get to your suit, it's a Difficult (10+) Vacc Suit check to don it (1D x 10 seconds, EDU or DEX). Your partner is near the ship at an airlock on the far side and could fire it up in 2D x 2 minutes, Average (8+) Pilot to reduce that by ½ and Difficult (10+) to reduce that by ¼, and try to maneuver around, but there's no airlock in the row you're stuck at. Time to come up with three ways to survive this. Mind the gap.

 

[maddormo]

Sir, you really know how get all my attention

I can't wait.

Thank you so much!

 

[Regnarts]

Can't wait!

But I'm curious. How hard a S-F will Pioneer be compared with the normal Traveller?

 

[sandy_freelance]

Hard SF, no aliens or alien tech. Humans vs environment. About establishing footholds in space and exploring. Covers several decades so you can choose First Steps (basically 'now'), Space Race (competing interests), Settling Space (stations and outposts established, trade exists, space as harsh but survivable), and of course Disaster One-Shots (like the teaser I posted). You can feel like an astronaut but no actual engineering degree required Characters can come from a variety of career paths/backgrounds: Civil Service, Engineer, Intelligence, Media, Military, Rich, Scientist, Technician, Wanderer, Worker. In movie terms, you can run 'the Martian' or 'Stowaway' or you can run 'Outland' or alien-free 'The Expanse' (or 'Dark Star', if your tastes run that way.) Future sourcebooks will map out a possible timeline for the establishment of humans into space and all sorts of other fun stuff.

 

[CordwainerFish]

(or 'Dark Star', if your tastes run that way)

Run that way? I've performed 'Benson, Arizona' - and not just for fannish audiences.

no aliens

Though I'd leave the possibility of life in subsurface oceans (under Europa, etc) very much on the table.

 

[sandy_freelance]

Life, totally on the table, and Referees can go anywhere they want with that. Exploring for organic molecules, things to sustain human life, evidence of life in subsurface oceans or planetary atmospheres (looking at you, Venus), definitely part of the setting. And I hope fan content plays around with ideas on what defines life, whether we can recognize non-human intelligences (even on Earth), all those good hard science/scifi crossover questions. (Star Trek aliens with warp drive in the main sourcebook setting, not so much.)

 

[AlanMN]

Early settlement of space. Like the Star Cops tv show.

 

[alex_greene]

Can we learn some harsh lessons from Traveller, such as (a) it's not all about money, because I really don't want my characters to be slaves to the ship's mortgage or The Corporation any more than I want to be a real world slave to a mortgage thank you very much; (b) war is not inevitable because war is only possible if space is limited, and space is not limited, ever; (c) please, let's not make every single Startown and bar a wretched hive of villainy, gambling, prostitution and drugs.
We all know that Corporations are not a viable model for future group human endeavours because they are run by drooling manchildren who forget the most basic safety protocols, meaning that one hundred percent of their ships explode on the launchpad and their subs crushed like tin cans if they go any deeper than the bottom of a paddling pool.
So Capitalism will not lead us into space, any more than most religions will.

 

[alex_greene]

Can we make SOC more about social acumen, social awareness, social intelligence, rather than make it about rank? I really don't think that feudal nobility should be a thing in this setting, and that goes for replacing Barons and Dukes with Undersecretaries, Directors and Presidents.
SOC could be an intrinsic characteristic, like INT and EDU. INT is problem solving; EDU is knowing your facts; SOC is about how well the Traveller engages with other people.
Sever the ties between SOC and rank. Make it more about people being people persons.

 

[Sigtrygg]

No.

Social Standing notes the social class and level of society from which the character (and his family) come.

What is needed is a new characteristic that governs social interaction rather than just denoting rank and privilege.

I go with Str, Dex, End, Int, Per, Det, Soc, Edu, Cha

 

[sandy_freelance]

No.


What is needed is a new characteristic that governs social interaction rather than just denoting rank and privilege.

I go with Str, Dex, End, Int, Per, Det, Soc, Edu, Cha

I agree with abolishing the nobility! SOC in Pioneer is "Social Standing (SOC): A Pioneer’s fame and ‘pull’ within society." Influence is a thing in our world, but I agree it's not Rank-based. So it's still a reputation measure rather than a charisma stat. For actual interactions with people, that would be the Charm skill.

To elaborate, bear in mind there's not nobility or ranks nor a noble career path, instead there is a career path of 'Rich' that includes the Investor, Iconoclast, or Heir (all relevant in today's new space race). Also in the idea of a charisma build or SOC path would be potentially the Civil Service career (Politician, Envoy, Administrator) and possibly Media (Journalist, Influencer, Performer). So you can make a Charm-based Envoy and call him Retief or just decide to send Performer Taylor Swift into space to make an album (she could afford it!)

I'm trying to really make Careers and Skills very space-focused in Pioneer, and Careers are very broad, allowing you to use Skills and backgrounds to really focus in on your character concept. For other careers there's also Intelligence (Analyst, Agent, Info Sec) and Military (Recon, Flight, Support); Engineer (Industry, Startup, Inventor), Scientists (Field Researcher, Lab Scientist, Medical), and Technician (Field Tech, Maintenance, Console Ops) tracks; Worker (Worker, Educator, Police); and the useful Wanderer (Explorer, Drifter, Extreme Athlete).

Charm: The Charm skill is for persuading and interacting favourably with others, both mannered behaviour and just hanging out at the pub. It includes making favourable impressions, negotiating deals, smoothing over social faux pas, and providing service with a smile. Note that both Charm and Deception can achieve similar goals, the difference being Charm focuses more on persuasion, with the person doing the task willingly for you.
Calming a Panicking Tourist in Zero-G: Routine (6+) Charm check (1D minutes, INT)
Talking Your Way Into an Invite-only Event: Average (8+) Charm check (2D minutes, INT or SOC)
Convincing an Inspector to Let the Paperwork Slide: Difficult (10+) Charm check (1D x 5 minutes,SOC)

Contrasted with the Deception skill:
Deception: Deception allows a Pioneer to lie fluently, disguise themselves, pocket items, and fool onlookers. Most underhanded ways of cheating and lying fall under deception, including fast talking, long and short cons, bluffing, and bribery. Unlike Charm, Deception is about false pretences and pretending things are other than they seem.
Pocketing a Document When No One is Looking: Average (8+) Deception check (1D seconds, INT)
Getting Past Security Without ID: Very Difficult (12+) Deception check (1D minutes, INT). Alternatively, oppose with a Recon check.
Convincing Someone to Invest in an NFT Scam: Average (8+) Deception check (1D hours, SOC)

Which is a very long way for me to say Pioneer is Traveller-derived, but really really focused on space exploration and discovery, and thus the sort of characters who will do that. I hope it all pulls together for you all!

 

[TrippyHippy]

I’d personally not want to add any more statistics - simply reinterpret SOC to incorporate a wider perspective on what ‘Social Standing’ means. Essentially, it will still be the ‘social’ stat, regardless. It just doesn’t need to denote nobility.

Also, any news on the ETA for the playtest for this yet?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Very soon. As in, really soon.

We have a complete draft in, and it is having a first editing sweep being done right now (seriously, just took a break to pop into the forums!).

We are making a few additions and tweaks as we go, but you should see it this month, all going well.

 

[Vormaerin]

What is the playtest situation for Mongoose products? Do you have an existing set of playtesters or is there a process for becoming one?

 

[TrippyHippy]

What is the playtest situation for Mongoose products? Do you have an existing set of playtesters or is there a process for becoming one?

This particular playtest was offered as part of a Kickstarter campaign.

 

[Vormaerin]

Thanks for the answer.

 

[Giorgio3025]

Which is a very long way for me to say Pioneer is Traveller-derived, but really really focused on space exploration and discovery, and thus the sort of characters who will do that. I hope it all pulls together for you all!

The idea of running a "Alien-less The Expanse TV series with Traveller 2E RPG rules" does appeal to me greatly, but I am wondering how this new Pioneer setting will interact (or not) with my recently purchased "Core Rules" books such as the Vehicle Handbook, Robot Handbook, Field Catalogue, Central Supply Catalogue Update 2023, and High Guard Update 2022? Will I be able to use these books in this new setting, or will new versions need to be purchased instead?

 

[MongooseMatt]

The idea of running a "Alien-less The Expanse TV series with Traveller 2E RPG rules" does appeal to me greatly, but I am wondering how this new Pioneer setting will interact (or not) with my recently purchased "Core Rules" books such as the Vehicle Handbook, Robot Handbook, Field Catalogue, Central Supply Catalogue Update 2023, and High Guard Update 2022? Will I be able to use these books in this new setting, or will new versions need to be purchased instead?

Pioneer will be self-contained - that said, it is Traveller at its core and so conversions from those books you mentioned will certainly be easy to do.

 

[Geir]

Pioneer will be self-contained - that said, it is Traveller at its core and so conversions from those books you mentioned will certainly be easy to do.

Except Highguard.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Is there a feedback forum for play testing Pioneer, yet?

I’ve just picked up a quick thing:

“Centrifugal force” (discussed in the Artificial Gravity section). Technically, there is no such thing as centrifugal forces. What you have is centripetal forces and their interaction with Newton’s 1st law.

‘Centripetal force' means the force pulled to the centre of a circle when the motion of an object is in a circular motion.

So, for example, a bucket of water being swung around an axis by a rope has a centripetal force acting to accelerate the bucket to the centre, and prevent it from flying off. However, the water in the bucket is trying to maintain Newton’s 1st Law of motion (to keep moving in a straight direction at a constant velocity). Hence, as the bucket turns in a circle, the water continues to push straight until it collides with the bottom/side of the bucket. It therefore it appears to be forced to the outside of the bucket which is termed ‘centrifugal’ (or 'avoiding the centre'). However, it doesn’t really exist - centrifugal forces are pseudo forces.

If we are going to do a hard Sci-fi game, then let's get the Newtonian Physics correct from the start.