Scouts: Is it worth it?

[cbrunish]

Looking around and just couldn't find a good preview of Scouts. What does it really entail. Please let me know.

 

[Stofsk]

A look on the COTI board shows some people thought that the career rolls were hellishly hard on your character.

But the book apparently has information on the Scouts, including stuff on surviving on an alien world and exploration like first contact protocols. There may be something on scout bases too.

I would really like an honest and comprehensive review but such things are hard to come by. I've ordered it anyway, because frankly I want to look at it for myself and hey, it's only money. If things like the career rolls seem broken then they can always be fixed; on the other hand, whoever said exploration wasn't dangerous?

Hopefully I should get the book within a week's time, but since I'm on the ass-end of the planet it might be awhile before I get it.

 

[AndrewW]

A look on the COTI board shows some people thought that the career rolls were hellishly hard on your character.

But the book apparently has information on the Scouts, including stuff on surviving on an alien world and exploration like first contact protocols. There may be something on scout bases too.

Yes Scout bases are covered including a sample base. Also includes Scout Missions, Equipment and Ships.

 

[rust]

Scout covers character generation, scout missions (somewhat like the
ticket system of Mercenary), equipment and ships (lots of stuff, with
some really excellent ideas), first contact and survey procedures, the
IISS Scout Service and survival.
The missions chapter has a description of a scout base, including the
NPCs, and the equipment chapter has a number of new and interesting
ships.
There are the usual minor problems (e.g. no prices listed for the other-
wise great scout pac system), but all in all this is a very useful book,
with lots of ideas that can be used for scout campaigns and almost all
other types of campaigns.

 

[The Chef]

this is the best suppliment so far, it has great ideas for the gm, great options for the players and a general sense of humour that would be necessary for weeks spent alone.

The description of a scout base, with an array of handy npc's really gives the reader a sense of the underfunded scale the scout services functions under, gives indications of interdepartment fueds and clear and concise methods of handling a variety of scout roles.

having generated a number of scout characters, the generation system meshes well and i haven't noticed the events or dice rolls being exceptionally hard. Being a scout is hightly dangerous, but surely thats why you join!

Chef

 

[Stofsk]

What ships does it detail?

 

[rust]

What ships does it detail?

150 TonSX Frontiersman (with various modules)
Turtle Class Station (modular)
Terrapin Class Station (modular)
500 Ton FS Survey Scout
200 Ton Hornet Class Rapid Transit
400 Ton "Fat" Surveyor
600 Ton Survey Rider
100 Ton XP4 Firebird
100 Ton XPS6 Mustang
200 Ton XLC5 Stingray

 

[alex_greene]

The above ships range from extended duration scout ships with modular multifunction pods to mobile stations and fast couriers: all in keeping with the Scout philosophy.

One part of the scout book concerns the Survival skill, and the actual art oif survival - the effects of the environment on the unproteced human frame, from stress's effect on the human psyche to extremes of temperature and radiation. It's a useful section which will find use in any scenario involving the characters pitted against the wilderness in some way, whether they're crossing the desert from Tarkwall prison in Prison Planet or crossing the Bright Face of Dinom.

 

[captainjack23]

There are the usual minor problems (e.g. no prices listed for the other-
wise great scout pac system), but all in all this is a very useful book,
with lots of ideas that can be used for scout campaigns and almost all
other types of campaigns.

If you keep noodging me, I'll try and get those to you...I keep ending up on the wrong computer...

 

[captainjack23]

this is the best suppliment so far, it has great ideas for the gm, great options for the players and a general sense of humour that would be necessary for weeks spent alone.

Yay ! Thanks for the cudos !

 

[hdrider67]

Looking around and just couldn't find a good preview of Scouts. What does it really entail. Please let me know.

I'm just beginning to read it (finished the download 5 minutes ago) I'd have paid half the price just for the 150 ton SX class. If the rest is half as good, It's an outstanding bargain.

 

[rust]

If you keep noodging me, I'll try and get those to you...I keep ending up on the wrong computer...

Thank you, but that is not necessary, I have meanwhile introduced prices
that fit well into my setting's somewhat unusual economy.

However, it would be nice if that kind of errata would be added to the PDF
and to future print runs ... :wink:

 

[rust]

I'd have paid half the price just for the 150 ton SX class.

Yep, it has become the characters' ship in my new setting and proved
to be really as good as it looked at first sight.

 

[captainjack23]

I'd have paid half the price just for the 150 ton SX class.

Yep, it has become the characters' ship in my new setting and proved
to be really as good as it looked at first sight.

Its been my campaigns character ship for the last three years, actually 8) . the IGS Wolverine MacAllestair, aka Snake Eyes.

 

[rust]

Its been my campaigns character ship for the last three years, actually 8) .

What I like most is the idea of the 50 dton module. I always had the prob-
lem to find a ship for the colonist characters that is not too big and expen-
sive, but still versatile enough for all the missions a young colony has to
offer: Cargo, courier, survey, rescue ... - and with the modular approach
I can even add some modules specifically designed for my setting (e.g. a
transport module for a Mariner submersible).

 

[EDG]

Yay ! Thanks for the cudos !

Did you actually write all of Scouts? I thought you just contributed a few bits of it and were on the playtest?

 

[hdrider67]

I'm not sure if this was an accident or not but this was the first MGT book I've been able to set bookmarks in without hassle. It'd be nice to have the bookmarks in place ahead of time but it's a major step forward to be able to set them myself.

 

[captainjack23]

Yay ! Thanks for the cudos !

Did you actually write all of Scouts? I thought you just contributed a few bits of it and were on the playtest?

Of course I didn't write all of scouts (my name not being Lawrence or Loz), whatever made you think that ? Should I take that as a compliment ?

If you're curious, I'd prefer to have you ask Loz, the author, about contribution levels if it matters; although I believe he has already commented on this in a previous thread; perhaps you missed it . Alternately, check the credits in your copy; it should make it clear that he's the author.

Regardless, I'll happily thank people who compliment a work I contributed to, particularly if they mention bits I developed.

 

[EDG]

Of course I didn't write all of scouts (my name not being Lawrence or Loz), whatever made you think that ?

Your response. You appeared to be taking credit for a general compliment about the whole book, which seems very presumptuous to me.

If I've written an entire book or article, then I'll obviously have no qualms about taking credit when people compliment it. That's pretty straightforward.

I have co-authored one published RPG supplement (Transhuman Space: Under Pressure), but I wouldn't take/accept credit for the whole book by myself if someone complimented it generally, even though I contributed to other sections of the book beyond the one I significantly focussed on - because it was a group effort driven by the main author. Though obviously if people comment on my specific part I'd gladly accept the compliment.

I also helped out on another book (getting the worlds more realistic in GT:Sword Worlds - which is more along the level of your contribution to MGT Scouts. Not enough to be credited as an author, but enough to show up in the "additional material by..." section), but again if someone made "hey, that was the best GT supplement so far, full of great ideas and options and really well written!" I wouldn't say "thanks for the kudos!" because I wasn't one of the main authors of the book. I just wouldn't feel that it's my place to respond that way given the level of my contribution.

But, I guess that's where we differ.

 

[Jame Rowe]

A look on the COTI board shows some people thought that the career rolls were hellishly hard on your character.

But the book apparently has information on the Scouts, including stuff on surviving on an alien world and exploration like first contact protocols. There may be something on scout bases too.

Yes Scout bases are covered including a sample base. Also includes Scout Missions, Equipment and Ships.

Which is what makes Scouts worth it for me. Personally I'd have liked more detailed options for scout base components and staffing requirements, but the fact that it's in there at all is very good.

There are the usual minor problems (e.g. no prices listed for the other-
wise great scout pac system), but all in all this is a very useful book,
with lots of ideas that can be used for scout campaigns and almost all
other types of campaigns.

If you keep noodging me, I'll try and get those to you...I keep ending up on the wrong computer...

Honorable Captain, I would like the prices for these too, please!