Starship Operator's Manual - Others for CT?

[Longboat]

I just received the new SOM in hardback. It's incredible. It's exactly what I was hoping it would be, and like the original SOM from DGP, Mongoose's version should be required reading for any Traveller Ref running any edition of the game.

This new SOM is just about rules-non-existent. The only thing I saw that tied it down to Mongoose Traveller were the three stat blocks for the three ships that are explored in the book. Other than that, the book, from first blush, seems to be just text information with nothing tied to edition specific rules.

Which makes the book a perfect buy for a CT player.

I'm curious. Are there any other Mongoose Traveller supplemental books that are written this way? Anything a CT Ref would appreciate?

Recommendations?

 

[Sigtrygg]

World Builders Handbook is the first that springs to mind. It is an excellent supplement that is a suitable replacement for the old DGP Grand Survey books or the MegaTraveller World Builder's Handbook.

 

[Longboat]

World Builders Handbook is the first that springs to mind. It is an excellent supplement that is a suitable replacement for the old DGP Grand Survey books or the MegaTraveller World Builder's Handbook.

It seems like those would have a lot of MGT rules. Is that not correct?

 

[Sigtrygg]

Not really, since it is mostly to do with world design.

 

[ColinD]

I just received the new SOM in hardback. It's incredible. It's exactly what I was hoping it would be, and like the original SOM from DGP, Mongoose's version should be required reading for any Traveller Ref running any edition of the game.

This new SOM is just about rules-non-existent. The only thing I saw that tied it down to Mongoose Traveller were the three stat blocks for the three ships that are explored in the book. Other than that, the book, from first blush, seems to be just text information with nothing tied to edition specific rules.

Which makes the book a perfect buy for a CT player.

I'm curious. Are there any other Mongoose Traveller supplemental books that are written this way? Anything a CT Ref would appreciate?

Recommendations?

I really like how the Ship Operator's Manual goes into the different theories of how a Jump Drive works. Gravitics is really cool too, along with the iris valves and crawl spaces on the ships. If you like giving your players different ships to start with or see in their various travels than the Adventure Class Ships is a good one. If you want some in depth choices for your planets and star systems go with World Builder's Handbook . If you have lots of players who were in the Navy or want to run a Naval Campaign in the 3rd Imperium, go with the The Imperial Navy . There are lots of other great books but these three really got used in my games.

 

[rinku]

Yeah, the current World Builder's Handbook is no less generic than the original DGP one, or for that matter the expanded star system generation rules in CT Book 6. At the end of the day, it's outputting things expressed in real world terms, not game terms. UWPs are just a shorthand for longer, generic descriptions anyway. Surface gravity, atmospheric pressure and ocean percentage are what you need in play.

Totally backwards compatible with CT (which even uses the same UWP standards), or any game.

Robot Handbook should mostly be as well. Mongoose uses the same statblock as CT, so a robot with STR10, DEX7, INT4 can be understood. The only issue is that Mongoose does computer software a bit differently to Classic, so at least a basic understanding of that is needed. But at the end of the day you just have a defined product that can do stuff in an understandable way. And since Robot Handbook is ALSO the clone, cyborg and geneering handbook, you could just use those sections without worrying about bot programming.

 

[Arkathan]

For CT robots, I made an excel spreadsheet using book 8. Some weapons and equipment from Mongoose are available, but the designs are CT.
Search Excel Old School Robot Designer.
For just designs, Geir also has his robot spreadsheet available for free on this site.

 

[Longboat]

Questions. Remember, I know next to nothing about MGT. Also remember, I'm really only interested in print books.

1. I'm looking at the Central Supply Catalogue Update. Looks like an awesome book. Is it useable at all for Classic Trav games?

2. I've always been attracted to 2300. I've got the original first edition boxed set and some other stuff from that GDW era. I've never spent much time with it as my group never wanted to play it. If we were going to play SciFi, then they wanted to play Classic Trav or D6 Star Wars. I couldn't get them to play Fasa Star Trek much either, a game I love, too.

I was thinking about picking up the core rules. Would you suggest that? If so, which version of Mongoose 2300 should I get? Is the Central Supply Catalogue Update compatible with 2300?

 

[collins355]

Be aware that the 2300 core book is not the only thing you need if you actually want to play it. You'll need the base MGT core book as well because Mongoose left the character generation tables out of 2300 books.

 

[Sigtrygg]

CSC is pretty much usable with any sci fi game. For T2300 just stick with items TL12 and lower, although there is some higher TL stuff that may well fir the setting. Also don't use anything that involves grav tech.

As to the MgT version of 2300 if you are going to use other Traveller rules to run it then the lack of complete character generation rules doesn't make much difference.

 

[Bense]

Sector Fleet from the 1st edition of Mongoose Traveller. There are no rules in it, it's all background material on how the Imperial Navy operates. Of course, it wasn't originally a Mongoose product.

Most of the Mongoose 2nd edition sector books are background material too, with some mechanics.

Central Supply Catalogue isn't really CT compatible. You would have to make up your own game stats, especially for weapons and armor.

If you want most of the 2nd Edition rules you could buy the Explorer's Edition to. The print version of Explorer's Edition is available on Amazon for $25, which is about half what the regular Core rulebook costs.
The .pdf version is where the real saving is - it's on DriveThruRPG for only $1.

 

[Sigtrygg]

How is CSC not compatible?

Most of the gear is cost, weight, what it does. And the what it does very rarely relies on the MgT rules (armour and weapons being the exceptions but even they are easy enough to convert).

I've used it for a CT game lol. Along with the T4 CSC, Emperor's Arsenal, MT Imperial Encyclopedia, Infinity Technology of the Human Spheres and a lot of other equipment books.

Gear is gear.

 

[Bense]

The weapons, armor, computers and software all use rules that are quite different from CT and don't provide the ratings that would let you use them in CT combat. Any gear rules involving skills CT didn't use would also have to be adjusted for CT.

You can indeed directly port over costs, TLs, and weights.

 

[Arkathan]

The weapons, armor, computers and software all use rules that are quite different from CT and don't provide the ratings that would let you use them in CT combat. Any gear rules involving skills CT didn't use would also have to be adjusted for CT.

You can indeed directly port over costs, TLs, and weights.

I don't see the problem.
Do you have to take a minute to extrapolate the Weapon's Matrix chart? Yes, but using the mind set of the field catalogue, start with a similar weapon and adjust it +/- 1 as needed.
Same with armor. Check the CT base and buff/nerf as needed.

Otherwise, Traveller is Traveller. Roll an 8+.

 

[Longboat]

How is CSC not compatible?

Most of the gear is cost, weight, what it does. And the what it does very rarely relies on the MgT rules (armour and weapons being the exceptions but even they are easy enough to convert).

I've used it for a CT game lol. Along with the T4 CSC, Emperor's Arsenal, MT Imperial Encyclopedia, Infinity Technology of the Human Spheres and a lot of other equipment books.

Gear is gear.

You spent a lot of time making up CT combat tables for armor and range?

 

[rinku]

Well, Book 1 is only one option for combat. Mongoose stats are probably easier to convert to AHL/Striker. Damage is essentially the same, and armour and penetration are at least easily convertible even if they aren't the same (haven't bothered to check).

 

[Bense]

I don't see the problem.
Do you have to take a minute to extrapolate the Weapon's Matrix chart? Yes...

I'm not saying it's a problem, I'm saying that if you have to do some conversion work yourself then it's not really "compatible."

 

[Sigtrygg]

You spent a lot of time making up CT combat tables for armor and range?

Oh yes, in the days before Striker and AHL when adapting the weapon matrices to different toys was great fun.

 

[Spirit of '77]

Oh yes, in the days before Striker and AHL when adapting the weapon matrices to different toys was great fun.

Me too, only for MegaTraveller, where I produced Mega/Striker hybrid tables (and still do).

 

[Longboat]

I'm not saying it's a problem, I'm saying that if you have to do some conversion work yourself then it's not really "compatible."

Yup, sounds like it.