The Consensus on Scoundrel...

Techno-Guru

Mongoose
Well, it's been out for a few months and since my local B&N is having trouble getting that product, I figure I'll ask the forum about it awhile.
I've finally gotten around to planning a Traveller campaign after finally figuring out the character gen rules (yes, the character gen rules were what stumped me) and it's set in a homebrew universe; one where there's a lot of emphasis on free-traders and other independents and was thinking about using Scoundrel to possibly supplement the core book.
Is this a good idea? Or am I better off just running with the core and maybe Mercenary?
 
AndrewW said:
Really depends on what you are looking for. Scoundrel certainly has its uses.
Hard to say off-hand, we're still in the planning stages. I have one character interested in making a thief and the universe makes extensive use of pirates and privateers to sabotage business rivals. There is the potential for the players to be embarking on criminal activities, I just haven't planned on anything in that line yet.
 
Techno-Guru said:
AndrewW said:
Really depends on what you are looking for. Scoundrel certainly has its uses.
Hard to say off-hand, we're still in the planning stages. I have one character interested in making a thief and the universe makes extensive use of pirates and privateers to sabotage business rivals. There is the potential for the players to be embarking on criminal activities, I just haven't planned on anything in that line yet.

Could certainly be useful then. Another that goes well with it is Agent which could offer plenty of options for the sabotaging business rivals part.
 
Techno-Guru said:
...one character interested in making a thief and the universe makes extensive use of pirates and privateers ...
Sounds like Adventure 2: Prison Planet might be more suitable for your needs...

Curious why you are considering Mercenary - unless you plan on a Merc party or lots of ground/infrantry action...

If you are looking to pirates and privateers among the space lines then Book 6: Scounderl and Supplement 2: Traders and Gunboats might fit your campaign best.
 
If your campaign requires a wide range of shady activities, Scoundrel goes through a range of typical under-the-counter activities. The four main activities associated with Travellers are piracy, heists, smuggling and shifting dodgy goods, and the book looks at each in detail.

There's also a section on Odd Jobs, those strange activities that characters down on their luck end up doing, and con games / games of chance. Criminal organisations also get a look in, belt mining is reprised from Beltstrike and there's a range of equipment such as forgery kits and various forms of stealth gear for your rogues-about-town.
 
It's a good solid supplement with lots of useful stuff for, well, scoundrels. Just a pity about the typos... :? Maybe get it as a pdf so there's a chance it will be revised later.
 
Okay lesson learned, Mongoose Forums apparently don't like Firefox. Or at least it doesn't like my firefox configuration

@BP: Part of the problem is that I haven't discussed the idea with my group in detail and as group that has trouble with 4th ed on occasion, Traveller might scare them off if I don't get a handle on the rules myself. Part of the problem is I might be "mixing too much" and will have to seriously consider just scaling back.
And finally, part of the problem is the universe itself with two large empires practically abutting one another; one is a democracy that uses mercs and "Travellers" (they don't really have a name in this homebrew) as a way of gathering intelligence while the other is a collection of monarchies that sees nothing wrong with letters of marque and using pirates to disrupt and sabatoge their neighbor's economy. There is no real intersteller law.
That being said, two parts of the problem are still my own inexperience with GMing with the Traveller system and that will invariably have to be addressed when I game.

@alex_greene: They repeated the Belter career from Beltstrike? That's definitely a point for getting the book in my opinion; I actually liked how they handled that career. Hmmm, other then to satisfy my need for more character options, I'm not sure if we'll use most of the content in the book; I'll have to see what kind of campaign the group wants to run.
 
Techno-Guru said:
Okay lesson learned, Mongoose Forums apparently don't like Firefox. Or at least it doesn't like my firefox configuration

Works ok with Firefox here.
 
I don't believe it's the Belter careers that were repeated. Just the belt mining and scavenging section from Beltstrike. Belter and scavenger ships and equipment are listed, however.
 
alex_greene said:
I don't believe it's the Belter careers that were repeated. Just the belt mining and scavenging section from Beltstrike. Belter and scavenger ships and equipment are listed, however.

My mistake then, but still a plus. I tend to occasionally run things that have that aspect.
 
Incidentally, I adore the Cher reference: the ship section is titled "Tramps and Thieves," not only in reference to the scoundrels of whom the book is written, and whose vessels these are, but also referring to an ancient song of Cher's from the Sixties or Seventies, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," which sums up how settled people view most (player character Spacer type) Travellers.

That song came out last century. Damn. Might as well be Ancient Greece. :)
 
alex_greene said:
Incidentally, I adore the Cher reference: the ship section is titled "Tramps and Thieves," ...
That song came out last century. ...
Ack - no need for the melodramatic = '... a few years back' should do :D

(To be honest, I read that as "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" :shock: now where did I put my glasses and teeth...)
 
Techno-Guru said:
... might be "mixing too much" and will have to seriously consider just scaling back...
... two large empires practically abutting one another; one is a democracy that uses mercs ... as a way of gathering intelligence... I'll have to see what kind of campaign the group wants to run.
So Book 5: Agent might also play in that mix... :?

Sounds like you'd be best focusing on the core rules and limited scope adventure till you're comfortable and your group shows develops their true interests. Instead of buying just one other book - maybe the new Referee Screen would be a bigger help while getting a hang of rules.

There is also a Yahoo Groups - here - that has a number of downloads - like flowcharts for combat - that might come in useful.


P.S. the sticky at the top of this forum (Travellers Developer Pack IIRC) links to the Mercenary SRD - which should give you the rules you would need if you're worried about getting out of wack while playing Mercs...
 
BP said:
So Book 5: Agent might also play in that mix... :?

Sounds like you'd be best focusing on the core rules and limited scope adventure till you're comfortable and your group shows develops their true interests. Instead of buying just one other book - maybe the new Referee Screen would be a bigger help while getting a hang of rules.

There is also a Yahoo Groups - here - that has a number of downloads - like flowcharts for combat - that might come in useful.


P.S. the sticky at the top of this forum (Travellers Developer Pack IIRC) links to the Mercenary SRD - which should give you the rules you would need if you're worried about getting out of wack while playing Mercs...
Now that I think about it, yes; book five would play into the intrigue in a few ways (I'll give you a PM that explains the setting in more detail.)
Yeah, I also recently brought it up with my group and our interests were all over the place as far as the overall campaign themes went. Two want to do bounty hunters/freelancers, another has Star Trek on the brain, two are apathetic to a particular direction. I think if I actually overcome my stage fright it's going to be a "Traveller" style campaign of something different every week and I'm going to be focusing on the core book. Maybe pick up Scoundrel if I get a chance to look through it first.
As for Mercenary... I have the book, picked it up almost as soon as it was released. I also have Scout even though I can't think of anything I want to run with it yet.

alex_greene said:
:) Ah, yes. Book 5: Tom. Book 6: Jerry.
While I generally try to do my part in keeping "low brow" internet culture off this forum... that was epic.
 
Techno-Guru said:
Now that I think about it, yes; book five would play into the intrigue in a few ways (I'll give you a PM that explains the setting in more detail.)
Yeah, I also recently brought it up with my group and our interests were all over the place as far as the overall campaign themes went. Two want to do bounty hunters/freelancers, another has Star Trek on the brain, two are apathetic to a particular direction. I think if I actually overcome my stage fright it's going to be a "Traveller" style campaign of something different every week and I'm going to be focusing on the core book. Maybe pick up Scoundrel if I get a chance to look through it first.
As for Mercenary... I have the book, picked it up almost as soon as it was released. I also have Scout even though I can't think of anything I want to run with it yet.

Certainly Book 5: Agent would fit in, that covers bounty hunting. Or to go in a different direction if you want to focus on that there's Strontium Dog, though then that's the whole party playing bounty hunters.
 
Back
Top