Traveller Magic
- Thread starter AndrewW
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alex_greene
Guest
Even sorcery has its "laws of physics," including the Law of Cause and Effect, a fundamental law of the physical world.
If Mongoose have made these rules portable to different systems, I believe the Judge Dredd game would also make a suitable home for them, what with the necromancy of Murd the Oppressor and Sagbelly, Oracle Spice, Psi-Div's highly specialised department (whose name escapes me) dealing with sorcery and the workings of Sabbat and Judgment Day.
Necromancy, geomancy, portals to Hell, demonic possession, ghosts, spirits; the Big Meg has seen it all, and so sorcery would have to have a place there as well as in the world of Strontium Dog.
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Edit: I would love to see the Sorcerer career appearing in Traveller, now, possibly with sub-career paths such as Alchemist, Fortune Teller and Enchantress, too.
If Mongoose have made these rules portable to different systems, I believe the Judge Dredd game would also make a suitable home for them, what with the necromancy of Murd the Oppressor and Sagbelly, Oracle Spice, Psi-Div's highly specialised department (whose name escapes me) dealing with sorcery and the workings of Sabbat and Judgment Day.
Necromancy, geomancy, portals to Hell, demonic possession, ghosts, spirits; the Big Meg has seen it all, and so sorcery would have to have a place there as well as in the world of Strontium Dog.
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Edit: I would love to see the Sorcerer career appearing in Traveller, now, possibly with sub-career paths such as Alchemist, Fortune Teller and Enchantress, too.
dmccoy1693
Cosmic Mongoose
Any chance these rules will be OGL?
Well I for one would like to see the Magic rules for Traveller, it would be nice to finally see it. Heck you could use Magic in B-5 as well too. It all depends on the situation and the specific GM to decide what is ok for their campaign. My own campaign might not have it , but who knows. Maybe I might include it in some special system with a unique star and etc.
Penn
Penn
alex_greene
Guest
I think the Technomages would be pleased to hear that.Bygoneyrs said:
lammomedes
Mongoose
Heck, it would allow Traveller: Fantasy to be a reality!
Brutorz Bill
Mongoose
Sounds cool to me. Looking forward to seeing what's been worked up.
Actually it will be interesting to see what the magic system is based of and how they explain where the power comes from. Also the Game mechanics that allows one to cast spells/use magic should be interesting as well too. Personally I would use a system based off of BRP (d100) magic system if I had to create one for Traveller myself.
Penn
Penn
Twin Agate Dragons
Mongoose
I don't know thing 1 about Strontium Dog or tit's universe, but I'm definitely getting this book just to have magic in a basic Traveller game.
Can't wait for October (and I'll be crossing my fingers that SD won't get pushed)!
Can't wait for October (and I'll be crossing my fingers that SD won't get pushed)!
Loz
Mongoose
Bygoneyrs said:
Its probably worth me stating that the sorcery system is developed for use primarily with Strontium Dog but will slot neatly into Judge Dredd too. However, as part of that rule-set, its a small part; there's no deep rationalisation of sorcery and little attempt to explain why, where, how and so on. Its simply there, potent and available - which is how the Strontium Dog comic strip deals with it. RQ/BRP/d100 sorcery does, however, form the basis for it, along with influences and touches from elsewhere.
I really don't know if the sorcery rules will find their way out into the wider Traveller material: I doubt it, although 2000AD game titles would find a good fit with it. But an article expanding it for Science Fantasy games might be worthwhile for S&P.
Brutorz Bill
Mongoose
Loz said:
Count me down as one definately interested in some kind of additional magic supplement. I was already going to be picking up Strontium Dog this info is just icing on the cake!!
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
I think there eventually will be several magic systems written for Traveller. There are historically several ways to view magic and how it works. I think it would be interesting to see what the different ways people end up presenting magic using the Traveller rules.
Actually I have NOT yet pre-ordered Sttium Dog yet , but I will now just to get the Magic system. Now I have already ordered or pre-ordered all of the Traveller books so far and the ones I have not have been the Judge Dredd supplements. I I got the Core Dredd book but the other (4) books I have not ordered yet, but I guess now I have a reason to pick up at least one more of them.
Penn
Penn
I placed a small post in the next career book posts about after they do all the other books for careers of making a "Traveller Book 13:Sorcerer" as I to would love a nice full featured magic system for Traveller just for giggles and grins and doing low fantasy or whatever I darn want.
Brutorz Bill
Mongoose
Jacqual said:
Jacqual,
I think that is an awesome idea!!!!
FreeTrav
Cosmic Mongoose
I don't have an objection to magic in Traveller per se; my problem has been with the magic systems used in other games. I can engage suspension-of-disbelief for magic in a technological setting, but the results - the effects on the setting - have to make sense in context, and the way it operates has to make sense as well.
In terms of the effects: If magic is widely accessible, it will have a tendency to replace technologies - if anyone can easily cast "light" on a random object, there's not really going to be a reason for electric lights to develop, and certainly not be a mass-produced item. This sort of replacement effect must be accounted for.
In terms of operation: I don't buy into "Spend hours studying/memorizing from a special spellbook, cast once, lose all memory of the spell". Just... no. I expect spells that have similar effects to have similar "grammatical structures", and spells that affect similar objects to have similar "vocabulary". I expect that a character who knows the grammar and the vocabulary to be able to derive new spells with a high level of assurance that they will work as intended.
In short, magic needs to be a "science" and a "technology" for me to accept it. It doesn't have to be known exhaustively, nor does it have to be accessible to all characters, and I can accept that objects can be 'enchanted' to be used by an unTalented person to cast the spell, but the underlying structure has to be able to be treated scientifically. Break that rule, and you make it impossible for me to accept it in the setting.
In terms of the effects: If magic is widely accessible, it will have a tendency to replace technologies - if anyone can easily cast "light" on a random object, there's not really going to be a reason for electric lights to develop, and certainly not be a mass-produced item. This sort of replacement effect must be accounted for.
In terms of operation: I don't buy into "Spend hours studying/memorizing from a special spellbook, cast once, lose all memory of the spell". Just... no. I expect spells that have similar effects to have similar "grammatical structures", and spells that affect similar objects to have similar "vocabulary". I expect that a character who knows the grammar and the vocabulary to be able to derive new spells with a high level of assurance that they will work as intended.
In short, magic needs to be a "science" and a "technology" for me to accept it. It doesn't have to be known exhaustively, nor does it have to be accessible to all characters, and I can accept that objects can be 'enchanted' to be used by an unTalented person to cast the spell, but the underlying structure has to be able to be treated scientifically. Break that rule, and you make it impossible for me to accept it in the setting.
Ok I would say that Magic to work it must be done on a 'Gravity body' such as a planet, moon, or asteroid. Also there must be 'specific key elements' as well for it to allow the special energies to be available for a Magic User to be able to cast spells. Also I would state that their needs to be a specific type of "star" as well too. Now this would greatly limit the whole scale use/abuse of Magic and mean it could only be used in a few locations at best. So in general without the correct elements on a gravity body around a specific type of rare Star, Magic just can't be used or even work. So like 95% of the Universe would be FREE of Magic use by my guess. Who knows maybe some of those Amber and Red Zones are such places where magic COULD be...hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!
Penn
Penn
alex_greene
Guest
I have read plenty of fantasy stories in which the author treats sorcery as being some sort of engineering problem.Again and again, I see them write what appear to be long lists of what magic can and cannot do, and I find myself thinking "They're missing the point."
I highly recommend a good look at Isaac Bonewits' "Authentic Thaumaturgy" if you can't wait for the Traveller magic rules to come out as part of Strontium Dog.
By the way - that book? At least one guaranteed sale. You're looking at the future customer.
I'm with FreeTrav. The TechnoMages of B5 are about as far as I want to go with the concept in Traveller. Too much and the game loses it's flavor/becomes something entirely different.
How does one distinguish between Psion abilities and magic rules wise? Is there a need for both or simply an expansion on Psion abilities?
How does one distinguish between Psion abilities and magic rules wise? Is there a need for both or simply an expansion on Psion abilities?
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