Traveller Release Schedule 2024
- Thread starter MongooseMatt
- Start date
Limpin Legin
Emperor Mongoose
I buy pre-scripted Adventures to increase productivity while I am busy with other life matters, and for story telling - I actually read more adventures than I read fiction paperbacks, these days. Also to pilot introductory adventures that introduce players to the game. And to gain insight what the game makers find reasonable in terms of reward payments, npc sizes, size of stash finds, plot complexity, and so on.
Really enjoyed all the Traveller Adventures that I have read/played, modern and classic. The only upset is buying an adventure and finding there are no building maps and city maps provided. Yes, improvisation is still key in making the challenges amenable to the capacities of the group.
Really enjoyed all the Traveller Adventures that I have read/played, modern and classic. The only upset is buying an adventure and finding there are no building maps and city maps provided. Yes, improvisation is still key in making the challenges amenable to the capacities of the group.
OriginalCaruso
Banded Mongoose
IMHO Traveller adventures offer a more open framework for the referee to improvise and flesh out - requires more work than a D&D module. Players have more options available too, so having a suite of options available to “plug and play” helps me adapt to rapidly changing circumstances
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
I use published adventures or parts of published adventures in My campaigns. I used tons of the surrounding adventures when running My PoD Campaign. Makergod and such.
That's why I buy adventures as well. I don't like playing them, but they are good demonstrations / sources of inspiration and of lore. I also sometimes use them as "current events" in my games - things the characters hear about but are not involved with (or at least, not directly). This makes worlds feel more alive.
nats
Banded Mongoose
The only problem I have with Mongoose Traveller now is all the books are so expensive and there are so many of them. £40 each for all of them. Thats just priced me out of buying new stuff. I cant afford that for every book. When you look at D&D there are only three books you really need and they are all less than £30. I just feel Mongoose is going a bit bonkers with all the books. Just loses me completely on how many there are now just for Traveller alone.
Used to be the case you could get by with the little black books set and a few extra small expansions and adventures. Not so anymore. Now you have books on just bounty hunters costing £40 each, books on just universe creation for another £40, books supplementing other books all for £40 each, books that require other books all for £40 each, now we have fairly modern books that I already have any am happy with getting updated for £40 each.
What a world. Well I dont agree with it and I am not buying into it. Sorry. I have three D&D books. I have around four Traveller books two from the first Mongoose version (Spinward Marches has never been bettered) and a few of the CT books + LBB set that I cant part with. That does it for me I can get by with those perfectly well.
Used to be the case you could get by with the little black books set and a few extra small expansions and adventures. Not so anymore. Now you have books on just bounty hunters costing £40 each, books on just universe creation for another £40, books supplementing other books all for £40 each, books that require other books all for £40 each, now we have fairly modern books that I already have any am happy with getting updated for £40 each.
What a world. Well I dont agree with it and I am not buying into it. Sorry. I have three D&D books. I have around four Traveller books two from the first Mongoose version (Spinward Marches has never been bettered) and a few of the CT books + LBB set that I cant part with. That does it for me I can get by with those perfectly well.
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OriginalCaruso
Banded Mongoose
Most books are not essential for Traveller just as is the case for D&D - buy what you need and no more
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
I don't want to even count My D&D books. I likely have over 100.
While what you say is true, I have to say that Mongoose did a really good job with the updated Core rulebook - it literally has everything you need to play Traveller for years and years, including rules for designing your own starships, world-building, and more.
Most of the other Traveller books I've purchased, while interesting, will more than likely end up sitting on the shelf rather than seeing any action.
Only one I'd really recommend for general play is the Central Supply Catalogue, but even that is only more of what's already a generous selection of equipment in the Core book.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
In theory, an existing, continuing think tank, and a central clearing house.
With overheads.
With overheads.
I love the angle of Traveller's building books, for that. The books where you get to build things (vehicles, spaceships, robots, worlds, etc), they feel like minigames rather than elements of the core game. I've just spent a week building a robot following the Robot Handbook, it was a fun experience by itself, and felt not like I was playing Traveller, but playing an other Traveller related game. And indeed, there was probably more to it than the creation of a PC, there is some real meat there. Although, I got very scared skimming through the World Building Handbook and seeing everything I'll have to chew, we'll see if I overcome that when trying it for real.
EDIT: by the way, I would love such book for building NPCs. The Aliens of Charted Space books are great to present cultures, but not much to create individuals, it's easy to fall into cultural clichés if we just use them.
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Just a quick note - we don't expect anyone to buy every Traveller book
We regard Traveller as a framework, a toolkit to which players can add to as they see fit for their own campaigns.Absolutely - I love those books, too. I was only pointing out that they are far from necessary to play the game, and that if the number of books is putting someone off from playing Traveller, the one Core Rulebook is enough all on its own.I love the angle of Traveller's building books, for that. The books where you get to build things (vehicles, spaceships, robots, worlds, etc), they feel like minigames rather than elements of the core game. I've just spent a week building a robot following the Robot Handbook, it was a fun experience by itself, and felt not like I was playing Traveller, but playing an other Traveller related game. And indeed, there was probably more to it than the creation of a PC, there is some real meat there. Although, I got very scared skimming through the World Building Handbook and seeing everything I'll have to chew, we'll see if I overcome that when trying it for real.
EDIT: by the way, I would love such book for building NPCs. The Aliens of Charted Space books are great to present cultures, but not much to create individuals, it's easy to fall into cultural clichés if we just use them.
IanBruntlett
Emperor Mongoose
I am aware of two books that I own but haven't read thoroughly yet - Masks : 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game" (Engine Publishing, see DriveThruRPG) and "Supplement 7: 1.000 Characters" (Mongoose Publishing).
IanBruntlett
Emperor Mongoose
I dusted off my extended contents (it was an rtf file!) of 1,001 Characters, tidied it up, and attached it as a PDF.
I have captured a screenshot of the first two characters from 1,001 characters and attached it as a PNG file.
HTH!
Attachments
That's cool, thanks for sharing!
That being said, I was thinking of a building book more than a list of premade characters. Something having rules to build a psychology, relate the NPC to their culture, create some personal traits, maybe insert them in a group or family, etc. Like the Word Builder Handbook or the Robot Handbook, but for people. We're already half way there, with the character creation system and its careers. But it falls short of deciding of a personality for the character, because that's player's agency. A NPC Handbook would fit nicely between the character creation rules and the Aliens of Charted Space cultures, allowing to build memorable NPCs. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who would find that cool.
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MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
I would likely use it for ideas, but I doubt that I would use the system itself. My most memorable NPCs came not from them being awesome NPCs at creation, but through PCs repeatedly interacting with them and their personality developing over time. My players' absolute favorite was the homeless guy who sat outside of a soup kitchen playing a harmonica for loose change. To this day, I still don't know why they loved him, but they would jump back to that planet a few times a year, just to check up on Charlie.That's cool, thanks for sharing!
That being said, I was thinking of a building book more than a list of premade characters. Something having rules to build a psychology, relate the NPC to their culture, create some personal traits, maybe insert them in a group or family, etc. Like the Word Builder Handbook or the Robot Handbook, but for people. We're already half way there, with the character creation system and its careers. But it falls short of deciding of a personality for the character, because that's player's agency. A NPC Handbook would fit nicely between the character creation rules and the Aliens of Charted Space cultures, allowing to build memorable NPCs. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who would find that cool.
