Zhodani Psionics

[Jet_Black]

They should because *you* can ignore that for yourself, but it establishes a baseline for what is and isn't expected.

If no one knows whether or not every piece of machinery is a robot or arc field weapons are commonplace, then you have no consistency in the products.

Take ion weapons. They exist primarily to disable ships without seriously damaging them. Yet quite a few adventures published comment that it is difficult to actually disable ships. Most recently, I think there was something to that effect in Hellworld Heists. But if ion weapons are commonplace, that's just not true. The fact is, Charted Space is designed assuming such weapons are for other settings.

Can you put them in your game? Of course. But you shouldn't expect that any published 3I ships have them.

Funnily enough, this is a bad example because The Glorious Empire sourcebook does feature two ships equipped with ion weapons - the Eagle of Nom, a custom Drinaxi Harrier, and the Aslan Su'ikh-class interceptor!

I know some of you people love ranting about this very topic, and maybe I'm just weird, but I never saw the point of having restricting canon like that in an rpg. Any canon flies out the window as soon as it comes in contact with gamemasters and their players...

 

[Sigtrygg]

Mongoose can state every weapon and bit of equipment in HG, CSC etc exists in charted space, but in so doing they ignore previous canon and the setting as such is no longer fit for purpose...

it makes a complete mockery of "ensuring consistency of lore", which I am still laughing at two days later....

 

[Jet_Black]

Mongoose can state every weapon and bit of equipment in HG, CSC etc exists in charted space, but in so doing they ignore previous canon and the setting as such is no longer fit for purpose...

it makes a complete mockery of "ensuring consistency of lore", which I am still laughing at two days later....

As I said, I don't get it - why do you need canon in an rpg? What is the added value for me in Mongoose telling me what tech I can or can't use in my games? Charted Space is malleable enough to survive the inclusion or removal of all kinds of technical gadgets.

 

[Vormaerin]

Funnily enough, this is a bad example because The Glorious Empire sourcebook does feature two ships equipped with ion weapons - the Eagle of Nom, a custom Drinaxi Harrier, and the Aslan Su'ikh-class interceptor!

I know some of you people love ranting about this very topic, and maybe I'm just weird, but I never saw the point of having restricting canon like that in an rpg. Any canon flies out the window as soon as it comes in contact with gamemasters and their players...

The purpose is to have consistency of expectations. Why does 2300 have different technology than Charted Space? Why does Mindjammer? Why does Pioneer? They are all Traveller, after all.

Why does the core rules say that a significant portion of Army veterans have cybernetics, but that's not reflected in any of the NPCs in the setting? Why doesn't Omicron have personal energy shields?

If I'm going to bother playing in a published setting, I want to know what the setting designers expect about it and what I can expect to be in the materials they publish. I want to know that I have to rewrite everything to suit the fact that all my PCs ended up cyborgs and are using a bunch of gear in the CSC that none of the game materials are gonna incorporate.

Yes, the GM can change things to suit them. But there should be a baseline they are changing from. Why is it okay to say that Charted Space using Jump Drives, not Warp Drives, but not okay to say it uses lasers but not ion weapons? Yes, I can put pentapods in Charted Space if I want. Or replace the Kafer with Aslan. But that should be with malice aforethought, not because there's no actual setting to the setting.

 

[Enkelas]

Why does 2300 have different technology than Charted Space? Why does Mindjammer? Why does Pioneer? They are all Traveller, after all.

Different universes. 2300, charted space and pioneer are not set in the same universe. think about them as multiverses, so i do.
the thing is as i said someetimes( and i think mongoose too) choose in your table whatever you like play as you want.

they give you settings with guidelines. they dont give you settings with laws and if you break them, police will go to your house to arrest you.

pick up whatever you and your players are comfortable and have fun with it.

 

[mavikfelna]

The purpose is to have consistency of expectations. Why does 2300 have different technology than Charted Space? Why does Mindjammer? Why does Pioneer? They are all Traveller, after all.

Why does the core rules say that a significant portion of Army veterans have cybernetics, but that's not reflected in any of the NPCs in the setting? Why doesn't Omicron have personal energy shields?

If I'm going to bother playing in a published setting, I want to know what the setting designers expect about it and what I can expect to be in the materials they publish. I want to know that I have to rewrite everything to suit the fact that all my PCs ended up cyborgs and are using a bunch of gear in the CSC that none of the game materials are gonna incorporate.

Yes, the GM can change things to suit them. But there should be a baseline they are changing from. Why is it okay to say that Charted Space using Jump Drives, not Warp Drives, but not okay to say it uses lasers but not ion weapons? Yes, I can put pentapods in Charted Space if I want. Or replace the Kafer with Aslan. But that should be with malice aforethought, not because there's no actual setting to the setting.

This is why I have a problem with Mongoose not having a proper rules master document and baselines for the setting. You shouldn't be adding rules in non-rulebook books, especially adventures, unless it's to address a specific issue in that specific case. If it's a broader issue, it needs to be in a rulebook so it can be applied to the setting properly and everyone has access to the rules. There needs to be living errata and updates that people can access between rulebook publications so we can know what the official interpretation is. We can decide for our group how we want to implement it if we don't like a particular rule, but if someone goes to a different group or there is ever an official live play campaign we need those base rules in place so there isn't confusion and disruption.
The same goes for the setting. Canon should be solid and consistent so everyone knows what to expect as a baseline. If something changes in the past canon for some reason, the reason needs to be made clear and just have it snuck in in a random sourcebook and not explained why it changed. As a specifice example, the Armies of the Fifth Frontier War book totally changes the organization and tech level of the Imperial army without a conving explanation and upends all prior canon. The implications of this change are profound and vastly reduce the ability of the Imperial army to resist the Zhodani invaders, who are still shown as consistently being TL 14, two full TL above the new Imperial units. And for no good reason I can find, replaced the standard Gauss rifles of the troopers with ACRs, that cannot penetrate Zhodani armor. This upends all traditional canon and makes no logical sense in the setting itself so it is a big deal and affects how players interact with setting and the game overall. And causes needless confusion when someone joins a new group who might be using old canon.
Mongoose owns the IP and setting for Traveller, and they have every right to change what they want. But then authors consistently produce works that are supposed to be in the canon setting but contradict the established canon and other contemporary authors work it creates confusion and I feel drives away people that might otherwise be interested in the setting.