Please forward a copy of this to GEnie if you can; I'd like my
comments to be read by someone at least reasonably involved with this
new Traveller revision.
What would I like to see from MegaTraveller in the new Traveller?
The character generation system, for one thing. One of the things
which creates the flavor of a Traveller game is the semi-controlled
nature of character generation. The Twilight:2000 system is, in my
opinion, too much under the control of the player. I don't think
there's a single Traveller or MegaTraveller player who hasn't got a
story about that character who rose rapidly to the top of his/her/its
service only to be kicked out or nearly killed at the peak of his/her/
its career, or that one level of instruction skill the character
picked up which just happened to save the party's butt when they
discovered that the new crewmember didn't know how to use a vacc suit.
If you take all the die rolls out of the Traveller character
generation system, you take out something of the game's spirit.
A ship design system. I like the idea of having a system based on
"modular designs" in the basic rules and then a more detailed system
(I'd prefer _very_ detailed) in a rules supplement.
The combat system. The MegaTraveller combat system is one of the
best I've ever come across, with the exception of the autofire rules
(see below).
The task system. The Twilight:2000 task system is inferior, in my
opinion, and deserves to be taken out and shot. The MegaTraveller task
system is a study in elegance and ease of use. I had my players
talking and understanding the lingo of tasks inside an hour.
DGP.
The rich, detailed background. I personally liked the Rebellion,
but with the background in MegaTraveller you could play either during
_or_ before the Rebellion.
What I'd like to _not_ see from MegaTraveller in the new Traveller:
The disorganization and the typos. Need I say more?
The tendency to underexplain rules. There are some parts of the
MegaTraveller rules which are extremely terse, almost cryptic at
times.
The autofire rules. These appear to have absolutely no basis in
anything like reality.
What I'd like to see in the new Traveller that wasn't in
MegaTraveller:
A robot design system.
A weapons design system.
A supplement with examples of all types of vehicles (sort of a
combination of _101 Vehicles_, _Traders and Gunboats_, and _Fighting
Ships_).
An index.
A complete, comprehensive guide to the aliens of the Traveller
universe. Including minor races. There have been so many references to
the Vegans in recent Traveller products, but I've never seen rules on
creating a Vegan character.
There. I'm glad I got that off my chest! Now I hope the X-boat can get
this through before the new game goes to print!