This will be the last of the full coverage GEnie cross-loads that you will
be seeing. As I mentioned before, I will continue to monitor things over
there, and provide the text of any official announcements from the company.
However, as you can see by the rather low quantity of traffic below, discus-
sion is dying out over there, at least until GDW says something again.
Rob Dean
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Topic 29 Mon Nov 18, 1991
DIGEST.GROUP [Staff] at 00:43 EST
Sub: The WISH List
You know that the new Traveller is coming soon to a game store near you - but
is you had your way, what would you want to see in it?
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Category 11, Topic 29
Message 109 Mon Dec 09, 1991
C.BUSH3 [Clay] at 23:00 EST
I've been reviewing my letter file from Roger Myhre. Following is my
summary of his wish list for starship combat. (I've left out some specifics.)
OVERALL COMMENTS
Lack of tactics is biggest issue with Traveller combat. Ship velocity and
heading have no bearing on what you may fire at. Armor is basically unitary;
it does not matter which facing was hit.
SCALE
Smaller time scale for time and movement. He suggests 1 minute turns and
15 km per square/grid.
EASIER DAMAGE SYSTEM
Easy-to-use, generic damage record form for all types of craft. If it's
impractical to use one form, then as few variations as possible, and they
should be obviously different. (Try finding destroyer #3 in a stack of
Leviathan ship forms.)
Faster task resolution for hit and penetration. Compare offensive to
defensive factors and roll D100. (Adding a +11DM on a dozen weapon factors
seems bad.)
One table to roll hits.
Special tables for spinal mounts rather than rolling umpteen times.
Perhaps compare weapon factor to ship size: results would be ship-kill,
cripple, or damage. Cripple or damage would involve one die roll, and give
guidelines for allocating damage.
Regard internal hits as criticals, where internal hits are nasty no matter
what weapon type inflicted the damage.
Use a damage point based system, the same as personal combat does. Compute
damage factor for a ship's battery from the damage and penetration factors
given in Player's Manual so that entire system is consistent.
ANOTHER TWO CENTS FROM ME, (Clay Bush, not Roger Myhre)
Someone in recent discussion noted that Aliens were getting dropped during
each revision of Traveller. MT made obsolete the Alien Modules, and now a
T:2000 conversion will invalidate important parts of the two MTA books.
Aliens are very important to any si-fi game, and deserve careful attention
in GDW's marketing plans.
I feel that the best way to handle the major non-human races is to
consolidate character generation for them into one big, bound book. Feature
character generation and role-playing aspects; cut back on history and
physiology as needed to make them fit.
While one big rule book may be a bad idea, I feel that one _comprehensive_
treatment of the major alien races is workable. Most everyone who bought MTA1
is buying MTA2: the common interest is there. Also, this is supplementary
material.
The one big rule book is a problem, because then you have character
generation, animal encounters, starship design, etc., all in one place, and
readers have to page through it to find anything during play. With aliens, you
aren't trying to find different sections during play.
A release after the revised rules come out (and early comments on the
rules in) would provide important, general background for developing
campaigns. After MT, how many referees sidestepped Aslan waiting for the MTA?
I think quite a few judging from the number of HIWGers who put off projects
waiting for MTA1 or MTA2.
Drop the "bomb" and then referees will feel free to run with the ball. Any
lack of written adventures in the product is made up in the number of referee-
generated adventures it supports.
(Personally, I blame Americans' obsession with not making mistakes.
Perfectionism and fear of mistakes cripples many people's initiative, but
encouragement to "wing it" doesn't help many. It's too close to the problem.
(Since supplements are meant to support, the ones of most use to referees
should receive the highest priority. Aliens is the first place to look at
supplements in any si-fi system.)
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Category 11, Topic 29
Message 111 Sun Dec 15, 1991
K.BRENNAN2 [Kevin] at 13:46 EST
While I doubt that this will make much difference, I'd like to point out
that the MT/2300 task system works perfectly well with the T2K2 skill levels -
it's been used in the local Twilight campaign ever since the new edition was
released. (And note to Lester - an automatic success rule could be added,
though I personally don't feel it to be needed, since it only comes up on
Formidable or Impossible tasks. I won't insult your intelligence by pointing
out that the 2300 version uses a d10, so bell curves are not necessary ;->).
Actually, I think it works much better than the "real" T2K2 task system, and
intend to do this unless drastic revisions are made.
I agree with Clay that a _NeoTraveller Alien_ book would be a good idea,
and somerules for generating alien characters (for everyone with the old
background) should be in the basic book.
While I'm here, I'd like to point out once again that interstellar anarchy
(Twilight: 2000 with spaceships) is of absolutely no interest to me. I don't
know yet if that's what GDW is aiming for, but it certainly sounds like it so
far. My campaigns require interstellar goverments (preferably large ones,
who don't always get along but are not at war) to be playable, since they are
based on intrigue, with very little violence.
In Traveller, it's hard to do that without organization on an interstellar
scale, because the characters are less likely to get involved in local
intrigues and find it too easy to escape their enemies. If the factions
around Lucan's Imperium remained intact, I'll find it a lot easier to accept
the revised universe. (Frankly, my main concern with the rules change is how
much stuff I have to throw out. It's the setting that makes or breaks a game
for me).
I generally agree with Bryan Borich's "five points", though I don't really
expect to see 1 or 5.
Foreshadowing Dept. (TNS, Challenge #47): "An anonymous source close to
Emperor Lucan said that the recent `super- weapons speech' does relate to
these naval successes. `The emperor would not have put his technical staff on
the spot unless he knew that real breakthroughs were being made. What our
scientists have accomplished is, in a word, startling. The emperor expects a
complete cessation of hostilities as soon as his ultimatum is delivered to
the leaders of the various rebel factions'." Hmmm...
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