Re: (3871) More questions from a novice...

In your letter dated Fri, 20 Mar 1992 22:11 EST, you wrote:
> From: "Something wicked this way comes..." [email removed]
> Subject: (3871) More questions from a novice...
>
> 	I know this may sound like a very typically asked question, but what
> Traveller books are out there, specifically MegaTraveller?  I have the books
>from the boxed set and Rebellion, but do no know what other books there are to
>find. It is also difficult, when looking at the covers, to tell what books are
> adventures and what are sourcebooks, and what books are good for stats on the
> races and what books have good vehicles.  Could you please help me out?
>
> 	Lucifer >:}

You've got it.  Sorry for the delay:


MegaTraveller

     It  has been several days since someone requested a list  of
all  MT  products, so I figured I might as well take  a  shot  at
answering.  I'm in a bit of a bad mood today with a headache  and
all, so don't take some of these _too_ seriously.

Boxed Set: Player's Handbook
           Referee's Manual
           Imperial Encyclopedia

     I won't bother with a review of these, since I suspect  that
most of you have them.  They're a basic compilation of the  char-
acter generation, combat, trade, craft building, task  resolution
and  star system generation systems, plus some background on  the
Third  Imperium  and  it's spectacular collapse into  a  mass  of
warring  splinter states.  Why?  We don't know since there  isn't
really enough information.

From GDW:  Rebellion Sourcebook
           Referee's Companion
           Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium
           COACC
           Knightfall
           Hard Times
           Various Issues of Challenge

     The  Rebellion Sourcebook adds to the information  found  in
the Imperial Encyclopedia by telling us about fleet organization,
and  giving  us a thumbnail sketch of each of the  major  warring
factions.   In addition there are a few large space combat  vehi-
cles, not especially well designed, and a barebones outline of  a
decent  adventure that would send the characters  halfway  across
the Shattered Imperium in search of some parts for an  experimen-
tal weapon.

     The Referee's Companion tries feebly to make up for the lack
of a lot of material in the Referee's manual, giving you a  group
of  unrelated articles on such topics as communications,  aliens,
and robots without the necessary rules to use them, and a totally
inadequate  large  scale combat system  ultimately  derived  from
Striker.

     Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium is without a  doubt
the  worst Traveller product ever issued by GDW.  It is a  worth-
less collection of Imperial Navy vessels filled with bad designs,
typos,  and  rules violations, and most of the vessels,  even  if
properly  designed  would  be of little or no use  to  a  referee
running a 'typical' Traveller adventure.

     COACC  is a little better than Fighting Ships in that it  is
mostly  internally self consistent.  It presents a set  of  rules
for use in air combat (fighter on fighter and all that) which  is
usable  over  a very limited range of tech levels,  a  supporting
adventure  outline (fairly stupid) and design systems  for  fixed
wing, rotary wing and lighter than air flying vehicles.  Unfortu-
nately  it is not very compatible with the other design  systems.
Ask Scott Kellogg about the Indianapolis series.

***Spoiler  Warning??*** Knightfall is one of only two  published
adventure  supplements  for MegaTraveller.   Old  time  Traveller
aficionados  will  remember that we sat around waiting  for  many
years  to discover the "Secret of the Ancients".  Well, it  seems
that  the secret was really one layer deeper, since old  Grandfa-
ther raided the relics of an even more Ancient race, here  dubbed
the Primordials for many of his super-science miracles.  We  find
out  in this module that the Primordials eventually all  died  of
boredom.  So will you.

     Hard  Times is effectively a continuation of  the  Rebellion
Sourcebook,  describing the next five years of the rebellion  and
dealing with the immediate aftermath.  Various of the folks  here
have  done an adequate job of describing the flaws and  shortcom-
ings  in this book, so I won't repeat them here.  I think  it  is
still  the  best addition to MT to come  from  GDW...which  isn't
saying  much.   A design system for  pre-gravitic  spacecraft  is
included, which I think is kind of fun.

     Challenge started out life many years ago as the Journal  of
the  Traveller's  Aid Society, and it has evolved  to  the  point
today  where very little MegaTraveller material sees print.   I'm
still  buying it for sentimental reasons (and to keep my  collec-
tion  complete), but I think that I'll stop with #60 in the  next
month or two.

From DGP:  World Builder's Handbook
           Starship Operator's Manual
           101 Vehicles
           Flaming Eye
           Vilani and Vargr
           Solomani and Aslan
           Various Issues of The Traveller's Digest and
             MegaTraveller Journal


     World  Builder's Handbook expands on the material  on  world
creation  found  in  the Referee's Manual.   I  have  no  serious
complaints  with it, use it all the time, and consider it  to  be
the single most useful supplement for the game.

     Starship  Operator's Manual provides some interesting  back-
ground  color on ships.  If that appeals to you, it'll  be  worth
the  price.  There's nothing indispensable, though, if  the  idea
doesn't sound intriguing.

     101 Vehicles was one of the first MegaTraveller products  to
be released.  It contains completed designs for 101 ground, grav,
and  near  orbit  vehicles of various types, many  of  which  are
interesting,  and  many of which are silly or  badly  flawed,  or
designed  using  rules errors.  As the  resident  vehicle  design
expert (at 320+ designs, all done by hand <?!?>), I can do better
after years of fussing with the systems and can spot the  errors.
This is not necessarily a good thing, since most of these designs
_could_  be used without the players ever knowing  that  anything
was  wrong.   My overall opinion is that it  can  be  recommended
cautiously.

     Flaming  Eye  is a compilation of two medium  length  adven-
tures.   I didn't particularly like them, and wouldn't  use  them
myself, but it's better than Knightfall, and prepared  adventures
are in extremely short supply for this game.

     Vilani  and Vargr and Solomani and Aslan are excellent  sup-
plements  covering  the major races in and around  the  shattered
Imperium.  The worst part of these books is that the rest of them
will  never be released, leaving the Traveller fan high  and  dry
when  it  comes to running aliens either as players or  as  NPCs.
Those  with  money  and patience can find  the  Zhodani,  K'Kree,
Droyne, and Hiver alien books from 'classic Traveller'.

     The  Traveller's Digest started as an  independent  magazine
covering  Traveller.  When the editors and staff became  involved
in  the  MegaTraveller revision, the magazine  changed  gradually
into one covering mostly MegaTraveller.  In recognition of  this,
the name was changed to the MegaTraveller Journal, and two issues
were released before DGP gave up the Traveller business last fall
in the wake of the revision fever at GDW, and to pursue their own
game,  AI.  A third issue was planned, and may yet  be  released,
but if it is, it will be the last.  Sic transit gloria mundi.  It
was a good 'zine, and was essentially the 'flagship' of the whole
game as Challenge gradually dropped coverage.

    Anyway, those are _my_ opinions on a bleak day in March  when
my  mood is black.  Anyone want to start a good thread and  cheer
me up?

Rob Dean