[LFP] 3-5 Reliable, Mature Players for Mongoose Traveller 2e Campaign

[PhilAdams]

Software: I have the FGC and FGU Unlimited License. The free client is all you need. TeamSpeak will be the voice client.

Campaign: Home-brew setting (Tech Level 11/12) drawing influences from Space Opera (1980s RPG) and other sources.

Character Generation: PCs will use the alternate modular build system to save time and ensures balance.

GM Style: Serious and fair. By “fair,” I mean that I don’t fudge situations for or against players. Bad player decisions could easily lead to death. If you like to do silly and random things, I’m not a good fit. Even with smart play, PC death is a possibility in a game like Traveller.

Player Expectation: No experience required. Be on time. Be consistent. Respect other players. Respect the game. This isn't open mic night at the Comedy Store. Mature subject matter will be part of the story—there will be bad actors with meaningful and deadly intent; the setting is shades of gray—no entity operates as an angel; there will be tough decisions...this isn't D&D in outer space. I'm looking for folks who want to have fun in a game together, not create drama.

Time: My preference is Tuesday or Wednesday, 7-10 PM Mountain Time, but there's wiggle room. Starting in 2020.

[Shock]

I'm interested. I have zero experience with Traveller but I know what it is and willing to learn the system. I'm currently in a fantasy game that I am quickly losing interest in due to lots of engineering by the DM to make up for bad player decisions. It doesn't feel like anything we do actually matters when the bad guys seem to be trying to make sure we win. I'd rather fail miserably and learn a valuable lesson than for the gameworld to lose all verisimilitude. It's also a game where any serious character development is impossible due to the "open mic night atmosphere" I genuinely like the people but I'm just not having fun with the game anymore and your style sounds like what I'm looking for. You would be hard pressed to find a more reliable player than me, I don't think I've missed more than 1 session over the last 2 years and I play in multiple campaigns. I'm a freelancer so anything after 1pm your time is fine with me. I'm always early to sessions and consider it a bit rude when a player is consistently late as it is a waste of everyone's time.

On average what percentage of the game is combat? I'm hopping for less than the average D&D game which is around 50%. I enjoy combat I'm just more interested in a good story and character development. What do you expect for the length of the campaign? What kind of experience do you have as a GM?

Fair warning I tend to clash with edgelord players. Any character who is the mysterious stranger, full of angst and covered in belts and thinks they are the star in a movie about them is going to gain my disdain in a hurry. I'm not interested in stroking anyones selfish fragile ego.

[PhilAdams]

I'm interested. I have zero experience with Traveller but I know what it is and willing to learn the system.

Traveller is a pretty simple/straightforward system that doesn't really bog down due to character progression. The basics can be picked up in < 15 minutes.



It's also a game where any serious character development is impossible due to the "open mic night atmosphere"

The upside to all the actual plays available online is that more folks are being introduced to RPGs. That's awesome. The downside is that folks playing in streaming are under pressure to be "entertaining," and that often leads to improv comedy and other silliness. That may be fun/funny to some viewers. It's not conducive to campaign styles focused on character and story progression.



You would be hard pressed to find a more reliable player than me, I don't think I've missed more than 1 session over the last 2 years and I play in multiple campaigns. I'm a freelancer so anything after 1pm your time is fine with me. I'm always early to sessions and consider it a bit rude when a player is consistently late as it is a waste of everyone's time.

That sounds really promising. :)



On average what percentage of the game is combat? I'm hopping for less than the average D&D game which is around 50%. I enjoy combat I'm just more interested in a good story and character development.

Here's the thing. There's no comparison of combat in Traveller (or many other systems) to 5e, especially once you hit about 5th or 6th level. The number of options kills the flow. The escalating hit points without matching escalation in damage--also flow killers.

Traveller is quite lethal. The odds of a PC taking more than three hits and still being up are slim. So, on the off chance of even three combats in one session, you'd still be unlikely to spend less time in combat than in a D&D game.

I don't know what your exact gaming experience is like (everything being subjective), but I tend to shoot for an equal mix of character focus/plot/conflict. That conflict is usually the result of character decisions or plot progression, but it's still part of the design intent. Conflict/combat can be social or physical. Both matter.



What do you expect for the length of the campaign? What kind of experience do you have as a GM?

I started in the mid-1970s, first with D&D, then jumping to other systems (Runequest; Traveller/Space Quest; Superhero: 2044; Champions/Hero for a LONG time; a bunch of Fantasy Games Unlimited stuff--Space Opera, Aftermath, Psi-World, etc.; then D&D with 3.0 skipping 4e and back into it with 5e; lots of other systems--Modiphius's 2d20 system; MYZ for Alien, Coriolis, etc.). I mostly GM because of my short attention span.

This is actually set up to be two campaigns. The first is 28 "games"--that could translate into 28 sessions, +/- player speed. Some groups stay focused, some groups like to let things breathe. The second would be a separate campaign for folks who want to get into that. It takes place decades after the first.



Fair warning I tend to clash with edgelord players. Any character who is the mysterious stranger, full of angst and covered in belts and thinks they are the star in a movie about them is going to gain my disdain in a hurry. I'm not interested in stroking anyones selfish fragile ego.

Is that what an edgelord is? My understanding of the term was that those were folks who like to do and say provocative and (borderline) offensive things to generate attention for some reason? Usually it's a teen/young adult who feels that being a socially dysfunctional person is the only way to satisfy a feeling of being ignored.

Regardless, here's how I try to handle player problems:

1) Try to discourage people who don't feel like being part of a group from joining in the first place. This is supposed to be a social gathering. If you don't want to actually be social, why be there?

2) When player conflict comes up, let players handle it if at all possible. In your hypothetical, if Joe showed up and seemed fine during character generation, then in the first session put on a real Broadway show that minimized the opportunities for other players, we would want a little post-game discussion of a few minutes to make sure Joe understood that wasn't cool. Maybe I'd say something during the game--"Sorry, Ian, what was that again? I couldn't hear you." "Hey, Joe. I can't hear Clara if you cut her off like that." "Folks, we need to be sure everyone gets equal air time." And so on. Repeat occurrences tend to lead to more direct discussions and eventually un-invites. After decades of gaming, I've lost my tolerance for people who want to destroy campaigns/wipe out other folks' opportunities for fun. I just don't understand the mindset. :(

I hope that answered your questions!

[Amatiste]

Hello! I am interested as well. I am experienced with Traveller, have played MGT1, MGT2 and a bit of T4. A couple of concerns/questions:
1) I am a caretaker of a dialysis patient, my roomie, who has dialysis on Wednesdays. That usually isn't an issue, as he gets out long before stated game time, but there could be the odd day that we get home late due to some unexpected issue, and that may make me 15 to 20 mins late, but rarely. Wednesday is still the best, but I am pretty open if Tuesday is also desired.
2) What kind of characters do you want? Not want? Most of my experience is with Marines, Army, Scouts and Merchants. I tend to also like playing sciencey characters. But I am open to whatever would be best.

I am not that edgy type of player. I actually really keep away from inter-party conflict as much as possible. I am an old D&D player who has seen groups dissolve from that kind of behavior.

[PhilAdams]

Hello! I am interested as well.

Thanks! This is great to hear! :)



I am experienced with Traveller, have played MGT1, MGT2 and a bit of T4.

That could be helpful. Thanks!



1) I am a caretaker of a dialysis patient, my roomie, who has dialysis on Wednesdays. That usually isn't an issue, as he gets out long before stated game time, but there could be the odd day that we get home late due to some unexpected issue, and that may make me 15 to 20 mins late, but rarely. Wednesday is still the best, but I am pretty open if Tuesday is also desired.

I think it's looking like Wednesday. I'm less concerned with legitimate, pre-planned late shows than people who just blow the game off and don't communicate.



2) What kind of characters do you want? Not want? Most of my experience is with Marines, Army, Scouts and Merchants. I tend to also like playing sciencey characters. But I am open to whatever would be best.

I'm hoping for a Session 0, where everyone can build the characters and work out relationships and such. That said, I think almost any type of character can work in this campaign. Someone combat-capable, someone diplomatic, someone technical, a pilot...all good. And Traveller allows a range of skills.



I am not that edgy type of player. I actually really keep away from inter-party conflict as much as possible. I am an old D&D player who has seen groups dissolve from that kind of behavior.

Excellent! I'm hoping we can bring together a group of folks intent on having fun together. :)

[Shock]

I'm definitely keen to give it a go. I've been watching some videos and reading up on the game rules. Where can I find info on "alternate modular build system"?

I'm actually ok with inter-party conflict as long as it's intended to be resolved in character over time and both players are aware of that. Maybe edgelord is the right term but I have had some experiences with guys who throw a tantrum whenever their character doesn't get to be the bad *** of their dreams. Zero flaws, tragic loner backstory if any at all,

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[PhilAdams]

It's looking more like Wednesday nights, FYI. Two people are better off with that.

Bladecutter seems like an awesome PC. ;)

I'll post the modular build system. It's coming from the Traveller Companion. Essentially, you'll have a choice of stat values like in D&D (for example, something like 6,7,7,8,9,10), then you'll get a package of skills and ranks to choose from. Then we'll resolve character relationships (who knows whom and from what part of their previous careers). Your choices will also include money and rank.

[Amatiste]

So its the system from Companion? or your own, tweeked? I own the book, so could start looking for things. Once we get more interest, ill settle on something. Something like Milieu 0 sounds a lot of fun. I did a little of that back in T4, and have been considering my own homebrew for a while based on something like it.

[PhilAdams]

So its the system from Companion? or your own, tweeked?

The Companion alternate builds are all set up for tweaks. :) I'm a bit swamped at the moment, but the build concept is:

Attribute Allocation: a few arrays to choose from. PCs will be capable, so the array will give folks the opportunity to have one really good attribute or a couple good ones and then lower ones; I can't recall the array I came up with on the first go--that was in October. Everyone should be happy with the results, though.

Skill Choices: this is based on the home world + career package. What I'll be doing instead is letting you choose your skill arrays based on your career concept. So, for example, if you choose a skill array of 3,2,2,1,1,1,0,0,0,0 and a military career, that 3 could go into Gun Combat or your primary branch choice (Gunnery if you wanted a Navy person, for example; Electronics if you wanted any branch; Recon if you wanted a Scout or Marine or what have you, etc.). The 2s would follow the same path (things appropriate to your career). And so on. Basically, it would disassemble those hard-coded skills packages from the careers and allow a little more flexibility to create something closer to what the player has in mind. The net result should be similar to the approach where instead of rolling for your skills, you choose.

Rank and Money: this will come largely from the career packages.

For now, I think just developing a basic concept is best: a Marine who spent time in special forces; a former Agent turned consultant with knowledge of the byzantine intelligence world; a Diplomat with connections to government and/or corporate agencies; a Scientist with several bona fides and expertise in a field or two; a Navy pilot who chose the freedom of exploration over the rigid code of the military. Whatever general idea works to excite you.

I'll try to get some solidity around when Session 0 might be possible. We have five folks interested. If everyone pans out, it's just a matter of when we can have all calendars mesh--8 or 15 January.

[Amatiste]

I'll happily take the science role:) Sounds good. I am prolly good for either Jan 8 or 15

[Shock]

I was thinking of an electronics/mechanical engineer type. I don't really know enough about the game to know if that would compliment or be redundant with a science role. If its the later it would help to know what other kinds of roles you generally want in a group. 8th or 15th are both fine with me.

[Amatiste]

Well, I tend to go for more planetary sciences if I go for a scientist. And it sounds like we may need that, if its in a early expansion game. Think of me more like a Bones, but with geology and anthropology:)

[esmdev]

I was thinking of an electronics/mechanical engineer type. I don't really know enough about the game to know if that would compliment or be redundant with a science role. If its the later it would help to know what other kinds of roles you generally want in a group. 8th or 15th are both fine with me.

Think Engineering as Mr. Scott and Science as Mr. Spock. Two totally different positions and skill sets.

[Nephron]

Sounds like you've got five candidates already, but if someone doesn't pan out I would be potentially interested. Tuesdays would be much better for me but I think I could get Wednesdays to work.

My preference would be to play a character with a medical role. I'm starting a nursing program fairly soon, and frankly the idea of roleplaying a medical character in a sci-fi game sounds like a fun way to mix some down time with "learning time", in that it might be cool to try and think medically about all the implications of the hypothetical 'you did WHAT to the human body?!?!?!?' injuries and situations and work on roleplaying out a response or explaining my way through how the advanced medical technology could theoretically solve those problems. Especially with weird science fiction 'what if' variables thrown in that make you take a step back and try to science your way back to a proper theoretical basis for evaluating the situation.

[PhilAdams]

Nephron, I'll let you know if things shake out. In my experience, someone's schedule almost always falls apart or they realize they signed on to the wrong type of game at some point early on.

I don't know of a way to manage attachments, and I'd like to switch to email to better manage things. If you could email me at phil.r.adams.priv (at) comcast.net, I'll start getting PDFs to folks for campaign background. Although I want us to get together with a Session 0 for the actual character builds, I can send the basics of the system we'll use. The mechanics side is only half of the puzzle, anyway.

[Quinn]

To add another spare, I'd also be interested if something doesn't pan for someone.

I played Traveller extensively under the first iteration and many times after. I always loved the system and have been looking to find a game, especially with the new movement around it over the past year or two. Game schedule works well for me.

I am a long time player of many RPGs, like to work in a team but am not afraid to call a solo shot, prefer story and decision over dice, and find the common good is a great goal if only we can decide on what the common good is.

Dates and times work well with me also.

[PhilAdams]

Quinn, thanks for that. I'll let you know.

[Amatiste]

Any idea when we will be getting together for character creation yet? IM looking at your docs, and getting ideas:)

[meatpants]

Hey. Emailed you as well. But interested in playing. Did a bunch of traveler baconin the day, but I’ll need to get the updated rules. Thanks, matt

[PhilAdams]

We should be good to go on 8 JAN 2020 for Session 0. Fingers are crossed. I'm very excited to get started.

[PhilAdams]

No worries about the rules to start. I have the Traveller 2e FG ruleset, so that should (hopefully) be available to players when connected.

[Amatiste]

I wasn't clear, should we make characters before or during session 0

[PhilAdams]

Oh! My bad. My preference is to do character gen during Session 0. That said, there's nothing to prevent you from having one or more PCs ready to build (copy from character sheet into Fantasy Grounds). Plus, Session 0 will be more than just mechanical character gen. I want to have character backgrounds, relationships, etc.

So, feel free to build 1 or more PCs ahead of time. Session 0 will be that and more with the players.

Question answered?

[Amatiste]

Yes sir! I will work on some ideas.

[PhilAdams]

Awesome! Thanks! :)

[Nephron]

The session 0 stuff that would be of interest to me would be some context to figure out what kind of character fits.

Is the speed of communication, or more specifically the lack of it, going to be a significant element? Having a minimum of a two week lag in command and control simply isn't something that has existed since the age of sail, and that very loose leash had significant implications back then and is totally alien today. Doing a thing was 9/10ths of policy when it took weeks or months for a centralized command and control to get a word in edgewise on events, so a single sailing ship weeks or months from London had more actual power to shape outcomes than a modern carrier group commander operating never more than one phone call away from any desk in the Pentagon.

How significant will G-forces be? Are we looking at something like The Expanse where the ability of the ship and crew to endure high G-forces will be a significant plot factor, or will it be like Star Trek where that is hand waved away with anti-gravity?

What is expected in terms of the planets in other solar systems? Is the expectation rocky planets like Mars and gas giant moons where vacc suits are the norm? Or is the expectation alien biospheres with cloth uniforms and breathable atmosphere?

The background material made it sound like none of the other colony ships had setup colonies and are only just landing or are about to. So is the level of development is very low outside the Solar System?

Multiple earth power blocs were outlined. Is the idea that this will be similar to The Expanse where the rules of the game just changed and sparks are going to fly as the various factions collide? Or is the status quo mostly going to be maintained and it will be more of a cold war situation?

[PhilAdams]

Great questions, some of which is already baked into the Session 0 (S0).

To answer some:

The expectation of the Wednesday night campaign is that the group will operate with significant independence and be expected to make decisions without awaiting guidance. That's the X Boat limitation of the setting (no ansible).

Traveller has artificial gravity as a default, so it's closer to Star Wars/Star Trek in that regard.

The star sector map is based on Near Space, a product that's based on real understanding of stars/systems as of a couple years ago. That doesn't mean we'll be doing a pure hard SF story. Hardly. It does mean we won't be using the massive sprawl of the Third Imperium. You won't have a Star Wars/Star Trek sort of massive stellar empire to contend with. There will be planets that are harder on people and some that aren't.

The timeline doesn't run right up to current. That said, there are no colonies that consist of massive sprawls of multiple metropolitan areas. The more advanced are a core city + other settlements that could be considered starter cities, so, yes, pretty low levels of colonization.

On the various power blocs, that's left to be seen in play. :)

From a mechanics perspective, I think the characters should be built to be competent and capable. In theory, they should be on the edge of exceptional. The reasons for that will be obvious fairly quickly. :)

[Quinn]

I just binge-watched The Expanse over the holidays. I hadn't seen it since first season on SyFy. It is by far the most realistic approach I've seen to what I expect reality would be in that situation, and by far the closest to what I've always felt Traveller would be. Between The Expanse and Firefly, I don't have to imagine Traveller.

[Nephron]

Yeah, just binge watched it over the holidays too. My understanding is that the books are actually based on an RPG campaign (supposedly when one of the main characters takes a random railgun shot to the head out of nowhere in season one, it was because that player had dropped out of the campaign).

[damned]

The session 0 stuff that would be of interest to me would be some context to figure out what kind of character fits.

Is the speed of communication, or more specifically the lack of it, going to be a significant element? Having a minimum of a two week lag in command and control simply isn't something that has existed since the age of sail, and that very loose leash had significant implications back then and is totally alien today. Doing a thing was 9/10ths of policy when it took weeks or months for a centralized command and control to get a word in edgewise on events, so a single sailing ship weeks or months from London had more actual power to shape outcomes than a modern carrier group commander operating never more than one phone call away from any desk in the Pentagon.

How significant will G-forces be? Are we looking at something like The Expanse where the ability of the ship and crew to endure high G-forces will be a significant plot factor, or will it be like Star Trek where that is hand waved away with anti-gravity?

What is expected in terms of the planets in other solar systems? Is the expectation rocky planets like Mars and gas giant moons where vacc suits are the norm? Or is the expectation alien biospheres with cloth uniforms and breathable atmosphere?

The background material made it sound like none of the other colony ships had setup colonies and are only just landing or are about to. So is the level of development is very low outside the Solar System?

Multiple earth power blocs were outlined. Is the idea that this will be similar to The Expanse where the rules of the game just changed and sparks are going to fly as the various factions collide? Or is the status quo mostly going to be maintained and it will be more of a cold war situation?

I thought about this post several times today while watching the new Star Wars movie :)

[PhilAdams]

For tomorrow night, I'll be using the FG TeamSpeak server. This is the info:

TS Server: ts.fg-con.com
TS Server PW: Dungeoneers
Channel: Traveller Game Channels
Sub-Channel: Promethean Society
Password: Pr0metheans <== that’s a zero

You’ll want the latest version of TeamSpeak. The same applies for the Fantasy Grounds (Classic) client.

FG server information:

FG Server: rich pirate ugly pirate
FG Server PW: Pr0metheans <== That's also a 0.