Traveller Starter Set: content and mini review

The Traveller Starter Set is finally mine!

After a lot of time craving for it, I finally got to put my hands on it during a vacation in London.
I've visited Orcs Nest as suggested by many (I've never seen a shop so full of RPG stuff, living in Italy) and found it -it was the last remaining copy!

This introductory box includes:

• The full rules split in two parts (Book 1: Characters & Combat and Book 2: Spacecrafts & Worlds).
• A full introductory campaign (Book 3: The Fall of Tinath).
• Six pregenerated character sheets with a background summary and a description of the notable abilities in the back of each sheet.
• A giant subsector map ready to be filled with new worlds created by the referee. In the center of it, the Ahtwa subsector where The Fall of Tinath takes place.
• Two classic b/w dotted d6 dice.

In general I love the Starter Set, everything seems very good although I still had no time to read the campaign.

I read the new edition rules though, and I like them a lot.
They are a lightly streamlined version of the old Mongoose edition (that I own), they are pretty solid and quite easy to learn and remember.
I like the new management of dice modifiers and the mechanic of Boons and Banes (equivalent of the Advantage/Disadvantage of D&D 5th edition but with 3d6 dice drop lowest/highest). It makes things easier for the Referee, and this is always good.

The rulebooks are very evocative with their full color layout and beautiful pictures, a good step forward since the old edition was still very old-schooley with its b/w layout.
The deckplans are gorgeous 3D illustrations, not handy for play but the classic 2D versions are included for free in the digital version of the Starter Set.
Of course if you buy the Starter Set in your friendly brick and mortar store, you can have the digital copy too for free!

The character sheets are fine and useful for quick one-shots or for those who want to start to play real quick, with a good mix of abilities and styles like a true Traveller crew usually is. There are six pregenerated characters, and one empty sheet.

The box is sturdy and the cover is made in a way it is really easy to open it (unlike many of the boxes from other RPGs).
Inside it there's a nice gimmick: a red ribbon very useful to help to get the rulebooks out of the box by lifting them.

The map is a very nice addition. I would really hesitate to use it for the fear of ruining it, but I can see it as a great and useful tool for Referees.
The symbol of the IISS (Imperial Interstellar Scout Service) in color, the map legend and the galactic directions are a nice touch.

The only disappointment were the dice: as a collector I would have preferred some kind of customisation (a more futuristic look, the symbol of the Imperium on one side, or something along these lines) and because the renewed mechanics include the use of boons and banes were a third dice is used, only two seems cheap.

At the bottom line, in my opinion it is a suggested purchase if you'd like to start with this great game or if you want a fresh update of the past rules like I did along with few goodies thrown in.

You can order the boxed set either in the official Mongoose website or the digital version on DriveThruRPG.

PER ASPERA AD ASTRA

🚀🚀🚀🚀

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Traveller - Interesting Misjumps Table

[You can now download the printable pdf version of this tables HERE]

Here you have a nice table for throwing your Traveller players' bad luck to a higher level.
Just start with rolling a d6 on the first table and follow the descriptions.
Use at your own risk! (or the party's...)

Are you ready to jump?

Table 1 - Interesting Misjumps (1d6)

1	The ship remains in jumpspace for 3d6 days more than usual
2	Wrong place at the wrong time: roll on Table 2
3	"Define "interesting"": roll 2d6 twice on Table 5
4	Psionic manifestations aboard the ship: roll on Table 7
5	Nothing bad happened... or so it seems: roll on Table 6
6	Combo! Roll again and combine the results. If this result is rolled again, you are very, very unlucky...

Table 2 - Wrong place in the wrong time (1d6)
The ship exists jumpspace...

1	1d6 x 1d6 parsecs in a random direction
2	In the heat of a space battle! Roll on Table 4 to see involved ships (optional)
3	2d6 days before the day it jumped. Back in time!
4	In an immediate collision route with... (roll on Table 3)
5	Inside a big enough... (roll on Table 3)
6	At the immediate moment after it jumped, but with a major universe change: roll on Table 6

Table 3 - Big Spacey Things
"That's no moon..."

1	Wreck or remnant: roll again to know the kind. If this entry is rolled again, it is truly an odd wreck!
2	Spaceship: roll on Table 4
3	Space station or colony
4	Big chunk o' rock
5	Ancient artifact
6	Space whale

Table 4 - Ship Type (1d6)
Roll for "Friend or Foe" if appropriate: (1-2 friendly 3-4 neutral 5-6 hostile)

1	Warship
2	Pirate ship
3	Prison ship
4	Generation ship
5	Colony ship
6	Freighter
5	Scout or Survey ship
6	Mining ship
5	Passenger ship
6	Science and Research ship
5	Yacht, Safari or other civilian ship
6	Alien ship (unknown type or purpose)

"Last time I heard about them, they were going to Jump at -8..."

Table 5 - "Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?" (2d6 twice)
The ship integrity is compromised: roll 2d6 twice to count the damage

2	Single Hit
3	Two Single Hits
4	Double Hit
5	Three Single Hits
6	Two Single Hits, Double Hit
7	Two Double Hits
8	Triple Hit
9	Triple Hit, Single Hit
10	Triple Hit, Double Hit
11	Triple Hit, Double Hit, Single Hit
12	Two Triple Hits

Table 6 - Major Universe Change (1d12)
Changes that affect ships, technology or people do not affect the ship that jumped and the characters aboard it.

1	Star systems are moving in the opposite direction (but not the ship when exiting jumpspace)
2	Distances in space are different (1-3 distance is doubled 4-6 distance is halved)
3	Gravity manipulation is not possible
4	Jump technology is capped at Jump 2
5	Star systems positions are switched between each other
6	Psionic powers do not exist
7	Everyone has psionic powers
8	Energy weapons have not been invented
9	There's no human race
10	There are no alien races
11	Nothing changes, but the characters are convinced it did. Just point constantly out that the characters find things strange, or out of place, or they seem different from what they used to be... but never tell them what it is. Because nothing has, actually, changed.
12	Jump torpedoes are widely used

Table 7 - Psionic Manifestations (1d10)
All manifestations last 3d6 days and will happen both in normalspace and in jumpspace.

1	People will start hearing voices and screams aboard the ship.
2	The ship doors will start to behave strangely: they will open or close at random, will be locked without help but to wait until they unlock, will be unable to be operated both manually and digitally etc. Just hope the hull doors stay shut...
3	Sensors will detect things outside the ship. However, nothing's outside there...
4	Sensors or alarms will detect things aboard the ship that should not be there. Nothing will be found when the place will be searched.
5	Things will disappear and reappear at random aboard the ship: every time you need an item roll 1d6: 1-2 the item is where it's supposed to be; 3-4: the item is somewhere else on the ship; 5-6 the item cannot be found for 1d6 hours.
6	You can see figures outside the windows both in normalspace and in jumpspace. Creatures, people, ships, planets, landscapes... sensors, however, will detect nothing.
7	A violent death happened on the ship long ago. You can see and hear it happen again as an echo in front of your eyes.
8	A random person will start hearing the starship's breath, her heart rhythmic pulsations, her guts shifting and moving, her muscles stretching and relaxing, her lamentations as her hull is stressed while flying through the atmosphere, her cries of pain as micro-particles and debris hit her when travelling in space.
9	A random person aboard the ship will be haunted from voices of people of his past asking for the help he never gave them, accusing him of his betrayal, remembering him of his dark deeds he strongly regrets.
10	Random people aboard the ship will have visions or vivid dreams of themselves having consensual sexual intercourses with another passenger or crewman, and will remember them as if being real. In the visions the partner will always be the same person, the one found more sexually attractive. This doesn't mean this partner will have the same vision, or any vision at all. Failing an Intelligence check (Difficult, +2) means the affected people will believe these intercourses really happened.

Did I really have sex with you last night?

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Adventure seed: Dangerous Lessons

This is a science fiction or cyberpunk adventure seed inspired by my Traveller Skills Training house rule. This adventure can however be effortlessly used in different systems or settings.

The format I used here is typical for Traveller Patrons, people who give quests to the player characters in exchange of benefits, usually money or equipment.
After the adventure introduction there are six possible directions in which the adventure could possibly go. You would typically either choose one or roll 1d6.

The Training software I refer to can be replaced with any software used in Wafer Jacks or neural interfaces.

**
Joseph Kartad, CEO of LearnTech
Required: Investigate, Computers, Deception, Admin (optional), Intrusion software (recommended)
Reward: Cr. 15.000 and Training software

art by Achimstyle

The government of Hala Eudonia have recently bought from LearnTech, a company focused in Training software, its specialized proprietary software in order to give low budget training lessons to its agents.
However, this software has a dangerous bug: when it is used with a Wafer Jack, that is, exactly how the government would have used it, the microprocessor overloads until it burns down causing serious harm to the user's brain.
A first investigation revealed the bug seem to have been coded on purpose in the software and now the LearnTech and the government want to know who did it and the reasons behind it.

Joseph Kartad, CEO of LearnTech, gets privately in touch with the characters searching for help in the investigations, taking great care to clarify that he is interested in resolving the problem internally without the government knowledge or interference and avoiding a potential scandal.
The characters will be disguised as new LearnTech employees in order to freely investigate inside or outside the company building, to socialize with the employees and to be able to investigate in the computers and in the software code.


Discretion is essential: no one must suspect anything about the internal inquiry, and most of all every discovery will have to be communicated directly to Kartad, and no one else.

The characters should expect to deal with government detectives, who must never know about their inquiries.
Of course, the characters have been hired to solve the crime before the government do, otherwise there will be no reward.

1	The bug has been inserted by a LearnTech developer who came to know the possibility of his firing. His plan was to fake the discovery and resolution of the dangerous bug, in order assure his job position.
2	There is no bug: it is a put-on from the government in order to be able to freely investigate on LearnTech activities. The government thinks LearnTech is a façade for an illegal espionage software developing activity, and through this sham it wants to investigate the company deeper than it is possible otherwise.
3	The bug has been inserted by a rival company hoping to bankrupt LearnTech or at least to drop its reputation, to undertake the next contract from the government. The person who actually inserted the bug is a LearnTech manager who started working for the rival company with the promise of large sums of money.
4	Joseph Kartad inserted the bug himself, trying to blame a rival company by planting false clues in order to obtain the monopoly in the market.
5	The bug was inserted by the Vice-CEO hoping in Kartad's resignation: he should have been CEO instead of Kartad, and it is well time he takes what he rightfully deserves!
6	Kartad's wife is actually behind this: she discovered that his husband has a lover, and now she wants revenge on him. She hired a hacker to infiltrate LearnTech systems to insert the bug in the software, and the very bug's name is none other that Kartad's lover's!

Versione in italiano »

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Spunto per avventura: Lezioni pericolose

Idea per un'avventura investigativa di stampo fantascientifico o cyberpunk ispirata alla mia house rule per Traveller sull'addestramento delle abilità, ma che può essere facilmente utilizzata in altri sistemi.

Il formato dell'avventura è simile a quello dei Patroni di Traveller, individui che danno missioni ai giocatori in cambio di benefici.
Sotto l'introduzione ci sono sei possibili direzioni che può prendere l'avventura.

Si può sostituire il software di Apprendimento a cui faccio riferimento con qualsiasi software utilizzato in un Intellijack o interfaccia neurale.

**
Joseph Kartad, Amministratore Delegato della LearnTech
Requisiti: Investigare, Computer, Inganno, Persuadere, Amministrazione (opzionale), computer possibilmente con software di Intrusione.
Ricompensa: 15.000Cr e software di Apprendimento.

art by Achimstyle

La LearnTech, azienda specializzata in software di Apprendimento, ha venduto al governo di Hala Eudonia un proprio software specializzato per impartire lezioni a basso costo agli agenti governativi.
Il software tuttavia presenta un pericoloso baco: quando questo viene utilizzato con un Intellijack, ossia proprio come il governo lo avrebbe utilizzato, il microprocessore si sovraccarica fino a bruciarsi causando gravi danni al cervello dell'utilizzatore.
Una prima investigazione ha rivelato che baco sembra essere stato inserito di proposito ed ora la LearnTech e il governo cercano di capire il responsabile e le ragioni di questa manomissione.

Joseph Kartad, amministratore delegato della LearnTech, contatta i personaggi in privato facendo ben presente che si muove all'oscuro del governo in quanto interessato a cercare di risolvere il problema il prima possibile e senza sollevare un polverone mediatico o rischiare uno scandalo.
I personaggi potranno fingersi nuovi impiegati alla LearnTech per poter svolgere le ricerche indisturbati sia dentro che fuori l'edificio aziendale, socializzare con i colleghi e poter indagare sui computer e sul codice del software se ne sono in grado.

La discrezione è essenziale: nessuno dovrà sospettare delle indagini interne, e soprattutto qualsiasi scoperta sarà comunicata direttamente a Kartad e nessun altro.

I personaggi possono aspettarsi di avere a che fare con gli investigatori governativi, ai quali non dovranno assolutamente rivelarsi. Dovranno anzi trovare il problema prima di questi, perciò il tempismo è fondamentale.

1	Il baco è stato inserito da un programmatore della LearnTech venuto a conoscenza del suo possibile futuro licenziamento. Il suo piano è di fingere di riuscire a trovarlo lui stesso e risolverlo per mantenere il suo posto di lavoro.
2	Non c'è nessun baco: è una messinscena da parte del governo per poter investigare sulle attività della LearnTech. Secondo il governo la LearnTech fa da copertura ad una attività che produce software di spionaggio illegale e tramite questa operazione vuole riuscire ad indagare più a fondo.
3	Il baco è stato inserito da un'azienda rivale della LearnTech per farla andare in bancarotta e ottenere l'appalto dal governo. La mano che ha inserito il baco è di un dirigente divenuto doppiogiochista dopo aver ricevuto un'ingente somma di denaro.
4	Joseph Kartad stesso ha inserito il baco, tentando di far ricadere la colpa sull'azienda rivale inserendo indizi falsi che portano ad essa.
5	Il baco è stato inserito dal vice amministratore della LearnTech sperando nelle dimissioni di Kartad: sarebbe dovuto essere lui l'amministratore delegato, ed è ora che finalmente si prenda ciò che è suo di diritto.
6	È stata la moglie di Kartad: ha scoperto che il marito ha un'amante, ed ha voluto vendicarsi. Ha assoldato un hacker per infiltrarsi nei sistemi della LearnTech ed inserire il baco nel software. Il nome del baco, scritto proprio nel codice, è lo stesso dell'amante di Kartad!

English version »

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Traveller - House Rule: Skills Training

I never liked Traveller skill advancement rule (first edition by Mongoose), because it's based on the supposition that the more things you know, the more time you'll spend to learn new ones.
I think this is plain wrong, and that's why I created this house rule.

It is a fact that the more skilled you are in something, the hardest / longest you must train or study to get better at it, be it because the subject becomes harder at higher levels or the the specialized info is more difficult to find or whatever.

But this stands true only for that single skill or knowledge, be it theoretical physics or piloting starcrafts, and not for every existing one.
If today I manage learn the whole Canticle of Aldebaran, it does not mean that tomorrow I'll have to spend more time or that I'll have to train harder to learn how to fire a pistol!

Time's the point, I think. The focus must go in how much time I'll have to spend to train a skill, paying attention on what I already know about that skill.
That, and in which way I'll train. Will I hire a professional teacher? Or just ask my ship's pilot to show me?

Being trained by a qualified instructor is not exactly the same thing than learning how to fix a maneuver drive by watching a video on the planet's net!

**

Skills Training

There are 3 training methods, from the quickest to the slowest:

1. With a qualified instructor
2. With a non-qualified instructor or with a Training software.
3. Self-training

To raise a skill of 1 level (or to gain it at level 0) you must train for as many training months as the skill level you will reach summed to the training method "value".

A training month is 4 training hours a day for 30 days.

You will take 1 training month to learn Medic 0 with a qualified instructor.

To increase Gun Combat from 2 to 3 you will take 6 training months by self-training.

To increase Stealth from level 1 to level 2 you will take 4 training month with a non-qualified instructor or with a Training software.

After finishing the training period you will make a Characteristic check with the one more apt to the skill you have been training (Average, +0) added to the qualified instructor's Teaching skill (if it's the case).

If the roll is successful the skill is raised of 1 level (or gained at level 0).

Otherwise, if it is failed, the Characteristic check can be rolled again after another training month, with a cumulative +1 DM.

After three months of training to raise Medic from 1 to 2, I failed the check roll. I can retry after another training month with a +1 DM. If I fail again, I will try again after training a month more, this time with a +2 DM. And so on.

It is not possible to raise a skill of more levels at once, but I can train more skills in the same time, increasing of course the overall time.

• A qualified instructor has the Teaching skill (at any level) and the skill you want to train at least one level higher than that you want to reach.
• A non-qualified instructor has the skill you want to train at least one level higher than that you want to reach, but has no Teaching skill.
• A Training software is a program especially created to train skills, and must be a level higher than that you want to reach.

Teaching
The Teaching skill is used to effectively transmit knowledge, to clearly explain a difficult concept, or even to write a good manual or school text.
It also allows to train someone to raise someone else's skill by 1 level or to teach him a new one at level 0.
It is also useful to raise money giving lessons, with a gain of 1d6 x 100 x Teaching skill level in credits per month.

The Teaching skill can be obtained during the Character Generation by replacing any skill in the Advancement Education column.

Training Software
A Training software is a program especially created to allow people to train skills or to learn knowledge without the need of an actual teacher and in an easier way than by reading a schoolbook or a manual.
These programs need an Intelligent Interface in order to work.

Their base price is equivalent to an Expert software of the same level, and their Technology Level is one level lower.

These Training programs have the advantage that can be used by different people in the same time period (but not simultaneously) and once they have been bought they can be reused as any software, or they can be resold.

**
Soon I'll post an adventure seed based on this, stay tuned!

And what about you? Do you use the advancement rule by-the-book or do you made your own method?

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Traveller - House Rule: Addestramento delle Abilità

La regola da manuale dell'avanzamento abilità di Traveller (prima edizione Mongoose) non mi è mai piaciuta: suppone che più cose sai, più tempo impieghi ad imparare una cosa nuova.
Secondo me questo è sbagliato, ed è per questo che ho ideato questa "house rule", una regola personalizzata insomma.

È vero che più sei abile in un dato campo più ti è difficile migliorare, in quanto le informazioni saranno più specializzate, o più difficili da reperire, o l'abilità richiesta maggiore.
Ma questo vale solo per quel campo, non tutti gli altri, sia questo fisica teorica o il pilotare una nave.

La stessa cosa vale per il tempo impiegato: più un campo diventa complesso, specializzato, o una abilità difficile da padroneggiare, più tempo impiegherai a migliorare in quello specifico campo, non in tutti gli altri.

Che io oggi impari a memoria il Cantico di Aldebaran non significa che domani mi sarà più difficile imparare a guidare un aeroscafo!

Ma è proprio il tempo la cosa importante. Il tempo che posso dedicare ad imparare o migliorare un'abilità, e a quanto già conosco di questa.

Il tempo, ed il modo in cui impari le cose: certamente essere addestrati da un insegnante professionista in motori di manovra non è la stessa cosa che imparare dai video sulla rete!

**

Addestramento delle Abilità

Esistono 3 modi di apprendimento, dal più veloce al più lento:

1. Con insegnante qualificato
2. Con insegnate non qualificato o con un software di Apprendimento
3. Tramite autoformazione

Per aumentare un'abilità di 1 livello (od ottenerla a livello 0) vengono impiegati tanti mesi di apprendimento quanto il livello da raggiungere nell'abilità + il "valore" del modo di apprendimento.

Un mese di apprendimento è inteso come 4 ore di formazione al giorno per 30 giorni.

Per apprendere Medico 0 si impiega 1 mese di apprendimento con un insegnante qualificato.

Per aumentare Pistola a Proiettili da 2 a 3 si impiegano 6 mesi di apprendimento tramite autoformazione.

Per aumentare Elusione da 1 a 2 vengono impiegati 4 mesi di apprendimento con un insegnante non qualificato o con un software di Apprendimento.

Alla fine del periodo di apprendimento si effettua un tiro tiro di prova sulla caratteristica predominante dell'abilità allenata con difficoltà Media (MD +0) più l'abilità Insegnante dell'istruttore (se qualificato).

Se il tiro ha successo si aumenta l'abilità di un livello, o la si ottiene a livello 0 se non la si aveva già.

Se la prova fallisce si può ritentare il tiro dopo un ulteriore mese di apprendimento, con MD +1 cumulativo ad ogni tentativo.

Dopo 3 mesi di apprendimento, per aumentare Medico da 1 a 2, ho fallito la prova di caratteristica. Posso ritentare la prova dopo 1 ulteriore mese di apprendimento con MD+1 al tiro. Se fallisco di nuovo dopo la prova posso tentare ancora dopo 1 altro mese di apprendimento con MD+2, e così via.

Non è possibile aumentare l'abilità di più livelli in un solo periodo di apprendimento, ma possono essere allenate più abilità allo stesso momento allungando ovviamente il tempo totale.

• Un insegnante qualificato possiede l'abilità Insegnante (a qualsiasi livello) e l'abilità che si vuole apprendere ad un livello superiore a quello che si vuole raggiungere.
• Un insegnante non qualificato possiede l'abilità che si vuole apprendere ad un livello superiore a quello che si vuole raggiungere ma non possiede l'abilità Insegnante.
• Un software di apprendimento è un software creato appositamente per apprendere abilità, e deve essere di livello superiore a quello che si vuole raggiungere.

Insegnante
L'abilità Insegnante serve per poter trasmettere efficacemente una conoscenza, spiegare chiaramente un concetto difficile o redigere un buon manuale o libro di testo di un qualsiasi argomento si sia a conoscenza.
Permette inoltre di aumentare un'abilità di altro individuo o fargliela ottenere a livello 0 tramite il suo insegnamento.
Può anche essere utilizzata per guadagnare denaro con un compenso di 1d6 x 100 x livello di Insegnante in crediti al mese impartendo lezioni.

L'abilità Insegnante può essere acquisita durante la Creazione del Personaggio andando a sostituire una qualsiasi altra abilità nella colonna dell'Educazione Avanzata.

Software di Apprendimento
I software di Apprendimento sono programmi creati appositamente per permettere ad un individuo di apprendere nuove conoscenze o abilità più facilmente che con un qualsiasi libro di testo o manuale sull'argomento.
Questi software hanno bisogno di un'Interfaccia Intelligente per poter essere utilizzati.

Il loro prezzo è equivalente a quello di un software Esperto dello stesso livello, ed il loro Livello Tecnologico è di un livello più basso.

Hanno il beneficio di poter essere utilizzati da più persone nello stesso periodo di tempo (ma non contemporaneamente) ed una volta acquistati possono essere ovviamente riutilizzati come qualsiasi software, o rivenduti.

**
Prossimamente pubblicherò uno spunto per un'avventura su questo argomento!

E voi? Avete mai utilizzato la regola del manuale base o ne avete fatto una vostra?

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