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Post by tkdco2 on Jul 2, 2016 20:06:20 GMT -6
I have read the space combat system in Book 2 and to a lesser extent in High Guard. The system looks okay, although I haven't tried it yet. So I was wondering how well it plays out. If you've played different space combat games, how does Traveller's system compare to them?
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randyb
Level 3 Conjurer
Posts: 92
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Post by randyb on Jul 12, 2016 13:21:02 GMT -6
I have read the space combat system in Book 2 and to a lesser extent in High Guard. The system looks okay, although I haven't tried it yet. So I was wondering how well it plays out. If you've played different space combat games, how does Traveller's system compare to them? Which one? Book 2 '77 Book 2 '81 High Guard '79 High Guard '80 Mayday The Traveller Book Starter Traveller There are differences, some small and some larger, among each of those. Unfortunately, I don't have any recent or recallable play experience with any of them. (FYI: The current version of the Classic Traveller CD, sold by FFE, has clean PDFs of all of the above, including the '77/'81 and '79/'80 distinct editions.) |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 12, 2016 23:59:47 GMT -6
I have played LBB2 and High Guard (both 2nd edition). The flavour is nicer in LBB2, eith a more 'personal' feel and a flatter power gradient. Missiles are king.
High Guard is certainly more straightforward if you stick to small-scale stuff, though.
I've always wanted to try Mayday.
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Post by tkdco2 on Jul 13, 2016 1:17:23 GMT -6
I have the 1981 edition of the LBB and the 1980 edition of High Guard. I haven't tried the space combat system yet; I may just use Book 2 and use the write-up of the ship. Since I'll play it solo, I'll use the same stats for both combatant ships.
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kenhr
Level 2 Seer
Posts: 35
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Post by kenhr on Aug 9, 2016 9:47:33 GMT -6
I like the range band system from Starter Traveller. Very little fuss or muss and keeps the general flavor of the miniatures-based LBB2 system.
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Post by tkdco2 on Aug 10, 2016 1:57:47 GMT -6
The range bands in Book 2 are pretty vague. It's just short range and long range, without any other explanation. I like having a few numbers to help me with range and even accuracy.
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Post by Mike on Aug 22, 2016 23:07:36 GMT -6
The range bands in Starter Traveller are 10,000 km each. What's vague about that? I always user the Start rules for space combat. Speed, detection etc. are all conducted in "bands" in the same way that book 2 uses millimetres. A certain number of millimetres equals a particular range; the distances are exactly the same in Starter.
The original Book 2 space combat rules are a stand-alone game; a good one too but can you imagine incorporating it into a regular gaming session?
You'd move the players to a bigger table - or the floor - where you'd have sheets of butchers papers, rules, and a protractor. Three hours later you'd be ready to get back to the RPG.
Lots of people claim to use book 2 rules in regular play but they usually use hexes instead of millimetres; which is not really using the canon rules.
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Post by tkdco2 on Aug 23, 2016 1:58:23 GMT -6
I don't have Starter Traveller, just the LBB, High Guard, and Mercenary books. The boxed set I bought didn't even include the Introduction booklet.
Book 2 does have a scale of 1 mm = 100 km, but it still doesn't say where short range ends and long range begins. So I don't know the effective and maximum ranges of the different weapons.
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Post by foxroe on Oct 16, 2016 5:23:46 GMT -6
It's been a few years since I've played (LBB2 with range bands), but here's my general take-away from that system: - It's difficult to destroy an enemy's ship, but it's easy to disable it if it's small - As the ships get larger, they get no harder to destroy (same chance really), but they get harder to disable - Large ships have insane amounts of weapons... small ships should run away (an advantage they have over the larger lumbering space hulks) I like it just fine. I think that it's of an appropriate scale/scope for the RPG. High Guard is too fiddly for my tastes. I feel that it was really meant for full-on, billion-credit, empire-clashing fleet battles, and not necessarily for PC-level RPG play. But heck, that's just my 2-credit opinion.  |
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Post by ffilz on Oct 17, 2016 19:06:06 GMT -6
When I get around to running a Classic Traveller game, I am planning on using Starter Traveller. Since space has little terrain, I think the range band simplification will make for a much easier game, especially since I will be playing virtual (Roll20 or even just Google Hangout). I would also be happy to use the 1977 or 1981 rules or Mayday if people really wanted to play vector.
I would never use High Guard, it is way not PC focused.
Frank
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Post by foxroe on Oct 18, 2016 3:13:44 GMT -6
Another nice thing about the Book 2 method is that it's easier to house-rule. Want a bad-ass plasma barbette a la HG? No problem - takes up 2 hard points, delivers 1d6+1 hits (or something like that). Want to be able to destroy small vessels more easily? We gotcha covered - small vessels can only absorb 1 hit per ten tons before evaporating* (or again, something like that). *(Edit: Or maybe 1 hit plus 1 per ten tons. Otherwise it would suck to be a fighter pilot.  ) |
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 20, 2016 2:37:32 GMT -6
I may just stick to the Starmada Compendium for my starship combat games instead. While not related to the Traveller rpg, designing a ship is pretty straightforward.
Still, I should try Book 2 at least once. I'll just have to house rule a few things.
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Post by makofan on Mar 8, 2018 14:07:39 GMT -6
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