Quote from: RPGPunditSomehow, I misread and thought this thread was going to be about He-Man.

RPGPundit

Replace "universe" with "domain".

Quote from: GrimGentAs said, it can be anything.

A plague on your gaming GrimGent With numerous preproduction campaign ideas floating around in my head, you have to go add Nobilis to the mix. A strong Sapphire & Steel vibe is welling up in me using Nobilis as a starting point. Must resist....must not get sidetrecked...no use, already added into existing must run campaign idea bank....

Regards,
David R

Quote from: David RA strong Sapphire & Steel vibe is welling up in me using Nobilis as a starting point.

It's brimming with inspiration for the game, that show. Besides, with Domains like Time, Memory and Records for the PCs, and canonical details like the lost five centuries and roads through history and Chancels which exist sideways in time, building a campaign around the preservation of the temporal continuum would be pretty easy.

Quote from: JongWKCare to explain? :confused:

Pocket Empires was a book released for Marc Miller's Traveller.  It contained rules for running campaigns in which each player was the head of an interstellar polity (a "Pocket Empire" consisting of a few star systems).  Manage your economy, fight wars, increase your tech, etc.  The rules had all sorts of neat things, my favorite being the genealogical tables to set up your dynasty.

Quote from: mythusmageReplace "universe" with "domain".

That would have made me think that the thread was about a particular Seinfeld episode.

RPGPundit

Quote from: KenHRPocket Empires was a book released for Marc Miller's Traveller.  It contained rules for running campaigns in which each player was the head of an interstellar polity (a "Pocket Empire" consisting of a few star systems).  Manage your economy, fight wars, increase your tech, etc.  The rules had all sorts of neat things, my favorite being the genealogical tables to set up your dynasty.

IIRC you could also set more than one character per polity, so other family members, heads of branches, or servants. Pocket Empires/Client States are my favorite Traveller areas, small enough to digest and detail as needed, not without some power, but often pawns for others.

One of the few rough gems released for T4, and with a small amount of errata. :jaw-dropping: And it wouldn't have to be tied to T4's era or area of space either as long as you had some Traveller ruleset (GT would require tech level and planet code conversions).

Quote from: Casey777One of the few rough gems released for T4, .

What about the main rulebook? Isn't it basically the same rulesset as CT? is it any good? I ask because I can't find my copy of the travellr book and i can get the fisrt book of T4 really cheap in hard cover. (I don't care about the setting stuff, because I won't be using any of it anyway.)

:drillsergeant:

WARNING! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
Avoid T4 Mainbook under all circumstances. Severe rules fuckup and shitosity leak detected.
WARNING! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
:drillsergeant:

thanks!

Quote from: AosWhat about the main rulebook? Isn't it basically the same rulesset as CT? is it any good? I ask because I can't find my copy of the travellr book and i can get the fisrt book of T4 really cheap in hard cover.

Short answer, it's too close to CT to be seen as a "modern" game but too removed from it to satisfy many CT grogs. The hardcover for really cheap is worth a go though.

An early review. A bit too enthusiastic about a new Traveller line.

Long Answer:

Different task system completely (roll low, more difficult -> more dice; half-dice) and chargen is geared towards more skills and at higher ranks. Combat is more like CT/Striker but has some changes (armor more like T20, init was different IIRC). I'd trash the task system for one of the fanbrew ones (either a T4 fix or something else) or the free CT task system which is a slightly simpler version of the MT task system.

Different & multiple design systems, based on a modification of TNE's Fire, Fusion, & Steel though guns and stuff might be useable in previous versions. The design systems were often printed incomplete and/or with errors, most lately corrected and released for free online.

Oh and errata, massive amounts, including a missing jump drive table for the ship design system. IIRC the hardcover might be the 4.1 version which fixes some of the errata.

BITS, who did some great work for T4, also has some free goodies under the archive section of their website. The BITS Task System in particular, which also works as a Rosetta Stone between Traveller editions.

http://traveller.mu.org/archive/T4/

Heh, I must still be trying to share the painful experience that is T4 with others. T4 is the coulda shoulda wasn't Traveller edition. A good portion of Traveller fandom consists of people trying to "fix" the various editions.

Quote from: RPGPunditThat would have made me think that the thread was about a particular Seinfeld episode.

RPGPundit

Exactly.

Quote from: Settembrini:drillsergeant:

WARNING! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
Avoid T4 Mainbook under all circumstances. Severe rules fuckup and shitosity leak detected.
WARNING! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
:drillsergeant:

You are correct, but if you go to //www.bits.org.uk you can find eratta and rules sections to replace some of the defective bits from the poriginal T4 book.

Also if you go to //www.traveller5.com you can download a test version pdf of the T5 rules for character creation and task resolution that can replace the rules from t4.

There's a great t4 book to get: Emperor's arsenal, and one to avoid: Anomolies, which is an adventure pack with boring adventures in it.

Quote from: Dominus NoxAlso if you go to //www.traveller5.com you can download a test version pdf of the T5 rules for character creation and task resolution that can replace the rules from t4.

There's a great t4 book to get: Emperor's arsenal, and one to avoid: Anomolies, which is an adventure pack with boring adventures in it.

Those T5 public playtest rules are T4.1 without half dice and some more bits, not much of a replacement.

Oh I'd avoid more than one book in T4.

Focusing on the ones to at least skim: (* titles in particular)

• CSC is an ok collection of Traveller gear (get the vehicle design system online for free though)*
• Emperor's Arsenal - well illo'd by Bryan Gibson, covers multiple TL versions of Traveller weapons, has some screwy designs (high TL stuff too early/too fanciful); not based on FF&S/FF&S2 but on 3G^3 so not 100% with previous Traveller versions or other T4 stuff but close enough for me*
• Emperor's Vehicles has a lot of Bryan Gibson art (but nigh useless stats)
• Imperial Squadrons has some good bits on navy life & a fleet metagame
• Mileu 0 Campaign (the hardcover collection of 2 other books) is handy if you're running in that era, still not completely fixed but it's more than its components
• Missions of State is ok for diplomatic campaigns
• Pocket Empires - great metagame also*
• Psionic Institutes - good for fleshing out psionics and institutes, esp. if you don't have illegal psionics*

If you can find the BITS version of the T4 adventures they're much better than the versions Imperium Games published for T4. OOP and hard to find though.