Quote from: Opaopajr;668185*sigh* I'd rather not. Why not just tell us? The acrimony suffused with allusions to the text is becoming comical now.

Are the makers that blindingly technocratic that mere mortals cannot make killable NPCs? Or did they forget to include hit points or something? Seriously, is the book a functional RPG, or a delightful compendium of algorithms for universe building?

This blog seems to lightly go through the maths.

It's like watching a miniature D&D edition war . Hells, WFRP 3 raped my childhood (literally, I got WFB when I was 8 and WFRP 1e when I was 10), and even I haven't the levels of acid I see  thrown here on T5.

Quote from: jadrax;668186This blog seems to lightly go through the maths.

Ok, so I went to that Penultimate Blog (nice, btw) and got my answer:

While combat is simpler than earlier editions, it can be an all-or-nothing affair, particularly when it comes to NPCs. This is, I assume, intended to cut down GM paperwork. For example, to put an NPC out of action, you need to do 10+ hits in one shot; fewer means the NPC functions at full capacity; if he's wearing Cloth armour (AV 14), this means doing 24+ points with one shot; good luck doing that with your Bullet-3 magnum revolver or Gauss Carbine – and even a Bullet-5 Advanced Battle Rifle will struggle (the odds are 5.88%). Since armour, once penetrated, becomes ineffective for the rest of the 'situation', a second shot will usually take the NPC down.

I... I, I don't know what to say. It's somewhat comical, but also somewhat ingenious. Armor penetration and rate of fire becomes prioritized, so I already see the metagaming hell to come. But there's something beautiful about a parka making you that much harder to one-shot, even with a magnum revolver or Gauss carbine. There's a cleanness to the bewildering design choice that's... admirable.
:confused:

Quote from: Opaopajr;668185*sigh* I'd rather not. Why not just tell us? The acrimony suffused with allusions to the text is becoming comical now.

Are the makers that blindingly technocratic that mere mortals cannot make killable NPCs? Or did they forget to include hit points or something? Seriously, is the book a functional RPG, or a delightful compendium of algorithms for universe building?

Sorry.  I wasn't quoting at you, Opaopajr.  In a nutshell, NPCs will ignore any damage done to them that is 9 or less.  Pistols do 1D6 damage.  The makers work fine.  But if the T5 system sucks balls, what's the point of using makers?

Most people are going to house-rule nearly 90-95% of T5 and keep that one gold nugget in the rules they say they hope to find, and still claim they are playing T5.  To me, that's just nuts.  So far, no one has been able to design, house-rule, or home-brew a T5 RPG clone that works.  Traveller 4 is infinitely more playable.  It's up to http://www.traveller6.com to save us now.

Is there a way to add to a pistol's 1d6 damage per round?, shot?, magazine? Aiming or multiple shots in a round or dual wield guns or something?

Holy shit! This might be Traveller: John Woo edition! How much for extra doves whenever there's a firefight?

Quote from: Opaopajr;668201Is there a way to add to a pistol's 1d6 damage per round?, shot?, magazine? Aiming or multiple shots in a round or dual wield guns or something?

Holy shit! This might be Traveller: John Woo edition! How much for extra doves whenever there's a firefight?

Just get a bigger gun.  Or wait for Traveller 5 Book 2 to come out (with T5 having a big 1 stamped on its binder, and assuming there's going to be a third).  T5 needs a ship book and a revised-combat book.

Quote from: David Johansen;667880If I had to draw out the D&D parallel, Mongoose Traveller is Castles and Crusades and T5 is Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Or maybe T5 is FantasyCraft.. uber detailed uber crunch..

Mind you FC isn't such a train wreck of writing and layout.

Mong Traveller is simple, rules light, has a unified mechanic which is essentially the same one that original Traveller had but roll high and add an attribute modifer and skill and get 8 or more. You can play it for years with one small core book. It does hard SF, but can also do soft SF and space opera with the right mind set. It's deadly. It can address post humanism and cybertech. It is well supported.

T5 is highly complex, rolls variable numbers of d6 to roll under a target built from skill, modifier and a static base number. The massive core book is not all you need to play. It does hard SF, but can also do soft SF and space opera with the right mind set. It's deadly. It doesn't address post humanism or cybertech. It is too early to say how well it will be supported or if the necessary extra books will be published.

Quote from: jeff37923;667974There is no need to proclaim that one edition is better than the other because each is meant for a different segment of the Traveller gamer audience. They are different tools for Traveller gaming, depending on the job at hand will determine which version will be best for the Players and Referee.

Hear hear!

Frankly I think this is also very true for the D&D folk, and it's probably best in all the camps out there.

Quote from: daniel_ream;668022IIRC, you keep picking one skill each in turn until all the skills are gone.  So the smaller your group, the more individual skills each member will get.

My issue with the MongTrav lifepath system is the same as with FGU's Daredevils - the aging penalties take so long to kick in that character creation tends to produce characters in their forties.  I prefer my Big Damn Heroes to be in their physical prime, and a kid who's crazy good at one specific thing is almost impossible.  It's not a big deal, to some extent that is the point of the lifepath system, to make exceptional characters exceptional.

The ouevre of Traveller was always that of ex services guys who've left the Marines or Navy or Army and set off to adventure in their prime, e.g. 30s, and use their accumulated skills and knowledge in semi legal adventures.

I never looked at the careers of GDW staff, but if they had been, or wanted to have been, ex military in their 30s, I'd be not at all suprised!

In terms of the cultural history of the game, you're playing Vietnam vets..

Quote from: jeff37923;667974There is no need to proclaim that one edition is better than the other because each is meant for a different segment of the Traveller gamer audience. They are different tools for Traveller gaming, depending on the job at hand will determine which version will be best for the Players and Referee.

Hear hear!

Frankly I think this is also very true for the D&D folk, and it's probably best in all the camps out there.

Quote from: tzunder;668223In terms of the cultural history of the game, you're playing Vietnam vets..

Realisation: The A-Team is the archetypal Traveller crew.

Quote from: Warthur;668227Realisation: The A-Team is the archetypal Traveller crew.

I love it when a starship comes together.

Some day I'll write a magazine article on how to use "It's like The Fugitive, But..." to create campaign concepts.

Quote from: tzunder;668223The ouevre of Traveller was always that of ex services guys who've left the Marines or Navy or Army and set off to adventure in their prime, e.g. 30s, and use their accumulated skills and knowledge in semi legal adventures.

I played my Traveller games like '70s Battlestar Galactica.  Now I play it like syfy's Battlestar Galactica.  Once in awhile, I throw in some Silent Running, Ringworld, Babel-17, Blade Runner, ALIEN, The Fifth Head of Cerberus, Mad Max 2, New Sun.

Quote from: CRKrueger;668168So far, for T5 we either have smoke but no fire or all hat and no cattle depending on which side you are on.  Specifics you corksucking iceholes!

NPCs can't get killed by a pistol and there is no ammo?  More info.

A ship-building system with not a single ship?  What about detailed examples?  

Do we have a toolkit that allows us to make anything but doesn't show how you make the world Tatooine, the race of Dralasites, the psionics of Zhodani, a phase plasma rifle in the 40watt range or even the Free Trader Beowulf?

Show us the money or show us the money wasted, or shut the fuck up!

Jeff and Shawn watching you guys spar with facts would be a lot more interesting then watching you bump dickheads.

I have some facts for you.

1) Traveller5 and Mongoose Traveller are two different approaches by two different companies for two different demographics of Traveller gamers. I doubt you can judge them side-by-side with the same criteria while not taking that into account.

2)When the Traveller5 Kickstarter began, before anything had come out, Shawn Driscoll had already made up his negative opinion on the game.
  And like a spurned lover, has been trashing it ever since. Good luck getting any untainted facts from him.

3) I haven't had time to get through the entire book yet. It is a big damn book full of stuff to play around with. I said that I will write a review once I am done, but I've got a life that does get in the way of my favorite hobby. I can give out snippets, which I have been doing, but that is all I can do for the moment.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;668198In a nutshell, NPCs will ignore any damage done to them that is 9 or less.  Pistols do 1D6 damage.

Well, I suppose it IS possible to roll 10 or more on a d6 if you try hard enough.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;668198In a nutshell, NPCs will ignore any damage done to them that is 9 or less.  Pistols do 1D6 damage.  The makers work fine.  But if the T5 system sucks balls, what's the point of using makers?

Oh my fucking God! Traveller5 is BROKEN because an NPC may survive a simplified combat! Holy fucking shit what are we to do! What does it mean!

It means that a 9mm low to medium velocity round will not penetrate a flak vest, just like in Real Life.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;668203Just get a bigger gun.

See, you are not as stupid as your posts make you out to be.

But you did forget to mention that autofire helps.

Quote from: Opaopajr;668201Is there a way to add to a pistol's 1d6 damage per round?, shot?, magazine? Aiming or multiple shots in a round or dual wield guns or something?

Take that same pistol firing a Bullet-1 and maker it a machine accelerator pistol (takes less than 10 seconds using GunMaker) and you have the equivalent of a MAC-10 firing gyrojet ammo that does Bullet-5 damage or 5d6. Make it advanced and you get up to Bullet-6 or 6d6 damage.

This also excludes the idea of using the PC damage system for NPCs or using the hit location chart. A 9mm round will still kill you if it hits you square on in the head.