Traveller RPG! The Free Trader Beowulf is sending a distress signal... assuming your PC survives character creation, will you respond or head for adventure and fame in the Spinward Marches?! Shane and veteran Traveller GM and player David Elmore talk the original and influential hard sci-fi RPG! Plus RPG news and the usual tomfoolery and nonsense!
Podcast version of the live Shane Plays geek talk radio show from 2/2/2019
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SHOW NOTES
Far Future Enterprises
Successor to Game Designers Workshop
Traveller resources on CD-ROM, etc.
https://www.farfuture.net/
Traveller Imperium map
https://travellermap.com/
What was happening to the Free Trader Beowulf?
https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/traveller-what-was-happening-to-the-free-trader-beowulf.313278/
Traveller Beowulf Class Free Trader info
https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Beowulf_class_Free_Trader
D&D's 45th Birthday | Jon Peterson - Playing at the World
https://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2019/01/d-45th-birthday.html
Also: BattleTech’s 35th Anniversary & Shadowrun’s 30th Anniversary
(hat tip to Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk)
"I’m Sorry, But That’s What My Character Would Do" by Rick Neal
http://www.rickneal.ca/?p=86
FnordCon: Steve Jackson Games convention in Austin April 6-7
http://www.sjgames.com/ill/archive/December_31_2018/Our_Own_Convention
Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD Core Rulebook and The Robot Wars adventure / supplement now available on DriveThru RPG
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/87/EN-Publishing/subcategory/30390/Judge-Dredd--The-Worlds-of-2000-AD
Penny Arcade partners with Wizards of the Coast to publish official 'Acquisitions Incorporated Dungeon Manual' | GeekWire byline Tim Ellis
https://www.geekwire.com/2019/penny-arcade-partners-wizards-coast-publish-official-acquisitions-incorporated-dungeon-manual/
Footnotes added to Podcast version of show:
In Traveller, just like in reality, space is big. Really big. Really, really big. To get an idea, go to https://travellermap.com/
Classic Traveller is “hard sci-fi” of the 70s and early 80s. Computers were huge and home computers weren’t a widespread thing, no internet, etc. For example: Some ship schematics have large area for computers.
Lack of faster than light communications led to a more feudal / regional governmental system throughout the empire
Weapons run the range from rocks to firearms to lasers. Daggers and knives are still very common because you don’t want to use lasers or bullets on a ship
Ships usually carried a lot of sand. If enemy ships appeared, they could drop sand that would act as chaff / defense against lasers
No hit points, damage is deducted from attributes
Similar attributes to D&D, however instead of Wisdom and Charisma there was Education and
Social Standing. Those could be codified, where the other two are more subjective
No experience, no levels… advancement is through wealth, status, etc.
Skills CAN be changed during adventuring by going back college or joining the military, etc. Or the Imperium goes to war and veterans get called back to service.
Certain attributes can be changed during play… for example you marry into nobility
They chose six siders because people already had them at home and would not need to buy polyhedrals
Traveller appealed to David when he was younger because it cost less than the D&D books
