Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > Traveller

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-04-2019, 02:03 PM   #1
Whome?
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Default Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

I have 4 versions of Traveller:

Classic

Mega

TNE

GURPS

I just LOVE GURPS Traveller. It is so well done. How about the rest of you?

Oh, I especially like the Interstellar Wars book, my fave Traveller book of all time.
Whome? is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2019, 02:52 PM   #2
Lord Azagthoth
 
Lord Azagthoth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Helmouth, The Netherlands
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

I only have GURPS 4th Ed. Traveler IW and several supplements.

But I only have them because I wanted to use some of the rules for my Star Wars campaign. The same reason why I bought the Vorkosigan Saga sourcebook.
__________________
May the Force be with us all

Dark Lord Azagthoth

Star Wars - TRPG
Lord Azagthoth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2019, 06:15 PM   #3
selenite
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Minnesota
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

My favorite version is GT Interstellar Wars.

Though I've used it for about as many Firefly games as I have GTIW.
selenite is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2019, 07:35 AM   #4
GM Joe
 
GM Joe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Chicagoland
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

I love GURPS Traveller for role-play in the Imperium because of its alternate time-line. I prefer that time-line to the one MegaTraveller and TNE went down.

But the best version of the rules for me is Classic Traveller. I like how it starts with a simple core, then lets you selectively expand any given subsystem for more detail and realism if desired (by using add-on products).

Besides, it's the version I started with and ran the most, so I'll always prefer it. :)
__________________
GMing Since 1982.
GM Joe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2019, 03:31 AM   #5
ak_aramis
 
ak_aramis's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Alsea, OR
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Whome? View Post
I have 4 versions of Traveller:

Classic

Mega

TNE

GURPS

I just LOVE GURPS Traveller. It is so well done. How about the rest of you?

Oh, I especially like the Interstellar Wars book, my fave Traveller book of all time.
I have, dead tree, CT (almost all of GDW catalogue), MT (All GDW & DGP), TNE (all GDW), T4 (about half the IG line), T20 (about half the line), GT (core), MGT (core and 8 books or so from Mongoose, plus 3 from Spica Publishing Limited).

I have all the GDW materials for 2300, including doubles of most, on dead tree, and in PDF.

Electronically... The FFG CD's CT, JTAS, MT, TNE, T4, T5.0, T20, 2300, Apocrypha 1, 2 and 3, a draft of a 4th, and GT.
I also have HT, some of the MGT1 materials, plus the MGT1 and MGT2 playtest drafts. Plus, some prerelease playtest PDFs for T5. One of which dates back to the early 00's.

Of these, I most prefer the MegaTraveller rules, and the late classic era; I came to like the rebellion; it's TNE that ruined the setting for me.

Last edited by ak_aramis; 05-22-2019 at 04:01 AM.
ak_aramis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-21-2019, 10:03 PM   #6
David L Pulver
AlienAbductee
 
David L Pulver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: In the UFO
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Whome? View Post
I have 4 versions of Traveller:

Classic

Mega

TNE

GURPS

I just LOVE GURPS Traveller. It is so well done. How about the rest of you?

Oh, I especially like the Interstellar Wars book, my fave Traveller book of all time.
- I thought GURPS Traveller did a good job of developing the background and treating it seriously, and Interstellar Wars also had some great rules.

- I have a strong attachment to Classic Traveller, both rules and background, but the bad combat system killed every campaign I ever tried (it is playable with Book 1 weapons but utterly broken if you used Mercenary). Especially good if you added all the third party stuff like the Kieths, early Digest Group, and many others, and all the Journal material etc.

- pseudo-classic Traveller circa early 1980s, in which the Azhanti High Lightning damage system and combat turn lengths and the Striker technology assumptions are welded to the book 1-5 and adventures 1-9 backdrop. GDW published all these great alternative systems back in the Classic Era that fixed a lot of problems, but never really got around to integrating them. For space combat, use a never-released hybrid of Mayday and High Guard is used for space combat (navy pilot JD Webster of Feineous Fingers and Air Power fame published the notes for combining them in his "Fighter Pilot of the Imperium" article series) were my actual favorite, especially when combined with all the cool variant and adventure material that came out of UK Traveller fandom (starting with Andy Slack's classic WD articles and moving on).

- MegaTraveller I never liked. The rules were a mess and the background too gloomy and war-oriented. There was some individual good bits, of course, and a lot of great stuff from third parties, but the setting itself felt too much like Twilight 2000 in Space. Still, plenty of good megatrav articles and ideas that can be mind from that era by discerning referees.

- New Era had some interesting material and was fun for tech nerds but the rules and background never clicked with me.

- T4 I generally avoided.

- T20 and Hero system Traveller both had good material written for them by skilled writers, but I never really used them.

- T5 was interesting, but suffered from severe errata issues and perhaps an over-emphasis on multiple mechanical sub-systems rather than background. I see it as the Chivalry and Sorcery to the Classic system's D&D. Hopefully the new version will fix the playability issues that plagued the first release.

- Mongoose Traveller is a mechanically good update of Classic Traveller; the background and GM support material is good to very good. It's perhaps one of the more playable versions. My main objection is that it often treats technology less rigorously than other versions, and in some earlier material in the line, the non-canonical influences (e.g., Warhammer-inspired tech, space zombies, etc.) weren't sufficiently walled off from the Traveller-inspired default setting. A few books were also rushed. Lots of decent stuff, though.
__________________
Is love like the bittersweet taste of marmalade on burnt toast?

Last edited by David L Pulver; 05-21-2019 at 10:12 PM.
David L Pulver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2019, 12:15 PM   #7
Tom H.
 
Tom H.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Central Texas, north of Austin
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David L Pulver View Post
- MegaTraveller I never liked. The rules were a mess and the background too gloomy and war-oriented.
I was interested to hear that.

I feel this way about the background of Warhammer and 40K, but it is so popular. I have a good friend and a nephew who really like it. I am surprised that such a setting would be so effective in role playing and also novels (though I've never read them.)

Do you have more thoughts on the style of background you mentioned? How does it diminish your experience?

~~~

I really don't have experience with Traveller, but I did buy a Twilight: 2000 (Version 2.2.) box set a long time ago. I like to review the rules when comparing RPGs.

The forward indicates that those rules are compatible with Traveller: The New Era. You all helped me put it in perspective here.
Tom H. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2019, 11:44 PM   #8
ak_aramis
 
ak_aramis's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Alsea, OR
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom H. View Post

I really don't have experience with Traveller, but I did buy a Twilight: 2000 (Version 2.2.) box set a long time ago. I like to review the rules when comparing RPGs.

The forward indicates that those rules are compatible with Traveller: The New Era. You all helped me put it in perspective here.
Mostly true... TNE has slightly different attribute scaling, different rate of skill acquisition in character generation (slower than T2K). The task and combat mechanics are the same.

But as for the setting? It took the already blasted by MegaTraveller's Hard Times setting, and tried a reset by apocalypse.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mr. Pulver's experience with CT combat is not universal. I found no issues using Bk4 weapons... other than that they are appropriately deadly.

I had systemic issues with Bk1/Bk4/Snapshot combat overall - same issues I have with D&D/AD&D combat - armor as to-hit modifier, rather than damage reduction. The bigger damage weapons in Bk4 make that more visible. But within that framework,

Striker/AHL didn't solve it completely; the lack of granularity in weapon size effect on damage was a problem. (Striker separates penetration from to-hit, and damage by surplus penetration, with particularly heavy weapons stepping up one of the 3 damage levels.)

Those were mostly solved (IMO) by MegaTraveller. To hit modifies damage, penetration compared to armor modifies damage, and damage is a fixed number in-combat, resolving to CT-style attribute damage after.

I also have always been a fan of consistent task systems across all uses - starting with my first exposure being T2K 1E (albeit, only 3 difficulties), then 2300... at which point, CT lost it's charm. The setting, however... I used MT to run CT setting.
ak_aramis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2019, 04:12 PM   #9
Whome?
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

I want to do a mega campaign of the editions I own, first great Imperium, then Imperium crashes and falls.

The Imperium then rebuilds itself back to greatness again, new heights of technology and social wonder.

Ya, would be fun, the last part would be GURPS Traveller.
Whome? is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2019, 11:24 AM   #10
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: Is GURPS Traveller the best Version?

As someone who finds GURPS highly workable and loves dipping into the many sourcebooks for juicy bits to bring into my campaigns, I'd say it is the best for ME! I assume other people have other needs.

I certainly liked dragging ideas out of other editions of Traveller. The Regency setting was great and the idea of different schools of Psionics being better at some things than others. Some schools were better for low potential Psis others gave High potentials extra options. That seemed logical to me.

Each Version had its virtues. The GURPS version had the virtues that worked for me.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:44 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.