joining the crew

[Ektor]

Greetings,

I took profit of the bundle holding offer (traveller's one), and now thinking to use GURPS Traveller and makes the Pirates Campaigns.

Is it a good idea ? I read that Gurps Traveller is based on an older lore, maybe its going to be hard to migrate to it.

And to make it a bit more difficult, want to play it through Foundry.

Anyone have explored it ? just to know if I m not going into an asteroid space field with these ideas :)

By example, anyone have created a kind of spaceship actor in foundry?

I will ask the same question on the discord, to have all your insights

[sjard]

The setting difference between Mongoose 2e Traveller and GURPS Traveller is that Mongoose Traveller for the most part is the same as Classic Traveller Third Imperium (set in 1105), and GURPS Traveller is set in an official alternate reality timeline that branched off in 1116 and starts in 1120.

GURPS Traveller Intestellar Wars is a couple thousand years before these dates in the same setting, but closer to Earth than Pirates of Drinax's Trojan Reach

It remains to be seen if Mongoose will move the timeline forward and create their own official alternate timeline as well. But to the current publications the timelines are the same to that point as far as I've been able to determine.

Pirates of Drinax is set in the Trojan Reach sector (one sector Rimward from the Spinward Marches) that wasn't as heavily covered in previous editions to my knowledge.


So short version for compatibility, if you just switch the mechanics from one system to another, is the difference between playing a game set in California 2020AD (GURPS Traveller timeline) vs Nevada 1980AD (Classic/Mongoose Traveller timeline), or London in 1100AD (GURPS Traveller Interstellar Wars). Edit: Note that the technology is roughly the same throughout all of these time frames, just at slightly different points on the Tech Level scale (both GURPS and Traveller tech levels), but close enough as to not really matter much for setting.

[Ektor]

Thanks for the lore details,
yes if at the end the technology keep the same patterns/behaviors, but are just an evolution, the experience will be similar. Its not like one period had ftl jump and not the other one.

What I will have to decide is which year we are, and keep the tech level adapted to it, to be coherent.

[sjard]

Well, from the campaign book for Pirates of Drinax:

This adventure takes place in the Tliowaha and Sindal
subsectors of the Trojan Reaches. The year is assumed
to be 1105. The assumed starting point is Drinax, but
the Travellers can begin the adventure in any system
where rumours can reach them

So that should help a bit.

But the tech shouldn't be hard as it's not all that much different throughout much of the OTU timeline when space travel happens, for most stuff. While in 1105 (if I'm remembering correctly) the TTL (Traveller Tech Level) of the Third Imperium is 15, there's lots of lower tech around almost anywhere you look.

GURPS 3rd edition TL averaged 9-12 for most of that I think (I'd have to pull out my books to check for certain), and 4e TL is about 9-10 for roughly the same.

[Ektor]

Yes, so end of the First Imperium for Gurps Interstellar, versus Third for Pirates.

And as you said, Gurps will be more Terra centred, it would require to redo the pirate's lore and locations, integrating them in the interstellar war.

Really interesting.

[sjard]

Originally Posted by Ektor

Yes, so end of the First Imperium for Gurps Interstellar, versus Third for Pirates.

GURPS has two Traveller versions. Interstellar Wars for 4th edition GURPS, which is the end of the First Imperium and potentially start of the Second Imperium.

GURPS Traveller for 3rd edition GURPS, which is Third Imperium about 15 years after Pirates of Drinax is set, in an official alternate timeline (where MegaTraveller's imperial assassination and the civil war it caused, and the Virus that lead to Traveller The New Era didn't happen).

Since neither of those events has happened yet, and may not happen in the Mongoose version of the game setting, most of GURPS Traveller is identical to Mongoose Traveller, as far as the timeline goes.

And as you said, Gurps will be more Terra centred, it would require to redo the pirate's lore and locations, integrating them in the interstellar war.

No, I said that there are two time periods used in GURPS, 3rd edition used the same setting and nearly the same time (15 years different) as Pirates, and 4th edition, which is closer to Terra. 3rd Edition also included a setting book (Rim of Fire) near Terra, but most of the books included a considerable amount of stuff for the Spinward Marches sector (Behind the Claw* and various bits in other books). And the setting material, in general, can be used with either 3rd or 4th edition GURPS.

*As a side note, the Mongoose setting book for the same general area is also titled Behind the Claw, and both are written by (co-authored in the case of the GURPS version) Martin J. Dougherty. So the material is largely the same.

[sjard]

Another amusing tidbit, are the occasional references in the Mongoose 1e Spinward Marches book (again by Dougherty), that include date references for 1116 or 1120, when the Mongoose 1e Third Imperium stuff is also officially set in 1105.

[DangerousThing]

Originally Posted by Ektor

Yes, so end of the First Imperium for Gurps Interstellar, versus Third for Pirates.

And as you said, Gurps will be more Terra centred, it would require to redo the pirate's lore and locations, integrating them in the interstellar war.

GURPS Traveller is not Terra-centered.

This would only require redoing if you want to change the location of the setting.

GURPS Traveller is mainly just a set of rules, plus most of the Lore from the Traveller system. Its also very easy to update to GURPS 4e.

[SteveS]

The Pirates of Drinax: Third Imperium year 1105, a little before the Fifth Frontier War.

Imperium Eternal: Third Imperium year 1120, a little after the Fifth Frontier War, default GURPS Traveller setting.

GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars: starting 2170 Common Era, or Third Imperium years -2408 through -2219, GURPS 4th edition Traveller setting.

[DarbyMcD]

Ektor, Pirates is really very easy to plant where/when ever you want. It does not strongly interact with the broader timeline as long as the Imperium and the Aslan are not actively at war... yet. You just need an overpowering Empire on one side that wants to keep the section of space somewhat neutral as a buffer and some potential disruptive militarist force on another (Aslan) for some of the story arc to use closely as written. The planets are so various in tech it isn't worth the thought required to worry about specific tech levels, just decide that whatever is in the book is available. Players won't know and no one will care. Because the campaign is written very loosely and sand-boxy (can you say that about a space game?) you can just plop in whatever you want for time and tech, no problem.

I am actually getting ready to run it in the Star Wars setting with GURPS.