Mongoose Traveller Star Trek

[AllenS]

I think the world needs an unofficial fan-made sourcebook for doing original series Star Trek with the Mongoose Traveller rules system. I'd like to be involved in that but would help from people who are more knowledgeable about game design and math and stuff than myself and also who know the new Traveller rules. If Babylon 5 can be a Traveller setting then Star Trek should be too.

Allen

[mechascorpio]

I've considered working on this on and off over the past 6 months. Each time, I come to the same conclusion. Love the game, hate the players.

Seriously, I look at the Mongoose boards and -- to a much, much greater extent -- the CoTI board, and it just depresses me. It's like a bunch of cranky old ladies who have more interest in tearing the game, its versions and each other down rather than expanding and actually playing Traveller.

It's just a perception, perhaps a misperception. But right now, I simply can't imagine putting tons of hours, blood, sweat and tears into a Traveller adaptation of Star Trek that would probably just be torn apart and spit upon by those who proclaim to love the game so much. You would think that there'd be enough smarts and energy amongst a community devoted to a (gasp!) generic science fiction RPG that they would already have come up with a Trek adaptation. The fact that there doesn't seem to be one for the game says (I think) a lot about how much interest there is in such a thing. They've got their OTU, they seem happy enough with it.

Apologies, I hope I'm not offending with my broad generalization, nor turning anyone here off of Mongoose's fine version of the game. Believe me, I'd love to apply some of the brilliant elements of MGT (especially character generation) and apply them to the likes of Starfleet. Maybe some day I'll get over myself. Right now, I'm more interested in finishing my Thousand Suns adaptation, and I'm working out an original system as well.

And with that, I'm off to see the 7:30 IMAX showing of Star Trek! It ends this week!

[Ronin84]

I started doing something earlier this month with this goal in mind...I started with the races and made some headway before I threw my hands up and said why am I doing this...

[AllenS]

I've considered working on this on and off over the past 6 months. Each time, I come to the same conclusion. Love the game, hate the players.

Seriously, I look at the Mongoose boards and -- to a much, much greater extent -- the CoTI board, and it just depresses me. It's like a bunch of cranky old ladies who have more interest in tearing the game, its versions and each other down rather than expanding and actually playing Traveller.

It's just a perception, perhaps a misperception. But right now, I simply can't imagine putting tons of hours, blood, sweat and tears into a Traveller adaptation of Star Trek that would probably just be torn apart and spit upon by those who proclaim to love the game so much. You would think that there'd be enough smarts and energy amongst a community devoted to a (gasp!) generic science fiction RPG that they would already have come up with a Trek adaptation. The fact that there doesn't seem to be one for the game says (I think) a lot about how much interest there is in such a thing. They've got their OTU, they seem happy enough with it.

Apologies, I hope I'm not offending with my broad generalization, nor turning anyone here off of Mongoose's fine version of the game. Believe me, I'd love to apply some of the brilliant elements of MGT (especially character generation) and apply them to the likes of Starfleet. Maybe some day I'll get over myself. Right now, I'm more interested in finishing my Thousand Suns adaptation, and I'm working out an original system as well.

And with that, I'm off to see the 7:30 IMAX showing of Star Trek! It ends this week!

I have been hip deep in the controversy on the Citizens of the Imperium board. I actually don't see a lot of this on the Mongoose boards but then I don't read that a lot. There are maybe four or five people on CotI who detest MgT, and a lot of this is because of Mongoose's stated intention to expand the game beyond the OTU (which Mongoose has retitled the "original Traveller Universe" as opposed to "Official"). One guy flat-out stated he's trying to kill the game because he's afraid that if it is successful, no one will play the old version with him anymore. Too late; it's successful.

I do think judging a game by the actions of the SMALL percentage of its fans on the Internet is a bit unfair...but that's your view and you're entitled to it.

what I know is I like this game (despite certain flaws and errors and yes, they do exist) and I'd like to use it for my Star Trek gaming.

Allen

[mechascorpio]

Oh, wait, crud. You're "Allensh" over there, aren't you?

If it's any consolation, I think you're one of the voices of sanity there.

I do think judging a game by the actions of the SMALL percentage of its fans on the Internet is a bit unfair...but that's your view and you're entitled to it.

You're absolutely right, though one correction: I'm not judging the game. I think it's pretty brilliant. My only problems with the game itself are Mongoose's lack of quality control. I happen to think that the B5 supplement was an 8 for substance, and a 3 for style. Mongoose really has to get it under control.

No, I'm judging it's player base. Yes, probably unfairly. But like Ronin84, I start thinking about it and I go "Why should I do this?" It's not even just the Trek adaptation to me. I have lots of ideas for Traveller that I think would be worth writing up professionally. I just can't get over the negativity right now.

But I just realized that I'm single-handedly driving this thread and your post off track. My apologies. Regardless of my thoughts above, it really would be much more constructive to give some things a shot here as a group. One thing I love about this board is it puts "Trek RPG" above any particular system. It's a crime that Trek is the biggest sci-fi movie out there, Traveller the biggest sci-fi game, and there's nothing connecting the two.

Back on topic: Gareth-Michael Skarka of Adamant Entertainment has said that he was working on Final Frontier: The Unauthorized Sourcebook to the World's Most Popular SF TV Franchise, but recently decided he just didn't have the time to do it. I thought someone had done a T20 version, or at least talked about it. I don't know anything about T20, though; do you, Allen? Would there be anything worth mining from there if it could be tracked down?

[AllenS]

Oh, wait, crud. You're "Allensh" over there, aren't you?

If it's any consolation, I think you're one of the voices of sanity there.



You're absolutely right, though one correction: I'm not judging the game. I think it's pretty brilliant. My only problems with the game itself are Mongoose's lack of quality control. I happen to think that the B5 supplement was an 8 for substance, and a 3 for style. Mongoose really has to get it under control.

No, I'm judging it's player base. Yes, probably unfairly. But like Ronin84, I start thinking about it and I go "Why should I do this?" It's not even just the Trek adaptation to me. I have lots of ideas for Traveller that I think would be worth writing up professionally. I just can't get over the negativity right now.

But I just realized that I'm single-handedly driving this thread and your post off track. My apologies. Regardless of my thoughts above, it really would be much more constructive to give some things a shot here as a group. One thing I love about this board is it puts "Trek RPG" above any particular system. It's a crime that Trek is the biggest sci-fi movie out there, Traveller the biggest sci-fi game, and there's nothing connecting the two.

Back on topic: Gareth-Michael Skarka of Adamant Entertainment has said that he was working on Final Frontier: The Unauthorized Sourcebook to the World's Most Popular SF TV Franchise, but recently decided he just didn't have the time to do it. I thought someone had done a T20 version, or at least talked about it. I don't know anything about T20, though; do you, Allen? Would there be anything worth mining from there if it could be tracked down?

I'm bummed that Gareth has decided not to work on that project; I was looking forward to it.

I was a playtester on T20, and did run it for awhile. The main issue I had with it is that it used the D20 logo and not just OGL, which meant it was not really a complete game. What was there was excellent but I'm not sure what it would have (other than classes and levels) that Traveller wouldn't. The systems, except inasmuch as they draw on the same source material, are fairly incompatible.

As for Mongoose's quality control and your opinion of the B5 book, I completely agree. I was under the impression that the B5 book would be a standalone rulebook using a development of the Traveller system; instead we got a supplement that requires you to have the core book, with cut-and-paste directly from the d20 version in many places (with even a few d20 bits left in by accident) and requiring a separate errata just to explain fully how jumpgates and such work. I understand things like space restrictions and such, but it could have been done somewhat better. But i still find it useful.

As for "why do it"...for the very reason you cite Star Trek meets Traveller is long something I have wanted, and I know others too, and I'd love to see it happen. Quite frankly, I was envisioning this as a TrekRPG project and didn't plan on even mentioning it elsewhere...all you have to do is look at the fan supplements that have come out of this board to see the creativity and talent we have here.

Allen

[spshu]

<snip>
Back on topic: Gareth-Michael Skarka of Adamant Entertainment has said that he was working on Final Frontier: The Unauthorized Sourcebook to the World's Most Popular SF TV Franchise, but recently decided he just didn't have the time to do it. I thought someone had done a T20 version, or at least talked about it. I don't know anything about T20, though; do you, Allen? Would there be anything worth mining from there if it could be tracked down?

The T20 Star Trek that a fan put out is at trek-rpg.info and the creator/website owner calls it d20 Warp. I am not sure how complete it is. He appearently is moving onto a d20 Spycraft version called Warp Craft.