In reply to GM (msg # 7):

Cool!

Will we be assigned Crew roll's?

In reply to Adriannah Orilliah (msg # 9):

I think we have to pick our rolls based on our skills.

Levi is an engineer, pure and simple, with medic as secondary role. He has some skill in a smattering of other areas but nothing to suggest he should take that as a primary role, such as Biology, Instruction and Admin.

Tanja is a true multi-role, Jack of all Trades so could fit in anywhere. Considering her primary role was a techie, she's now a decent pilot, astrogator, comma, sensors and engineer. Technical has taken a back step.

In reply to Levi Stensgaard (msg # 11):

Theodore is a surgeon. We should be okay there, I guess there is also an autodoc.

Billianah is Skilled with Electronics (Computer)
This message was last edited by the player at 00:54, Sun 13 Aug 2023.

Okay, we have a few players and a few more characters.  Thanks for migrating to this game.  I am quite new to the traveller game system.  I can't believe it has never been on my radar to play, but most of my gaming days have been D&D oriented.  I enjoyed playing table top star frontiers back in the day, and just never ran across Traveller.  So, a little about me.  I have been involved in some fashion with D&D since my teenage years in the eighties.  Lots of table top fun back then.  I have been writing off and on in play by post games for a couple of decades.  I think I started back in 2001.  I host a fantasy game here on RPOL and one of the players got me looking at the traveller game.  And here we are.

I must confess, it is a LOT of material and my short term memory will not allow me to learn remember all of it.

My condolences to you for the loss of a friend in the gaming community.  It happens.  It has happened to me on more than one occasion, as I tend to lean toward the more mature (older) GMs.  Im 55 years old, married, and work as an instrumentation electrician or controls engineer here in the heartland of Indiana.  Yes, a hoosier... well, an immigrant hoosier.  I was born and raised in the deep south.

Anyway, a couple of questions for this game migration.  Is there a story line currently being played?  If so, do we cut it short, sum it up with a time slip, and start on something fresh?  Did the author of the last game have a storyline synopsis I could read.  A history?  Was he playing from a published adventure?  Do you want to migrate the story to here in a story arc thread?

I do not have a campaign storyline in place yet.  I am still reading material and getting familiar with terms, races, the galaxy, and game play.

Anyway, well met friends and happy gaming!

Morning to you too.

Traveller does have a lot of fluff with it, but ita such a large universe you can take or leave large portions of it, or gloss over it if you want. After all, the Imperial fist can only reach so far and reinforcements are always weeks if not months away.

As for plot I don't believe GM Starmaster's was following a published scenario. After all he adopted the game from its original GM and I don't think he used a published adventure.

I said in the other game, I'd like to keep the characters as they are (we've progressed so much already).but am happy to start over to make it more convenient for you, and set it wherever you want. We've only just started on our ship having sold out cargo and were planning our next move.

So if you're after a more frontier style game we could always have a mission to head to that area as a courier / trader / passenger transport and then we lose our ship (if we're swapping) or whatever needs to happen.

How did the party acquire the Empress Katarina?  Is it salvage, as the intro on the game suggests?  What is the primary function in its use?  Trading? Mining? Passengers?  In what way have the party been using it?

I assume the oarty is currently somewhere in the spinward marches?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:22, Sun 13 Aug 2023.

We earned her for completing a delicate task for a rich patron... And didn't ask any questions about it.

In essence we helped salvage a military warship with high technology on board, and gifted it to our patron for their own purpose. The Katerina was our taxi there and subsequent reward.

Considering she's highly modified (she's apparently  jump 3, possesses an advanced sensor system (courtesy of the Zhodani), as well as a missile launcher and twin turreted weapon mounts), it was a really generous gift.

Which begs the question, how can a highly modified, expensive spaceship just be handed over like it was?? What else was on the ship we helped salvage??

And what will our patron of us in the years to come?? I don't think anyone is under the impression it was just a gift with no strings attached, despite being told just that.

In reply to Levi Stensgaard (msg # 17):

That was Admiral Amundson. He was the patron.

Alright, that's a good place to start.  We can work off that and move forward at some point.  Give me some time to align my thinking on the way this thing works and we can be off.  I'll also start posting some guidelines stuff, mostly things ripped from other games or sites that make sense for play by web posting.

Now, do be forewarned, I do these games to enjoy a good story and it is created by both me, as a guide, and the player's as the major characters in the storyline.  With that being said, my expectations from any player is to put some effort in the telling of their character's story.  One line posts are discouraged. Non-interaction is suicidal. I enjoy reading thoughts, intrigues, actions, and reactions from the player's perspective of the scene laid before them.  I'm in no way a novelist, or experienced writer, but I try to make things enjoyable for both myself and the players.  That's why we are here.

So, I am trying to wrap my head around the process of combat in the game with relation to play-by-post style play as compared to its design for table top gaming.  What have you as players found to be the best strategy?  Im just not sure how to 'handle' reactions in the sequence of events.

In reply to GM (msg # 19):

Combat does happen in Traveller, but it isn't real common. I think in the 6 years or so I played in 7 games, 6 games with Rob, I think i was involved in combat maybe 10 or 12 times, +/-, a loy of interaction, roleplay, adventure and such though.

Levi? Ladies?

Haven't been in combat using the Traveller system ever on rpol, just tabletop.

We can do contested rolls either by stating our actions and letting the GM roll or by rolling any dice we think appropriate to the situation and allowing the GM to write up responses.

It's the only way to keep it speedy. That it pseudo or full freeform, which I'd disagree with. I like rolling dice to resolve contests at the end of the day.

Well, I can state that there will be combat as well with all the other.  We will just have to wing it and feel it out on how best to go about it.   Fun stuff!

Now, I have to figure out the ship's requirements on crew.... what we got vs. what we need.

Can everyone see their private character thread?  If not, please let me know.

Is that everything you all wish to migrate to this board?  Any NPCs you all were using consistently?

Okay, opened up the character sheets for all characters.  They are editable.  I will delete the private threads as it lends to clutter in the menu.

Looking at crew compliment the Katerina states steward - is this just for when we're carrying passengers??

So we only realistically need pilot, astrogator and engineer to fly and travel. Gunner, medic and steward are all circumstance specific roles.

Who do we have as characters (I've looked on cast list for skills there)??

Levi - engineer (primary); medic (secondary)
Tanja - pilot, astrogator (primary); engineer, comms & sensors (secondary); technician (tertiary)
Theo - medic (primary); pilot (secondary); technician, steward (tertiary)
Harry - Gunner (primary); Trade & Broker (secondary); Astrogator, Electronics (Tertiary)

Brillianah - computers
Adriannah - ???
Phillip - mining associated skills

I'll add my character sheet soon.

Put me down for the Steward

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SKILLS

 Vacc Suit 2
 Prospecting 1
 Mechanical 1
 Engnrng 1
 Medical 1
 Electronic 1
 Pilot (small craft)-0
 Mechanic-0
 Zero-Gee-0
 Gun Combat (Auto Pistol)-1
 Drive-0
 Swim-0
 Pilot 1
 Astrogation 2
 Auto Pistol 0

I'm only listing our best skills at the moment to see what we have and what cross over in skills exist. If you want steward that's fine, but is there another role or set of skills you have for day to day ship operations??

And that's another question. Re all the characters experienced and migrating over, or do we have some fresh from character gen??


Ooh I see that Philip has Astrogation (2). That might help out loads.

Since we are migrating from another game, I offer the opportunity to move around a few skill points as you see fit without taking advantage. No skill above rank 4.

Once finished, please write up your background to include skills acquisitions through education, military, and careers in your character sheet.

Anyone know from what resource your ship come from?

In reply to GM (msg # 31):

Uhh, Rob created the ship. Not sure which rules he used. He never said that I recall.