WHEN TO POST

The Golden Rule of Posting:
Post!  It’s that simple. Nothing stalls a game faster than when players stop posting. RL happens to us all (some more than others), including your Referee/GM. Just because I have a problem posting doesn't mean you should stop.

The Two-Day Rule:
Over the years, I’ve found that the generally accepted rule for how often to post on a play-by-post (PbP) game is: every other day. Or once every two days. Many players can post more often than that, and that’s great. But, RL, schedules and time zone differences can keep players from posting responses more frequently.

If you don’t post in two days, the GM has the responsibility to post for you if he needs to move things along. Real Life (RL) issues can keep a player (even the GM) from posting as often as he should, and that’s okay. Even if that happens frequently, as long as you let the GM know that’s the case, he’s usually good about it.

However, if you don’t post that often, I’m not likely to boot you out of the game. Real Life happens. Normally, if you haven’t posted in about two weeks, I’ll send you a PM to see if you are still interested. I may NPC your character during those absent days, and I may or may not keep your character around depending on how interesting you made your character (particularly through posting) or the current situation. I’ll almost never kill off your character (usually only if you request it), but he’ll leave the group when it’s convenient. For example, if your character is aboard a ship at sea, I won’t have him just jump overboard—he’ll leave when the ship reaches port. That way, if your situation changes and you want to get back in the game, your character is still around.

The reason you should post at least every other day is to let the other players know that you are still interested in the game, which, in turn, helps keep them interested.

WHAT TO POST

The general rule for what to post usually starts out with: no one-liners.

What this means is that putting up a post that’s only one-line long is discouraged. Sometimes, however, there are reasons for doing so. In particular, some players post using their cell phone, and sometimes that makes typing long posts hard and more time-consuming than they have the opportunity for. Generally, if you let the GM know that’s what you do, it’s not going to be a problem.

A common ‘excuse’ for a player not posting often enough is that he’s either waiting on a response from another player (or even the GM sometimes) or else he doesn’t know what to post.

Waiting for another player: Keeping the Two-Day Rule in mind, if the other player doesn’t post in two days, you should move on as if they did. Never put words in the another PC’s mouth. You can post your interpretation of what you thought they said, and go on from there.

What you can post if you can’t think of anything to post:

1. Ask the GM for more details or further explanation. You can even ask about your gear, or post more details about it yourself.

2. Look around: re-examine the scene, the other PCs, etc. Speculate a little bit on what you see.

3. Character thoughts: post what your character thinks about the scene, or a PC or NPC, or some esoteric topic that came up (fighting mind-shredders, hunting wild turkeys, mountain climbing, etc.). Note: some GMs don’t like to see material in a post that others can’t react to; I’m not one of those. PbP is a writing medium—thoughts and introspection is a significant aspect of writing, so don’t be afraid to write. At the very least, others can pick up on inflections, movement, gestures, facial expressions, body language, etc… details that you aren’t likely to put into your post in the first place, so your writing can be used by other players to infer things about your character (which may or may not be accurate, but that’s part of the fun!).

4. Character memories/flashbacks: something your character sees/notices reminds him of an event he experienced in his past. Some possibly ideas are: a practical joke played on him or by him, an impressive and memorable character he saw, an NPC’s wound reminds him of a similar one he or a friend/relative received, etc.

5. Biding his time: post some action that your character is doing that simply takes up a bit of time, such as sharpening his knife, whittling on a piece of wood, cleaning his boots, mending an article of clothing (sewing on a button), cleaning his weapon, counting his ammo, bird-watching, day-dreaming, trying to see shapes in clouds, where he's going to go or what he's going to do when he gets back, how he's going to spend his million credits, etc. Note that if you use one of these several times, it becomes a personality quirk, which gives depth to your character.

MISCELLANEOUS

Colors: My preference is to select a text color for your character’s speech, as I think it makes posts easier to read and understand, but try to pick a color that no other character is using. Obviously, though, if there are a lot of characters, that may not be possible.

Reserved Color: Orange is generally reserved for OOCs within in a post, as opposed to the OOC thread, and for the GM posting game mechanics (dice rolls, etc.).

Thoughts/telepathy: Treat it like normal speech, except italicize it without quotes. Still use your characters speech color, though.

Communicators/radios: For those games that use them, precede speech with COMMS >>> and end it with <<<END COMMS.

Location: if your group splits up into more than 2 locations, begin your post with your current location as [WATERFALL]. That’s just to help eliminate possible confusion.

THE USUAL STUFF:
Be considerate and respectful of other players. It's usually better to go with the intent of a post rather than what may have actually been written. Unfortunately, we all aren't best-selling novelists (with a horde of editors and proof-readers on staff).
If the game doesn’t seem to be going in a direction or way that suits your preference or gaming style, talk to the GM! You may not be the only one. I’m usually open to suggestions and requests. I try to be flexible, but without any input from the players, I just keep plodding along in a way that I’ve been doing for many, many years. Remember, too, that PbP gaming has a different dynamic that sitting around the table in an FtF game.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:35, Mon 25 Sept 2023.

No.	EDGE	EFFECT
1	Accelerated Healing	You naturally heal twice as fast as others of your species.
2	Ace	You get a +1 bonus to any skill checks required when operating a vehicle.
3	Alertness	Training and natural talent work together ensure that you are never surprised.
4	Animal Friend	Animals just seem to like you, though that may not always be a good thing.
5	Attractive Appearance	You are considered attractive by others of your species.
6	Berserk	You have the ability to fly into a berserk rage. When you do so, you get a +1 bonus to attack in melee and always do one extra point of damage.
7	Bland Appearance	Your appearance is so bland that people simply don't remember you.
8	Brilliant	You get a +1 bonus to all scientific skill checks.
9	Catnap	You can sleep anywhere at any time, and you only need 6 hours of sleep per day, but it can be in any number of small increments.
10	Combat Sense	You have an intuitive sense of combat; you get a +1 bonus to all combat skill checks.
11	Contortionist	You can twist and contort your body to fit through narrow openings, hide in small tight spaces, or escape from ropes, handcuffs and straight-jackets.
12	Crack Pilot	You get a +1 bonus to all Piloting skill checks.
13	Danger Sense	You have an intuitive sense of when danger threatens you. You always know ahead of time when danger lurks just around the corner.
14	Dangerous Beauty	You attract attention wherever you go; not always for the better.
15	Deep Pockets	You have a habit of squirreling away small items in your pockets and on your person. Once per scene, you can reach into your pocket and pull out something small but useful: duct tape, jelly babies, penknife,  etc.
16	Distinctive Appearance	Your appearance is so remarkable that people never seem to forget you.
17	Eagle Eyes	You are good at spotting things at a distance or discerning small details.
18	Fame	You are famous for some reason, perhaps only for being famous.
19	Fist of Iron	Martial arts training now lets you punch through hard materials.
20	Fleet-Footed	You naturally move faster than others of your species. You get a +1 bonus to your Movement score.
21	Fortunate Son	Sometimes good things happen to you, but sometimes bad things happen to the other guy! Once per encounter, you can cause a single roll by an opponent to be a failure regardless of what the roll is.
22	Gambling Man	You'll pretty much bet anyone on anything that might come up; cards, races, sports or even just ordinary events. You get a +1 bonus to all Gambling skill checks.
23	Hard to Kill	You always take 1 less point of damage due to your superior constitution and intestinal fortitude.
24	Internal Clock	You always know what time it is and how much time has passed.
25	Internal Compass	You have a natural sense of direction; you always know which way is north on a planet, and always know which way to go in space.
26	Intimidating Appearance	Your appearance is generally considered to be angular, harsh and intimidating. If you face an opponent head on, they are more likely to back down or turn and flee rather than attack you.
27	Jack-of-All-Trades	You gain +1 Ranks in Jack-of-All-Trades skill up to a maximum of 3.
28	Keen Sense of Hearing	You hear better than others of your species.
29	Keen Sense of Smell	You have a better sense of smell than others of your species.
30	Keen Sense of Touch	You have a finer sense of touch than others of your species.
31	Keen Sense of Vision	You have better vision than others of your species.
32	Light Sleeper	You sleep with one eye open. The slightest abnormal sound is enough to wake you up.
33	Lightning Calculator	You juggle numbers almost as quickly as a computer.
34	Lucky	Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Once per scene, you get a +1 bonus to any checks needed.
35	MacGyver	You are adept and clever at building something out of nothing. Well, not literally nothing; just common everyday items, junk and scrap. Such an item generally only works once.
36	Mr. Fix It	You get a +1 bonus to all skill checks needed to fix or repair a device or vehicle.
37	Mulligan	Once per day, you can re-roll any failed check.
38	Natural Athlete	You gain a +1 bonus to any athletic or Strength or Dexterity checks that you need to make.
39	Night Vision	You can see better at night than others of your species.
40	Panache	Whatever you do, you do it with such flair and style that anyone who sees you do is suitably impressed.
41	Photographic Memory	You can remember anything you’ve ever seen, heard, read or smelled in the past few years.
42	Piercing Gaze	Once per encounter, by gazing intently at someone, you make them feel uneasy, as if their inner secrets were on display. Those with ulterior motives, uneasy consciences, nervous dispositions, and those who are lying will tend to fidget uncomfortably.
43	Quick Study	You have an uncanny ability to learn new skills and improve old ones, limited to one attribute. You always learn new skills as if you had a teacher (even if you do not), and you can improve skills you already know at a cost of one less week of study per Rank.
44	Reputation	You have reputation for something: honesty, integrity, keeping your word, never backing down, etc. Generally, you or your name have to be recognized.
45	Resist chemicals/acids	You are more resistant to and tolerant of chemicals and acids.
46	Resist cold	You are more resistant to and tolerant of the cold.
47	Resist disease	You are more resistant to and tolerant of diseases.
48	Resist drugs	You are more resistant to and tolerant of harmful drugs.
49	Resist electricity	You are more resistant to and tolerant of electrical shock.
50	Resist heat	You are more resistant to and tolerant of the heat and humidity.
51	Resist hunger/thirst	You are more resistant to and tolerant of hunger and thirst, able to survive longer without food or water than others of your species.
52	Resist pain	You are more resistant to and tolerant of pain.
53	Resist poisons	You are more resistant to and tolerant of poisons.
54	Resist radiation	You are more resistant to and tolerant of radiation.
55	Resist sonic-concussion	You are more resistant to and tolerant of sonic damage and concussions.
56	Resist torture	You are more resistant to and tolerant of torture.
57	Scavenging	You can scavenge important or valuable items from a room in half the time than others can.
58	Seventh Son	You can cycle through 7 other Edges that you select. Decide the order, and then each one must be used before the next one. Once you’ve gone through all 7, you start over again with the same 7 Edges.
59	Signature Gadget	You always use the same type of small gadget and can get it replaced for free whenever it is lost, stolen or damaged. A gadget is any electrical, electronic or mechanical device smaller than a toaster that isn't a vehicle or weapon.
60	signature Gear	You always use the same type of small handheld gear and can get it replaced for free whenever it is lost, stolen or damaged. Gear is any type of equipment that isn’t covered by the other three categories. It can be a valise, climbing gear, a bottle opener, combat boots, sunglasses, etc.
61	Signature Vehicle	You always use the same type of vehicle and can get it replaced for free whenever it is lost, stolen or damaged. This does not apply to starships or other large or specialized vehicles like an aircraft carrier or a tank.
62	Signature Weapon	You always use the same type of weapon and can get it repaired or replaced for free whenever it is lost, stolen or damaged. It might be a derringer, a laser pistol, a gyrojet, a Bowie knife, etc.
63	Sixth Sense	You have an intuitive ability to tell when something is amiss in your surroundings, such as spotting undercover agents or people out of place or unsound structure.
64	Tactician	Whenever you succeed at a Tactics check at the start of combat, you grant an extra +1 to the Initiative of your allies.
65	Team Player	When working with another teammate, you can give them a +1 bonus to any skill check that you also have at least 1 Rank in.
66	Tough as Nails	At the start of each day, you gain +2 temporary Endurance. Any damage you take first comes from these temporary Endurance. It does not add to any Endurance checks you need to make.
67	Trademark Specialization	You are noted for taking some action or being good at one particular skill.
68	Ventriloquism	You can throw your voice and make it sound like someone else.
69	Widget	You have a strange device or relic that you know little or nothing about. It could be an object of alien origin, or a one-of-a-kind experimental gadget, or even an experimental process used on you at some point in your past. Somewhere in your travels, you came to possess the widget or the abilities it provides. Any Widget that is an item is small enough to be easily carried around or worn as an accessory to your regular outfit. You may not even know the item’s function or purpose and certainly don’t know how to activate it—you have to discover exactly what the artifact does and how to use it as the campaign progresses.
70	Blessed	You have no flaw. Roll again for your flawless edge. If you roll another 70, you get to roll two edges, one with a flaw.

This message was last edited by the GM at 18:21, Tue 20 Feb.

CHARACTERISTICS and SKILL ADVANCEMENT

In order to train for a new skill, or improve an existing one, a Traveller must commit to a Study Period. A Study Period is equal to eight weeks (or two months) of study and practice. These weeks within a Study Period need not be consecutive but each week must be fully dedicated to study with at least eight hours per day spent learning and practicing.

If this cannot be achieved, if the Traveller is interrupted on the third day of a week and must perform a task for a patron, for example, then any training performed that week is wasted. Make a note for every week of training that is completed – an area for this has been set aside on the Traveller character sheet.

Once eight weeks of training and learning have been accumulated, over any length of total time, a Study Period has been completed. At this point, the Traveller must succeed at an Average (8+) EDU check.

Success indicates the Traveller has learned something and if they were attempting to learn a brand new skill at level 0, they can now add that to their character sheet.

Failure indicates the Traveller has learned nothing new or useful but may try again after another successful Study Period.

To improve skills to the next higher level, the Traveller must accumulate a number of successful Study Periods equal to the level of skill they are trying to reach. For example, if a Traveller had Electronics (computers) 1 and was trying to learn Electronics (computers) 2, this would require two successful Study Periods.

LIMITATIONS
Remember, your Traveller may have a maximum number of skill levels equal to three times their combined INT and EDU score. If they already have this many skills after leaving a career, any additional skills may only be learned to level 0.

EXCEPTIONS
There are a number of exceptions that must be kept in mind when learning new skills.
•  The SOC skill may never be learned or improved.
•  The Jack-of-all-Trades skill may never be learned or improved.
•  The Athletics skill may be learned or improved but does not use EDU. Instead, use the appropriate physical characteristics (STR, DEX or END). Any physical characteristic can be used to gain Athletics 0.

Advancing Attributes works the same way: 8 weeks to raise Str-7 to Str-8, etc.

HOME-BREW RULE

You can have a number of skills being actively trained equal to 1 plus your Education DM.  This number can never be zero or less, and if it ever should be, then treat the result as if it were one. Training can be skill related or attribute related. You can train only one attribute at a time.

SPECIALTIES
Some skills have specialties – specialized, more focused forms of that skill. A Traveller picks a specialty when they gain level 1 in a skill that has two or more specialties.

For example, a Traveller might have Engineer 0, allowing them to make Engineer skill checks without the unskilled penalty. They might then gain a level in Engineer, at which point they would need to choose a specialty. For Engineer, this is a choice between j-drive, m-drive, power plant and life support.

If they choose j-drive, they would record this on their character sheet as Engineer (j-drive) 1. They would then make all Engineer checks involving jump drives at DM+1 but would still make all other Engineer checks at DM+0 (in other words, with no penalty). A Traveller can have multiple specialties in a skill – they might have Engineer (j-drive) 1 and Engineer (power plant) 2. They would therefore make checks related to jump drives with DM+1, checks related to power plants with DM+2 and all other Engineer checks with DM+0.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:22, Thu 05 Oct 2023.

Each combat round lasts around six seconds of game time. In each combat round, each Traveller may perform a Minor Action and a Significant Action. Travellers take these actions in Initiative order, starting with those who rolled the highest Initiative check. If two or more Travellers are acting on the same Initiative order, the one with the highest DEX score will go first. If they are still tied, they will act simultaneously.

When it is a Traveller’s turn to act, they take both their Minor and Significant Actions at the same time before play moves onto another Traveller.

Once every Traveller has had a chance to act the combat round is over and a new combat round begins. Every Traveller retains the same Initiative score for every combat round.

A Traveller may perform one Significant Action in every combat round, chosen from those below.

ATTACK
The most common Significant Action used in combat is to attack. An attack is an attempt to damage or injure an enemy with either a melee or ranged weapon, such as a knife or a rifle.

The standard skill checks used when making an attack are as follows.

Melee Attack
2D + Melee (appropriate specialty) +STR or DEX DM

Ranged Attack
2D + Gun Combat (appropriate specialty) + DEX DM

Some ranged weapons will use a skill other than Gun Combat. A rocket launcher, for example, will use Heavy Weapons (portable), while grenades and any other weapons that are thrown will use Athletics (dexterity).

When using weapons of this nature, simply substitute Gun Combat with the appropriate skill.

Common Modifiers to Ranged Attacks
Dice Modifiers (DM) are commonly used to influence Gun Combat (or Heavy Weapons or Athletics) checks when attacking as shown on the Common Modifiers table.

LEADERSHIP
The Traveller can pass orders, commands and suggestions to comrades fighting on the same side. To do this, the Traveller makes a Leadership check (INT, EDU or SOC). The Effect of this check is the number of bonuses (each equal to DM+1) the Traveller can give to any skill checks, including attack rolls, to other Travellers on the same side. The Traveller must be able to freely communicate to another Traveller in order to grant a bonus and no Traveller can benefit from more than one DM+1 bonus for any single check.

However, bad leadership can end a battle quicker than good leadership can win one. If the Effect of the Leadership check is negative, the opposing side may inflict a number of penalties equal to the Effect to combatants on the Traveller’s side. Each penalty is equal to DM-1 and is applied in the same way as the bonuses for good leadership.

MINOR ACTIONS
Instead of performing a Significant Action, a Traveller may instead perform two Minor Actions in its place, giving them a total of three Minor Actions in that combat round (the two from the Significant Action, plus the one Minor Action they receive every round anyway).

A Traveller can normally perform a single Minor Action in a combat round, although they may perform up to three if they forego their Significant Action.

AIMING
A Traveller who spends a Minor Action aiming at a target will receive DM+1 to their next ranged attack on the target, so long as they do nothing else but aim. A Traveller may use consecutive Minor Actions to aim, gaining a maximum of DM+6 to an attack if they are able to spend six consecutive Minor Actions aiming at the same target while doing nothing else.

CHANGING STANCE
A Traveller may stand, crouch or lie prone as a Minor Action.

DRAWING/RELOADING
Most weapons require a Minor Action to draw or otherwise make ready for combat and a Minor Action to reload once they have run out of ammunition. If a weapon requires a longer time for either, this will be noted in its description.

MOVEMENT
The Traveller may move a number of metres up to their Movement score (for humans and most humanoid Travellers, this will be six metres) for each Minor Action. Difficult terrain, such as ruins or mud will halve a Traveller’s Movement. Being prone will quarter a Traveller’s Movement score.

Some aliens and animals have different Movement scores and this will be noted in their descriptions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:16, Sat 26 Aug 2023.

Please abide by these simple rules within the game. Posts which break these rules are subject to editing, deletion, or angry rants from the the GM. The Main Rule is bolded below, with clarifications and examples following:

• Keep up.
You must post 3-5 times every week. If you cannot, let the GM know in advance. Thirty days without posting will get a Player booted from the game, so please let the community know if you will have an extended absence.

Be sure to read and pay attention to the DM's and other players' posts so your post reflects what's going on currently.

• Write well, write in a narrative style, and proofread.
The preferred method in this game is that each player writes in third person present-tense. I'm strict about the third person bit, if not the tense, so do not write as "I" or address information to "you" but instead describe from a third-person point of view wherein they are in the act of doing something, not having done something.

Proofread to make sure the worst mistakes are caught, that any color tags used in the post work properly, and so on. The GM will is not going to bust players for misspelling a few words. Be aware that the GM will edit posts to correct mistakes or correct game guideline mistakes. An edit from the GM is not a criticism in any way. The GM merely wants the storyline format to be consistent and readable.

• Be descriptive.
Don't try to cover all possible outcomes of a situation with vague generalities. That is, don't say, "He searches the door in the usual manner," or "She looks around and takes anything valuable she sees unless it looks dangerous."

*Important* Players must write in such a way as to convey their character's emotions, feelings, traits, temperaments, or descriptive actions in reaction to the current scene from the GM. You, as a player, are participating in the telling of a story. One-line sentences, or a post with only an OOC chat is not acceptable.

• Don't use formatting in place of clear writing.
Do not use color in place of quotation marks for speech -- use of color in addition is allowed, but proper punctuation is still required. Double quotes (" ") are for speech, and italics for thoughts, in broadest strokes. Please do not re-define these standard punctuation marks.

Italics are for thoughts, or internal dialogue and bold is for deliberate loud speech, and bold caps is for shouting only.

Repetitive and consistent failure to meet these requirements may result in the removal of a player from the game.

Posting Format
Use a color (except red or orange) for your character's speech, or don't use a color at all; your choice.  Out of character comments and dice rolls are written in orange color after a hard rule, <hr>.

Example Post might be written as--
<serif>Judge faces the cyborg and raises his laser pistol. <blue>"Perish CT14T11, this land is no place for you! <b>GET OUT!</b>"</blue> he shouts as blasts the cyborg. <hr><orange><small>
Today: Judge rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Attk cyborg.
Today: Judge rolled 4 using 1d3.  Damage.
(OOC) This seems kinda familiar... Hits for 4 damage.</orange></serif></small>

--- yields ---

Judge faces the cyborg and raises his laser pistol. "Perish CT14T11, this land is no place for you! GET OUT!" he shouts as he blasts the cyborg.

---

Today: Judge rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Attk cyborg.
Today: Judge rolled 4 using 1d3.  Damage.
(OOC) This seems kinda familiar... Hits for 4 damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:47, Wed 30 Aug 2023.

Please use the following guideline for posting in character over communications. Use brackets with type of comms and target. Examples of type are, SAT-Link, COM-LINK, SHIP COMMS, VOX, and so on.  Additionally, put the target in unless it is ship comms which broadcasts every space in the ship. Examples include, /bridge, /Captain, /channel, and so on.

[Com-Link/Tanja] message

That example indicates a peer to peer communication between the sender and Tanja, usually a com badge or wrist band.

[VoX/Shipyard] message

The example above indicates a voice channel with the shipyard on a frequency dedicated to them locally.

The science skill is not so much a skill as it is more of a knowledge in application. Here is a list of some of the sciences possible.

• Mathematics - Pure mathematics, Applied mathematics; Statistics and probability;
• Physical sciences - Atomic, molecular and chemical physics; Condensed matter physics; Particles and fields physics; Nuclear physics; Fluids and plasma physics; Optics (including laser optics and quantum optics). Acoustics; Astronomy (including astrophysics, space science, jump theory, warp theory, general relativity)
• Chemical sciences- Organic chemistry; Inorganic and nuclear chemistry; Physical chemistry, Polymer science, Electrochemistry (dry cells, batteries, the cells, corrosion metals, electrolysis); Colloid chemistry; Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental sciences - Mineralogy; Paleontology; Geology; Volcanology; Meteorology and atmospheric sciences; climatic research; Oceanography.
• Biological sciences - Microbiology; Virology; Biochemistry and molecular biology; Biochemical; Mycology; Biophysics; Genetics; Botany; Zoology. Ornithology. Entomology.
  Marine biology, freshwater biology, immunology; Ecology; Biology (theoretical, mathematical, thermal, cryobiology), Evolutionary biology; Neurology (including Psychic Sciences)
• Social sciences - Psychology (including human-machine relations); Economics; Sociology; Law; Political Science

Zero-G skill

Having the Zero-G skill means the character is adept at moving around in micro-gravity environments and freefall. A character without the Zero-G skill suffers a –2 DM to all checks made in free-fall. The skill can also be used to move around in a zero-gravity environment by pushing off other objects or using thruster packs.

The Zero-G skill is also used for operating G-belts. Righting yourself when artificial gravity suddenly fails aboard a ship:

• Dexterity, 1–6 seconds, Average (+0)
• Complex maneuvers with a G-belt: DEX 10+, 1dx10 seconds.

This message was last edited by the GM at 20:06, Sun 10 Mar.