New players could join the crew as if they had been with us from the beginning...just quiet and in the background until now. Alternatively, new players could join the group out of cold berths from a crashed ship the current crew are just about to explore.
Okay, the ship is off the ground (and so is the game)! If you're interested in joining a Classic Traveller style game as a newly awakened "popsicle" or "quiet until now crewman" on a Free Trader working the Spinward Marches just after the Fourth Frontier War here's an opportunity!
I've got Threads from earlier in the game up to browse through as well as Deck plans, Star Maps and the first posts from the new adventure online. Come by and take a look!
Here is the setup:
The Spinward Main
--Summary
This will be a Classic Traveller Style campaign set in the 3rd Imperium just after the Fourth Frontier War. No prior experience with Traveller will be required.
--Background
When it looked like war was likely to break out between the Imperium and the Zhodani you were conscripted out of your career or reassigned to the Spinward Expedition, dropped into a low berth and shipped out to the frontier as part of a huge battle fleet. The Expedition traveled dozens and dozens of parsecs from the Core regions of the Imperium to the far frontier of the empire. This took well over a year for the fleet, but you slept all the way deep in your cryogenic chamber.
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending upon how you look at it, the war was over and an armistice signed even before you arrived. Now, the Imperial Navy has to return that huge fleet to the Core Systems, but it is not going to return all the "popcicles" it brought along. Too expensive! Much cheaper to demobilize most of the "frozen watch" in place, give them a couple of thousand credits, the thanks of the Emperor, and let them shift for themselves.
So, here you sit on Regina, way out on the Imperium's frontier, with a 2kCr card in your pocket and a cheap suit of clothes on your back. There's no way you're ever going to make it back to where you started from, and besides you've really got nothing back there calling you anyway.
You've always longed for an adventurous life on the wild frontier and now you've found a way to get out here...on the Emperor's credit, too!
Let's go find an adventure!
--Flavor
This is going to be an old-style, little-black book Classic Traveller game. If you don't know Traveller, think Firefly across multiple star systems. The focus of the game will be on trade and exploration, with a bit of troubleshooting and skullduggery thrown in for good measure.
The PC's will probably become the crew of a tramp freighter, a small merchant ship, that has no regular routes and makes its money going places that the big corporations won't. PC's with skills in piloting, navigating, looking after engines, trading, looking after passengers, etc, are going to be useful. And because "it's dangerous out here" skill with firearms and blades might be useful, too.
--Rules
I'll be using The Traveller Book, for the most part, with some parts of the "pay what you will" Cepheus Engine. Cepheus has a very Classic Traveller feel to it, which I like. The "task system" will be the 68A System: roll 2d6+skill >= 6 for average tasks, 8 for hard tasks or 10 for very hard tasks.
You can build PC's with any version of Traveller or the Cepheus Engine, subject to Referee approval. There are online apps that make rolling up PCs easy as well. If your PC dies or fails reenlistment that's where the PC was conscripted by the Navy/Marines, otherwise no more than 5 terms in a career before the PC is pulled into the game and shipped to the frontier.
No matter how many terms your PC serves you will only get 1 roll on the Retirement Benefits Table. You left almost everything you might have had back in the Core Sector, out here you're all starting over again.
I'll trust you to create your character, but remember Traveller is about average joes doing adventurous things, not super heroes. A Skill level of 1 means you're good enough to get hired at something and a level of 3+ means you're a real expert. Don't worry if your PC seems light on skills, it just means you'll have to be creative...and that's where the fun is!
As a note, during the game if dice need to be rolled I will do most if in the background and let you focus on role playing.
--Number of Players
I will start the game with as few as 2 players, but would prefer 6. Lurkers will be welcome, but only players may post.
As soon as I get 2 people to say "I want to play" we'll get started. (Which we have!)
--My RPG "Chops"
I started with D&D sometime 1974 with the white box. I was DMing right from the start as I couldn't convince any of my friends to DM...ever.
I have been playing and refereeing Traveller since it first came out in 1977. I was part of the Fidonet RPG forums playing and GMing games (mostly Startrek) there in the 80's and 90's and moved to the internet with PBEM and PBP forum games after that. Currently, I am Ref in several online games and player in a few more...all on Unseen Servant.Eris
