So, my players and I tried to create characters using Cepheus Engine. Basically, it was horrible. Unless you know how Traveller Character Generation works, you aren't going to figure it out from the rules as written.
As I recall, and was reminded when I saw a post in the advertising forum, Gypsy Knights Games has Clement Sector: The Rules.
Does Clement Sector: The Rules fix the deficiencies in Cepheus Engine, at least as far as character generation is concerned?
Does it have a similar breadth of careers as the Cepheus Engine?
Does it have "unique" careers for aliens?
Thanks!
I can't answer your question but I think I get your complaint (Cepheus chargen is presented more like CT's than MgT1's) and I encourage you, if at all possible, to track down a copy of MgT1.
Character Creation Checklist
1) Characteristics
a) Roll your six characteristics using 2D6, and place them in order on your character sheet.
b) Determine characteristic modifiers.
2) Homeworld (Optional)
a) Determine homeworld.
b) Gain background skills. Character gains a number of background skills at Level 0 equal to 3 + their Education modifier. The first two have to be taken from your homeworld (based on the world's trade codes or law level); the rest are taken from the education list.
3) Career
a) Choose a career. You cannot choose a career you’ve already left except Drifter.
b) Roll to qualify for that career, as indicated in the description of the career. If this is not your first career, you suffer a –2 DM for every previous career in which you have served.
c) If you qualify for this career, go to step 4.
d) If you do not qualify for that career, you can enter the Drifter career or submit to the draft. You may only enter the draft once.
4) Basic training
For your first term in your first career, you get every skill in the service skills table at level 0.
For your first term in subsequent careers, you may pick any one skill from the service skills table at level 0.
5) Survival
Roll for survival, as indicated in the description of the career.
If you succeed, go to step 8.
If you did not succeed, you have died. Alternately, events have forced you from this career. Roll on the mishap table and go to step 10 (you do not receive a benefit roll for this term.)
6) Commission and Advancement
a) You begin as a Rank 0 character.
b) If your career offers a Commission check and you are Rank 0, you can choose to roll for Commission. If you are successful, you are now Rank 1 in your chosen career. Choose one of the skills and training tables and roll on it for an extra skill. Take any bonus skills from the ranks table for this career.
c) If your career offers an Advancement check and you are Rank 1 or higher, you can choose to roll for Advancement. If you are successful, your Rank improves by one in your chosen career. Choose one of the skills and training tables and roll on it for an extra skill. Take any bonus skills from the ranks table for this career. You can roll for Advancement in the same term that you succeed in a Commission roll.
7) Skills and Training
a) Choose one of the Skills and Training tables for this career and roll on it. If you gain a characteristic improvement as a result, apply the change to your characteristic score immediately. If you gain a skill as a result and you do not already have levels in that skill, take it at level 1. If you already have the skill, increase your skill by one level.
b) If your career does not have a Commission or Advancement check, you may roll a second time, choose one of the Skills and Training tables for this career (which may be the same or different from the first table chosen for this term.)
8) Aging
a) Increase your age by 4 years.
b) If your character is 34 or older, roll for aging.
9) Re-enlistment
a) Roll for re-enlistment. If you fail, you must leave this career. If you roll a natural 12, you cannot leave this career and must continue for another term, go to step 5.
b) If you have served a total of seven terms or more in character creation, then you must retire, go to step 10.
c) If you wish to continue in this career, go to step 5.
d) If you wish to leave this career, go to step 10.
10) Benefits
If you are leaving the career, roll for benefits. A character gets one Benefit Roll for every full term served in that career. You also get extra benefit rolls if you reached a higher rank.
11) Next Career
If you’re leaving your current career and your total number of terms in character creation is less than seven, you may go to step 3 to choose a new career or to step 12 if you wish to finish your character.
12) Buy starting equipment
Purchase your starting equipment and, if you can afford it, possibly a starship.
The above is found on page 21 of the modifiable Cepheus Game Engine. Where is it do you have to know Traveller in order to make a character? Seem like a straight step by step procedure for generating a character.
Quote from: estar;9484233) Career
a) Choose a career. You cannot choose a career you’ve already left except Drifter.
b) Roll to qualify for that career, as indicated in the description of the career. If this is not your first career, you suffer a –2 DM for every previous career in which you have served.
c) If you qualify for this career, go to step 4.
d) If you do not qualify for that career, you can enter the Drifter career or submit to the draft. You may only enter the draft once.
5) Survival
Roll for survival, as indicated in the description of the career.
If you succeed, go to step 8.
If you did not succeed, you have died. Alternately, events have forced you from this career. Roll on the mishap table and go to step 10 (you do not receive a benefit roll for this term.)
6) Commission and Advancement
a) You begin as a Rank 0 character.
b) If your career offers a Commission check and you are Rank 0, you can choose to roll for Commission. If you are successful, you are now Rank 1 in your chosen career. Choose one of the skills and training tables and roll on it for an extra skill. Take any bonus skills from the ranks table for this career.
c) If your career offers an Advancement check and you are Rank 1 or higher, you can choose to roll for Advancement. If you are successful, your Rank improves by one in your chosen career. Choose one of the skills and training tables and roll on it for an extra skill. Take any bonus skills from the ranks table for this career. You can roll for Advancement in the same term that you succeed in a Commission roll.
8) Aging
a) Increase your age by 4 years.
b) If your character is 34 or older, roll for aging.
9) Re-enlistment
a) Roll for re-enlistment. If you fail, you must leave this career. If you roll a natural 12, you cannot leave this career and must continue for another term, go to step 5.
b) If you have served a total of seven terms or more in character creation, then you must retire, go to step 10.
c) If you wish to continue in this career, go to step 5.
d) If you wish to leave this career, go to step 10.
The above is found on page 21 of the modifiable Cepheus Game Engine. Where is it do you have to know Traveller in order to make a character? Seem like a straight step by step procedure for generating a character.
Every place that I've marked with bold/underscored/italics. What am I rolling, what is my target, and what modifiers apply? What are the requirements to get in? Is the number given in the table something I need to roll? A requirement? A minimum attribute to get a bonus? The page before (or after?) the section you quoted says the only roll in the game is 2d6 trying to beat an 8. There is definitely a problem for folks who haven't played. It actually really confused even the two people who had never played Traveller, but have spent a lot of time making characters in 3-4 other versions.
Quote from: The Butcher;948349I can't answer your question but I think I get your complaint (Cepheus chargen is presented more like CT's than MgT1's) and I encourage you, if at all possible, to track down a copy of MgT1.
Actually, having it presented like Classic Traveller is fine. The problem is nothing about the table is explained. At least in CT, even with the "fun" layout, everything was explained.
I think my wife and her sister like CT for the wide variety of books and like MegaTraveller for the extra options for events during service, events leading to separation from service, and how they hook the characters together early in service, and provide enemies and allies from previous service.
Quote from: Tod13;948478Every place that I've marked with bold/underscored/italics. What am I rolling, what is my target, and what modifiers apply?
You're rolling 2d6, target numbers are per career. Those career tables could be formatted better, certainly.
Quote from: estar;948423The above is found on page 21 of the modifiable Cepheus Game Engine. Where is it do you have to know Traveller in order to make a character? Seem like a straight step by step procedure for generating a character.
How do you get to steps 6 & 7?
I would believe that you skip Commission and Training on the first term, and then try on subsequent passes. However, that "If you succeed, go to step 8" should probably be a "6".
Quote from: Baron Opal;948515You're rolling 2d6, target numbers are per career. Those career tables could be formatted better, certainly.
That's my point--and hence my questions about Clement Sector. We totally missed the two sentences explaining this (see end of post--I found it while posting). Tell me from those instructions and this table what numbers to use, keeping in mind the only other rolling instructions you are given is to roll above an 8, without using stuff you know from other Traveller versions. We literally had to go "OK, Scouts should be hard to enter and difficult to survive, what numbers do they use?" and make guesses.
[table=class: grid]
[tr]
[td]Career[/td][td]Athlete[/td][td]Aerospace[/td][td]Defense Agent[/td][td]Barbarian[/td][td]Belter[/td][td]Bureaucrat[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Qualifications[/td][td]End 8+[/td][td]End 5+[/td][td]Soc 6+[/td][td]End 5+[/td][td]Int 4+[/td][td]Soc 6+[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Survival[/td][td]Dex 5+[/td][td]Dex 5+[/td][td]Int 6+[/td][td]Str 6+[/td][td]Dex 7+[/td][td]Edu 4+[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Commission[/td][td]--[/td][td]Edu 6+[/td][td]Edu 7+[/td][td]--[/td][td]--[/td][td]Soc 5+[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Advancement[/td][td]--[/td][td]Edu 7+[/td][td]Edu 6+[/td][td]--[/td][td]--[/td][td]Int 8+[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Re-enlistment[/td][td]6+[/td][td]5+[/td][td]6+[/td][td]5+[/td][td]5+[/td][td]5+[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
Is Qualifications a minimum attribute value needed to join?
Is Survival a minimum attribute value for a bonus?
Actually, I think it is supposed to be "use your
and roll 2d6 trying to beat the number given".
But that isn't at all obvious...
It is on page 26 of the PDF, but all four of us missed it. I just found it--buried at the end of a paragraph of non-mechanical "fluff". (Attributes are meet or beat the number and skills are beat the number?)
QuoteCharacters in the Cepheus Engine do not start at the age of majority and jump immediately into play with only
their background skills. Instead, characters gain experience by pursuing one of twenty-four different careers.
The random nature of career paths (also known as prior history or prior careers) leads to characters of all levels
of experience, and from all walks of life. A character gains more skills the longer they stay in character creation,
but not without risk of aging. Player choices will have great impact on the final disposition of a character.
At many points during a career, a character will have to make a throw of some sort. Most of these throws are
characteristic throws – roll 2D6, add the DM from the listed characteristic, and try to get a total higher than the
listed value. A throw of Int 8+ means 'roll 2D6, add your Intelligence DM, and you succeed if you roll an 8 or
more'. A few throws are skill checks, where you add any levels in that skill and the DM from an appropriate
characteristic, if specified. For example, a throw of Gambling 8+ would mean 'roll 2D6, add your Gambling skill
and the DM from an appropriate characteristic such as Dexterity, if specified, and get over 8'.
Quote from: Baron Opal;948515How do you get to steps 6 & 7?
I would believe that you skip Commission and Training on the first term, and then try on subsequent passes. However, that "If you succeed, go to step 8" should probably be a "6".
We went through that too. We took it to mean no Commission or Training on the first term.
It is just a handful of little things that make really big barriers.
Quote from: Tod13;948478Every place that I've marked with bold/underscored/italics. What am I rolling, what is my target, and what modifiers apply? What are the requirements to get in? Is the number given in the table something I need to roll? A requirement? A minimum attribute to get a bonus? The page before (or after?) the section you quoted says the only roll in the game is 2d6 trying to beat an 8. There is definitely a problem for folks who haven't played. It actually really confused even the two people who had never played Traveller, but have spent a lot of time making characters in 3-4 other versions.
b) Roll to qualify for that career,
as indicated in the description of the career. If this is not your first career, you suffer a –2 DM for every previous career in which you have served.
For example End 8+ for Athletes.
In the general description of careers we have this
QuoteAt many points during a career, a character will have to make a throw of some sort. Most of these throws are characteristic throws – roll 2D6, add the DM from the listed characteristic, and try to get a total higher than the listed value. A throw of Int 8+ means ‘roll 2D6, add your Intelligence DM, and you succeed if you roll an 8 or more’. A few throws are skill checks, where you add any levels in that skill and the DM from an appropriate characteristic, if specified. For example, a throw of Gambling 8+ would mean ‘roll 2D6, add your Gambling skill and the DM from an appropriate characteristic such as Dexterity, if specified, and get over 8’.
The use of 2d6 is pervasive throughout the documents so I think most gamers without any exposure to traveller would get it. However it is a open content reference document to be used as a foundation for one's own take. So it makes sense to write a more verbose version targeted at novice roleplayers or people new to Traveller.
is more than fine
Also there is this from careers.
Quote from: Baron Opal;948515You're rolling 2d6, target numbers are per career. Those career tables could be formatted better, certainly.
I would believe that you skip Commission and Training on the first term, and then try on subsequent passes. However, that "If you succeed, go to step 8" should probably be a "6".
That doesn't make sense. You start at Rank 0, you roll survival, if the career has a commission roll you make it after your first survival roll because you qualify right then as you are rank 0. Then if you are commissioned you are at rank 1 and thus qualify for part c the advancement roll.
If you are lucky you will get two extra skill rolls your first term.
I think you need to read steps 5 and 9 a little closer. You never reach steps 6 and 7 in the flow chart.
However, I agree with you as to the intent.
You pick a career.
See if you get in.
See if you survive.
See if you excel.
Determine which one skill, two if you excel, you get this term.
See if you can't / can / must continue the career.
Do another term, pick a new career, or end character creation.
Quote from: Tod13;948326So, my players and I tried to create characters using Cepheus Engine. Basically, it was horrible. Unless you know how Traveller Character Generation works, you aren't going to figure it out from the rules as written.
As I recall, and was reminded when I saw a post in the advertising forum, Gypsy Knights Games has Clement Sector: The Rules.
Does Clement Sector: The Rules fix the deficiencies in Cepheus Engine, at least as far as character generation is concerned?
Does it have a similar breadth of careers as the Cepheus Engine?
Does it have "unique" careers for aliens?
Thanks!
Perhaps I can help answer your questions.
1> I'd like to think so.
Clement Sector: The Rules is our modification to
The Cepheus Engine to make it fit our Clement Sector setting. So we have modified and bent several rules to make them compatible with our setting. Character generation is one of those rules.
2> While the rules for character generation are in CS:R, all of the careers are in the
Clement Sector Core Setting Book.
Those careers are: Celebrity, Colonist, Diplomatic Service, Explorer, Free Trader, Journalist, Medic, National Navy, Orbital Construction, Pirate, Sports, Spy, System Defense Forces (Navy), System Defense Forces (Ground Forces), System Defense Forces (Wet Navy), and Vagabond.
In our character generation, you have rolls (most used 2d6 and some using d100) which take you from birth until you come out into the game. You can roll (or choose) your homeworld, discover aspects of your childhood and teenage years, go through college (if you desire) and then head into one or more careers.
3> There are no unique careers for aliens because there are no aliens in our setting. We do have uplifts (animals which have been raised to sentience) and altrants (humans which have been altered to live in harsh locations). One of our newest books,
Wondrous Menagerie: Uplifts in Clement Sector, adds more uplifted animals and gives a "slave" career which gives you an idea how uplifts are treated on some worlds.
I hope that helps. I would recommend that you get both the rules and the setting if you want to get the full effect.
Right now the books are on sale in two locations. Open Game Store is running a 40% off sale (https://www.opengamingstore.com/collections/gypsy-knights-games) which last until Monday (the 6th). DTRPG is running a 30% off sale (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/3565/Gypsy-Knights-Games) that runs until the 13th.
If you can't buy during the sale, we have the core books bundled on DTRPG. You can find that bundle here and it's 20% off every day. (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/195794/Clement-Sector-Core-Bundle-BUNDLE?src=newest) So...during the sale, it would behoove you to buy the books individually as they don't put the bundles on sale.
Quote from: The Butcher;948349I can't answer your question but I think I get your complaint (Cepheus chargen is presented more like CT's than MgT1's) and I encourage you, if at all possible, to track down a copy of MgT1.
Something to keep in mind is that the character generation in our
Clement Sector: The Rules is much more like MgT1 than CT.
Quote from: Gypsy Knights Games;948858Something to keep in mind is that the character generation in our Clement Sector: The Rules is much more like MgT1 than CT.
Thanks for the other, longer, reply too. I appreciate the time.
We're fine with MgT1 style setup--it has some benefits to it. As you can tell from the thread, the issues weren't so much the format but the content.
Quote from: Baron Opal;948632I think you need to read steps 5 and 9 a little closer. You never reach steps 6 and 7 in the flow chart.
While it doesn't explictly tell you to go from 5 to 6, step 6 (and 7) covers what conditions they apply.
a) You begin as a Rank 0 character.Self explanatory
b) If your career offers a Commission check and you are Rank 0, you can choose to roll for Commission. 6 is after 5 so you check that after the survival roll. You don' t need to refer to traveller to understand this.
c) If your career offers an Advancement check and you are Rank 1 or higher,Again can't get simpler.
The problem with just a simple 5 to 6 to 7 to 8 to 9 format is that 6 and 7 are conditional. It obvious that this section setup to go from 1 to 9 with a loop between 5 and 9.
Furthermore the later decision where they supply the tables and specific rules reinforces the above.
While I am sure a slightly better version can be written it doesn't require knowledge of Traveller to use and stands on its own.
Finally it fine that some people need a different explanation to get how it works. It happens all the time. Nothing However what I am arguing against it is somehow flawed and require the Traveller rules to understand.
Not really familiar with the product in question. Is this something new??
Quote from: RPGPundit;950232Not really familiar with the product in question. Is this something new??
Cepheus Engine is a "Traveller" SRD that is actually complete and allows you to play the game (as opposed to Mongoose's "let's pretend we're doing an SRD".). My understanding, which may not be complete, is that it was a one man effort that came out last year. There seems to be some level of ambivalence in the SRD, reflected in this thread and some other threads I've seen. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186894/Cepheus-Engine-System-Reference-Document
Clement Sector is Gypsy Knights' take on the Cepheus Engine, with evidently a lot of clean-up and presenting it more in the style where each career gets 2-3 pages with the tables and fluff together, instead of all the career tables being in one uber table. It sounds like the bundle I link below is what you need for rules, character generation, and building ships. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/195794/Clement-Sector-Core-Bundle-BUNDLE
Quote from: RPGPundit;950232Not really familiar with the product in question. Is this something new??
Yes and no. What it is a clone of the Mongoose Traveller System Reference but using the Traveller D20 System Reference and original content to fill in the gaps that are in the MongTrav SRD notably the lack of any career except for a few examples.
Now a bit of background. For a long time there been little or no desire for any type of retro-clone or clone of Traveller because of the multiple editions, the fact Far Future (Marc Miller's current company) makes them readily available via CD-ROMs and reprints.
Also there is the fact that the Traveller D20 SRD and the Mongoose Traveller SRD were more than sufficient to handle what third party publishers wanted to publish. Which has been original settings using the Traveller rules, gear (ships, weapons, etc), and referee aides.
Finally because so much of Traveller revolves around the Third Imperium there never been much of a demand either creatively or to buy for third party Traveller product. This changed because one of the good things that Mongoose Traveller 1st edition was explicitly return Traveller to being a generic sci-fi RPG. Not only in the rules but the marketing as well. So interest in other setting was re-ignited. Mongoose released the Traveller SRD and the Traveller Logo program and people took advantage of it.
For various reasons Mongoose decided to a new edition of Traveller. One of things they also did was to ditch the Traveller Logo program in favor of using One Bookshelf's Community Content program. This was called the Traveller Aid Society and was featured alongside the 5e community content program, Cortex, etc. At first it sounded good because it allowed full access to the rules and more importantly access to the Third Imperium setting. But......
When you read the license for TAS (or any other Community Content program) you surrender all rights FOR THE LIFE OF THE COPYRIGHT to distribute the submitted material anywhere else and any DERIVED material any where else.
Now this isn't so bad when it comes to something Third Imperium. The 3I is clearly Marc's IP and this is likely as good as it gets short of a traditional license. But for the guys who were making original settings and taking advantage of the old SRD and the Traveller Logo program, this license is as hostile as it gets. Once submitted they can never ever published that setting elsewhere including under a different set of RPG rules. Again the license agreement with OBS covers derived works. Since for the past couple of years most 3PP Traveller publishers were marketing original setting this meant TAS was a no-go.
So say this went down well is an understatement. I personally believe that more of a case that Matt (of Mongoose) didn't think through. That the focus on was on the fact that the full rules and Third Imperium setting was available. When this all went down, Matt wound up with egg on his face and pretty much was humiliated in the eyes of most Third Party Publishers.
Because of open content and the OGL, the 3PP didn't have to take this lying down. There was work to be done because neither SRD (d20 or MongTrav 1e) was a complete set of rules. Hence the Cepheus Game Engine was written by Jason Kemp by Samardan Press. And in the year since it release it been widely adopted and adapted by the Traveller 3PP community.
It probably won't have the same impact on Traveller as the D20 SRD on D&D because of the how the Traveller Community works. It will allow Traveller based settings to develop on their own regardless of how the current license holder of Traveller is.
My personal opinion is that this is a great thing. Traveller has had a lot of different rules edition and the hobby been in a cycle of new editions for along time. While each new edition expanded the lore about the Third Imperium they also had to retread a lot of things as well. This resulted in a hobby that was not receptive to original settings and original supplement. Now with the stability of the Cepheus Game Engine, these publishers can move forward and build up a fanbase of their own.
Quote from: Tod13;950270There seems to be some level of ambivalence in the SRD, reflected in this thread and some other threads I've seen. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186894/Cepheus-Engine-System-Reference-Document
Because the Traveller hobby is split among several editions and above all the dominance of the Third Imperium setting over homebrew settings.
Quote from: estar;950273Because the Traveller hobby is split among several editions and above all the dominance of the Third Imperium setting over homebrew settings.
"Ambivalence" was chosen before my coffee so might not be the best word choice. I really did mean "ambivalence in the SRD" as in, some of the rules are confusing, incomplete, or contradictory.
Quote from: Tod13;950278"Ambivalence" was chosen before my coffee so might not be the best word choice. I really did mean "ambivalence in the SRD" as in, some of the rules are confusing, incomplete, or contradictory.
Sure but the good news it open content so it can be "fixed" by the community. But likely the best way to go is just to do what Gypsy Knights Games did and just use the document as a base for your own setting and fix it how you like.
With that being said, I consider Cepheus to be more bare-bones and a publisher reference like the first version of OSRIC than a standalone rule book.
OSRIC had two versions with the second version being the one written like a actual standalone RPG. The first version more or less presented list of stuff and rules and was intended to cover what parts of AD&D could be used as open content due to the same concept or rule being in the d20 SRD.
Quote from: estar;950271Yes and no. What it is a clone of the Mongoose Traveller System Reference but using the Traveller D20 System Reference and original content to fill in the gaps that are in the MongTrav SRD notably the lack of any career except for a few examples.
Now a bit of background. For a long time there been little or no desire for any type of retro-clone or clone of Traveller because of the multiple editions, the fact Far Future (Marc Miller's current company) makes them readily available via CD-ROMs and reprints.
Also there is the fact that the Traveller D20 SRD and the Mongoose Traveller SRD were more than sufficient to handle what third party publishers wanted to publish. Which has been original settings using the Traveller rules, gear (ships, weapons, etc), and referee aides.
Finally because so much of Traveller revolves around the Third Imperium there never been much of a demand either creatively or to buy for third party Traveller product. This changed because one of the good things that Mongoose Traveller 1st edition was explicitly return Traveller to being a generic sci-fi RPG. Not only in the rules but the marketing as well. So interest in other setting was re-ignited. Mongoose released the Traveller SRD and the Traveller Logo program and people took advantage of it.
For various reasons Mongoose decided to a new edition of Traveller. One of things they also did was to ditch the Traveller Logo program in favor of using One Bookshelf's Community Content program. This was called the Traveller Aid Society and was featured alongside the 5e community content program, Cortex, etc. At first it sounded good because it allowed full access to the rules and more importantly access to the Third Imperium setting. But......
When you read the license for TAS (or any other Community Content program) you surrender all rights FOR THE LIFE OF THE COPYRIGHT to distribute the submitted material anywhere else and any DERIVED material any where else.
Now this isn't so bad when it comes to something Third Imperium. The 3I is clearly Marc's IP and this is likely as good as it gets short of a traditional license. But for the guys who were making original settings and taking advantage of the old SRD and the Traveller Logo program, this license is as hostile as it gets. Once submitted they can never ever published that setting elsewhere including under a different set of RPG rules. Again the license agreement with OBS covers derived works. Since for the past couple of years most 3PP Traveller publishers were marketing original setting this meant TAS was a no-go.
So say this went down well is an understatement. I personally believe that more of a case that Matt (of Mongoose) didn't think through. That the focus on was on the fact that the full rules and Third Imperium setting was available. When this all went down, Matt wound up with egg on his face and pretty much was humiliated in the eyes of most Third Party Publishers.
Because of open content and the OGL, the 3PP didn't have to take this lying down. There was work to be done because neither SRD (d20 or MongTrav 1e) was a complete set of rules. Hence the Cepheus Game Engine was written by Jason Kemp by Samardan Press. And in the year since it release it been widely adopted and adapted by the Traveller 3PP community.
It probably won't have the same impact on Traveller as the D20 SRD on D&D because of the how the Traveller Community works. It will allow Traveller based settings to develop on their own regardless of how the current license holder of Traveller is.
My personal opinion is that this is a great thing. Traveller has had a lot of different rules edition and the hobby been in a cycle of new editions for along time. While each new edition expanded the lore about the Third Imperium they also had to retread a lot of things as well. This resulted in a hobby that was not receptive to original settings and original supplement. Now with the stability of the Cepheus Game Engine, these publishers can move forward and build up a fanbase of their own.
Thank you for this. This is an excellent history of the Mongoose vs. 3PP.
Quote from: estar;950338Sure but the good news it open content so it can be "fixed" by the community. But likely the best way to go is just to do what Gypsy Knights Games did and just use the document as a base for your own setting and fix it how you like.
With that being said, I consider Cepheus to be more bare-bones and a publisher reference like the first version of OSRIC than a standalone rule book.
OSRIC had two versions with the second version being the one written like a actual standalone RPG. The first version more or less presented list of stuff and rules and was intended to cover what parts of AD&D could be used as open content due to the same concept or rule being in the d20 SRD.
I don't want to step in and speak for Jason but that is the reasoning behind The Cepheus Engine. It is intended to act as a set of base rules that publishers or referees could use, bend, and modify to their liking.
Quote from: Tod13;950270Cepheus Engine is a "Traveller" SRD that is actually complete and allows you to play the game (as opposed to Mongoose's "let's pretend we're doing an SRD".). My understanding, which may not be complete, is that it was a one man effort that came out last year. There seems to be some level of ambivalence in the SRD, reflected in this thread and some other threads I've seen. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186894/Cepheus-Engine-System-Reference-Document
Clement Sector is Gypsy Knights' take on the Cepheus Engine, with evidently a lot of clean-up and presenting it more in the style where each career gets 2-3 pages with the tables and fluff together, instead of all the career tables being in one uber table. It sounds like the bundle I link below is what you need for rules, character generation, and building ships. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/195794/Clement-Sector-Core-Bundle-BUNDLE
I see, thanks!
Cepheus Engine is the $1 version of not-Traveller.
Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;950792Cepheus Engine is the $1 version of not-Traveller.
Which Traveller? CT, MT, TNE, T4, GT,HERO, T20, T5, MgT1, or MgT2? Which one of those games are Traveller and why is Cepheus any different?
Of course you failed to mentioned the fact you were knee deep in the playtesting of Mongoose Traveller 2nd Edition.
I also to ask why do you even care? It not like you are a publisher. Mongoose is going churn out 2e supplements. Their quality is better than MgT2 so Mongoose is going to have its customers. Which means you are going to have books to buy for the edition you are emotionally invested in. Cepheus doesn't have anything to do with Third Imperium which remains under Marc Miller control. So again what your problem with a bunch of folk trying to route around the damage that Matt's fuckup caused?
Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;950792Cepheus Engine is the $1 version of not-Traveller.
From the mouth of a BNG, ladies and gentlemen.
Quote from: jeff37923;950819From the mouth of a BNG, ladies and gentlemen.
I had to look up "BNG" in the Urban Dictionary.
Quote from: Gypsy Knights Games;951468I had to look up "BNG" in the Urban Dictionary.
LOL, I meant it to mean Bitter Non-Gamer, but Blow-n-Go works as well!
Quote from: jeff37923;951696LOL, I meant it to mean Bitter Non-Gamer, but Blow-n-Go works as well!
He's a great cure for insomnia too
Quote from: jeff37923;950819From the mouth of a BNG, ladies and gentlemen.
Never mind.
I think it's great if Traveller is becoming wide open, especially for non-Third Imperium material.
Quote from: middenface;960010He's a great cure for insomnia too
I've actually used his YT vids for just that purpose, as a change up from my usual bed-time diet of ASMR stuff.
Quote from: Simlasa;960031I've actually used his YT vids for just that purpose, as a change up from my usual bed-time diet of ASMR stuff.
Ha ha ha...I tried watching one. Couldn't make it past a couple of minutes. Too much stop-and-start and hem-and-haw before he even starts talking about his topic. A little prep time before taping would go a long way toward making it watchable.