Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;652620If you can get through the COTI and GURPS Traveller forums unscathed,  you are pretty much free to use whatever version of Traveller out there without ill effects from canon players that will go after new prey.

Since no two Traveller gaming groups are alike, the whole canon thing seems very odd to begin with.  Marc Miller needs to be "out there" on camera talking to Traveller folk.  It would help disperse the canon crowds.  Other game designers are always on YouTube, talking about such and such.

I don't think that Marc Miller is interested in "selling" his game. I think that he has comfortably gotten to the point where he is a dedicated hobbyist.

Here is an update on the T5 Kickstarter I recieved. Pay attention to the bolded part.

Quote from: Marc MillerProject Update #47: Progress Report On Shipping  
 
Posted by Marc "Traveller" Miller  
 
I am taking a break in the (pick one: deeply spiritually rewarding; seeming non-stop and unending) process of sending out the Kickstarter Traveller5 rewards to all of you to talk about the process and its progress.

First, 90% of the Betas who were not involved in Kickstarter have been sent out.

Second, 90% of the non-book orders (CDROMs only) have been sent out; the US backers were relatively easy; the foreign shipments were somewhat more complex. The Post Office insists on a properly completed customs form. It is filled out in triplicate, and then the clerk literally discards the cop copy as I watch. The second copy is apparently alphabetized and then discarded 30 days later. The sticker that goes on the package is the only one that really matters.

Third, 90% of the upper tier rewards (the ones with slip cases) have been shipped. Alas, that leaves all the rest to be assembled and dispatched. Several hundred have gone out, mixed liberally between domestic and foreign, and between basic $100 and $150 tiers. It is slow going. First, I grab a batch of order sheets and conform that each has responded through Paypal, or otherwise communicated with me about address confirmation. Then, I cross check the Patents of Nobility and the TAS Cards with the order form. The cards are in numerical order by their secret number inkjetted on the back. I need to look up the appropriate name or world or noble rank and mark that number on the order sheet. [I know, if I were more prepared, or technologically proficient, or if I had planned better, this would be automated]. The Cards, you may remember, were the last thing to come in. One of the delays was the restrictions on what letters can be embossed on the cards. Diacritical marks, accents, and such don't work. [They suggested I use inkjetting on the face rather than embossing, and I declined; it just wouldn't look right]. In any case, I need to check though the various cards and note those needed for the order.

There are other issues with the cards (a Knighthood for Sir Alicia; I incompletely vetted for gender) which I expect to remedy with an errata run for a variety of card issues, probably in mid year.

Finally, I set myself up with the various components. The dice and coin swag has been previously assembled. So have the Dice Sets. I take a book and inscribe it to the recipient. This is perhaps the most time-consuming. But also the most important. It would be easier to just sign my name on a hundred books at a time, that that is not the spirit of my commitment. Because I do not know each of you personally, the inscription is usually

To

Thank you for your support for this project.

Marc Miller

Once inscribed, I put the book in a protective corrugated box. I have been inserting an 8.5 x 11 map of the Spinward Marches. While the supply lasted, I also inserted a blank certificate of Knighthood and or Barony (these are not the Patents; just some extras I had available). In a separate padded envelope, I put the CDROM, the swag bag, and some small options that may have been ordered. As required, I also pull the TShirts, dice sets, other CDROMs, and such. All of these go into a Medium Flat Rate Priority Mail box which I seal up securely.

Note the corrugated box for the book. The Core Rules book weighs just under 6 pounds, and without that protective box, just wrapped in paper or bubble wrap, it would not survive shipment. With a stack of assembled packages, I then sit at the computer and create labels through Paypal shipping. For most of you, an email is sent out when this label is created. Finally the whole batch goes on the front porch for the letter carrier to pick up at about 10 AM each morning. Foreign orders are a special case; because of the customs forms requirements, I send then through a service locally and there are often not email notifications sent. I keep appreciating everyone's patience (OK, a very few have expressed impatience, I have tried to respond calmly and appropriately] and I appreciate it. Some of my friends have suggested bringing in some help, and I do use some robot labor to pre-assemble components. But the packaging process, while time-consuming, is also a labor of love. I want each shipment to be right, and to express my sincere appreciation of your support. As each sheet comes up, I am able to write my thank you in your book and out the other rewards together. When there isn't a card with a name, I still get to select a nice knighthood or TAS Card and insert it in the mix.

While I am working hard on this, and it consumes most of my day, I am also enjoying it more than you know. Just the process of seeing each of your support is a humbling experience.

Thank you. Oh, you want a forecast of when these will all go out? My current rate of 40 or 50 per day means these should all be shipped by mid May. Since I have plane tickets to Colombia for May 13, that's just about right. And that's my goal... everything shipped by May 12.

Now, he and his wife are doing all the order fullfillment by themselves. They want to. Luke Crane lies about his "love letter" to D&D. This is Marc Miller sending a thank you to his Traveller fans and supporters and it is the real thing. It is important to Marc Miller and a very personal process for him in thanks for decades of fan support.

Marc Miller is not interested in selling Traveller, he is interested in thanking the fans for selling it for him.

Quote from: jeff37923;652639Marc Miller is not interested in selling Traveller, he is interested in thanking the fans for selling it for him.

You mean buying it from him.  The fans are not selling Traveller to anyone.  They are just screaming, "Where's mine!"  Only fanboys participated in the KickStarter.  Not many RPGers, that have only been in the hobby for twenty years or less, have heard of Traveller 5 (or Traveller even).

Quote from: amacris;652566Thanks for the feedback. I talked it over with the group and we're going to go with H&H. They aren't interested in avoiding combat.

I'll probably just look to Traveller for some guidance on how to re-balance the ships. I got confirmation from John Berry that every 10 tons is 10' x 10' x 10', meaning 1 ton is 100 cubic feet or a gross register ton. The tonnage doesn't jive with my vision of how big the sample ships (Luxury Cruise Liner, Attack Carrier) ought to be so I'll have to think on it.

The general guidelines I followed in development for deciding the ship classes was mostly real world naval and aerial vessels.  A Type VIII hull even is more USS Enterprise the real-world Naval Vessel, than USS Enterprise, boldly going to Klingon space.  The inspiration for the Attack Carrier for instance, was the TCS Tiger's Claw, which was always closer in size to a small RL aircraft carrier, than to some monstrous star destroyer type of thing.

As for the Horror vs. Silliness, I've always been a bit more of an Evil Dead fan than straight horror, so I don't necessarily see them as incompatible.  But dropping some of the odder items should be doable, though it would of course limit the size of the equipment list further.  

Traveller was a big inspiration for me, it's one of my favorite games by far, thanks in no small part to Jeff's gift of a copy of the LBB digest. The idea of the surveyors being "working-class explorers" was definitely inspired directly by the similar "working-class/space trucker" vibe in Traveller, and I think you could easily drop the Guild into the Traveller universe, or even drop the Traveller universe in to H&H. Obviously you'd need to work out some mechanical bits here and there of course.

Quote from: J Arcane;652658The general guidelines I followed in development for deciding the ship classes was mostly real world naval and aerial vessels.  A Type VIII hull even is more USS Enterprise the real-world Naval Vessel, than USS Enterprise, boldly going to Klingon space.  The inspiration for the Attack Carrier for instance, was the TCS Tiger's Claw, which was always closer in size to a small RL aircraft carrier, than to some monstrous star destroyer type of thing.

Thanks for jumping in. That's helpful in understanding the sizing. With regard to the pricing, it's lower than what one would expect for military vessels. Is the answer to this because (a) they are subsidized by the guild; (b) things are cheaper in the future due to mass production; or (c) if you keep asking me econ questions I'm going to eat your face with a xenoform?

QuoteAs for the Horror vs. Silliness, I've always been a bit more of an Evil Dead fan than straight horror, so I don't necessarily see them as incompatible.  But dropping some of the odder items should be doable, though it would of course limit the size of the equipment list further.  

Hah! I fear I'm rather humorless in comparison to that. Anyway, it's easy enough to adjust -- I'm just importing Traveller items. H&H looks to be at what Traveller would call TL 12, with alien artifacts at 13-17+.

QuoteTraveller was a big inspiration for me, it's one of my favorite games by far, thanks in no small part to Jeff's gift of a copy of the LBB digest. The idea of the surveyors being "working-class explorers" was definitely inspired directly by the similar "working-class/space trucker" vibe in Traveller, and I think you could easily drop the Guild into the Traveller universe, or even drop the Traveller universe in to H&H. Obviously you'd need to work out some mechanical bits here and there of course.

The Traveller inspiration really comes through. In many ways H&H takes my favorite parts of D&D and my favorite parts of Traveller. Particularly how you codified space dungeoneering with the pod colonies, space hulks, complexes, hazards, and so on.

Quote from: amacris;652681Thanks for jumping in. That's helpful in understanding the sizing. With regard to the pricing, it's lower than what one would expect for military vessels. Is the answer to this because (a) they are subsidized by the guild; (b) things are cheaper in the future due to mass production; or (c) if you keep asking me econ questions I'm going to eat your face with a xenoform?

When it comes to how I write sci-fi, the general rule is "when in doubt, assume (c)" ...

But as for costs, much of this boils down to the fact that the value of what the surveyor's find and get paid for what they do is a lot more than most normal people probably make back in civilized space. A ship mortgage for something even capable of actually travelling to an uncharted sector is going to be outside the price range of most individuals in regular space (notice for instance, that the standard vessel actually doesn't even have fuel tanks enough to get to an uncharted sector).

So a successful PC crew might indeed get lucky enough to afford their very own Attack Carrier someday, but that doesn't mean most normal folks could make anywhere near that.  but then, most regular employment doesn't carry the risk of having your brains chewed out through the ear by a neurovore.

QuoteHah! I fear I'm rather humorless in comparison to that. Anyway, it's easy enough to adjust -- I'm just importing Traveller items. H&H looks to be at what Traveller would call TL 12, with alien artifacts at 13-17+.

The Traveller inspiration really comes through. In many ways H&H takes my favorite parts of D&D and my favorite parts of Traveller. Particularly how you codified space dungeoneering with the pod colonies, space hulks, complexes, hazards, and so on.

I felt very strongly in working on H&H that an important part of any dungeoneering game is tools to make dungeons. It literally didn't even seem a reasonable option to me NOT to include such tools.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;652650You mean buying it from him.  The fans are not selling Traveller to anyone.  They are just screaming, "Where's mine!"  Only fanboys participated in the KickStarter.  Not many RPGers, that have only been in the hobby for twenty years or less, have heard of Traveller 5 (or Traveller even).

Meh. Haters gonna hate.

Quote from: amacris;652216(b) the silliness factor in many of the items that are present; it works against the space-horror vibe the game otherwise has; (c)

I haven't read H&H, can you give some examples?

Quote from: RPGPundit;654630I haven't read H&H, can you give some examples?

The "technological wonders" section has quite a few gems, if I do say so myself.

The forest in a can, the murderous teddy bear robot, the belt-buckle-mounted interplanetary hoverbike, and the matter-transmuting instant gumbo cooker are personal favorites.

Quote from: J Arcane;654638The "technological wonders" section has quite a few gems, if I do say so myself.

The forest in a can, the murderous teddy bear robot, the belt-buckle-mounted interplanetary hoverbike, and the matter-transmuting instant gumbo cooker are personal favorites.

Those do sound a bit troubling as far as running a "serious" game.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;655586Those do sound a bit troubling as far as running a "serious" game.

RPGPundit

I don't necessarily see H&H as being un-serious, but being serious was never high on the priority list. The goal is as much Douglas Adams, Doctor Who, and Gamma World type SF as it is Alien and Firefly.

It's just the kind of game I wanted to make. I think you can't do the kind of trope-mashing that D&D is famous for in the sci-fi space without being willing to be silly about it.

Quote from: J Arcane;655598I don't necessarily see H&H as being un-serious, but being serious was never high on the priority list. The goal is as much Douglas Adams, Doctor Who, and Gamma World type SF as it is Alien and Firefly.

It's just the kind of game I wanted to make. I think you can't do the kind of trope-mashing that D&D is famous for in the sci-fi space without being willing to be silly about it.

Yeah, well, I think all of the above could probably be excised by a GM for a more "serious" game, as long as there aren't essential parts of the mechanics or the setting that make it impossible to have that kind of game...

Quote from: RPGPundit;656040Yeah, well, I think all of the above could probably be excised by a GM for a more "serious" game, as long as there aren't essential parts of the mechanics or the setting that make it impossible to have that kind of game...

Oh certainly. I don't do much in the way of "baked in" when it comes to game design. You could certainly ignore the sillier bits, or come up with more "serious" replacements for it.

Quote from: RPGPundit;656040Yeah, well, I think all of the above could probably be excised by a GM for a more "serious" game, as long as there aren't essential parts of the mechanics or the setting that make it impossible to have that kind of game...

That's exactly what I did for my H&H campaign. The following items are probably also generally useful for anyone running H&H. (John, feel free to post these on your site if you like them).

Forest in a Can: Replace with Personal Shield Belt. Emits a field of disrupting particles to protect the user. Reduces AC by -4. If a character is struck while wearing it, the discharge of particles short-circuits the belt until it has recharged. Otherwise, the belt has power for 2 hours of use, and takes 8 hours to re-charge. 12,000 credits.

Hoverboard: Replace with Gravjet Pack. This backpack-sized device can reach altitudes of up to 200 feet and travel at speeds of up to 90mph. The wearer gains a +4 bonus to DEX checks to charge, close with targets under cover, dodge, or save. Due to the small size of its antigravity emitters, the Gravjet Pack can fail under stress; if the wearer rolls a natural 20 while making a DEX check, the Pack breaks and he crashes to the ground. 75,000 credits.

Instant Gumbo Cooker: Replace with Nutrient Dispenser. This device is about the size of a boom box. It gathers organic matter from the surrounding environment and processes it into small pills with enough nutrients for up to 6 people to survive one day. To function properly, the Nutrient Dispenser must be "tuned" each morning to the environment in which it is being used, which requires a successful INT check. The GM rolls the check in secret. Failure on the INT check results in the pills lacking nutritional value, while a natural 20 results in the pills being toxic, requiring a CON save to avoiding losing 1 random stat point. 10,000 credits.

Pet Rock: Replace with Smart Drones. These tiny explosive probes seek out their assigned target even around corners, following him up to 120'. When they detonate, they deal 2d6 + 3 damage (save v. DEX to avoid). 2d4 Smart Drones are found. 1,000 credits per drone.

Pocket Dimensional Case: Replace with Psi Shielding Helm. When targeted by psychic powers which permit a WIS saving throw, the wear gains a +2 bonus to his save. When targeted by psychic powers which do not permit a WIS saving throw, the wearer is permitted to make a WIS save at his normal bonus. Psychic powers cannot be used while wearing a Psi Shielding Helm. 50,000 credits.

TED-3: Replace with Portable Autodoc. This short baton can function as a synthetic skin emitter (heal 1d6 damage, 1/hour), laser cauterizer (heal 2d6+3 damage, 1/day), or microsurgery nanobot injector (heal 3d6+6 damage, 1/week). As specific biology and condition can vary greatly, the Portable Autodoc must be attuned to the creature being healed each time it is used, requiring an INT check. On a failure the device only heals the minimum damage. On a natural 20, the Portable Autodoc malfunctions, dealing damage instead of healing it! 30,000 credits.

The Axe: Replace with Psi-Lance. This device appears as a baton or sword hilt of iridium. It contains a core of psychoactive material. A Psyker or Bearman can cause the device to emit a lance of psychic force which functions as a +3 Laser Sword, but drains 1 Psi each combat round. Alternatively, the Psi-Lance can fire beam of energy which deals 1-3d6 damage (Save vs. DEX to avoid) to targets at range, at a cost of 1 Psi per 1d6. 25,000 credits.

Universal Credentials: Replace with Invisibility Collar. This device appears as smooth collar of iridium. It couples and decouples from the neck fluidly, despite having no apparent clasp. When worn, this psychoactive device emits a psychic field which blanks the minds of those nearby, making the wearer temporarily undetectable to sentient and non-sentient organic life forms (they just don't notice him). He will still be detectable by artificial life forms and electronic devices. The device draws its power from the wearer's Psi, costing 1 point per combat round. If the wearer has no Psi Points, he takes 1 hp of damage per combat round.  50,000 credits.

Water Pants: Replace with Micro Wormhole Generator. This device is about the size of a backpack radio. It relies on a Casimir array to create a temporary wormhole between two surfaces within line of sight of the device. The hole is large enough for a man to walk through. Placing the wormholes successfully requires an INT check. One placed, the wormhole lasts for one combat round. The user must make an INT check each round for it to remain stable for one more round. The wormhole is only large enough for one man to walk through per combat round. If more than one person tries to pass through the wormhole in the same round, they must make opposed DEX checks to see which pushes through. 75,000 credits.

Hey now, despite the mocking name, I'll have you know that the "water pants" stem from that most hallowed and staid of SF series, under the name of "stillsuits."

No, no, I know - I only changed those because I made stillsuits available as non-wonders.