Starting a Traveller campaign can be a big job. Please go to Patreon.com and look under Page121 to help support the channel. Thank you. #TTRPG #RPG #FRPG #Traveller
Good stuff! I've been rpging since 1978, played the original Traveller (now long gone) and have recently bought all the Mongoose stuff! Im actually nervous about starting a campaign with younglings raised on D&D 5E but this has inspired me!. Thanks x
I have been playing TTRPGs for over 40 years now, predominantly DnD; I have DMd every version of DnD, as well as a handful of other systems. This Saturday is Session Zero for my first Traveller campaign (Mongoose 2E), and I am both excited and daunted by the possibilities. Two of my six players have already decided to play non-humans (a Bwap and a Vargr), and I am looking forward to chargen. I had originally thought of starting them on Ukam (Pelusium / Antares), but, may look at the Corridor. All depends on what comes out of S0. One thing I have decided is that they will start off as crew of a Leviathan heavy merchant cruiser; any player owned ship will be "in the shop", with their work pay going towards paying for the repairs. The main reason is that all of us are new to Traveller, and, this seems a good way to ease into things.
I am planning my first Traveller campaign after seeing Seth’s series and was looking for advice on putting it together. I like seeing someone’s personal take on things so I can get an actual “rubber meets the road” opinion rather than a bunch of theory crafting generic stuff. Thanks for the videos.
I'm excited to see this series! Having just recently started a campaign myself, I'm curious to see later instalments about long-term plans and story arcs - but let's not get ahead of ourselves :p
I too have recently started a Traveller campaign. I started with the adventure Flatlined (the planet Neon). Then did Death Station, but positioned it in orbit above Neon, as Seth Skorkowski suggested in his videos. Now the Travellers are seeking their scout ship (muster out benefits of one of the travellers), but it won't be that easy of course... I'm centering everything on Tobia. The Scout player will need to talk to the scout Captain at Tobia to even start the adventure to "claim" her scout ship. But the players will be lead into "Mysteries on Arcturs station", then back to Tobia. Finally, leading them to "High and Dry". You can't just give away a free ship right...? At least that's my idea...hopefully none of my players are listening...
@@rogue109 Sounds like a blast! Loved seeing how you connected the dots on the different adventures (will likely steal that at some point). I would get them ship a little sooner since I would be expecting it sooner.
I'm considering starting a new Traveller campaign. I originally ran it back in the late 70's and early 80's but haven't been back to it for a while. Thanks for the advice, I have missed a few decades of traveller development.
Great video, thanks! I learned about Traveller on accident a couple of weeks ago when looking for an app on map making. There are these apps from Art Gorski which are all focused on Traveller 5 world building, and another app called Sector SciFi RPG map tool. For now, I’ve been using them as learning tools, but will definitely look into purchasing some books soon. So much information to learn, but I believe your videos will be a big help. 👍🏾 I’ve also been listening to a podcast called “Voyagers of the Jump - An Original Traveller Campaign” and those guys do a great job of getting straight to the point, as well as having a little fun without it being too much.
This is great love hearing about your process. I hope you expand into set prices, inciting incidents enemy characters, take us through a ship to ship combat in detail goals, resolutions and all the story parts that sifi allows.
Gonna be starting my first campaign next week, got lucky rolling my character, ended up a Baron's son, gained a close ally and contact, and starting off with a free trader and 2 ship shares along with 65k credits, only bad roll I got was an injury, loss of an arm that I had replaced with cybernetics
This is a good approach, but railroading the players at the start is also an option. I started my PCs in Caladbolg then had the Scout Service give them a delivery mission to Nirton. But during their stop at Caliburn I threw the 'Mysteries at Arcturus' adventure at them and used their speculations to flesh out the broader campaign.
My games are set in the Spinward Marches. A close examination really sets up a feel for the types of adventures you can run. The populations of most planets tend to be about the size of a small town and a tech level of about 10. Not exactly the stuff of a Star Empire. I see it as similar to the early days of colonial expansion say the 1600s. Sure, you might have a self-sufficient colony but you're mighty glad to see a ship on the horizon. Also given that you have a small colony there is plenty of opportunity for rugged explorers to see what else is out there. Is there an indigenous population waiting to be exploited? I like the Aslan and have created a couple of offshoots: the Kzinti from Larry Nivens books. The tend to look more like bobcats than lions and Webers Cats they have a strong resemblance to a Terran house cat. The Vagr are interesting but I don't like how they are depicted. The long nose seems would hinder space suits. But there are plenty of opportunities for adventure.
Would love to have your take on how to prep a game/campaign for a new group. Trying to get my teens into the game...with their friends. So I get to run after a 30 years break!
I would try to learn what I could about the group. Finding out what kind of computer or console games they like will give you a great insight into how to run the game. Do they like action? Do they like puzzles? Then I would tailor my game to that. I would try to do a session zero to get a feel for everyone, but I would keep it light and fun.
Ideally the GM should be prepared to flesh out the systems for at least 9 subsectors. The sectors that the characters are starting in and all the subsectors around it.
When (I know it was recently) and more importantly WHY were the JG sectors de-canonized? I have several of those old supplements, and even ran a game in the Beyond/Trojan Reaches a couple years ago. Imagine my surprise when I came back to Traveller Map and found those sectors COMPLETELY re-mapped/re-done (and not nearly as interesting).
I don't know why they were de-canonized. I think it was probably because Judge's Guild was older and the newer stuff is considered more polished. I ran many games using the Judge's Guild supplements.
Now what happens if after rolling up all the characters, nobody has a ship? Or you have 7 players but you only have a Scout Ship which I believe only holds a maximum of 6. Or you end up with multiple ships of different size? You will of course need crews for each of those ships. Just throwing this out there for you to contemplate. The campaign I played in had been running for some time. They had 1 large and 1 medium sized ship. And my character had a Scout Ship. There was quite a list of crew members. To save on fuel costs and jump maintenance, the large ship would stow the medium ship in the cargo hold. And when my ship came into play we stowed it inside the medium sized ships hold. So when we jumped to a system we did a drop ship maneuver where one ship suddenly became 3 blips on the radar. Man do I miss playing Traveler!
there is a trap in traveller - that is a campaign where players star hop all the time. each world is explored superficially, and with the week in jump space time flies along. unless the players are merchants, its always better to slow the sprawl of the game down and have them spend time on each world. also the players should spend some time in jumpspace, interactiong with passengers, researching, in essence building the worlds in the sector by poring over library data. its not a hard rule, but one that will give the players a sense of plac and scale.
I give my merchants a bonus roll for repeat business. Think about it. If you had to ship product from one town to another, would you hire some stranger who happens to be going that way or a respected company who makes the same trip every week. Also, travellers can build up contacts among the locals if they keep their planet hopping to a few nearby planets.
One thing I dont like about traveller are the alien races. I find them cheesy (wolf men, lion men, horse men...chicken men?). Is it a game breaker to use mostly human variables and then introduce fully alien races?
I was hoping to find some general inspiration in this video because I’m going to start planning another campaign. Instead you talk about your personal long time favorites, that wasn’t very inspiring or helpful. Sorry if I break the hype, just my two cents.
I want that T-Shirt!
Really appreciate getting your advice on this, thank you very much ur such a king
Good stuff! I've been rpging since 1978, played the original Traveller (now long gone) and have recently bought all the Mongoose stuff! Im actually nervous about starting a campaign with younglings raised on D&D 5E but this has inspired me!. Thanks x
Preparation can delete nervousness.
I have been playing TTRPGs for over 40 years now, predominantly DnD; I have DMd every version of DnD, as well as a handful of other systems.
This Saturday is Session Zero for my first Traveller campaign (Mongoose 2E), and I am both excited and daunted by the possibilities.
Two of my six players have already decided to play non-humans (a Bwap and a Vargr), and I am looking forward to chargen.
I had originally thought of starting them on Ukam (Pelusium / Antares), but, may look at the Corridor. All depends on what comes out of S0.
One thing I have decided is that they will start off as crew of a Leviathan heavy merchant cruiser; any player owned ship will be "in the shop", with their work pay going towards paying for the repairs.
The main reason is that all of us are new to Traveller, and, this seems a good way to ease into things.
Good starting plan. You can help direct the players through their interactions with NPCs rather than railroading them.
I am planning my first Traveller campaign after seeing Seth’s series and was looking for advice on putting it together. I like seeing someone’s personal take on things so I can get an actual “rubber meets the road” opinion rather than a bunch of theory crafting generic stuff. Thanks for the videos.
I'm excited to see this series! Having just recently started a campaign myself, I'm curious to see later instalments about long-term plans and story arcs - but let's not get ahead of ourselves :p
Glad you like the series so far.
I too have recently started a Traveller campaign. I started with the adventure Flatlined (the planet Neon). Then did Death Station, but positioned it in orbit above Neon, as Seth Skorkowski suggested in his videos. Now the Travellers are seeking their scout ship (muster out benefits of one of the travellers), but it won't be that easy of course... I'm centering everything on Tobia. The Scout player will need to talk to the scout Captain at Tobia to even start the adventure to "claim" her scout ship. But the players will be lead into "Mysteries on Arcturs station", then back to Tobia. Finally, leading them to "High and Dry". You can't just give away a free ship right...? At least that's my idea...hopefully none of my players are listening...
@@rogue109 Sounds like a blast! Loved seeing how you connected the dots on the different adventures (will likely steal that at some point). I would get them ship a little sooner since I would be expecting it sooner.
I'm considering starting a new Traveller campaign. I originally ran it back in the late 70's and early 80's but haven't been back to it for a while. Thanks for the advice, I have missed a few decades of traveller development.
Great video, thanks! I learned about Traveller on accident a couple of weeks ago when looking for an app on map making. There are these apps from Art Gorski which are all focused on Traveller 5 world building, and another app called Sector SciFi RPG map tool. For now, I’ve been using them as learning tools, but will definitely look into purchasing some books soon. So much information to learn, but I believe your videos will be a big help. 👍🏾
I’ve also been listening to a podcast called “Voyagers of the Jump - An Original Traveller Campaign” and those guys do a great job of getting straight to the point, as well as having a little fun without it being too much.
I've watched Voyagers of the Jump. Good game!
Awesome video. Going to run a game, feels daunting but less so now. Happy I came across your channel.
Great tips on the starting system!!!
This is great love hearing about your process. I hope you expand into set prices, inciting incidents enemy characters, take us through a ship to ship combat in detail goals, resolutions and all the story parts that sifi allows.
Gonna be starting my first campaign next week, got lucky rolling my character, ended up a Baron's son, gained a close ally and contact, and starting off with a free trader and 2 ship shares along with 65k credits, only bad roll I got was an injury, loss of an arm that I had replaced with cybernetics
Off to a great start!
The Marches are my favorite place. :) Deneb is next. I've spent most of my years playing in the Marches. :)
This is a good approach, but railroading the players at the start is also an option. I started my PCs in Caladbolg then had the Scout Service give them a delivery mission to Nirton. But during their stop at Caliburn I threw the 'Mysteries at Arcturus' adventure at them and used their speculations to flesh out the broader campaign.
My games are set in the Spinward Marches. A close examination really sets up a feel for the types of adventures you can run.
The populations of most planets tend to be about the size of a small town and a tech level of about 10. Not exactly the stuff of a Star Empire.
I see it as similar to the early days of colonial expansion say the 1600s. Sure, you might have a self-sufficient colony but you're mighty glad to see a ship on the horizon. Also given that you have a small colony there is plenty of opportunity for rugged explorers to see what else is out there. Is there an indigenous population waiting to be exploited?
I like the Aslan and have created a couple of offshoots: the Kzinti from Larry Nivens books. The tend to look more like bobcats than lions and Webers Cats they have a strong resemblance to a Terran house cat.
The Vagr are interesting but I don't like how they are depicted. The long nose seems would hinder space suits.
But there are plenty of opportunities for adventure.
Great video. Love all the Traveller content. Hoping to run my first game soon!
Good luck!
Cool. Thanks!
Would love to have your take on how to prep a game/campaign for a new group. Trying to get my teens into the game...with their friends. So I get to run after a 30 years break!
I would try to learn what I could about the group. Finding out what kind of computer or console games they like will give you a great insight into how to run the game. Do they like action? Do they like puzzles? Then I would tailor my game to that. I would try to do a session zero to get a feel for everyone, but I would keep it light and fun.
Ideally the GM should be prepared to flesh out the systems for at least 9 subsectors.
The sectors that the characters are starting in and all the subsectors around it.
When (I know it was recently) and more importantly WHY were the JG sectors de-canonized? I have several of those old supplements, and even ran a game in the Beyond/Trojan Reaches a couple years ago. Imagine my surprise when I came back to Traveller Map and found those sectors COMPLETELY re-mapped/re-done (and not nearly as interesting).
I don't know why they were de-canonized. I think it was probably because Judge's Guild was older and the newer stuff is considered more polished. I ran many games using the Judge's Guild supplements.
Now what happens if after rolling up all the characters, nobody has a ship? Or you have 7 players but you only have a Scout Ship which I believe only holds a maximum of 6.
Or you end up with multiple ships of different size? You will of course need crews for each of those ships.
Just throwing this out there for you to contemplate.
The campaign I played in had been running for some time. They had 1 large and 1 medium sized ship. And my character had a Scout Ship. There was quite a list of crew members.
To save on fuel costs and jump maintenance, the large ship would stow the medium ship in the cargo hold. And when my ship came into play we stowed it inside the medium sized ships hold. So when we jumped to a system we did a drop ship maneuver where one ship suddenly became 3 blips on the radar.
Man do I miss playing Traveler!
there is a trap in traveller - that is a campaign where players star hop all the time. each world is explored superficially, and with the week in jump space time flies along.
unless the players are merchants, its always better to slow the sprawl of the game down and have them spend time on each world. also the players should spend some time in jumpspace, interactiong with passengers, researching, in essence building the worlds in the sector by poring over library data. its not a hard rule, but one that will give the players a sense of plac and scale.
I give my merchants a bonus roll for repeat business. Think about it. If you had to ship product from one town to another, would you hire some stranger who happens to be going that way or a respected company who makes the same trip every week. Also, travellers can build up contacts among the locals if they keep their planet hopping to a few nearby planets.
Forgive me for asking, but is each hex a separate solar system?
Each hex is one parsec (3.26 light years).
One thing I dont like about traveller are the alien races. I find them cheesy (wolf men, lion men, horse men...chicken men?). Is it a game breaker to use mostly human variables and then introduce fully alien races?
Not at all. How about the Hivers? You can't say they're "head aliens" as we used to call the aliens on Star Trek Next Gen.
I was hoping to find some general inspiration in this video because I’m going to start planning another campaign. Instead you talk about your personal long time favorites, that wasn’t very inspiring or helpful. Sorry if I break the hype, just my two cents.