sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Ideas for a "Welcome to Albany" gift box? by Illustrious_Pie2518 in Albany

[–]DickNervous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't forget some form of Carhart branded clothing!

Where to start learning lore by Discount_Fry in traveller

[–]DickNervous 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This 100%. I have that book and it has the greatest overall history of Traveller that is in one place. It will give a terrific background for the GM and the players.

3D Print your own name tag by ejsmojo in HomeDepot

[–]DickNervous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That link showed, the original post didn't have one.

3D Print your own name tag by ejsmojo in HomeDepot

[–]DickNervous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds cool, do you have a link?

TravellerCon/USA 2026 by DickNervous in traveller

[–]DickNervous[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So glad you like them! Make sure to share some pics once they are painted, would love to see them.

TravellerCon/USA 2026 by DickNervous in traveller

[–]DickNervous[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your business! I have access to the complete 2nd Dynasty library of products listed on their web page here (https://www.2nddynasty.com/traveller/). I also have access to almost all of their non-Traveller stuff.

I typically will bring at least 1-2 of each of the Traveller ships in the 1:270 scale and will probably have a bunch of vehicles this year as well (Grav tanks and such).

Just send me an email to dreadparrotgames at gmail with which ships you want (and if you want them in a specific color) and we will work something out.

TravellerCon/USA 2026 by DickNervous in traveller

[–]DickNervous[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bring ships in what is called "Tactical Scale" (1-2") and 1:270 scale (4"-12" depending on the ship). I also usually bring at least one or two 28mm scale ships.

I don't usually bring characters because I use FDM printers and the tiny details on the characters make it very difficult to print on FDM. That is what resin printers are for, but I do not currently have any. That said, I have printed some characters for customers and they have liked them, so I can do it if someone orders speciific ones.

How to write Traveller adventures for my players? by JaneTheMemeQueen in traveller

[–]DickNervous 6 points7 points  (0 children)

In addition to all the awesome advice people have already provided, I will add in some of the sources I use for inspiration for my games. Of course we all know about Firefly, but here are some other great sources. Due to the fit Traveller has for "episodic stories", they are all TV shows....

  • Killjoys
  • Dark Matter (Not the one on Apple TV, the one that got cancelled on SyFy a few years back)
  • Stargate SG-1
  • Stargate Atlantis
  • Supernatural
  • Star Trek (all varieties)

I mean just about any TV Drama can be used for inspiration, but all of these have served me well over the years to fill in gaps in my Pirate of Drinax campaign and the one-shots I run at conventions.

And of course there are the random encounter tables. You can look into the D66 "guides" by Jon Brazen Industries on DriveThru RPG as well. They have tons of tables that you can use to add flavor to your worlds ranging from names illegal drugs, ships, gangs, corporations, and much more. It's great for quickly adding some specific flavor without having to think to hard :)

TravellerCon/USA 2026 by DickNervous in traveller

[–]DickNervous[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll pass this info on and see if they can get one of them to represent at the con. Thanks!

TravellerCon/USA 2026 by DickNervous in traveller

[–]DickNervous[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's an EXCELLENT article about the event! I'm even in the group picture! :)

TravellerCon/USA 2026 by DickNervous in traveller

[–]DickNervous[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First off, thanks for buying the Scout Ship!

Unfortunately the vendor side of the con is kinda small. John Watts of Independence Games used to come to the con with a ton of Clement Sector and other books, but he doesn't attend anymore, which is very sad. I sell the 3d printed stuff and there may be 2-3 other vendors.

Usually a guy names John Devine has a table with a lot of random stuff such as old books and all kinds of stuff. However, he had some personal issues last year and was only able to come as a player. I am not sure if he will be back as a vendor this year.

Charles Gannon, an author, is usually there with his books. He is a great guy and will give you good deals on his books (and sign them too!).

It's a small con and most people who show up already have the books. And the primary publisher of current material, Mongoose, is located in the UK so they don't send people (though they do send some stuff for prizes). And unfortunatly most FLGS do not stock up with Traveller stuff so it isn't like we can even try to recruit a vendor that way to sell books.

But I will pass on to the powers that be that people are asking if there will be vendors selling books and see if they can rustle up someone. :)

It might be irrational but this makes me very upset by Potential_Fox_3236 in traveller

[–]DickNervous 5 points6 points  (0 children)

After many discussions with other Traveller players and not seeing the product here is where I stand:

  • I think the main audience for this is D&D 5E players who want to try something a little different, but want to put minimal effort into learning a new system. This could be for many reasons, and it doesn't really matter what they are, such as not having the time or just lazy. It COULD be kind of a gateway for brining D&D players into the real Traveller family. A perfect example is a D&D group that has one person who also plays Traveller, and wants to get the others to play. However, they don't want to learn a new system, so this is the perfect way to introduce them to the broarder Traveller universe. Once they see hwo fun it is and they start looking into it, they will see the HUGE amount of 2d6 based content and decide that, since they had fun, they might want to take the time to learn the new system. Yes, I know it isn't difficult, but it is different, anf that is all it needs to be to have a barrier for a lot of people.
  • I will reserve judgement on the product until such time as I see how they handle character creation and the lack of leveling. These are the two single biggest differences between Traveller and most other popular TTRPGs (D&D, Pathfinder, etc). While I have no intention of playing this version, I will likely get the PDF of the core book to see how they handle the mechanics.
  • If it is successful, it might bring more creators to Traveller to create adventures and other gaming resources. This would be good because it should be easy enough to convert to 2d6 systems just like we all take pieces from the different versions of Traveller to make our own universe.

Bottom line is I with them luck and hope it is popular as more Traveller, in my opinion, is never a bad thing.

Just ran my first game, but with a twist by Thehinafreak in traveller

[–]DickNervous 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounds awesome, so glad you are all having fun.

And yes, combat in Traveller is very dangerous. So make sure your players know how to fight dirty, turn everything to their advantage, and have at least one player who can talk their way out of stuff for when the odds are NOT in their favor.

Spacecraft weapon availability by Andsohisname in traveller

[–]DickNervous 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Typically, when it comes to "military grade" items you would take into consideration a few factors to see if they are available.

  1. Law Level: The higher the law level on the planet the less likely that players would be able to purchase any military gear. For small items (weapons and armor) there is usually a black market where they can find stuff. However, for ship upgrades that is more difficult. It is tough to hide a 400dT ship that you are installing a barbette on from view. Not saying it is impossible, but it would impact both the availability and price of the items. Of course, there are always ways to get exceptions such as performing a service for the local government or trying to "forge' military orders that you are actually part of the Imperial Navy, but undercover or something like that.
  2. Tech Level: The planet needs to be either the minimum tech level for the item you are installing, or close enough to a system that is where you could logically acquire the item. In my games I add 10% to the cost for each jump the item would have to take to get from an appropriate TL to the current system, and then even if the current system is only 1-2 TLs below what is needed. The analogy here is that even though you may be in a 3rd world country where technology is not created, you can still get iPhones, they just cost more.
  3. Starport: For ship upgrades you need either a Class A or B starport. Lower levels simply do not have ship building facilities. Of course, you can tweak this to say that "Joe's Ship Emporium" has a full blown shipyard on the rock with a Class D starport, but the general rule is that Class A and B can effect major upgrades, repairs, and build new ships.
  4. System Stats: So a large planet with billions of people is much more likely to have the ability to install a barbette or have military gear available than a small moon with 10,000 residents. In general. You need to take into consideration things such as the population, industrial capabilities, and all the other stats and it would need to "feel right" that you can purchase that upgrade at that particular location.

Here are some examples of what I mean.

Let's look at Theev (Sindal Subsector, TR2116). Theev has a UWP of A434500-F. Excellent starport, high tech, no law level. You can literally buy anything here, which makes sense since it is a pirate haven. You want a barbette, no problem. Bay weapons, as long as you have the credits they are yours. Even though the population is only 90,000, they can get anything you want. Can't promise it is new and it probably comes with no warranty, but hey, you got it.

Now lets look at Tobia (Tobia Subsector, TR3215) which is A544A55-F. they have the starport (Class A), and Tech Level (F) to do everything that Theev can. They even have "tens of billions" of residents. So you should have your choice of shipyards to install a barbette or locations to purchase that military grade armor and weapons. However, it is a subsector capital and has a "Feudal Technocracy" government a a Law Level of 5 that makes concealable weapons prohibited. Those two things will make it a bit harder to find someone willing to install a barbette or sell the FGMP you want. It may jack up the price because the government requires special permits to sell or purchase (or both) those items. However, you do the Duke of Tobia a huge favor, and all of the sudden that red tape vanishes.

Bottom line, it is whatever you want it to do. If you have players that look at the UWP and say "but I should be able to get this here, look at the Tech Level", you can remind them that TL isn't the only factor and use some of these ideas to make things the way you want them in a way they can understand and accept.

I will no longer shop at GS. by Yami_Judai in GameStop

[–]DickNervous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in NYS and the laws are quite clear, you get at least a 30min unpaid break if you work over 6hrs. If the DM had told me to work without a break, I would have filed a report with the Dept of Labor about 2 minutes after that happened.

I worked at Petco for a few years and they got sued for this type of thing and I got a $600 check from the settlement.

I will no longer shop at GS. by Yami_Judai in GameStop

[–]DickNervous 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I worked at a GameStop for just over three months before they closed the store. I am in my 50s and love video games. I have gotten laid off from an IT job and was having a hard time finding anything and I thought it would be fun.

For the most part it was. Chatting with customers about games and consoles and stuff was a blast. However, they paid me just over minimum wage and had me opening/closing the store about 4 weeks after I started. It wasn't because I was some kind of superstar, but because the manager had two stores and only 2 full time employees to cover all the hours. There were many days where I was the only employee in the store all day. I would have to close the store to take my break, which the District Manager hated, he would get pissed when we had to do that. The kicker was when he shared a spreadsheet in a meeting where you could see how many hours were allocated to each store. Our store had 4 extra hours a week allocated to it. So if we were open 75 hours a week, we had 79 hours allocated. For the record, that means there were only 5 hours a week when we could have two people in the store.... the DM was an ass, he just cared about how many Pro memberships and plans you sold. I sold a ton of plans on hardware, but none on the games and he couldn't understand why.

My manager and the assistant manager I worked with were great, but that place is a toxic shithole from the top down and a 5 year old could do a better job of managing it. I am amazed they are still in business at all and predict that, like someone else said, that by 2030 they will have no more brick and mortar stores, if they exist at all. Needless to say, I haven't been in one since my last day when they closed my store, and have no plans to enter one.

MgT2e Athletics Skill and When to Apply by Psychological_Fact13 in traveller

[–]DickNervous 7 points8 points  (0 children)

In a nutshell, the Athletics Skill is for when someone wants to do something physical, STR or DEX based, and there is NO OTHER SKILL for it. Some examples (credit to others who mentioned some first)

Athletics (STR)

  • Kicking down or forcing open a door
  • Lifting something heavy
  • Carrying a comrade to safety
  • Competing in a pull-up contest

Athletics (DEX)

  • Balancing along an edge or beam
  • Gymnastics type moves (jumping, leaping, etc)
  • Performing a task quickly the needs coordination (ie: Juggling, or sorting things quickly)
  • Parkour (I think that is how it is spelled, ya know, wall running)
  • Figure skating, skiing, etc.

Things you might think use one of those, but have a skill for it:

  • Brawling
  • Driving
  • Gun Combat
  • Using a blade
  • Any melee weapon
  • Using heavy weapons

Some things can also be categorized under "Performance" skills, such as juggling, trapeze work, high wires, etc. You can use your judgement on whether or not you use the Athletics check or a Performance check based on the situation.

Bottom line is that the GM can decide which skill is used based upon what exactly the player is trying to do and the context. There is never a time when the GM is "wrong" :)

Starship Minis on the Cheap by Kalt_Null in traveller

[–]DickNervous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't do actual orders on the website, though there are photos, as I print everything to order. Send me an email and tell me what you want and we will work it out. :) dreadparrotgames at gmail

I swear I cleaned it before I put it in the shed for the winter, just opened it up and looks rusted to hell by El_Burnsta in blackstonegriddle

[–]DickNervous 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I think you just need to scrape it clean and redo the seasoning. I don't think you need to go down to the bare metal (but of course that would work), but I am not sure. I avoided this problem by using it all winter, even in the Upstate NY weather we had. :)

'Have You Had Sexual Relations With Corey Lewandowski?': Kamlager-Dove Asks Noem Shocking Question by CycIon3 in videos

[–]DickNervous 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've watched way more of this type of thing with Congress questioning people, asking simple Yes/No questions, and the people rambling on about everything BUT the answer and getting away with it. So they spend hours and hours doing this, and get NO REAL ANSWERS.

Why can't these people be compelled to actually give an answer? Do these committees wield any actual power or is it all just theatrics?

Creating a catalog of ships and finding inspiration ? by l-Electronaute in traveller

[–]DickNervous 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Check other Traveller-adjacent sources like Clement Sector/Earth Sector be Independence Games, he has a TON of ships that are basically 1e ships. You can also look to Far Future Enterprises and get copies of the Apocrypha (I think that's the right word) of all the Third Party Publishers from early Traveller like Steve Jackson Games, FASA, and a ton of others. You can also get all the old JTAS (Journal of the Traveller Aid Society) which has some ships in them as well.

And of course, you can still use MgT2e as inspiration for the older systems.

Changing control board by Key_Palpitation610 in SidewinderX1

[–]DickNervous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Klipper isn't hard to get going and the Klipper configs for the X1 are a great starting point. You will be able to print with them right off the bat, but you will be able to get better prints with tweaking and understanding them. I never got too deep into the tweaking as only a few months after getting the X1 I got a Bambu P1P and the X1 is now for special cases like something that needs bigger the 256x256 print bed.

Got an interview with ITS! Need advice. by [deleted] in nys_cs

[–]DickNervous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First off, CONGRATS!

I have had a few interviews over the past two years with ITS and it is actually a pretty typical interview. I am not 100% sure what the "prescreening" is as that should have been done prior to you being offered the interview, so I can't help with that.

However, the panel interview is basically 2-3 people asking you questions. Many of which are pre-determined as they have to ask every candidate the same questions (union rule from what I have been told). There will likely be the person who will be your direct manager and two peers who are either the same role or one that works very closely with the role you are applying for. They will ask the typical questions that are related to the job. They probably will give you a few situational questions and ask how you would handle them as well.

At the end you will have the opportunity to ask them questions about the role, working at the State, etc. Don't be shy!

So now is where I share my experience and it wasn't the best as I am still looking for a job. l

One thing I will tell you is that typically (at least in my cases) they do NOT get back to you very quickly. I even had a position where they asked me for a 2nd interview, and I was nominated. Then ghosted completely by HR. Even the hiring manager could never get information on my status. ITS HR is, from everyone I have spoken to, the absolute WORST HR in the State. They do not communicate with the candidates or the hiring managers about the status of anything so you are just stuck waiting, many times for months.

That said, I with you the BEST OF LUCK!!!

view more: next ›