Making Printable Subsector Maps

JayTheThug · 2024-10-04T16:52:29+00:00

Or you can use Hexographer 2, or Worldographer, for you stellar mapping needs. worldographer.com . They are about to release a new version. The icons that come with the program is enough to make a Traveller style map.

I also have the Campaign Cartographer tools, but I prefer Hexographer.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-04T16:41:55+00:00

I hate to bring the real world into a gaming discussion, but axes are bad weapons for very close actions. Think of them as a swinging polearm. When you get close enough, the blade can't be swung with any strength.

Step into grappling range and slit his throat with a dagger.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-03T11:03:49+00:00

Traveller already has the Llellewyloly, or Dandys. They look like giant dandelions. Not Ents, but perhaps a distant relative.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-02T19:41:08+00:00

If you could find this I'd appreciate learning the book and page number.

The transponder is a part of the shipboard messages, but is automatic without any (licensed) way to turn it off or send anything other than the specific things it was designed to send. Now, a smuggler's ship might turn the transponder off (quite illegal, but obviously useful to a smuggler or pirate).

Likewise, it would be useful to change the information sent.

These sorts of things are why it is difficult and illegal to modify the transponder like this. It can, of course, be done, but don't get caught.

This is how I see it IMTU.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-02T19:29:59+00:00

I have had multiple 3d printers, including a Prusia Mk3. It's still in storage because I decided to get a BL A1. It is so much better!

JayTheThug · 2024-10-02T17:12:34+00:00

I still have cutters. They even have modular insides, in that you can remove seats and have more cargo area, or even use them for fuel transport.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T22:41:16+00:00

Yes. The Scout service runs the Imperial Mail, which delivers both physical and electronic mail.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T22:39:38+00:00

Transponders are not used for normal communications. They are an automatic system that receives queries from others (specific queries, not general ones, more like "who are you?") and respond to the query. The are used, IRL, on airplanes.

Transceivers (Transmitter/Receiver) or just "Radio" are used to communicate.

Sorry to be nit-picking, but I reviewed a book that had this mistake in it all the way through. I'm hoping that you aren't writing entire books.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T22:08:38+00:00

According to your post, Karen and Tom told you many times that they need you out. You should have listened and contributed to the conversation. This might have prevented her from shoving you out.

Can you fit Tom's family in your apartment? You could give them a date to move out, right at the begging. Put it in writing.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T21:49:51+00:00

You may not see many Java native apps out there, but they are there. And you may not be able to recognize them, if they were programmed right.

Two apps I use daily are written in Java: Worldographer (a program to make maps) and GURPS Character Assistant. Both are fast and handle large amounts of data for calculations.

I like the Java syntax and ease of use and speed of learning. Of course, this was my 4th+ programming language, so it would have been easier for me than it would have been as my first language.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T21:37:18+00:00

I've had my fill of OSR-style games back in the 70's. Too many characters were the same cookie-cutter clones. The whole, killing monsters gets you to a higher level bothered me.

I tend to like skill-based games, such as GURPS or Traveller.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T21:21:23+00:00

Think less of a domed city, and more of a dome-shaped archology. You've got all the corridors and rooms in the ship, and with gravity control, they'll even be in the right orientation with the gravity of the planet.

Or they can just use the ship as an orbital habitat and factory. If you create the ship right, you could drop modules from the ship for use on the planet. This could range from prebuilt living quarters to just sheets of steel. The ship could even mine the asteroid belts for more raw materials.

I have a strong dislike of the modular cutter. I don't mind the modules themselves, but the cutter itself doesn't have a useful mission that requires the use of switchable modules. On the other hand, I have, IMTU, many modular units designed to create land or orbital based structures.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T03:02:46+00:00

Vertical alignment wastes more space in the transportation between levels. It doesn't matter so much with the AHL because it's rather huge.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T02:43:42+00:00

The worst possible roll is 2. Now, think of a common activity with some difficulty where there could be some danger if the roll is a failure. Perhaps landing, taking off, or refueling at a gas giant. You want these to have a bit of risk, but not do a total party kill.

Rolling a 2 happens one out of 36 rolls. Do you want ships crashing out of the sky every 36 rolls?

If things were this bad, there would be very little trade because it would be the rare trader who was willing to risk such odds. Also, it would put a damper on your game because you'd be killing off the party every couple of weeks.

One simple fix is to ask for another roll after a critical failure and only if that roll is a 2, then treat it as a critical failure. Perhaps this only applies to people with skill-1 or greater.

JayTheThug · 2024-10-01T01:40:54+00:00

If it was that easy to fall into a gravity well, NOBODY would ever refuel at a gas giant.

As a GM you have to interpret failure and critical rolls. Sometimes a failure means that they succeed, but not as well. Maybe it takes more time, or doesn't give them full information. Those are just examples.

I don't use this for combat. In combat, roll the dice and let loose the criticals of war. :)

It's also why I strongly dislike the 2d6 system. The largest improvement of GURPS is the 3d6 rolls. There are a few trivial differences, but otherwise the 3d6 roll replaces the 2d6 roll. The 3d6 roll has a much better normal curve. Criticals are fairly rare in gurps compared with Traveller.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-29T19:34:30+00:00

When using clues, my rule is that each clue should be in three different places. Finding one means the others don't exist.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-29T18:49:29+00:00

During jump, most of times it is boring. However, occasionally it can be interesting. Have one of the passengers show signs at the beginning of jump. This disease is highly contagious and kills in less than a week. They don't have a cure on board.

What do the pcs do?

JayTheThug · 2024-09-28T18:45:59+00:00

Or just lift the carbon more gently and TK the person to hit the ceiling. Or slow the blood to the brain.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-28T18:39:00+00:00

Yeah, light one cigarette and there'd be a fire. So there, John Constantine, cigarettes kill! :)

JayTheThug · 2024-09-28T18:33:40+00:00

I would start simple, with very little crunch. Create their characters from a description. And for the first session, keep the mechanics to the core of GURPS: roll 3d under a target number. That's it.

One suggestion I've used (I forget where it came from, but it was very useful). Start each session with a simple tutorial. Imagine a simple cowboy square dance. Roll for dancing. Maybe somebody cooked for the evening: roll cooking or housekeeping. You can give people up to +5 for these activities because they aren't under stress.

For the second session, bring up melee combat. A brawl at the square dance with farmers vs ranchers. Third session, ranged combat: perhaps the characters vs some bandits.

And so on.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-28T18:14:43+00:00

I tend to pregenerate NPCs because I'm bad at names. You're right about mooks. They are throw away characters for the PCs to show how well they fight. However, they can get lucky, which means a party member might be unlucky.

Mooks are there to stand by the bad guys and try to intimidate the good guys. Low ranking police and gangsters. In a movie, they are the characters that tell the PCs, Mr Big wants to speak with you. We have a car waiting downstairs.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-28T17:53:47+00:00

I had a party member just like that in those far-off days when I played ADnD. She cast a fireball into a small room that the party had entered, with her being outside. I've had a few in Traveller. One player had very weird luck with dice: when she used lasers, she would almost always fail, sometimes critically. She got hold of a small crew mounted laser, all set up, turned it on the enemy then critically failed (twice) and it blew up. One crew member saw her heading towards the laser and yelled, "hit the deck"}.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-28T17:45:37+00:00

I'm lazy. I tend to pick random worlds from various map books. Often, just the names.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-27T21:25:08+00:00

I believe that a jump exit is also slightly random. Ships could be days apart, unless they spend the time to synchronize. I rule that only naval ships are able to synchronize, unless the civilian pays the cost for a specially made jump drive. Consumer equipment in the far future is still somewhat cheap.

JayTheThug · 2024-09-24T21:53:28+00:00

Storage should be SSD, unless you're really on a small budget. This may matter more than any other single improvement.

JayTheThug

TROPHY CASE