"Traveller + Star Wars = anyone?" Topic

Seems like an easy bonding. We did it years ago, 1979-81, but I am curious if anyone is currently playing with this combo in any form?

I guess the real issue is in how much of SW science fantasy do you allow to flavor your harder science fiction?

The addition of all the alien races doesn't bother me in the slightest.

The introduction of light sabers…be honest here, everyone except the OFM loves the idea of using light sabers?

The only real issue I can see ins't even the Empire, it is the Force luke…it is if to use the force.

I could see a limited force use…more along the lines of a magic user/cleric in D&D…magic missles replace arrows, healing touch, continual light, etc..

I used Force=Psionics

Think of using telepath to confuse the enemies aim rather than blocking shots from Fusion Guns

Truthfully I do not mind the blocked shots issue or even bending a beam slightly away…it is the complete package that is a bit too much as a whole IMO.

From the original Traveler books, there was a supplement called Citizens of the Imperium. I think there were characters that represented Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, though not by name. They did use Psionics as the Force and they had Laser Swords or whatever the Traveler equivalent was.

I still have my old books. I can look tonight.

Thats what we did back then. I haven't played Traveller in ages.

Thought about this in 1981. Original Traveller combat is just too bloody. SW is all about pulp combat where heroes never die. (Ignore the poor attempt at political intrigue in I-III.) Apples and oranges IMO.

Traveller was created almost simultaneously with Star Wars, with neither aware of the other, from what I've read. One account states that when the creators of Traveller went to see Star Wars, they turned to each other in surprise and said, "Traveller is Star Wars!" (Or the other way around…)

There are significant differences, of course. Traveller is considerably "harder" in its science than Star Wars ("What? A parsec isn't a measure of time?"), and the Traveller Imperium isn't overtly evil or dictatorial. Traveller's direct inspiration is clearly H. Beam Piper's Space Viking and other works of Golden Age science fiction by E.E. Smith, Heinlein, et. al. Star Wars is instead derived from movie serials like Flash Gordon, with some nods to modern popular understanding of the needs of space travel ("hyperspace"). That there is overlap simply comes from the fact that all of these original sources derive from the basic premises of early 20th century American science fiction— space travel, colonization of worlds, alien races, "ray" guns, ESP/mind powers, galactic empires, individualistic idealistic heroes, etc.

I remember as a boy that we clearly envisioned our Traveller games as very close to Star Wars, even though we didn't include lightsabres or "the Force" (or even the Psionics elements). My original character, "Flak" Anson was almost a direct copy of Han Solo, while Flak's ship, the Wyvern looked remarkably like the Millennium Falcon, only with the cockpit located along the central axis rather than the starboard side. Ah, youth!

Really, all one needs to do to play Traveller as Star Wars is change the setting, tweak the Psionics rules, and toss in the Empire, the Rebellion and lightsabres, and voila!

I always gave my Imperial officer NPC's an "English" accent in a nod to Star Wars Grand Moff Tarkin.

Of course we all played Star Wars with Traveller back in the day… of course, now I have kids of my own, and WOTC has such a shiny Star Wars Saga Edition series of books. I really like the new game, and it is muh easier than explaining to my 6-year old after a half-hour of character creation that Princess Lulu died in her fourth term of service…

Getting killed during character generation is no longer an issue (unless you are generating a Ranger in T-B5, that career is brutal…).

Were I to attempt Star Wars in Mongoose Traveller, the first thing I'd be looking at is the Psion book for variant power usage. Force users don't run out of juice nearly as quickly as Traveller psions normally do.

I liked character creation as it was…the risk was part of the fun…scars are like tattoos but with better stories.

I know we, the collective we that grew up on the first (fourth) movie and the black book Traveller game, played star wars traveller…I was curious as to who if anyone was doing it now :)

And I think the power usage limitation may be a good thing…it would go a long way to keep the power gamers in check…man oh man do I hate me a power gamer…alot.

The light saber thing is fine with me…but maybe a status thing to offically carry and use…but available if desired otherwise.

The force abilities could tune into the light saber and give the "jedi" significant advantage to form and function…much like a M-16 in a common guy's hands is good but in a trained marine sniper's hands it is so much better.

Oh, it still provides the scars, but no longer requires an autopsy to appreciate them.

We do now. But, almost none of my players are willing to do what I require of Jedis. And my Jedis serve an ancient goody goody order of, essentially, psions. But, they are not hunted by the Imperium.

I use light sabers.

I don't use Traveller rules in Star Wars. Rather, I use Star Wars fluff in a pretty classic Traveller game. I have added the races.

Ooooooooo…hey Nors…got room for one more? :)

Hi Norscaman –
Have you "statted-out" any of the races? I'd be interested in seeing what you came up with. Also in what you think a lightsaber does in Traveller terms as well.
Cheers – Mike

In response to Filbanto's thought I was playing around with some of the starwars aliens and I had a couple thoughts in regards to stats and mod.

In most games the aliens or non-human standard races have + and – assigned, so players roll up the character and then add/sub the mods.

When looking at some of the aliens I noticed there were some that stats should managed…max stats rather than +/- for some.

Jawas:
STR max 6 no +/-
SS max A/10 (max for non-human but could be higher amoung same species) and that's it in a different universe a jawa could get schooling, join a military, etc. so the other stats could be normal.

Wookiee:
STR min C/12 no +/- just a min/max thing with a potential for a greater than H/17+ STR?
SS max A/10 (max for non-human but could be higher amoung same species)

So I would say the 12D6 character generation process would be best for making an alien. First pick your alien type, note any stat restrictions, place stats to meet min/max so as not to waste points.

I made a couple characters using SW aliens:

balosar : genetically strained due to horrific poisons/toxins so there is a max to STR A/10, SS max A/10, they have antenna which allow an emotion based Danger Sense, and ultra high resistance to poisons/toxins…medic/scout

bith : genetically streamlined with heightened sense of smell (+4 to any smell memory/check), SS max A/10, no need for sleep, gift for technical work (+2 to any tech operate/repair/build skills), and complete pacifists (code again killing)…artist/merchant

ewok : short, STR max 9, SS max A/10, minor precog of personal danger (dreams)…artist/scout

lannik : short, STR max A/10, SS max A/10, heightened hearing (+2 to any hearing check), scarring/wounds as badges of honor/respect…medic/scout

toydarian : short, STR max 9, SS max A/10, flight, mental block to psionics, natural merchant +2 business, natural gambler +1 gambling…mechanic/merchant

It worked to start with the race then roll stats.

Just a thought or two.

I am too far out of Traveller gaming to know the in's and out's of exceeding H/17…is H/17 enough for a ultra strong, mega intelligent, or otherwise heightened beyond standard human limits? Wookiees have been known to pull peoples arms off their bodies…is H/17 enough to represent that?

Good ideas 28mmMan. I haven't committed the Mongoose Traveller rules to memory, but I think that a 15 gives you a +3 die modifier, so a 17 would probably be a +4. Since the basic roll is an 8+ for success even critters with a skill of zero would have a good chance of success with a 17 stat. It doesn't seem too out of whack to me…

Another idea I had was to ensure everyone got a level of Jack of All Trades. Seems a good way to rationalize things like Tatoonie farm boys being able to operate Quad-blasters and so forth!

17 will still give a +3 under Mongoose Traveller, the die mod blocks are 3 values wide.

1-2 gives -2
3-4-5 gives -1
6-7-8 gives +/-0
9-10-11 gives +1
12-13-14 gives +2
15-16-17 gives +3

and so on.