March 3, 2023

Tales From the Forgotten Moon, Season 1: Building a Place with Stellar Adventures

What makes a Place?

Previously we designed a galactic sector and examined one star system in detail using the generator tools in Stellar Adventures. Today we will build a Place” using the procedures that start on page 99.

Places are built similarly to characters in that they have Characteristics and Specifics” that act like Special Skills. Unlike character building, this is not a point-buy system but it is closer to how Traveller randomly generates a world. Place Characteristics are values from 1-12 and cover the areas of:

  • Size: represents the people, buildings and general infrastructure”
  • Tech: measures the technological advancement of the Place”
  • Trade: represents the extent and reach of the exploited trade routes and the facilities to assist said trade.”
  • Society: the level and organisation of government, laws, social institutions, police force, healthcare”
  • Military: measures the defensive and offensive capabilities”
  • Resources: measures access to natural and local resources”

It is suggested that the Director (“Gamemaster”) either assign values that make fictional sense or use a random roll of either 2d6 or 1d6 + a base number. There’s no suggestion that a high number in one Characteristic (say Size) should carry over a modifier to another. The Director is encouraged to use the Characteristic values to form the basis of tests, for example, Tech could be tested to see if a starship module is available in the starport.”

Places can also have Specifics but there’s no fixed set of these instead some are suggested but it is clear the list is not meant to be exhaustive:

  • Alien
  • Artefacts
  • Computing
  • Culture
  • Food
  • Gems
  • Industry
  • Law
  • Metals
  • Robotics
  • Science
  • Starships

I had to scratch my head at Law being a Specific Skill rather than a Characteristic. I understand that the Society Characteristic covers a mix of Culture, Government, and Law but it is a bit too much bundling for my tastes. I’ll probably just add a Law Characteristic and move on.

Unlike Sectors and Systems, there are no tools to visualize” a map of a Place. That said, if you wanted such a thing, then you could turn to the Advanced Fighting Fantasy supplement Blacksand which includes… yes, a die-drop method of laying out a village, town, or city. Eyeballing the results should allow you to sufficiently reskin the fantasy” elements into something more sci-fi friendly.

Finally, some guidance is given on using a Place in play, both for opposed and unopposed tests. The next section of the book covers Trade, with more detail and procedures than Places but it is curious to note that the Trade procedures are built around tests involving combinations of a Place’s Characteristics and the suggested Specifics. It is a good way to get a handle on how you might use the Place concept in your own game. Stellar Adventures is a toolkit book more than anything else, it does not come with a setting and there’s not even a strongly implied setting. One could run anything from Alien to Cyberpunk to Star Trek to Star Wars using what is in the book. Being a toolkit person, this is why Stellar Adventures has long appealed to me.

Building a Place

I’ve sketched out a character I might use in this game (there’s no lifepath” Character building in Stellar Adventures so I ended up using Traveller Supplement 04, Citizens of the Imperium to build the character’s backstory.) In doing so I’ve uncovered that they’ve come from Enlid-1 one of the twin ice planets that are orbiting the star of Rylin. On Enlid-1 there’s a surface outpost” which I’ve given the name Enciso Town. I scratched my head for a bit on the best way to randomly roll up the place Characteristics and ultimately decided on throwing 2d6-1 for each. Sure that rules out a 12 but then again it works much better with the roll-under nature of Fighting Fantasy. I considered building a cascading system of Characteristic modifiers similar to Traveller but eventually determined it was more trouble than it was worth.

After throwing 2d6 seven times (remember, I added a Law Characteristic) I end up with the following Traveller-style Universal Place Profile” (UPP) hex sequence for Enciso Town: A363884 or in English”: an outpost with a large population with unimportant tech, average trading conditions, a working-class society, above average military presence, above average resources, and a fairly low law presence.

At face value what we have generated so far has the trapping of a standard mining outpost and I could probably work this as-is. Instead, I wanted a bit more detail, so I turned to Distant Lights: Creating Borderworld Outposts for Your Campaign by Kevin Crawford. I did not use all of the random tables in this book because there are too many and several did not thematically fit with the galactic profile shaping in my head. Picking a few random tables throughout the book has built out the additional bit of background for Enciso Town:

  • Enciso Town is made up of bright white domes and multi-level geodesic structures that house a population that has started to outgrow the available infrastructure. Power outages and water shortages are not uncommon.
  • Enlid & Enciso” were a pair of explorers who initially charted the Rylin sector ages ago. Enlid was mostly interested in astronomic anomalies, such as twin planets, whereas Enciso was interested in planetary surveys. The Enciso family has the mining rights to many locations throughout the galaxy, including the mining outpost on Enlid-1. Enlid & Enciso Mapping Services (EEMPS) also provides all of the major star navigation charts and stellar traffic control systems throughout the galactic sector.
  • Enciso Town is currently run by Enciso Mining Enterprises Vice President Kayla Ninnr. They are corrupt, deeply involved in smuggling operations, and maintain control over the local population because they also operate the facilities on Enlid-1 that can filter out the dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and methane from the planet’s ice resources.
  • A form of dangerous and high-speed grav-bobsled racing is extremely popular on Enlid-1.

These last details paint a much more evocative picture of a place. They required more time investment though so every time you look at a GM resource like this you have to ask yourself am I going to use this?” In this case, I envision this as the starting location for our game so it was a valuable world-building exercise. We’ve got our major corporate overlords, a corrupt executive that can serve as a patron, local conflict, and a splashy sport that helps me understand why a character I generated through Traveller happens to have a high skill in vehicle driving.

Next time we’ll take a peek at how to use Traveller character lifepath generation to inform your Stellar Adventure characters. Hint: Troika shows us the way.


February 28, 2023

Tales From the Forgotten Moon, Season 1: Sector Building with Stellar Adventures

I recently printed out and spiral bound a copy of Stellar Adventures, the Science Fiction RPG toolkit based on Advanced Fighting Fantasy from Arion Games. The back of this book, starting on pg 112, has a method of building a galactic sector” and each of the star systems within primarily using die-drop a method.

First, I started with procedure for generating the sector. You start by rolling 2d6 to determine the number of stars in the sector, my result was an 8. I then rolled 8 six siders (using a digital dice roller) and got this result:

An image of 8 different six sided dice spread out over a rectangular area. The dice face have results of 6, 5, 5, 4, 2, 2, 2, and 1.

Each die is the position of a star system and the die result is the number of planets that orbit that star.

I used this die drop result with OmniGraffle to generate a vector image that was easier to work with. Following the procedures on pg 113, I measured the distance between each of the dice in inches (rounding down) to determine the distance (presumably this is used to factor in jump difficulty, fuel usage, or time… I’m not sure yet.) The book doesn’t give a Traveller like table to determine whether a route exist or not, it just says to draw lines between neighbouring systems.” I decided to wear my GM hat and made some judgement calls about whether a connection would exist or not.

A star map of 8 different star systems with connecting lines between the stars to show the connecting star routes.

There’s no name generation tables in Stellar Adventures so I’ve turned to my usual collection of tools: a custom system that builds names in the style of the old Elite computer game and a series of phonetic tables from the Wizard of the Coast book Star Wars Galactic Campaign Guide the builds natural sounding Star Wars words.

There’s a die-drop similar procedure for laying out the individual systems. I decided I would start with what I assume is the core systen given its central location, Rylin. Rylin has 5 planets - although it turns out this is really more like 5 stellar objects of note because your die results may determine that it is not a planet but an asteroid or something strange.” Here’s my die drop from the Rylin system:

Five six sided dice are randomly located in a rectangular area. The die faces show a 5, 3, 2, 1, and 1.

Each of these dice is the location” of an object orbiting the star in this system. Results of 1, 2 or 3 will be planets, 4s are Gas Giants, 5s are Asteroids, and 6s are strange” things. Each of these results has their own sub-table you roll on. There’s also a random table for determining if the planet has lifeforms and what type of settlements exist. After working with those procedures I’m left with this map I created in OmniGraffle again:

A system map with a star in the center and 5 stellar objects orbiting the star.

Obviously I’ve used some GM fiat to adjust the positions of things - mostly for readability. Also, here’s the outline of settlements across the various planets:

  • Rylin, Ocean world
    • Anisis Point, Starport
  • Enlid-1 & Enlid-2, Twin ice planets
    • Enciso Town (Enlid-1), Surface outpost
    • Zodai Outpost (Enlid-2), Surface starport
  • Riscornaan, Lifeless tidally locked world
  • Talrinnal, Desert Planet
    • Aoredle Depot, Surface starport
    • Meridian Dock, Space station
  • Duras-1, Asteroid field
    • No known outposts (pirates? smugglers?)

This was a fun exercise. As much as I love Traveller this was way more fun than doing subsector layout although there’s still a certain charm to the Universal World Profile method of generating a planet. In another post I’ll use the Places” procedures on pg. 99 of the book to stat out each of these settlements. That will start to give us a richer picture of their size, technology, society, military presence, and resources.


February 1, 2023

Homebrewing with Two Hour Wargames

My hardcopy of the new 5150 New Beginnings Quick Play has arrived. It is the slimmest Two Hour Wargames (THW) title to date and is bound to elicit three responses:

  1. OMG, this is the best thing ever.
  2. Wait, there’s not even Battle Boards anymore?
  3. Cool, more toys.

I’m squarely in camp #3 at this point in my THW play style. I don’t think I’ve played a game of THW that was straight out of a single title - I’m frequently mashing up different bits from the different titles I own. Typically these days I’m pulling what I need from:

  • 5150 No Limits
  • 5150 New Beginnings 2022
  • Future Tales
  • Universal Challenge and Interaction Table (forum freebie)
  • and now 5150 New Beginnings Quick Play

What’s nice about the new Quick Play rules is that they don’t require counters, minis, or maps. What’s also nice about the THW rules is that the mechanics are scalable. What do I mean by that? Well they scale on several axis for me:

  • The way the games typically generate opposition is balanced against the size of your band” or the number of player characters in your party.
  • The mechanics can be scale down to entirely theater of mind or all the way up to a complete tabletop with scenery & miniatures.
  • You can throw out or absorb just about as many rules as your game needs so as long as you keep a few of the core bits that power the game loop (so carefully balancing rules that interact with Decreasing & Increase Rep.)

The core of the Quick Play game is extremely appealing to me because I typically only have time to game in 30 minute or 1 hour bursts. Not enough time to setup a full tabletop and while the Battle Boards are quick, Quick Play is even faster - more gaming.

One thing that has always bugged me about THW games is that the Encounter rules are typically all over the place. Some have layers upon layers of nested rolls, some seem to have a roll high” on a random table approach, while others use the tried & true pass” rolls (roll equal or under Rep.) It requires a lot of repetition to develop mastery and for some titles I’ve played them for years now and I still have to page flip” to remember the proper sequence. For the last few days I’ve experimented with swapping out the Encounters system entirely with the new Mythic Gamemaster Emulator Second Edition scene system. It is working shockingly well. This is the beauty of THWs system - it is extremely friendly to this sorta of hacking.


December 23, 2022

Starforged: Thoughts on Combat in the Forge

I’ve been playing Starforged again (play reports to come… maybe?) and a couple of things dawned on me. Neither of these is probably an original thought but I can’t say I’ve seen much discussion of them. Perhaps these are helpful framings for people coming over from traditional RPGs.

Progress Tracks as hitpoints

I don’t believe that most RPGs truly use hitpoints as a simulationist measure of an entity’s health. Instead they use them to pace how long a combat scene will last which tells the players how dangerous and involved the combat could be. Ironsworn/Starforge Progress Tracks function the same way but they abstract and obscure some of this (for the better I think.)

One can approximate though about how much damage” (“progress”) one or more enemies can take in a Starforged combat encounter. A Progress Track is 10 boxes and each box can hold up to 4 ticks”. The Rank of the Challenge dictates how many ticks” you can mark in a Progress Track box. When it comes down it then you are looking at the following:

Rank HP
Troublesome 3~
Dangerous 5
Formidable 10
Extreme 20
Epic 40

So in a Dangerous Combat encounter, your foes can resist about 5 progress/harm/hits before you are in a strong position to make the Take Decisive Action move which would end the combat. In Ironsworn/Starforged to complete a progress track” you take the number of completed boxes (all four ticks marked) as a progress score and compare it to two d10 dice results. So if you’ve filled 6 progress boxes and roll a 4 and 6 on your d10s, then you’ve scored a weak hit because your progress score of 6 beats the 4 but not the 6.

Not every mark progress” in a combat has to reflect you pounding on your foe but let’s just work in the abstract as a thought exercise. In Starforged you are most likely to mark progress” once or twice (generally) in a move. So that gives you a feel for combat pacing: Troublesome fights might be over very quickly because a good start might put you both mechanically and fictionally in a position to end the fight on the next move. A Formidable fight is going to take several rounds even if you were marking progress twice per attack.

Initiative and control”

Starforged has an interesting take on what most RPGs would dub initiative” or maybe action order.” You are either in control” or in a bad spot” - you are acting or reacting to what’s happening. I see some push back on this as being not as realistic as my favorite RPG (D&D, etc) but I’m not so sure.

First let’s just establish that I go you go” is maybe one of the least accurate representations of real-world combat ever and yet it is the standard in many RPGs and even wargames because it is easy to referee. Even if you’ve never been in a hands-on combat situation think back to a schoolyard fight. Was it really two people taking turns having blows at each other? Not to my memory. One kid jumped another kid, wailed on them for several rounds (“in control”) and maybe the other kid got a spot of fortune that gave them an opening to move from being in a bad spot” to in control.” Did I watch fights where one kid maintained control the entire time? Heck yes. And certainly in popular fiction there is no sense of balance in combat encounters usually one side maintains the ebb of the flow more strongly than the other.

I think what Starforged offers is a spot on representation of combat - sides that have the a good starting position tend to maintain control until someone plans a decent counterattack or lady luck shines down on the opponent.


November 10, 2022

A little diversion from space-themed gaming but I promise I’ll tie it back together.

Matt Colville’s What Are Dungeons For? video discusses a number of game design topics framed around thesis that Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition only supports dungeon crawling as wallpaper”.

It is a solid video and while I made the mistake of looking at the comment it appears that Matt’s audience are full of mostly reasonable people who actually watched the video all the way through and digested the jist of his theory. (Matt also may be heavily moderating his comments, if so, kuddos.)

As someone very interested in game design I enjoyed this video and it prompted me to rethink a bit of my solo strategy going forward. Pairing the right game system for not just the right atmosphere or tone, but also my desired outcomes.

I think this is the reason I’ve had the most solitaire success with Starforged and the various 5150 RPG titles. Both do a very good job on the game design side of the house - the mechanics reinforce the designer’s preferred outcomes for your play. With Starforged the goal is to get you to undertake quests, make lasting connections with communities, and explore the unknown. In 5150 the goal is to earn Increasing Rep so you can retire comfortably. You do that by picking up jobs, taking out your opponents (either through interaction or combat), sell cargo, or delivering passengers. Then of course there’s Traveller which has no real reward<->game loop. Playing the game, going on the adventures, playing to find out” - that’s the game and engaging with it is the reward. For me at least I’m finding I need a more focused set of outcomes integrated into the game to enjoy it from the perspective of a solitaire player.


October 25, 2022

October 2022 Solitare RPG SciFi Update

This is not an actual play post or a review, just some notes on what’s been going on.

We’ve obviously been light on game play updates of late but much going on behind the scenes.

First, we’ve had a new entry into the solitaire RPG sci-fi game space. Martin Knight, best known for d100 Dungeon”, has released d100 Space. I’ve taken a look and there’s certainly everything in book one” someone might want to undertake a space adventure on their own. Much like d100 Dungeon, d100 Space focuses the action on a single character but there is some notion of having a crew” for your spaceship. The book is well laid out and the rules seem easy to follow but with lot of fiddly bits to play with if you like a little crunch.

In other solitaire RPG news, Two Hour Wargames has added a new 5150 scenario book to their lineup: A Night at the Fights. There’s added bonus that it includes the new Quick Play” tables but there’s no instructions supporting how to use them. I have my usual concerns about content organization with a THW title (why is the Down the Road” tool include from the Usual Suspect title but it refers to page numbers in the core New Beginner Book? Who knows) but the scenario material looks enjoyable.

I was recently alerted to the existence of Pazio’s Starfinder Flip-Tiles”. These are boxes of 6″ x 6″ gridded squares that you can mix’n’match to build a game map. While I would never tortue myself and play Starfinder these maps look suitably space adventure” generic to me and should work well for anyone wanting to use 15/28mm miniatures or paper standees.”

Meanwhile, my own gaming has been interrupted a bit by some playtesting of other upcoming solo titles. I also see that my Starforged physical assets are on their way, so it is not unthinkable that I’ll be drawn back into playing that wonderful game again.


October 15, 2022

Starport Scum - Extra Resources

Here are three additional resources you can use in your Starport Scum campaigns. (Starport Scum you say? What’s that? Look at my Forgotten Gem” post to see a quick intro to what the game is about.)

Starport Scum Reference Sheet

First, an improved reference sheet for Starport Scum. One sheet, back and front. While there is a reference sheet in the back of the core book I wanted some additional details such as fumble tales, social, & task rules.

This document is shared with the approval of Ivan Sorensen (because it contains text directly from the core rules.)

Starport Scum Revised Job Tables

While I like the jobs in the core rules and Starport Scum Bils to Pay” New Jobs Guide expansion I find the tables are too inconsistent and unorganized for my tastes. Inspired by Shaun Travers 4 Dice SFRPG Tables” style I reorganized the jobs into a more compact and consistent format. Roll 2d6 to select a job table and then roll 4 dice and (in-order) to grab a result from each column. Take the result and use them to build out your job encounter. Entries marked with an asterisk” earn you an additional Fistful of Credits” on top of the starting pay of 1 for all jobs. In addition this includes a new job Courier” which covers your usual things like point-to-point delivery, passengers, smuggling, etc.

I’ve purposely kept things fairly abstract - the idea is to give you prompts as to why you are throwing minis down to battle on the tabletop. I think this is in the spirit of all Nordic Weasel Games titles - we want to have a miniatures battle but also want to have a bit of story too. If you need additional details about your patron there are approximately 100 different RPG supplements (many for Stars Without Number or Traveller) that will give you all the NPC details you need.

Expanded Patron Resources

Starport Scum Flavor Tables

Finally, on my jobs table sometime you might roll up an executive” or bureaucrat.” In these case you might want to know about what type of work the corporation does or how the government functions. Likewise you might also want to know more about the Starport services or the Planet surface. So here’s one page of a bunch of common details you might need to build out a more detailed environment for your Scum battles. Not too much detail, just enough.”

Good Hunting fellow Scummers.


October 13, 2022

Starport Scum Crew Creation House Rules

Number of Starting Traits

The core rules of Starport Scum define the starting dice pool for a character and also offer a table where you can roll to determine a random number of starting traits based on character class. This is suitable for a new campaign but if you are converting from an existing game to Starport Scum you might want some guidance how to pick a reasonable number of starting traits. I suggest the following system:

Character Class Dice Pool # of Traits
Goon 2 0
Bruiser 2 1
Ace 3 2
Hero 3 4+

I am primarily basing this on two sources:

  1. Core rules, Assigning Traits”, page 44
  2. The Faction subsystem that came with the Starport Scum Storyteller’s Guide.

The Assigning Traits section contains this table:

Roll Ace Hero Player Character
1 1 1 2
2 1 2 2
3 1 2 3
4 2 3 3
5 2 3 4
6 3 4 5

(Player characters are used for campaigns where each player controls a single character only.”)

The Faction subsystem gives this guidance for creating a Faction:

Status Dice Pool Number of traits
Minor, trivial or insignificant 2 0
Modest 2 1
Expansive 3 2
Major power player 3 3
Defining in its field 4 4+

I think these status labels map pretty well to the character classes:

  • Goons are minor or trivial characters
  • Bruisers are modest characters with human average abilities in most areas and possibly one area that they have some specialization in
  • Aces are expansive” characters in that their role in the story is like a co-star”
  • Heros are major power players in the story

Number of Character Classes per Crew

Again there is a system in the core book where you can randomly roll to generate the composition of your crew. For an established crew I think having an array of pre-defined choices makes more sense. For this I suggest the following options:

  • 2 Heroes
  • 1 Hero and 2 Aces
  • 4 Aces
  • 1 Hero, 1 Ace, 2 Bruisers
  • 3 Aces and 2 Bruisers
  • 1 Hero and 4 Bruisers
  • 2 Aces and 4 Bruisers
  • 1 Aces and 6 Bruisers

I don’t suggest the use of Goons for PC characters as I think they work better for NPC minions.”

(Thanks to Scott Pyle’s Super Skirmish Gaming for the example starting team arrays which I’ve borrowed and mapped to the Starport Scum classes.)

Starting Gear

Page 46 says:

All characters will begin the game with a basic firearm and any mundane equipment needed.”

This should cover most of your needs when starting with existing characters. If you have characters that have specialized gear (the game builds these out using gear TAGS & CONDITIONS - which are just TRAITS by another name) then I’d recommend giving Aces character 1 piece of cool gear and Heroes up to 2 pieces of cool gear.

I hope these tips help you get your Starport Scum game off the ground!


October 12, 2022

Starport Scum, a Forgotten Gem

Back in 2016, Nordic Weasel Games published a title called Starport Scum written by Ivan Sorensen and Mathew Sparkes. It is a quirky narrative miniatures wargame”, much like Two Hour Wargames’ 5150 RPG line (Fringe Space, No Limits, New Beginnings, etc.) This means that there is about an equal amount of support for RPG-like activities as there are miniatures like ones.

The game’s basic mechanic is this:

Roll Dice Pool = Character Class +/- TRAITS

Your character class is going to be one of Goon, Bruiser, Ace, Hero” and TRAITS are the sorta thing you see in a lot of Indie RPG titles: freeform keywords that have mechanical weight. TRAITS are written in all caps which is handy to keep track of them.

Like any good miniatures game there are all manner of rules about activation, initiative, movement, shooting, fighting, stabbing, throwing grenades, etc. It is not overly complicated but there is a solid framework that works best with any 15mm to 28mm individually based figures you have but can be scaled up or down without much effort.

There’s also several story mechanics for Doing Things” from picking locks, talking things out, finding clues, etc.

If you boil it down to the basics you are going to be rolling anywhere from 2 the 5 d6 dice, looking for 5s or 6s, and comparing the result to a table like this:

# of Successes Result
0 Failure
1 Success w/ consquence
2 Success
3+ Success w/ bonus

There are specific tables for each system in the game but mostly they abstract to this range of results. You shoot someone and get one 5 or 6? Then you have PINNED them down. PINNED is a TRAIT, and it has specific rules that could impact the figure’s movement. In an expansion to the game getting that lone success might make the opposing figure PINNED but would also allow them to Return Fire (ala, Two Hour Wargames Chain Reaction-style shooting system.) If you had scored two or more successes you could deal damage to the figure (with the opposing figure having a chance to make a damage saving throw.)

The core rules come with a lot of random tables to help build the story around why you are having miniatures battles. A lot of tables. In fact if you’ve read the 3rd edition of Five Parsecs From Home (“5P) you will see a lot of familiar topics. There were a number of expansions to Starport Scum that added rules for more guns, loot, vehicles, additional jobs to be done, etc. It has a lot of support in that area even though the game is not ring actively worked (though there are not canned” scenarios - in general you will randomly roll up an encounter: the tabletop terrain, opposing force size, the extra circumstances, the goal, etc.)

I don’t have an extensive collection of miniatures or terrain - I have a lot of 2D battle boards, counters, paper figures, and even my custom-painted space smuggler” meeples. As such this type of loose game framework is very much to my liking. I do enjoy a good dice pool but I never want to roll 20 dice - the 5D cap makes it very reasonable and solo friendly. I like that there are miniatures rules as it helps me as a solo player work out the details of combat in a way that seems less arbitrary than entirely relying on theater-of-the-mind but I also like that the game has rules for you doing not combat things. As you’ve seen in my various actual plays, space is dangerous. Getting into firefights every session would be a great way to roll up an entirely new crew once a week and I prefer my crew to stick around for a few episodes.

Why Starport Scum over 5150 you might ask? Solid question! I think the opened-ended TRAIT system (which is extended in the core rules to work for gear, weapons, conditions, etc) plays nicely into a solitaire game. I’m often already writing down WORDS that mean things I need to remember for my game’s state.” If I mark a word in ALL CAPS that’s a great reminder to myself that something happened in this game that influences the mechanics. Feels like less bookkeeping that way. I will say that Starport Scum’s job engine (encounter system) and advancement system are not as fine tuned as that in the 5150 titles - Encounters and Rep” are very well done in the THW line. I think the streamlined mechanics of Scum are a solid benefit over some of the nuances that are found across the THW titles. I can keep the Scum mechanic in my head without any page flipping. I don’t think one is necessarily head & shoulders better than the other though - so it comes down to a matter of your own preferences.


October 11, 2022

Travelling the Lanes with Osman Celik, Log 06

Morning on Allenby B557455-B, 013-3466, Old Gaepri, Residential District

A lone Cr900 bottle of liquor stands on a small table in Osman’s apartment. Osman is having breakfast, pacing the room, and occasionally pauses to stare back at the bottle. He sighs, pockets his hand computer, grabs the bottle, and leaves the apartment.

Carderas Assets HQ, please.” says Osman as he climbs into a air taxi.

Driver reaction: 2d6: [6, 5] = 11 Enthusiastic.
Possibly a chance for some chit-chat, maybe about the news.

Custom Random News Headline (51,35): Escaped bioweapon, on a red zone planet

The drive nods and strikes up a conversation. You hear what they are saying happened on Gough?”

The terraforming accident?” questions Osman.

Nah, that’s the official line. My pal in the service told me it was a bioweapon experiment gone wrong.”

Bioweapon. Sure, could be…” Osman trails off more focused on his next steps. The Driver continues chatting about other elaborate conspiracy theories they believe are destroying the galaxy.

Morning on Allenby B557455-B, 013-3466, New Gaepri, Carderas Assets HQ

Mythic Meanings - locations, general: Tall, Echo

The air taxi pulls up to a narrow glass building that reaches quite a ways up - like many of the natives on Allenby. Once inside the interoir is lit with a sterile blue glow and Osman’s boots echo across a mostly empty interoir featuring an reception desk and panel of elevators.

I’m here to see Duchess Valencia Carderas.” says Osman cooly.

Do you have an appointment?” asks the receptionist.

Osman places the bottle on top of the reception desk.

Receptionist reaction 2d6: [3, 6] = 9 Intrigued.

One moment, please have a seat.” says the receptionist as they tap an earpiece. Call Valencia Carderas. Hello, I have an individual downstairs that I think you will want to know about.”

Osman takes the bottle back and sits down on a stainless steel bench. He hears a whirring sound, looks up, and notices a camera is pointed at him.

Valencia (presumably via an assistant) reaction: 2d6: [1, 1] = 2 Violent. Immediate attack.

Guards surprise, 1d6: [2]
Osman surprise, 1d6: [5] surprise achieved

ESCAPE AND AVOIDANCE A party which has achieved surprise may always avoid an encounter by so stating. — Book 01, Characters & Combat

Initial range; 2d6-5: [1, 4]-5 = 0 (1: Short)

Besides the bench and reception desk is there anything else Osman could use? 2d6: [2, 5] = 7 Yes, but
Going to assume it is like oversized, extremely heavy planters. He can’t move them but he could run to them if desired.

Moments later the elevator bell rings, the doors open, and two extremely large people dressed in dark black formal suits step out. Osman frowns and ducks behind the bench, attempts to turn it over as an obstacle, and makes a run for the door.

The bench must be heavy, so Throw under 7 (STR 9, -DM 2): 2d6: [6, 5] = 11 Nope.

They look directly at Osman, pull out a pair of SMGs, and open fire. Glass is shredded to pieces and people on the street start running in panic. Osman is out the door and running for his life. He darts down an alley…

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-) 2d6-5: [6, 6] = 7 None. (-5 DM as a shots fired” modifier)
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [5] Yes.
  • Random Person: (1d610) + 1d6: ([6]10)+[5] = 65 GMs choice”
    • Reaction: 2d6: [6, 6] = 12 Genuinely friendly.
    • Adventure Crafter, Character Identity: Athlete, Thief
    • Adventure Crafter, Character Descriptors: Arrogant, Helpful

… and sees a air/raft hover off the ground.

Get in.”

Osman hesitates and looks behind him again.

You got another option? Otherwise, get in. I’m your guardian angel.”

Osman climbs into the car and the pair head skyward to the traffic lanes.

Who are you?” asks Osman.

We have a mutual friend… and enemy it seems. You are either really brave or extremely dumb to waltz into Carderas like that.”

Where are we headed, the starport?” Osman takes a look around and infers their destination from their surroundings.

Yes. Nivelle to be exact.”

Nivelle? That’s clear across the subsector. I’m not going there.”

You are a pilot right? I need a pilot. I hear you need credits too. I can help with that as well.”

Mythic Meanings, starships: Automated, Colorful

The vehicle passes through the starport checkpoints and descends towards a docking bay. On the pad is a ship painted safety orange” and a set of robots are working on the ship.

How did you know to find me? You work for Havva?”

You ask a lot of questions, son. You run your mouth like that at Carderas? No wonder they wanted to shut you up.”

Run my mouth? I didn’t even get to talk to anyone.”

Run with my crew for a bit and you’ll learn to take care of yourself. The pay will be good and, at least for tonight, no one will be shooting you.”

Osman considered his options. They seemed extremely thin at the moment. The air/raft came to a rest near their starship. One of the small robots interacted with the ship and a landing dock lowered down.

One job. I pilot you to Nivelle and you get me back here?” said Osman.

Could be one job. Could be more. Right now you’ve angered a crime family that wants to shoot you on sight apparently. Why you would want to come back here beats me.”

You bring me back here or no deal.”

The air/raft, now docked inside the ship, came to a stop. The driver exited the vehicle and Osman followed.

Look, I can bring you back here when the heat simmers down. I hear you are good pilot, why would you want to be dead instead?” said the Driver.

I have family.”

Best we leave them out of this.”

What do I call you?”

Custom Random Space Opera Names: Jet Reth (lol, what even is this name?)

Captain will do for now.” says the driver.

One of the small robots, with narrow legs, hastily walks towards Captain Jet Reth.

C-C-Captain Reth, repairs are complete and the ship is ready to depart.”

Reth pats the robots on the head and it walks itself over to what appears be a purpose-built docking station for the robot itself. The other small robots follow suit and lock-in to their own stations.

Ready to earn your pay? We’ll need docking clearance and navigation solution to Nivelle. The jump gate to Pershing should be open. I assume you can work out the rest?”

Your charts are up to date?”

Just downloaded the latest data. That is assuming these buckets of bolts did what I asked.”

Is this the crew’?” Osman makes a show of putting sarcastic air quotes around the word crew as he says it.

I this the whole crew, unlikely? 2d6-1: [5, 4]-1 = 8 Yes.

Yep, that’s them.”

What the hell do you do exactly?”

I get into places that don’t want to be gotten into.”

Ok. Just show me to the bridge.”

The pair climb several ladders until they reach an area with some familiar navigation equipment.

That’s a military grade sensor computer… where did you get this stuff?”

I have friends too, Osman.”

What happened to your last pilot?”

For a moment the Captain looks distant. They had to leave the crew. It was their time.” after a quiet moment Reth continues So, the seat is yours. You can adjust it… you know play with all the knobs later if you like but get us moving first.”

Yes, Captain.”

GM Notes

Osman definitely doesn’t do things I would do but to me the spirit of Traveller is playing the character. Osman has enough raw ability to be good at many things but he’s also fairly young (in the grand scheme of things) and naive. If it wasn’t for the surprise I think he’d wound up seriously injured at the Carderas HQ (possibly even dead if I thought the dice wanted that strongly enough.)

This whole Captain Reth storyline is just purely what came to mind with the random tables rolls. A random person encounter, that is one of the blank entries and the reaction roll is a 12? What else could it be then someone dropped into Osman’s world ready to change their life? The Adventure Crafter character suggestions painted a picture to me of one of those brash, bold smuggler captain types. I just ran with that first picture that came into my mind.

Was Havva Taş having Osman watched and stepped in? I don’t honestly don’t know and I’ll leave it to the dice to tell me. For now we get to go visit another world (and maybe another ruleset.)


October 4, 2022

Travelling the Lanes with Osman Celik, Log 05

Been sick with the flu so this gameplay report has taken a while to post.

Morning on Allenby B557455-B, 012-3466, New Gaepri Starport

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [2, 5] = 7. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [2]. None.
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [6]. Yes.
    • (1d610) + 1d6: ([5]10)+[2] = 52 3, Traders - again?
      • From the same group of Traders Osman ran into before? 2d6: [6, 4] = 10 Yes
    • Reaction: 2d6: [3, 1] = 4 Hostile. Attacks on 8+.
      • Attacks? 2d6: [1, 1] = 2

Look, Silvie, it is the numbnuts who asks too many questions.” says a gruff looking Trader who catches Osman looking at them.

3d44: [10, 18, 15] 1001 Characters, Thugs (Law Level 6-):

  • Silvie B65669, Club
  • Kerem 6B5576, Pistol
  • Elias A93328, Pistol

Silvie cracks their knucles, looks at Osman, and starts walking towards him.

Alright, alright…” Osman, in an old Navy mechanics outfit, stands up from the crate he was trying to hide behind. No, need for any trouble. I’m looking to buy some liquor and I hear you are the folks to talk to.”

Who sent you?” asks Silvie.

My buyer wishes to remain anonymous. We were told you can hook us up with the good stuff, from the Carderas distilleries.”

Feels like trying to make a connection with Streetwise, which Osman does not have. Based on the skill guidance in Book 01, I’ll call it a throw of 5+ on 2d6 with the -5 DM for no expertise”.

2d6-5: [2, 6]-5 = 3 Nope.

Your buyer don’t know jack buddy.”

Will the Traders let Osman walk away or does he know to much”> 2d6: [5, 4] = 9 Yes

Now, get out of here before I rearrange your face.” says Silvie who punches a fist into his open hand. Osman assumes the hand represents his face.

Late Morning on Allenby B557455-B, 012-3466

Walking away from the loading docks, Osman takes a look around for the administration offices.

Hi, sorry to bother you, I’m looking to review the transaction logs from six days ago. We believe some Navy gear may have been illegal sold that day.”

Admin’s reaction 2d6: [2, 6] = 8 Interested

Really? You are the second party to ask about the logs for that day. You working with the police?”

This is a private Navy investigation, sir.” says Osman who stands up a little taller.

Throw Admin 8+ to get access to the records: 2d6+1: [4, 2]+1 = 7 Nope.

You know I’d really like to help you but your superior will need to file the proper paperwork to review the logs.”

Osman ponders this and pulls out his hand computer, he punches in a few numbers and slides the screen over to the admin. Bank transfer, Cr600” the screen says.

Admin reaction to being bribed, 2d6: [6, 3] = 9 Intrigued
Throw Bribery 8+: 2d6-5+2: [6, 6]-5+2 = 9 (Doubles!) -Cr600

The admin takes the hand computer and keys in their personal number. Now that you mention it, I forgot I already processed paperwork this morning. Let me pull up what you are looking for. Six days ago, sales logs you said?”

Transaction logs, ship registries, inspections, the works.” He waits for the admin to transfer the files to his hand computer. Osman thanks the admin, walks away, and begins to page through the transactions for that day.

Was their only one sale of liquor that day? (unlikely) 2d6-1: [3, 5]-1 = 7 Yes, but.

Hrm, perhaps the name here is an alias? stolen? forged? Obviously meta-knowledge and solo play aren’t great friends but we will just make do.

1001 Characters, Merchants - 1d136: [16] Prasad Johar 978644, Age 36

Prasad Johar, 15 tons of liquor

Osman taps over to see who Prasad sold to that day.

Was is the traders from before? (likely) 2d6+1: [5, 4]+1 = 10 Yes

Silvie, of course.” Osman considers what to do next. The liquor is probably on the black market already but has Prasad left town?

Does Prasad have a ship register to them? 2d6: [4, 6] = 10 Yes.
Random ship name: Plucky Possum

Osman taps back to Prasad’s name and drills down to see a ship registry entry, Plucky Possum.

Has it left town? 2d6+2: [5, 4]+2 = 11 Yes
Destination. 2 space routes: 1) Birdwood 2) Pershing. 1d2: [2] Pershing.

_Plucky Possum_, departed 011-3466, destination Pershing.

Osman sighs. Lacking a ship he’d have no way to track down this lead. He could try to call in favor to have the ship held up at Pershing but by the time the message made it to Pershing, Prasad could be long gone. That’s assuming Prasad even went to Pershing, Osman is well aware that not every merchant ship keeps to their flight plan.

Osman tries his luck with Silvie’s ship one last time…

Has their ship left? 2d6+1: [5, 5]+1 = 11 Yes

… only to find they’ve left their berth. Osman, Cr600 poorer, heads off to lose more money at the TAS lounge.

Noon on Allenby B557455-B, 012-3466, New Gaepri TAS Lounge

1d6 5+ to hear a rumor: 1d6: [6] Yes.
Traveller Bok Rumor Matrix & List: 2d6: [2, 1] G: Location Data
Mythic character descriptors, physical: Drab, Stocky

Liquor? Yeah, sure I heard something about that.” says a muscular man in plain clothes.

Reaction Throw, how interested are they in giving it up? 2d6: [1, 2] = 3 Hostile.

It’ll cost you though, nothing is free on Allenby kid.”

Osman slides over his hand computer, ready to process a Cr300 transfer.

Throw 8+ to have the man take the bribe: 2d6: [3, 6] = 9

-Cr300

Location: (Augmented Reality Cyberpunk City Kit)

  • Random Building: Bar (1 story)
  • Random Features:
    • Unusually Busy
    • Front For Criminal Activity

A local restauranteur, Pagani Martin, just opened a new bar called the Blue Parrot in Old Gaepri. Pagani is as dirty as they come, I’m sure he’s involved with the liquor smuggling.”

Osman thanks the man and catches a air taxi back to Old Gaepri.

Evening on Allenby B557455-B, 012-3466

Osman walks up to the Blue Parrot and immediately notices the line to get in.

Are any of the bouncers ex-Navy, unlikely. 2d6-1: [5, 2]-1 = 6 No, but
Reaction: 2d6: [2, 6] = 8 Interested.
Mythic character descriptors, physical: Fancy, Rough

Melek!” Osman vigorously shakes hands with an old acquaintance from Pershing. What are you doing here?”

Keeping riff-raff like you out, ha!” says a grizzled looking face who is sharply dressed.

Osman frowns. Seriously, I heard you went into the Army?”

Mustered out, friend. You know they don’t keep the Army over-enlisted. All the money goes to the Navy.”

Any chance I’m on the list for tonight?” Osman says with a forced wink.

Reaction Throw: 2d6: [5, 4] = 9 Intrigued.

Yeah, why not! Go spend all your Navy money at the bar so they can line my pockets” Melek says with a hearty laugh.

Inside, purple and gold light flood over the entry way. The bar is packed and smokey. At each of the small round tables, groups are crowded around ornate fountain-like instruments. Osman watches someone pick up a tube connected to the fountains, put to their mouth, and exhale out a puff of smoke. The maître d’ interrupts Osman’s gaze and shows him to the bar.

What’ll you have?” asks a tender faced bartender.

Surprise me. I want something no one has ever had before.”

2d6: [3, 1] = 4 Hostile. Attacks on 8+.
2d6: [5, 2] = 7 Attacks (Calls cops?). No.

You a cop? Geez, just order something normal like everyone else.”

Sure, Cognac. Neat.” Osman sighs. A moment later a small glass of golden brown liquor arrives. Osman take his glass and walks around, looking for any doors that might lead to the less public parts of the establishment.

Throw 9- (INT), 2d6: [1, 4] = 5.

A change in the lighting catches Osman eye as he sees a single door in a double-door set open inwards. Walking a little closer, but keeping his distance, Osman observes a crowded scene in a red room. Lots of sharply dressed people huddled over various tables. Gambling, Osman guesses. On the opposite end of the room a door swings open and food is brought out. The kitchen.

Osman pulls out his hand computer and walks confidently towards the kitchen door. He burst in and tries to identify the head chef.

Throw 9- (INT), 2d6: [2, 6] = 8

He looks between two folks and picks one I’m working up marketing material for our new menu and the boss wants me to work in some notes from the kitchen on how you are pairing foods with our new liquor options.”

Reaction: 2d6: [4, 4] = 8 Interested

Really? You hear that Ilya?” the man slaps the other on the shoulder. The boss has finally taken an interest in the menu.”

Does the cook staff know about the new liquor 2d6: [1, 5] = 6 No, but

He continues You probably know about whats coming in here than I do. Drea did give me a little sip of something new’ she said earlier today. Had hints of freckled pears. That’s why I added a special of feta cheese wrapped with phyllo, honey and sesame seeds.”

Osman pretends to write this all down. Thanks, this is great. I’ll send out a blast about it. Just going to go check out the new stuff and make some notes.”

Osman wonders off through the kitchen towards the stock area.

Is the liquor there? 2d6+1: [2, 4]+1 = 7 Yes, but
what’s the but? descriptor+focus: Stolen Salvage
… is it damaged? Maybe Pagani’s crew stole it from Silvie’s.

Osman eventually finds a set of crates with the Carderas corporate markings. The crates are damaged though and some are filled with mostly broken bottles. Osman grabs a bottle as proof and tucks into his jacket’s inner pocket.

Does Osman encounter anyone on his way out? 2d6: [5, 4] = 9 Yes 2d6: [4, 1] = 5 Hostile. May attack. Mythic character descriptors, physical: Stocky, Scented

Who are you?” a tough and well cologned-man asks.

Publicist, I’m new. Helping to promote the club.” Osman fibs.

Outright telling a lie. Charisma check in some system. Throw under SOC? What skill might apply here? It is not quite any of the social skills like Admin, Bribery, Gambling, or Streetwise. One of the failings of early Traveller, and Marc Miller recently acknowledged this in an interview, is that it does not have solid conflict rules. Throw under SOC it is I guess.
Throw SOC (8-) 2d6: [5, 2] = 7

The man nods and wonders off as Osman quickly makes haste in the opposite direction. Osman decides it is best to call it a night. Maybe the retrieved bottle can earn Osman a new patron tomorrow.

GM Notes

A bit of a disjointed game as I started it a while ago and dropped it after I became sick. Picking up the pieces and trying to move the game forward again.


September 22, 2022

Travelling the Lanes with Osman Celik, Log 04

A lack of events eventually leads to an interesting connecting-the-dots experience for Osman.

Allenby B557455-B, 004-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [3, 6] = 9. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [3]. None.
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: 2 None.

So, they wanted the briefcase with the actual sample but Osman effectively got them similar information another way. Are they satisfied? seems like a reaction throw. Gonna toss in a +1 DM for Osman’s attempt what he found them wasn’t useless by any means.

2d6+1: [5, 4]+1 = 10. Responsive.

So you got creative, Mr. Celik. Well done.” says Devika as she pages through Osman’s files on her computer. Yes, I think everything is in order here. I’ll instruct our patron to transfer the funds to your account.”

-Cr20 meals
Osman +Cr10000 (5095->15095)

Allenby B557455-B, 005-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [2, 6] = 8. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [4]. None.
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: 1 None.

-Cr50 meals, museum ticket

Osman spends the day at the Old Gaepri art museum.

Allenby B557455-B, 006-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [2, 6] = 7. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [6]. Yes.
    • 2d6-2: [3, 4]-2 = 5 Major
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [3] None.

Kina figured one of these legal rolls would pop it would be the hotel connecting Osman to the beatings of two employees but perhaps Dame Havva’s connections have hushed up any investigation. I imagine this planet is rather corrupt.

-Cr120, taxis, food.

Osman, curious, heads down to the starport to do a little commodities trading. There’s a strong storm blowing through the settlements of Old & New Gaepri today. The taxis are busy and it takes Osman a while to find one. He tips the overworked drivers well.

First of all, Osman doesn’t have the capital to do this type of investment but I wanted to remember how this worked in the original rules.

The 1977 rules appear to assume a player-run starship for trading, though there are references to chartering ships for travel. Other Traveller games I’ve read/played assume the PCs might buy & sell cargo but without their own ship. Zozer’s SOLO goes into some detail about this so I will sprinkle in a few details from those rules if necessary.

The Broker section in the 1977 rules is oddly written. It says there are four types of brokers but then does not clearly explain what this means. The Traveller Book clears this up by having a table of DM +1 through DM +4 Brokers (and their fees); It is not that there are 4 types” but that there is one type of Broker and there are 4 different levels of expertise. Perhaps this was clear to others but I thought the presentation was clumsy. Types could’ve referred different classes of cargo or different types of brokers that handle different segments of the transaction. As usual I’ve overthought things.

  • What? (1d610)-10 + 1d6: (210)-10+[3] = 13 Liquor
  • How many? 1d65: [3]5 = 15 Tons
  • How much? (Admin-1) 2d6-1: [2, 6]-1 = 7 100%
  • Cr10000 per ton. 150,000 for the lot. Can be purchased in partial lots but with a 1% additional processing fee

Osman finds a seller who strikes up a conversation, eager to move some crates of liquor. He does some quick math in his head and realizes he doesn’t have the means to pull this deal off. He heads back home somewhat discouraged but with a better understanding of the economics of speculative trading.

Allenby B557455-B, 007-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [5, 5] = 10. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [5]. Yes.
    • 2d6-2: [3, 5]-2 = 6 Moderate
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: 1 None.

-Cr60, food.

Light rain keeps Osman close to home today, he decides to do some shopping to avoid having to eat out so much.

Allenby B557455-B, 008-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Weekly patron roll (5+), 1d6: [4]. None.
  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [1, 6] = 7. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: 2. None.
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [3] None.

Osman calls Devika on the secure phone.

The client was very happy with your work, Mr. Celik. We will keep a low profile for a few days but I’ll be in touch again soon.”

Allenby B557455-B, 009-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [5, 5] = 10. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [3]. None.
    • 2d6-2: [3, 5]-2 = 6 Moderate
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [4] None.

Not a ton happening, I think we’ll turn to the Travelling Alone sequence and see what happens.

    1. Upkeep: Nothing relevant. Next (4)
    1. Sell Equipment/Misc. Next (5)
    • Throw 9+ to find buyer for Low Passage - 2d6: [5, 5] = 10
      • +Cr900
    1. Event: (1d610) + 1d6: ([5]10)+[6] = 56. Gear/Ship issue.
    • -Cr40 Boots.
    1. Options. Self-improvement progress towards Electronics-0.
    1. Buy/Sell Equipment. None needed.
    1. End

For a moment Osman thinks a pair of local cops are tailing him but they turn and wonder off in another direction. Osman heads over to the Old Gaepri market where he finds someone interested in buying a spare Low Passage ticket he earned in the Navy. He finds a desperate buyer and sells it for Cr900.

The last two rain storms have taken a toll on Osman’s footwear so he buys a new pair of boots at an outdoor recreational store.

From there he heads to the local library. His encounter with the electronic lock has stuck with him and he realizes he needs to start learning more about electronics.

Traveller has these self-improvement rules based around picking up Level-2 in a skill after 4 years of study. That still feels pretty spot on to me. There’s very little guidance for okay, but what about level-0?” I can tell you my at-the-time eleven year old wanted to learn basic electronics and programming. They bought maybe $60 USD of kit, read a guide, and watched some YouTube videos. In about 30 days they had taught themselves wiring, circuits, reading sensor data, controllers, motors, etc. Hard for someone in the late 1970s to anticipate how quickly one could bring themselves up to level-0 in many skill areas with the Internet.

Allenby B557455-B, 010-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [6, 1] = 7. None.

  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [4]. None.

  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [6]. Yes.

    • (1d610) + 1d6: ([5]10)+2 = 52, 7 Traders with a Vehicle.
    • Reaction 2d6: [6, 1] = 7 Non-committal.
  • Self-improvement progress towards Electronics-0.

  • Cr100 Taxis, drinks

After a morning session of library studying, Osman heads to the TAS lounge. He strikes up a conversation with a group of traders who need to move cargo from the starport to Old Gaepri. They trade pleasantries with Osman but they aren’t looking for help and don’t offer any actionable leads. In fact whatever they are doing on Allenby they seem to be keeping to themselves about. Osman makes a mental note.

Allenby B557455-B, 011-3466

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [1, 5] = 6. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [4]. None.
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [6]. Yes.
    • (1d610) + 1d6: ([5]10)+[5] = 55, Noble with retinue (6)
    • Noble’s title 1d6+10: [5] 1) duke, 2) duchess 1d2: 2 duchess
    • From Allenby (yes) or elsewhere (no)? 2d6: [5, 4] = 9 Yes.
    • 2d6: [4, 2] = 6 Unreceptive.

Osman decides to try out a cantina near the art district. The Duchess Valencia Carderas is there with group and Osman tries to integrate himself into their conversations but they ignore him.

Osman wonders if the Carderas family are involved in whatever the traders were delivering to Old Gaepri yesterday.

We’ll give Osman a shot on a 5+ to pick up a rumor, 1d6: [5] Yes!

What industry are they in? I’ll use my custom corporation generator I wrote once upon a time… I think it includes some random table concepts from a Stars Without Number supplement… Suns of Gold?

  • Carderas Assets
  • Industry: Liquor
  • Reputation & Rumors: Lost money to an smuggler who evaded arrest

Listening in on their conversations he picks up on few details. They are in town delivering shipments of a brand new liquor to local restaurants. They seem to have lost a shipment of these liquors. Osman thinks back to the trader he ran into earlier in the week and then the tight lipped traders. He decides tomorrow he’ll head back to the starport and ask a few questions. Tracking down the smuggler could make a friend of the Duchess and Osman could clearly use a few more friends.

Random rolls for the win!

GM Notes

The downside of random events is nothing prompts your brain to act and so your character(s) have to be proactive. Possibly I should’ve thrown Osman to the wolves and let something happen sooner but I’m happy with how this ended up.

I may need to follow Andy Slack’s lead and roll-up events across the week and then weave them back into a story. I believe that’s how he handle time and events during his solitaire Traveller game.


September 21, 2022

Travelling the Lanes with Osman Celik, Log 03

Game Setup

Housekeeping: Osman spent some credits at the coffeeshop of course. Cr5 we’ll say.

Daily rolls:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [5, 5] = 10. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [2]. None.
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [2] None.

This is a mixed game session, with some chit-chat but we finally get around to the mission (and punching!) so hang in there.

Allenby B557455-B, 003-3466

New Gaepri Starport, the Travellers Aid Society building, please.” says Osman as he gets into a taxi.

Any chance the taxi driver makes for good conversation?
Reaction throw 2d6: [1, 6] = 7. Non-committal. Nope. Cab fare Cr-40

Osman pays the driver the cab fee and a generous tip. Solitude is priceless, Osman figures.

Stepping out into the busy starport of New Gaepri, Osman notices that most seem occupied with their own inner thoughts. He makes his way to the TAS entrance. A video screen displays several scenes of the luxury of High Passage, friendly faces, and a voice over saying In these troubles times, it’s good to know you’ve got a friend.” It is followed up with several news blurbs from the TAS News Service.

What’s the news? I’ll throw three pairs of actions + themes from Starforged:

  • Withdraw Hope
  • Evade Warning
  • Falter World

A terraforming project on the remote world of Gough has ended in disaster after unstable conditions, which scientists had warned about, escalated into a planet-wide calamity. Millions of people were left behind in with little more than the hulls of the colony ships they came on. Osman wondered who would let such a thing happen.

Can I help you?” ask the TAS desk agent.

Borrowing something from Zozer’s SOLO: Throw 10+ to meet an old friend 2d6: [6, 5] = 11

Who? Well let’s just pick someone at random from 1001 Characters Navy characters 1d136: [68].
I’m going GM fudge this roll and make it 69 because the entry right below this one has the TAS benefit. Sue me.

Elif Turan, Commander 389577 Age 38 Vacc Suit-3, Gunnery-3, Ship’s Boat-1, Dagger-1, SMG-2

Mythic character descriptors, physical:

  • Masculine
  • Familiar

Reaction to meeting Osman? Throw in a +1 for frienship. 2d6+1: [6, 4]+1 = 11. Enthusiastic.

Yes, I’m here to meet a friend in the lounge.” says Osman as they hand over their membership ID chip. Commander Turan?”

Of course, right this way, Lieutenant Commander Celik.”

The agent walks Osman into the lounge and points him towards a table where he sees a muscular man with a similar skin tone as his own.

Turan stands up. Osman! Good to see you again.” And the two embrace before sitting down together.

How’s the Navy?”

Oh, the usual Osman. You know the drill. Forms, delays, and… politics. You hear from your family on Pershing?”

Not often. My father gets a message to me from time-to-time, in between merchant runs. Are you still running that old maintenance boat?”

Indeed, cleaning up the usual messes but surely you didn’t come to talk about welding hulls?”

Osman takes a look around the room and moves closer in There’s a group here from Danilov.”

Elif cuts off Osamn Geez, what did yourself caught up in?”

Nothing you wouldn’t do for your family.”

Elif nods.

Danilov. I need them to stick around for a few days. Any contacts you have that could… delay their departure clearances?”

Can Elif help? Yes/No Oracle, Likely 2d6+1: [5, 2]+1 = 8 Yes. Does Elif want payment? Yes/No Oracle, 50/50 2d6: [1, 6] = 7 Yes, but.

Yeeeah, I could make that happen. It’ll cost you though. Trade me your next TAS High Passage.”

Osman ponders this, he could it use for his own family on Pershing but where would he put them? Osman has more work to do before he can help his family find a better life here.

Alright, deal.”

The waiter comes over with the check.

Also, you get the bill.” says Elif as he slides it over to Osman.

Of course.”

Travellers’ Aid Society facilities pro- vide excellent quality meals to members and guests for CR 20.” — Book 03, Page 15.
Osman: -Cr20. Now down to Cr5155 in the bank and short a future high passage.

Afternoon on Allenby B557455-B, 003-3466

Osman strolls up to the Barbatius Hotel in his naval dress and walks to the front desk.

Hello, I’m looking to host an event for a collection of naval officers. I was wondering if I could take a look at your event spaces?”

I figure in an abstract way this is an Administration throw:

When contact with officials is required, understanding of their needs and motives will assist in dealings with them. A basic throw of 7+ will successfully resolve normal interaction without further problems.”

Osman is hoping this hotel official needs business.

2d6+1: [2, 5]+1 = 8

Random character from 1001 Characters, Others 1d136: [29]

Geli Sabin 996656, Computer-1, Steward-1

Mythic character descriptors, physical:

  • Cute
  • Frail

Geli’s reaction to Osman 2d6: [5, 5] = 10. Responsive.

Certainly, let me notify our Events Coordinator.”

Osman waits for a moment and narrow women in a brightly colored dress appears. She leads Osman on a tour of several event spaces and asks several questions, trying to determine Osman’s requirements.

Osman is primarily interested in whether there are any robots employed within their Hotel’s staff.

Book 08, Robots says On worlds of tech level 12 or greater (and an rare occasions, on worlds of tech level 10 or 11) characters may expect to encounter robots in the course of their activities.”

Are Robots used with staff? 2d6+2: [1, 4]+2 = 7 Yes, but.

Maybe there’s a Star Wars-like distrust of robots on Allenby. Presumably the population, desperate to climb the corporate ladder out of poverty, is not keen on robots taking their jobs.

Robots? Certainly not, Lieutenant…? Celerk… For serving event attendees we would only use humans.”

Osman nods, better she misremember his name he supposes.

You will find robots in The Barbatius amongst our housekeeping staff. We also employ a robot bartender but you would not see them during your event. For janitorial stuff during an event they would be humans.”

Osman thanks the woman for her time and says he’ll be in touch.

Just one last thing, m’am. May I take a few photos of the spaces?”

Do we still have photos in the year 3466? Who knows. I assume the Hand Computer Osman has is similar to iPhone tho. Whether it is a holographic camera or whatever…

Would Geli let Osman take photos? 2d6: [5, 1] = 6 No, but

No, but you may have these samples instead.” she hands him a data chip This also contains details about each space, number of occupants, etc. Also, my business contact is on there. If you wish to discuss pricing details, please contact me directly.”

Osman will make an attempt to loose the attention of the lobby staff when they return to the lobby. Marc Miller has said that throwing equal or under a characteristic was a tool a referee should employ, so we’ve got (9-, DEX) 2d6: [4, 5] = 9

An attendant tries to walk Osman out but it is busy in the lobby and just as a series of guests walk in with their luggage, Osman slips out of view.

He’s without a key card to access the elevator but he searches around for a maintenance area.

I wouldn’t normally call for a throw here but it is like using an Yes/No Oracle in my mind. I’m going to grant a +1 given the time Osman spent as a ship mechanic. Is it the same as Hotel mechanic, no. But a maintenance room, is a maintenance room, etc. The signage is the same and it is probably somewhere completely difficult for an ordinary person to stumble onto. (10- INT+1) 2d6: [3, 1] = 4

Is it locked? Very likely. 2d6+2: [6, 2]+2 = 10. Yes.

Is it an electronic lock? Very likely. 2d6+2: [2, 3]+2 = 7. Yes, but.

Is there somewhere to hide? likely. 2d6+1: [3, 4]+1 = 8

How many maintenance people might return? I’ll use the Two Hour Wargames party size formula:

(1d3+1)-1d3: ([2]+1)-[3] = 0 (never less than 1)

Random Maintenance Guy from 1001 Characters, Others: A8759A Engineering-I, Vacc-1, Blade-1

  • Surprise, Osman 1d6: [4] vs. Rando 1d6 [3].
  • Range. 2d6-5: [2, 5]-5 = 2 Close, In physical contact; touching.
  • Does the rando try to escape? 2d6: [3, 1] = 4 No
  • Does the rando try to evade? 2d6: [6, 3] = 9 Yes. -1 DM to Osman
  • Osman will stand.
  • Osman throws a punch. 2d6-1+3+1+2+1: [4, 2]-1+3+1+2+1 = 12
    • The -1 was for the rando evading.
    • The +3 is because the other person is untrained” in Brawling. So is Osman, but all PCs are considered to have Weapons-0.
    • The +1 is for the defender having no armor.
    • The +2 is for the defender at close range.
    • The last +1 is for Osman STR of 9
  • Damage 1d6: [4]
  • First blood: 1) strength, 2) dexterity, or 3) endurance. 1d3: [1] strength. A->8.
  • Osman END 9 (9): 8 combat blows left.

new round:

  • Is there a Fire Extinguisher? 2d6: [4, 2] = 6 No, but
    • There’s a maintenance cart.
  • Does the rando try to evade, unlikely? 2d6-1: [5, 4]-1 = 8 Yes
  • Osman will stand” but I think he’s got his eye on maneuvering into a favorable position to utilize the maintenance cart
  • Osman throws another punch. 2d6-1+3+1+2+1: [1, 4]-1+3+1+2+1 = 11
  • Damage 1d6: [6] referee determines stat, I would default to END: 7->1
  • Osman END 9 (8): 7 combat blows left.

new round: Does the rando try to evade, very unlikely? 2d6-2: [6, 2]-2 = 6 No, but

  • they are trying to open range then, but they stay in close range for a round.
  • Osman will stand.
  • Rando will try to push Osman back into a wall or the cart to help open range. 2d6-1+2: [2, 4]-1+2 = 7. Misses.
    • Osman has no armor: -1
    • Osman is at close range: +2
  • Osman throws another punch. 2d6-1+3+1+2+1: [4, 3]-1+3+1+2+1 = 13
  • Damage 1d6: [6] END 1->0 (Unconscious, 10m.), STR 8->3.
  • Osman END 9 (7): 6 combat blows left.

end combat.

did anyone hear the scuffle? 2d6-1: [1, 2]-1 = 2 No, and

  • hrm, maybe the other maintenance staff called in sick today.

Osman locates the maintenance room but it is locked with an electronic biometric lock. He hides himself in the shadows and waits. A tough but older look maintenance person appears heading towards the door. Osman tries to surprise him but fails and the two get into a scuffle. Osman throws several punches while the maintenance man tries to push him away. The third punch knocks the man out cold and Osman drags him over to the door. He lifts the unconscious man’s hand to the lock and the door opens. Dragging the man insides he looks around for some rope to tie the man up.

Is there rope, likely? 2d6+1: [4, 6]+1 = 11 Yes.

After securing the maintenance worker, Osman takes their ID and changes into another maintenance workers jumpsuit. Osman stuffs his naval outfit into a duffel and puts it over his shoulder. He removes the radio from the worker’s belt, clips it on his own belt, and leaves.

Throw 8+ to disable the electronic door lock: 2d6: [2, 6] = 8.

Osman doesn’t have the Electronic skill but may have some general familiarity with concepts from time in the Navy. Book 01 does not give a clear no expertise” DM for Electronic and instead says the referee decides. Since we are just pulling wires… I figure it is 50/50.

Osman pries open the electronic door lock panel and takes a guess at which wires to sever. The lock’s screen dims as Osman presumably gets the right ones. He puts the duffel & toolkit on the maintenance cart and heads down the hallway looking for the maintenance elevator.

Evening on Allenby B557455-B, 003-3466

Has anyone checked on the maintenance staff? 2d6+1: [3, 1]+1 = 5 No. Why? Maybe Osman has been answering the normal radio calls?

Starforged descriptor focus: Abundant Environment. Broken room window?

In order to keep up the ruse, Osman deals with an actual hotel maintenance problem.

That should take of the jammed window, M’am. Apologies for the inconvenience.”

Osman’s attempt to swipe an extra keycard from the guest (throw DEX 9-): 2d6: [3, 5] = 8

Osman leaves the room, having pocketed an extra keycard hoping it will help cover his tracks.

Osman perception throw to find networking room (throw INT 9-) 2d6: [6, 2] = 8

He heads to middle lobby floor guessing that will be the best place for the networking room. His instincts are right because off the elevator lobby area is a door marked COMPUTER ROOM.

Does the maintenance keycard open the computer room? 2d6+2: [2, 3]+2 = 7 Yes, but.

  • It does but there’s someone inside. Citizens of the Imperium, scientists 1d40: 22

756568, Computer-1, Mechanical-5, Electronics-1

Going to guess their high Mechanical suggest they used to be maintenance staff here - so they’ll know Osman is fake.

Need a name for the rando mechanic: Servac

Oh, Hi?” the computer tech looks Osman over. Who the hell are you?”

New trainee, Servac sent me up here to check the air vents.”

Reaction throw 2d6-2: [2, 3] = 3 Hostile. Attacks on 5+. 2d6: [5, 1] = 6. Attacks.

Bullshit!” the computer tech lunges

  • Osman’s Combat Blows END has been restored to 9 having had 30+ minutes to recover

  • Surprise, Osman 1d6: [3] vs. Tech 1d6 [2].

  • Range. 2d6-5: [5, 6]-5 = 6 Medium, at pistol range, 6 to 50 meters.

    • Well okay it is not 50 minutes but 6 is probably about right. A little bigger than a car length I guess? Seems more than reasonable for a computer room.
  • Does the tech try to escape or evade? Referee fiat says no, they clearly are going to attack based on the reaction throw.

  • Tech will close range, running at double speed (counts as a combat blow” END (6->5)). As it takes 3 rounds to go from Medium to Short, we will say they can do it in 1 running (rounding down).

  • Osman will stand and throw the metal toolbox from the cart at the tech. Throw 18+ to hit: 2d6-3+1+9: [5, 6]-3+0+9 = 19

    • Seems like drawing” a weaponL -3 DM
    • +DEX per throwing rules”
    • +0 defender has no armor (“club”)
    • the rules say that daggers can be thrown at short range… but I don’t see why Osman can attempt to toss the toolkit given the room size. I suspect the medium” range really reflects things like chairs, tables, etc that are getting in the way
    • I don’t see how there is possibly an untrained defending penalty here… that’s absurd. who the hell trains against getting hit by a toolbox?
  • Damage (“Club”): 2d6-3: [4, 2]-3 = 3

  • First blood: 1) strength, 2) dexterity, or 3) endurance. 1d3: [1] strength. 7->4.

new round:

  • Range is now short. Did you know there are not rules for cover” in Book 01? Weird. If it comes into play I’ll just borrow this rule as guidance from Paul Elliot:

Cover: Targets are considered under cover if they are behind a solid object which a shot cannot penetrate. A character who has attacked from a covered position is allowed a defending DM of -4 when attacked. If the individual has not attacked from cover, he or she is not visible at the moment and may not be attacked.”

  • Is there space for Osman to ram the cart into the tech? 2d6: [1, 1] = 2 No, and. In fact it is like super cramped in here. Which sound like every server room I’ve ever spent time in.
  • Is there a monitor Osman can pick up? 2d6: [2, 5] = 7 Yes, but. There is but it is plugged into something.
  • Osman will stand but is effectively spending movement trying to wrestling the monitor out from the computer, wall, or whatever it is.
  • The tech at short range will close range. 1 round.
  • The tech will throw a punch. 2d6-1+1: [2, 4]-1+1 = 6
    • Osman has no armor -1 (in future rounds, having fully wrestled the monitor free I would grant Osman some form of improvised armor DM)
    • Osman is at short range +1
  • Osman will swing the monitor (“club”) at the tech. 2d6+0+2+2: [2, 3]+0+2+2 = 9
    • tech has no armor +0 (“club”)
    • tech is at short range +2
    • Osman’s STR gives him an advantagegous DM of +2
    • is there an untrained penalty here? probably? I dunno.
  • Damage: 2d6-3: [4, 5]-3 = 6
  • Damage goes to END which leaves the man unconscious for 10 minutes.
  • I’m just going to rule that the tech is out for three hours after Osman bashes this man again with the monitor, reducing another characteristics to zero. Would you make a player roll through this? Not me.

The tech is down the hallway in a cramped server room. They push out of their chair and start running towards Osman, who pickups and throws the toolkit at the tech. It hits the tech in the shoulder and they wince in pain. As the near Osman, preparing to throw a punch, Osman rips a status monitor off the wall and hits the tech in the head with the elbow-like corner of it. The tech crumples to the floor and Osman breaks the monitor over the tech’s skull.

Is Xasho Rer’Mis’s computer on the hotel network? 2d6: [2, 6] = 8 Yes.

Computer Programing was omitted from the 1977 rules but addressed in the Journal of the Traveller’s Aid Society #1, Page 7. But sadly these rules are really specific to Starship computer programs. Still we can borrow the min INT (7+) and Size rule as a DM.

Throw INT+Computer or less to find Xasho’s machine on the network (10-): 2d6: [2, 5] = 7

Osman sits down at a console and begins to scan for connected machines. Locating Xasho Rer’Mis’s personal computer, Osman grins and flexes his fingers. He begins to script a routine to access Xasho’s machine.

Throw INT+Computer-Size(1) or less to access Xasho’s machine (9-): 2d6: [6, 3] = 9

Nonetheless, there is always the possibility that such a program will have a fatal error and not function when actually used.” — Book 01, Page 17

Throw 7 exactly for a fatal error: 2d6: [6, 2] = 8

  • Are there detailed files about the glass sample? Likely 2d6+1: [6, 2]+1 = 9 Yes.
  • Is there a thumb-drive or whatever the heck passes for remote storage around here? Very likely. (ever been in a server room? people leave crap everywhere) 2d6+2: [4, 3]+2 = 9 Yes.

Gaining access, he scans Xasho’s machine for files pertaining to the detailed schematics of the glass sample. He plugs a remote disk into the console and copies the files he finds over. He closes out the terminal and switches back into his naval dress, leaving the maintenance clothes behind. He exits the room and uses the guest keycard to access the elevator to head back down to the lobby.

DEX- throw to avoid being seen? Probably. 2d6: [3, 4] = 7.

Osman weaves his weave in and out of the evening bar & dinner crowd to exit the hotel. Hailing a taxi he heads back home to rest.

Going to skip any interactions between Osman and the taxi driver… he’s too tired. Cab fare Cr-40

GM Notes

Well I probably messed up a rule somewhere but I had fun, so yay? I think that’s what matters. Combat is alright. Won’t lie, I greatly prefer Two Hour Wargame’s abstracted RPG-Counters/Mini battleboard combat system but this was entertaining in the 1-on-1 mode. For larger groups I might end up pulling my hair out.

Did Osman need to delay the Danilovians? Maybe not but it is a pretty typical player trope to over-think and plan is it not? Heh. I do think the scene between Elif and Osman establishes a bit of motivation for Osman to not just get a 9-5 job as a pilot somewhere. He wants to get his family off Pershing faster than it would take the honest way.


September 16, 2022

Travelling the Lanes with Osman Celik, Log 02

Game Setup

Let’s do our daily rolls and see what adventure we’ll have today:

  • Daily Legal Encounter (5-), 2d6: [2, 4] = 6. None.
  • Daily Weather Encounter (5+), 1d6: [1]. None.
  • Daily Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: [4] None.

Not everyday in Traveller is a randomly eventful one. This gives Osman more time to get into trouble on their own of course.

Some questions to set the opening scene then:

Osman went out to dinner, caught up with an old friend — possibly had too much to drink?
2d6: [1, 2] = 3 No

Did Havva stock the apartment with food for Osman? 2d6: [4, 6] = 10 Yes

Allenby B557455-B, 002-3466

It is morning on Allenby and Osman opens up various drawers and cupboards in the apartment’s kitchen to find something basic to eat. He remembers the supplements the government gave him, pours a glass of water, and takes one of the pills.

Osman takes the elevator down to the ground floor and walks to his meeting with Devika Verma. He passes some art galleries, a fashion boutique, and a VRcade. A large video screen inside the VRacade catches his eye. It shows a group of oversized robots fighting over a ball on a large field. Osman glances down at his watch to check the time.

Ok, well I didn’t take Osman on a shopping trip but he must have some items he acquired over the years even if they were mostly bought at the military base commissary. Mostly I’m want to build up additional backstory for the type of character Osman is.

Book 03, Personal Devices:

Wrist Watch (3) CR 25 to CR 1000. Price determines quality.”

What kind of watch does Osman like? reaction throw knows!

2d6: [4, 5] = 9

Fancy watches then. Maybe… -Cr750 for the watch

Also… where is the meeting taking place? I have several tools I could use here… including just making something up. I do have this lovely 5150 City Deck” of buildings so I’ll draw a card:

A simple overhead map of a studio apartment layout

Osman passes through several city blocks and notices that this side of Old Gaepri looks older, less put together. He walks up to the address he was given to find a gothic-style residential building. The downstairs apartment buzzer is broken but Osman finds a working elevator inside. Stopping off at the 6th floor, Osman locates the apartment door and knocks.

What does Devika look like? Mythic character descriptors, physical:

  • Hurt
  • Strange

A woman, taller than Osman, opens the door. She looks Osman over before stretching out a robotic arm and hand. Welcome to Allenby, I’m Devika.”

Thank you, Captain…” says Osman after shaking her hand and moving inside.

Devika cuts him off Just Devika is fine, the Army gave up on me so I gave up the title.”

Osman notices the apartment is mostly unfurnished, dusty. A safe house?

Devika spreads out several large printed photos on a table. She points to an individual in one photo and a gunmetal silver briefcase in another.

Xasho Rer’Mis 35BBB7 Liaison-3, Vehicle-2, Computer-1, Gun Combat-1

This is Danilov representive Xasho Rer’Mis and where we believe the sample is being kept at all times. The briefcase has a biometric lock that we observed Xasho unlocking with their thumbs during our meetings with them.””

Did they capture a biometric thumbprint from Xasho during this meeting? 2d6-1: [6, 6]-1 = 11 (Unlikely): Yes (Doubles)

Am I suppose to cut off their thumbs?” quips Osman.

We do have a sample of their thumbprint captured from a glass of water in the meeting but we believe there are additional safeguards. It is not unheard for Danilovians to use proximity based security mechanisms, such as this wrist band we observed Xasho wearing.” she slides forward another photo.

So, their wrist then.”

Hopefully you can get more creative than hacking off body parts.” Devika pauses and gives Osman a wry smille before continuing. They are staying in New Gaepri at the Barbatius. We have some contacts on the inside and if you need access there we may be able to help. The Danilovians are occupying the entire floor and we assume they’ve come with their own security measures.”

Osman starts to sift through the photos, picking up each one, and looking it over closely. He realizes he has no idea what he’s looking for.

Devika breaks his concentration Here’s a hand computer, it has some additional information you may find helpful. If you need to contact me, use this encrypted short-range communicator, modified by our techs here on Allenby to enhance the range to cover both populated settlements. Finally, here’s a printed thumbprint, you may be able to use if you can gain access to the briefcase. Obviously we haven’t been able to test it.”

Do you know what their security forces are carrying?” asks Osman.

You aren’t packing a gun are you?”

No. Just a basic Navy cutlass. I have been trained in the auto-pistol though…”

Devika waves him off Well that explains your proclivity for slicing things off. Pistols are banned here. Even the Danilovians won’t be carrying them. You also won’t be able to slice your way through the security folks, so try to be more creative.” she paused and then says Oh, Allenby’s Police do have access to pistols. Most of the street cops carry tasers but they can bring in armed reinforcements — let’s not have it escalate to that, alright? It is bad for business.”

Anything else?”

Check out the notes on the hand computer. There are some daily schedules and routines we’ve observed that you can put to use.”

Osman left the apartment and stopped at the local coffee shop. A free network access” sign at the shop made Osman wonder… were the Danilovians using the hotels network? Osman paged through the notes on the hand computer. Daily routines, types of food they liked, places they liked to visit, and so on.

Most of Osman’s time in the Navy had been free of violence, in fact many of the regional disputes were solved through shrewd negotiations though sometimes shows of force had been helpful. This assignment would be no different, Osman would need to find a weakness and exploit it.

GM Notes

I imagine Osman getting caught up in thinking he’s something he’s not (an assassin, a spy?) before realizing he’s a technician, a pilot… and he’s got Computer-1. He’s also got a TAS membership and a Naval rank - these thing might open a few doors.


September 16, 2022

Traveller 1977: Animal Encounters - Events

As someone who has mostly played in human-centric” space opera campaigns, I’ve never paid a ton of attention to Traveller’s Animal Encounter system. This is a bit of slap on my own wrist because I’m often the one to point out that close reading of your RPG books is more beneficial to you than buying more material. System mastery can reap long term rewards and allow you to spend less time homebrewing and hunting around for solutions.

The animal” system in Book 03 is somewhat misnamed because it is overloaded to handle a couple of concepts:

  • animals
  • aliens
  • events”

A decent chunk of the animal rules in Book 03 are really talking about generating fantastic science fiction aliens and beasts. Somewhat hidden in this system is also how to throw world events” at the PCs. Page 25 has a BLANK ENCOUNTER COLUMN table:

Die Terrain
2 S (Scavenger)
3 O (Omnivore)
4 S (Scavenger)
5 O (Omnivore)
6 H (Herbivore)
7 H (Herbivore)
8 H (Herbivore)
9 C (Carnivore)
10 E (Event)
11 C (Carnivore)
12 C (Carnivore)

A result of 10 is an E - Event but what are these?

Events: Events are not necessarily animals, comprising instead both geographic or geologic dangers, and special types of animals not ordinarily encountered. The following examples are provided, but more should be generated by the referee to cover the wide range of possibilities in the universe.” — Book 03, Page 31

There are several example events with a lovely set of hidden” procedures. Rough terrain, earthquakes, meteor showers, and storms. One of the few supplements I happen to have a hardcopy of is Supplement 2: Animal Encounters. For a variety of common world types it provided a set of pre-generated Animal Encounter tables (columns?.) All of them stick to the same formula for events though - throw 2d6 and on a 10 exactly you’ve got a world event.

There are a variety of weather based events in the Animal Encounters supplement:

Electrical Storm - Heavy winds and lightning force the party to halt for 12 hours. Unless a refuge (throw 7+ for a cave, cabin, etc) is found, then a lightning hit on electrical equipment (throw 9+) will incapacitate it.” — S02: Animal Encounters, Page 9

There are a number of other environmental challenges: tornados, radiation, soft ground, rough ground, stampedes, laser carbine-strength light-reflecting crystals, lengthy storms, forest fires, etc. It is a nice collection of referee ideas if you aren’t sure what exactly to do with E-Event and makes a good source of reference for figuring how to handle weather on your worlds.


September 10, 2022

Travelling the Lanes with Osman Celik, Log 01

Let’s get the basics of the solitaire framework out of the way:

I’m playing a game using the Classic Traveller rules, 1977 edition, mostly sticking to Books 01, 02, and 03 but I do have the entire Classic Traveller collection from Far Future Enterprises so it is all readily accessible as needed.

Ideally the game is taking place in real-time on a daily scale but we may jump ahead in time if it helps move things along. I don’t usually do this but I’m going to try handle bookkeeping in a method faithful to the rules. To begin keeping log entries for Osman’s daily activities I’ll make my life easy and start at day 001, week 01. Further, to keep things simple, we’ll assume a standard 365 day a year, 52 week calendar. Does that make scientific sense? No, no it does not. Does it make my life easier? Yes, yes it does.

But what year is it?

4d6: [3, 4, 6, 6]

I generated a character and gave them a backstory already. As a reminder, here’s the details:

Osman Celik, Lt Cmdr 999988 Age 34
Navy (4 terms) Cr6000
Admin-1, Automatic Pistol-1, Computer-1, Cutlass-1, Navigation-1, Pilot-1, Vacc Suit-1, Weapons-0
Cutlass, Low Passage, TAS Membership

In an effort to keep things simple and rely on Traveller as much as possible I’ll use Traveller’s NPC reaction throw as an oracle at times. If you’ve never seen Traveller’s reaction throw table here it is:

Die Reaction
2 Violent. Immediate attack.
3 Hostile. Attacks on 5+.
4 Hostile. Attacks on 8+.
5 Hostile. May attack.
6 Unreceptive.
7 Non-committal.
8 Interested.
9 Intrigued.
10 Responsive.
11 Enthusiastic.
12 Genuinely friendly.

In general you can think of this as 2-5 Bad!, 6-7 Meh, 8-10 Ok, 11-12 Great!

I’ll use this simple 2d6 yes/no oracle as necessary if the question fits:

Die Result
2 or less No, and
3-5 No
6 No, but
7 Yes, but
8-11 Yes
12 or more Yes, and

DMs: Very unlikely -2, Unlikely -1, Likely +1, Very likely +2

If I roll doubles then I’ll borrow a page from the Recluse Solo Engine:

If the dice are equal, some presupposition behind the question is wrong! This means that you’re taking something for granted that makes it impossible to answer with Yes” or No.” If it’s obvious how your question could be assuming something, change it and ask something else. You can also use your favorite plot twist generator if you need to, but keep in mind that the question itself was wrong; you’ll need to revise your assumptions about the situation and the world, not just add something new.

Where necessary I’ll turn to Mythic Gamemaster Emulator’s or Mythic Magazine’s descriptor tables, Starforged’s oracles, Rory’s Story Cubes, and other misc. random tables that can provide descriptive details about the game world.

Allenby B557455-B, 001-3466

Weekly Patron Encounter: 1d6: 5 Yes!
Patron: 2d6: [4, 1] Diplomat

I’m not sure where the idea that Traveller 1977 has a Daily Legal Encounter throw comes from as I can’t find the rule in my little black books. The Traveller Book (1982) does have this to say about daily legal encounters:

The referee should throw once per day for legal encounters (throw local law level or less to avoid an encounter). If an encounter is called for, a local enforcer will stop the adventurers and require identification. The referee should roll for the enforcer’s reaction as well, using adverse reactions as an indication of greater harassment, and positive reactions as a potential source of rumors, assistance, or patrons.”

I’ve always played with a random legal encounter throw and I don’t see this type of procedure as a form of the negative scope creep” that the game took on in later editions so I’ll use The Traveller Books guidance. (If we are being straight with each other, The Traveller Book is very good; the procedures and rules language are much clearer across the board then the 1977 edition text.)

Starport Law Encounter: 2d6: [1, 3] = 4. Law Encountered, most likely at starport immigration control.
Reaction Throw: 2d6: [6, 2] = 8. Interested” (in a positive way).

Osman Celik picks up his bags and boards a routine passenger shuttle from Allenby Orbital Naval Base that is heading to the planet-side downport. As the shuttle approaches the surface, he can see the Centaurus Works shipyards, their insignia blazoned on the roofs of all the workshops. A network of pipelines from the refineries to the east led to a big fuelling station.

There are two main settlements on Allenby, each with a few ten thousand permanent inhabitants. Old Gaepri is built around the retired starport facilities which are being scrapped to help build the expanded starport facilities at New Gaepri. Many more people temporarily live and work on Allenby depending on the needs of the corporation but are not counted as part of the official population; only the most wealthy can afford to own a home here.

Osman enters the well staffed but presently quiet immigration control area.

Credentials please, Lieutenant Commander.”

Portrait of a face that presents as male with black hair, olive skin, and dark eyes

Rank: Characters receiving commissions and promotions (explained below) may use their rank as part of their names, even after leaving the service, or retiring.” — Traveller Book 01 (1977)

Osman, still in naval dress, hands over his identity card to an immigration official who promptly scans the card.

Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Celik. Purpose of visit?”

Visiting a friend who lives in Old Gaepri, I plan to stay about a month.”

The immigration official makes notes on Osman’s digital records. I’m from Old Gaepri, it is a beautiful city. It appears you have…” the official looks closely at Osman’s digital file … not visited before?”

That’s right, this is my first time on Allenby.”

And where will you be staying during your visit?”

Can Osman stay with his Old Friend”? feels like an NPC Reaction Throw:

2d6: [3, 6] = 9 Intrigued.” That’s a yes in my book.

I’m staying at my friend’s apartment, she gave me this address.” Osman holds up an e-mail from his personal communicator for the official to see. The official nods and turns back to their attention back to their computer.

You should make time to check out the Badri art exhibit while you are in town.” says the official who has finished their record keeping and hands back Osman’s identity card along with a bottle.

What is this?” ask Osman

This is two weeks of medical supplements to help your body adjust to the lower gravity conditions on Allenby. You may show your identity card at any Zenith Pharmacy location to obtain another two week dosage. Enjoy your stay.”

Random Weather Encounter: 1d6: 6
Weather intensity: 2d6: [4, 4]-2 = 6
Average Temp on Allenby: 50°F (No seasonal changes)

Osman passes through immigration and collect his belongings. A steady beat of large rain drops gently fall against the exterior windows. Once out of the starport he notices that the air is thin and the buildings from the two competing but compact skylines are very tall. There are many pine trees and odd rock formations around the starport, the kind he’s only previously seen while studying at school. It is a far more picturesque planetside view than anything Osman has experienced in his 34 years though certainly he has seen his fair share beautiful nebulae and astronomic wonders.

Osman grabs a local air/raft taxi and heads to Old Gaepri.

Fare -Cr30

Random Person Encounter (5+) 1d6: 3 None.

What does Osman’s friends place look like?

Mythic locations descriptors, general:

  • Extravagant
  • Rustic

The taxi descends down to the ground near a tall building that is a strong contrast to the sleek and mostly glass starport Osman came from. The building has three different tones of fabulous looking metals with ornate engravings. Osman has also started to notice a pattern; many people on Allenby are much taller and thinner than others. Osman walks to the front door of the building and an attendant greets him at the entrance. After some discussion, Osman is led to an elevator which lifts him up towards the top of the building. Osman exits the elevator, walks through a narrow and twisting set of hallways before coming to a door that is already open.

Lieutenant Commander, good to see you.” Dame Havva Taş moves in for the kind of hug shared between old friends. Osman is surprised by this show of affection as it is less formal than Commander Taş has even been with him.

Releasing from her embrace, Osman asks Commander… Dame.. I’m not sure what title to use? Both?”

Dame is fine, Osman.” she closes the door and motions towards the living room. I was just checking over the apartment to make sure it was ready for your arrival.”

Is this your home? It is a lovely building.”

My family owns several apartments on Allenby, this one was recently renovated and unoccupied for the moment. Come, sit. We’ll share some tea and catch up.”

Osman sets his bags down and joins Havva for tea. The two trade stories of their lives over the past couple of years. Finally Havva comes to the point of Osman’s visit.

There’s any number of methods to generate a Patron mission. For this one I’ll use Felbrigg Herriot’s Game Planner. It is a series of nested tables that you can roll on for as long as you like to generate a scenario.

  • Table 1 - Type of Scenario: 1d6 5 Trade (6)
  • Table 6 - Type of Trade: 1d6 3 Cargo (32)
  • Table 32 - Cargo: 1d6 3 Industrial Gems (27)

At this point I have an idea.

Havva begins I have a friend, a diplomat, they are trying to negotiate a deal with Danilov for a new type of starship glass. Danilov is being typically stubborn and protective of their industrial secrets but the diplomat would like to obtain a sample of the glass material so that our own scientists on Allenby may verify the properties it is claimed to have.”

Danilov, that’s several parsecs from here.” notes Osamn

The representatives from Danilov are on Allenby now and have a sample of the material with them. They’ve displayed it at meetings but will not let us get our hands on it. We need to borrow the sample, run the tests, and return it before they notice it is missing.”

You know I’m more of a pilot than a thief?”

I’m willing to trust you more than a common thief. The job pays Cr10000 and would help you establish your name outside of the Navy. Reputation, Mr. Celik is how you get to pick and choose your employers.”

Osman stands and walks over to a nearby window. Looking out over Old Gaepri he appreciated just how lucky he had been up until now. He pondered the job, thinking about the elements of risk and the rewards. Most likely the worse that could happen is that he is caught, disavowed by anyone connected, and then sent off to work in a Allenby Unified factory under a labor contract. The Taş family appeared to have weathered the storm of scandal and he knew that Havva had many connections. The type of work Havva could offer would pay far better and open many more doors.

Are you in, Osman?”

I’m your man, Dame.”

Captain Devika Verma 697A78 Gambling-2, Admin-1, Tactics-1, Rifle-1, SMG-1

Excellent. I will set up a meeting with an associate of mine, Devika Verma. They will have all the details you need. If you need to contact someone for information or assistance, Devika will be your point person, Understood?

Osman understood Havva to mean she should not be contacted directly about corporate espionage. She had earned a position that allowed her to keep her good name clean.

Now, put business out of your mind for the rest of the evening, dear Osman. You and I shall go out to dinner, my treat.”

GM Notes

I’m not sure I’ll go into this much real-time detail for every log entry… but I wanted to establish some descriptive and factual details for life on Allenby.

I’m remembering now that later versions of Traveller disentangles Rumors from Patrons. In the 1977 edition a Patron Encounter could lead to rolling a Rumor” entry on the Patron table. In The Traveller Book (1982) the Rumor” entries are removed from the Patron table and instead there is an entire weekly Rumor encounter system with it is own table.

I’m likely to pull the Rumor table into my game as I like the ocular nature of the Rumor table. For now I will keep the Rumors as-is (embedded into the Patron throw and tables) but if it seems like I am missing something from the Patron/Rumor experience it is possible I might pull in the weekly Rumor throw and swap out the 77 Patron tables for those in the 82 book as well.

At this point you might be asking… why not just use The Traveller Book? It is not a bad question but for now I’m going try to sticking to the rules in the 1977 books as much as I can.


September 9, 2022

Travelling the Lanes, Prologue

Osman Celik 999976, Age 18
Enlist Navy: 2d6+3 (str 7+, int 6+): [2, 2]+3 = 7. Failure to enlist.
Draft: 1d6: 1 Navy.

Osman Celik1 woke up and rubbed his eyes. Next to his bed on the nightstand was a pile of brochures. On the top of the stack one pamphlet loudly proclaimed in bold letters Join the Merchant Marine Today!” Osman’s parents were hard working, respectable merchants and they had encouraged him to follow in their path.

Osman’s attention turned to the rejection letter from the naval branch of Allenby Unified’s Defense Services. His test scores hadn’t been good enough to secure a commission. Allenby’s navy service had no problem drafting him into service though.

Allenby Unified Core Worlds:

Birdwood 0103 C100455-9
Allenby 0104 B557455-B N
Pershing 0203 B479658-8 N

Allenby Unified Subsidiaries & Partner Worlds:

Quxeteor 0303 C995577-6
Xecebi 0304 D645332-6 S

Upon turning 18 Osman’s name had been entered into the military service draft as was customary for any citizen of the three core worlds of Allenby Unified. Allenby Unified was a giant corporation which maintained an extensive network of fuel refining operations across the five worlds, three of which Allenby owned outright (Allenby, Birdwood, and Pershing), an additional subsidiary world (Xecebi), and another which it had established a long-term contract with (Quxeteor). The region was largely of devoid of conflict, thanks in part to Allenby’s extensive defense services which patrolled the space lanes.

While the space lanes may have been mostly pirate free, growing up on the Allenby Unified world of Pershing was no cake-walk. Millions of people lived on a handful of small islands. Citizens of Pershing were forced to wear a mask to filter out the dangerous sulphuric airborne compounds from numerous active island volcanos. For most, the draft was a lifeline to a better life and a chance to climb the Allenby Unified corporate ladder.

Term 1: Navy Recruit, Age 22

  • Survival 2d6+2 (int 7+): [6, 3]+2 = 11. Success.
  • Commission. Not available (Draftee).
  • Promotion. Not available (No commission).
  • Skills (x2, initial term):
    • Personal Development, 1d6: [6] +1 EDU
    • Service Skills, 1d6: [5] Gun Combat, Automatic Pistol-1
  • Reenlist, 2d6: [3, 3] = 6. Qualified.

Osman reported for duty on Pershing’s Orbital Naval Base (PONB) which had been built with the far-more advanced technologies from the nearby world of Allenby. A regime of basic training was required where Osman improved his overall education and acquired basic skill with the standard issue automatic pistol. Osman was assigned to Pershing’s orbital on-board security team. The most action Osman saw during these initial years was breaking up cafeteria disturbances and late-hour brawls that spilled out of what passed for entertainment on PONB.

At the age of 22 Osman had the option to continue his naval service. With no better job prospects, Osman signed the contract and renewed his term for another 4 years.

Term 2: Navy Seamen, Age 26

  • Survival 2d6+2 (int 7+): [5, 4]+2 = 11. Success.
  • Commission, 2d6: [5, 1] = 6. Failure.
  • Promotion. Not available (No commission).
  • Skills (x1):
    • Advanced Education (8+), 1d6: [4] Computer-1
  • Reenlist, 2d6: [5, 2] = 7. Qualified.

Osman was transfered to PONBs starport operations division. There he acquired computer skills while performing data-entry duty for the various resupply and delivery ships that docked at PONB. Later he moved on to handling docking duties directly, helping ships navigate their arrival and departure from PONB.

Rabia Aslan 678666, Admin-2, Ship’s Boat-1 Auto Pistol-1 Forward Observer-1

At age 26 Osman signed another four-year contract. It was genuinely exciting to see the various starships come into port and to have the ability to steer them in on their final approaches. Osman’s superior, harbormaster Rabia Aslan, let it be known that he was a shoe-in for navigator duty on-board a starship if he returned.

Term 3: Navy Seamen, Age 30

  • Survival 2d6+2 (int 7+): [5, 3]+2 = 10. Success.
  • Commission, 2d6: [6, 6] = 12. Success! Rank-1, Ensign
  • Promotion, 2d6+2: [2, 6]+2 = 10. Success. Rank-2, Lieutenant
  • Skills (x3):
    • Service Skills, 1d6: [2] Vacc Suit-1
    • Advanced Education (8+), 1d6: [2] Navigation-1
    • Advanced Education (8+), 1d6: [5] Pilot-1
  • Reenlist, 2d6: [5, 2] = 7. Qualified

Dame Havva Taş B884BB, Ship’s Boat-2 Navigation-2 Computer-1 Medical-1 Vacc Suit-1 Pilot-1 Gunnery-1

Madison Ardron, A55686, Pilot-1 Jack-o-T-1 Computer-1 Electronic-1

After a brief stint as assistant harbormaster Osman was transfered to the Dependable Star, a type T patrol cruiser commanded by Dame Havva Taş. Most of the ships of the Allenby Unified navy are commanded by individuals from the corporation’s most elite families. First Osman worked as a maintenance hand and excelled at handling repairs, including an embarrassing incident where the Dependables pilot had botched their docking approach and caused quite a bit of damage to the ship and Pershing’s orbital facilities. Osman’s around-the-clock efforts and good connections with the Pershing docking staff allowed Dame Taş to save face. Osman was then promoted to navigator, assigned to shadow pilot Lt. Ardron. After some political maneuvering Dame Tas forced pilot Lt. Ardron into early retirement and Osman was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and given the helm of the Dependable Star.

Term 4: Navy Lieutenant, Age 34

  • Survival 2d6+2: (int 7+): [3, 3]+2 = 8. Success.
  • Promotion, 2d6+1: [5, 2]+1 = 8. Success. Rank-3, Lt Cmdr
  • Skills (x2):
    • Service Skills, 1d6: [4] Blade Combat, Cutlass-1
    • Advanced Education (8+), 1d6: [6], Admin-1
  • Reenlist, 2d6: [1, 2] = 3. DNQ.
  • Aging:
    • STR, 2d6: [5, 3] = 8. No effect
    • DEX, 2d6: [2, 5] = 7. No effect
    • END, 2d6: [6, 2] = 8. No effect

Osman took up sword fighting to stay in shape and gained some proficiency with the standard navy cutlass. At 32, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and became Dame Havva Taş’ right hand. Unfortunately for Osman he hitched his star to the wrong corporate family as the Taş family suffered a disgrace when the head of the family became deeply paranoid and had a violent breakdown at work. Taş was reassigned, the new Commander did not take a liking to Osman, and frequently ridiculed Osman’s work. When given his re-enlistment papers Osman noticed his commander had used their personal override to reject bringing Osman back for another term.

At age 34 it was time for Osman to take his skills somewhere else.

Mustering out: 4 terms, Rank 3. 6 rolls

Material Benefits

1d6: 1 Low Passage (worth CR1000)
1d6: [5] TAS
1d6: [6] +2 SOC
1d6: [4] Blade, Cutlass

Cash Allowances

1d6: 1 1000
1d6: [3] 5000

Osman Celik, Lt Cmdr 999988 Age 34
Navy (4 terms) Cr6000
Admin-1, Automatic Pistol-1, Computer-1, Cutlass-1, Navigation-1, Pilot-1, Vacc Suit-1, Weapons-0
Cutlass, Low Passage, TAS Membership


  1. Name generated using a variation of Andy Slack’s Now We All Have Turkish Names. Andy has a big influence on my solitaire play so this was a way to have a little easter-egg/hat-tip towards Andy. Thank you, friend.↩︎


September 9, 2022

Traveller 1977: The Solitaire Campaign

While the idea of solo roleplaying” has taken off in the COVID pandemic era, way back in the 1970s it was common practice to assume players might be playing their RPGs solo or without a GM. This is because RPGs had spun out of the wargaming tradition which already had a rich history of solitaire play and unrefereed games.

1977’s Traveller Book 01 Characters and Combat comes right out of the gate and states:

We have tried to make these rules as complete as possible, with provisions for both solitaire and unsupervised play.”

And again in the next section Playing the Game”:

Traveller may be played in any of three basic configurations: solitaire, scenario, or campaign. Any configuration may be unsupervised (that is, played without a referee; the players themselves administer the rules and manipulate the situation).”

The Solitaire Game: One player undertakes some journey or adventure alone. He handles the effects of the rules himself. Solitaire is ideal for the player who is alone due to situation or geography.”

It is worth nothing that Book 01 is clear that the preferred mode of play is with a referee.

The Solitaire Game

How does the solitaire player then play Traveller 1977? It is not immediately clear across Books 01-03 how this is to be accomplished. Many procedures are laid out but the solitaire player is not provided with a step-by-step checklist of play. While GDW would go on to produce a number of adventures and many included variations for groups and solitaire players (usually with an eye towards a referee and one player, or a duet” game as we now commonly refer to it) there was never a solitaire campaign” supplement.

There have been a number of independent effort to codify how to play Classic Traveller. In 1982, Steven Sowards wrote an article in Issue 13 of the Journal of the Travellers’ Aid Society called Real Time Traveller.”

With some small adjustments, a satisfying solitaire Traveller campaign can be conducted on the basis of a few minutes each day, by playing the game in”real-time” terms.”

The article focuses on the challenges of playing a game on this time-scale and how one might spend the long stretches of time spent in jump space. Further it lays out what a 15-day cycle of life might look like for a Traveller character who is a crew member or passenger on a ship.

Published on Freelance Traveller in 2004, Dave Cooper’s Travelling Alone goes further by defining a system where the player rolls on a set of nested tables to generate different encounters, situations, and constraints their characters must deal with. Dave would update this system again in October 2021 for Issue 008 of the Cepheus Journal.

Andy Slack, in his series exploring Traveller 1977, documented a turn sequence laying out how PCs could play with and without a ship based on the procedures Books 01-03 themselves lay out.

In addition Paul Elliott has spent many words on how a solitaire player can find enjoyment with Traveller in three publishings. The 153 page solitaire roleplaying system SOLO by Zozer Games has oodles of random tables, roleplaying guidance, tips for managing a cast of characters on your own, and several different mini-games” that tackle different areas of the Traveller experience such as mercenaries, traders, naval crew, or scouts. In 2021 Paul put out a free PDF titled Playing Solo Classic Traveller that takes some of his ideas from SOLO but reframes them in a back to basics” Book 01-03 format of play. Most recently Paul put out HOSTILE: SOLO which expands on the ideas in SOLO but frames them around his custom HOSTILE setting - his own spin on the horror space movie genre of 1979’s Alien or 1981’s Outland.

My Ideal Solitaire Traveller Campaign

I’ve played many games of Paul Elliott’s SOLO, it is a rich and rewarding experience but I’m keen to stick to the original Books 01, 02, and 03 with inclusions from 1001 Characters, Animal Encounters, Citizens of The Imperium, and 76 Patrons brought in as needed.

Ideally I’m looking for something with a bit of the step-by-step sequence of play from Dave Cooper’s Travelling Alone and the straightforwardness of Andy Slack’s Traveller 1977 Turn Sequence. I like the idea of the daily, real-time” scale from Steven Soward’s Real Time Traveller. Looking outside of the many words written about Traveller I will take inspiration from other sci-fi games such as Five Parsecs From Home, Farthest Star, or Two Hour Wargames’ 5150 New Beginnings which all have excellent repeatable solitaire campaign procedures.

I prefer having a structured game sequence to fallback on because I find sometimes the solitaire game can grind to a halt, unsure of what to do next. Knowing that I can always say I’m in step 6 - so let’s just have a random encounter and see what happens” means there’s always a way to get the game engine moving again.

One of my goals is to closely read, experience, and play the original game’s rules as-is before expanding upon them. This is not out of stubbornness, I’ve played plenty of modern roleplaying games and enjoy them (prefer them even!) The original rules always captured my imagination but in previous games they were immediately house-ruled and expanded upoon without ever playing the game as-is. Book 04 Mercenary, Book 05 High Guard, and Book 07 Merchant Prince were layered on top without any care as to what effect it would have on the experience - we just knew we wanted more.”

I’m curious to understand how the game feels when it is played with the original rules first. I’m also not interested in a strict rules as written” approach either. Just because there is a detailed space combat system in Book 02 does not mean that one cannot use the simpler rules from the same book or those from Book 01’s ship’s boat” skill throw guidance:

Hostile attack can cripple or destroy a ship’s boat. Use the space combat system in Book 2, or this simplified system. (Throw 10+ to escape on contact and avoid attack. Throw 8+ to avoid being hit if escape fails. Alternate these throws until escape succeeds, or the craft is hit. DM: +1 per level of expertise on both rolls. Throw 5+ for craft to be crippled and boarded, 4– for craft to be destroyed. No DMs.”

Part of playing Classic Traveller is interpreting the procedures and guidance to develop your own game system as you play. I’ve always thought of Books 01-03 as a framework for creating a game rather than a specifically spelled out and unbending set of rules one must play by.


September 8, 2022

Traveller 1977: Expanded World Data (Axial Tilt, Average Temperature) and Random Weather Encounters

If you are a Classic Traveller referee and have just finished generating a subsector with the procedures from Book 03 Worlds and Adventures you might be eyeballing a world or two to develop more fully.

One of the first questions I asked myself was what is the weather like on this world?” There is not a lot of referee guidance given on this subject, not until GDWs Book 06 - Scouts. The procedures in Book 06 Scouts are extremely detailed and, at least for my tastes, produce an unnecessary amount of game prep I would not use.

What do I want as a referee for game play?

  1. Are there temperature conditions that we must account for?
  2. Are there swings in seasonal weather?
  3. Are there weather conditions that might impede play?

Finally, I’d like to have this extended world data encoded using the same 0-C digit system that is familiar for the rest of the world data.

Axial Tilt

Axial tilt tells us whether a planet has extreme variations in seasons.

Roll 2d6-2:

Digit Axial Tilt & Label
0 -90%~ Extreme
1 -50%~ Extreme
2 0%~ None
3 1%~ None
4 3%~ None
5 15%~ Slight
6 20%~ Slight
7 25%~ Slight
8 30%~ Slight
9 50%~ Extreme
A 90%~ Extreme

Average Temperature

Roll 2d6-7 + atmosphere

Note: Atmosphere’s 0 and 1 would have extremely different temperatures depending on the time of day.

Digit Temperature Average °F
0 Frigid -225
1 Cold -70
2 Cold -10
3 Cool 20
4 Cool 40
5 Temperate 50
6 Temperate 60
7 Warm 80
8 Hot 110
9 Hot 160
A Searing 220
B Searing 220
C Inferno 330

If the axial tilt is none, then the temperature is consistent. If the axial tilt is slight then you can imagine that there are variations of one to two steps in either direction from the average. If the axial tilt is extreme then you have changes between three to six steps in either direction.

Random Weather Encounters

Planets possessing an atmosphere other than 0 (no atmosphere) have weather conditions.

Throw 1d6 on a 5 or 6 there is adverse weather. In cases of adverse weather, we can use a variation of the reaction throw to determine the severity of the weather event:

Apply the following DMs to the result:

Atmosphere DM
1-5 +1
8-12 -1
Size DM
5-9 -1
10-14 -2
15+ -3

Throw 2d6 - DMs:

Result Severity
2 Extreme
3-5 Major
6-8 Moderate
9-11 Minor
12 Limited

10 is an intense, violent storm. 0 is a minor, short event. To determine how long the storm lasts in minutes, throw 2d6-2 and multiply the result by 5. You’ll have to factor in the temperature, seasonal effects, and other world data to determine if it is an extreme” dust storm or a minor” rain shower. If necessary you can use the severity of the weather to apply DMs to skill throws (in a range of -4 (extreme) to 0 (limited), where limited” weather events may not directly effect skill throws but may still provide fictional constraints on actions.)

Inspiration for the random weather encounter procedures comes from Traveller’s own encounter procedures and Michael Brown’s Hazard: Storm! article in Freelance Traveller.


September 7, 2022

Traveller 1977 - Making a Subsector With Book 03

Traveller (1977 edition) describes how a referee may create a game play area known as a subsector in Book 03: Worlds and Adventures. It is generally done as an 8x10 hex-grid but, interestingly, Book 03 does not spell out the exact size of a subsector and leaves it up to the referee’s discretion (but does suggest use of the 8x10 hex grid paper form in the back of the book.) A subsector is just a slice of the universe your game will take place in and will provide more than enough adventure for months of game play.

I have my own software for generating subsectors quickly, but I honestly prefer to roll them up by hand if I can find the time, so we’ll take things step by step here and do it the old-fashioned way.

For each hex (or square, or however you choose to specify it) you roll a d6 and on a 4+ you generate a world. Much has been written about the 50% chance of world occurence: mostly that it seems like the published Traveller maps didn’t use this same formula and it does not seem to match scientifically available data about the likelihood of the frequency of planetary occurence. We’ll just stick to the defaults, 4+ is good enough for us. Now I am going to use a text editor and software-based dice roller to make my life slightly easier. We’ll test for world occurence all at once across each column filling out the map:

10d6: [2, 1, 6, 5, 2, 3, 3, 4, 1, 6]

0103 *
0104 *
0108 *
0110 *

10d6: [2, 2, 5, 2, 3, 2, 3, 3, 5, 2]

0203 *
0209 *

10d6: [2, 1, 5, 6, 6, 4, 1, 3, 1, 2]

0303 *
0304 *
0305 *
0306 *

10d6: [2, 1, 1, 4, 3, 1, 3, 6, 3, 1]

0404 *
0408 *

10d6: [2, 5, 4, 6, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4]

0502 *
0503 *
0504 *
0510 *

10d6: [4, 1, 3, 6, 3, 4, 2, 4, 5, 1]

0601 *
0604 *
0606 *
0608 *
0609 *

10d6: [1, 1, 5, 1, 2, 1, 6, 6, 3, 2]

0703 *
0708 *
0709 *

10d6: [3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 5, 2, 5, 1]

0807 *
0809 *

I originally planned to use the map generator at the Zhodani Base but ultimately decided to use Traveller Map’s poster maker.

For each occurence, I’ll generate a world name using my own random tables that are mishmash of three different world name generators. This gives me a mix of world name types and I like thinking that little clusters of worlds may have their own linguistic differences or similarities.

I then work through the checklist on page 12 of Book 03. There is an important 1977 errata correction for world generation: a world’s hydrographic percentage should be generated by rolling 2d6-7+atmosphere not size. Finally, in a weird bit of organizational structure, you have to jump back to the end of Book 02 to find the trade codes. If you are going to use Traveller Map to generate you subsector map image, you’ll find that their data checking tool complains about missing trade codes. Later Classic Traveller books (and Traveller game editions) created quite a few new trade codes. You’ll also find that Traveller 1977 has no concept of the population modifier, gas giant, asteroid belt numbers (PGB), allegiance” codes, or amber zones either. There are plenty of resources out there you can use to generate these details if you want them (see: Cepheus Engine SRD - Worlds) without having to buy every Traveller supplement under the sun.

So I worked through the many rolls on the Star Mapping And World Creation Checklist and I generated the 26 Universal World Profiles (UWP) for my various systems.

I then reviewed each code and made some minor referee’s discretion” alterations. For example Birdwood, Allenby, and Pershing use similar linguistic profiles for their names, had decent tech levels, connecting space lanes, and a general appearance of coordination - so I aligned the governments to create a little pocket empire. I thought about making changes to Beerxebi because they seem to have imposed military rule on Dagboryn but I wasn’t sure their tech level justified that. Then I observed that Isvear, Moltke, and Phin may have formed a manufacturing hub that produces starships that they then in turn sell to the neighboring systems.

Here are the resulting UWPs:

Birdwood      0103 C100455-9   
Allenby       0104 B557455-B  N
Nivelle       0108 C566240-9  S
Gohoth        0110 C67A302-6   
Pershing      0203 B479658-8  N
Rurlor        0209 B455846-8   
Quxeteor      0303 C995577-6   
Xecebi        0304 D645332-6  S
Dagtis        0305 E400403-7   
Dur           0306 B873168-9  N
Potiorek      0404 B657311-C   
Dagboryn      0408 A754565-9  N
Danilov       0502 A000423-G  N
Currie        0503 B677522-8   
Cadorna       0504 C310126-8   
Inbeis        0510 A366610-9  N
Errurron      0601 E653134-6   
Sarrail       0604 D130364-8  S
Moltke        0606 CAB5979-B   
Meranryl      0608 X454678-3   
Beerxebi      0609 A5455A6-9   
Gough         0703 EAC6678-2   
Phin          0708 B6759A9-9  N
Isvear        0709 B663435-A  N
Omzel         0807 C842134-7  S
Rut           0809 C477787-9   

Also, the map that I have generated for use:

Next up, I need to do a little world building for at least one world and possible a few connecting worlds. My plan is to start the game with a single character on a world, ideally without a ship. Have some daily adventures with this character, re-familiarize myself with the rules, and work them up towards owning or working on a starship.