BASILISK STATION - A TRAVELLER BLOG

As I begin this referee-less campaign and begin posting (in a few weeks), I realized I needed to set a few rules for myself as it relates to blog posting. For my normal writing process--the novels, short stories, and poetry I write--I'm an incredibly iterative writer. (I make no claims to uniqueness on this point.) If I followed the same level of iterations and "perfection" I expect in that for this blog, well, this blog would have very long sequences of no releases, etc. Therefore, I will have to be easier on my expectations for myself. I will focus on short write ups of action as the game progresses. Additionally, I will live with the knowledge that I will write passages, sentences, and so on that I would have eventually revised or deleted in my normal iterative process. I will reserve the right to revise after release, but I will note revised text in brackets [] and deleted text in strikethrough . Whether I revise or not, however, I leave up to the whims of my sc...

Made at  https://zhodani.space . Playing referee-less means you need to have ways of randomizing encounters, events, and so on without the specific knowledge referee would have in the game. One of the great things about Traveller is its rich, long history of random encounters and events and rolling up worlds and animals. So I'm going to make use of those tools. That said, since I've never played referee-less before, so I'm going to feel free to adjust my practice as I move along. But here are some of the books I'll have for random events, etc., along with the basic rules. Traveller Core Rulebook High Guard Central Supply Catalogue Vehicle Handbook Traveller Companion -- I'll be using this for supplemental rules related to the environment, toxins, gravity, etc. 760 Patrons , 2nd Edition -- One source of NPCs. 1001 Characters -- One source of NPCs. Starports Animal Encounters -- particularly the animal creation rules. The Great Rift -- Book 4, specifi...

So I had ambitious plans...and then the usual things got in the way. But I've begun in earnest in the past few weeks building out my Foreven sector. I built one system, Tavisol, almost randomly, ensuring that I had a couple of key components to it because I'm working on a con adventure set on it. This then kept the process going, and I have several systems built in the Urnian subsector--the subsector that borders the Imperium . I had thought to revive my original idea of Ristoff plying the starlanes. However, with the release of Element Class Cruisers: Shipbuilder's Blueprints , I am going to take a different approach and run a solo bridge crew campaign. The overall goal of the crew and ship is a goodwill tour the Imperium is sending through the sector. The tour is an attempt to ensure good relations with non-Imperial controlled space as tensions mount between the Zhodani Consulate and the Imperium (which leads to the Fifth Frontier War ). To support the tour, of c...

After mustering out of the Imperial Navy, Etert decided to pursue a life amongst the stars and visiting new cultures and worlds by financing his way with mining. Using a couple of ship's shares and taking a large loan, he purchased a used Type-J Seeker mining starship, that he dubbed Category One . He fitted out the computer software with Intellect software for Astrogation, Engineering (both maneuver and jump drives), and Gunnery. That way, he can cruise the stars along, without taking on a crew. Some risk, of course, remains--software can't do physical repairs. However, Etert is confident and determined to go it alone. Perhaps more radically, he has opted to leave Imperial space by taking in the Foreven Sector, seeking mining and money-making opportunities. From a gaming perspective, I will be using random encounter rolls when entering the system, using High Guard 's mining rules, etc. I will also use online generators for NPCs and the ALONe system for determining rand...

I've rolled up Etert Riffost. Here's a screenshot of his character sheet. Etert's UPP is: 556A73 Born and raised on Trin (A894A96-F) in the Trin's Veil subsection of the Spinward Marches sector. Etert grew up amongst the massive middle class on the planet. His father, Cor, rose to be a director in the Ling-Standard Products consumer products division, specializing in project management. His mother, Betz, served as an advisor to the mayor of Lancaster, the city the Riffost family lived. Betz eventually was elected as the attorney general for the city and was known as a tough prosecutor. Etert grew up in a nurturing home. However, he tended to be a bit lazy in his studies, dreaming instead of heading to the stars. Gazing past the reflective debris ring of the moon that millennia ago was torn apart by gravitational forces, Etert dreamed of reaching beyond the system, beyond the Spinward Marches and, perhaps beyond the Imperium itself. His laziness, however, m...

I have rolled up my first system, which I will reveal soon. As I was doing it, I also found a way to conduct a solo  campaign. Hence, I will be generating a character and have them embark on this campaign, revealing the Foreven sector through his eyes. One of the fun things I've always enjoyed about Traveller is the character generation system. From the beginning, Traveller character creation has been based on die rolls and decisions around careers--you have no starting pool of experience points to spend as you want. Instead, you start with your character at age 18--ready for college, a military academy, or jumping into his or her career. You roll to see if you get entrance, if you graduate, if you're promoted, if you avoid serious injury, etc. When I create my character, I'll provide his career background. In Classic Traveller and MegaTraveller, your character could die during creation. This has been softened (even in Classic Traveller, optional rules were stat...

As a side note, I was asked to join the fine folks at High Shelf Gaming podcast to talk about Traveller. It was great fun, so give it a listen if you get a chance! TRAVELLER: A SPACE OPERA RPG