I've been obsessed with starfield lately and recently Todd himself mentioned one of his main inspirations for it was an RPG called Traveller, an ancient fricking thing that came out around 3 years after DnD. Look it up for a bit, and found it clicked nicely with me (that classic late 60s to mid 80s sci-fi aesthetic is tight) and reminded me heavy of a certain top-down spess shenanigans simulator I've played quite a bit of over the years. thing is it's somewhat obscure and I'm not even sure if I could even find a copy of it (or even be able to make a group with it) and the closest modern equivalent of the game I could think of that's even somewhat known is, you guessed it, starfinder. how do these two compare?
https://goblincrew.wdfiles.com/local--files/cc-rules-info/Traveller%20-%20Core%20Rulebook%20(MGP3800).pdf
thank you sir
how so? I know Starfinder is essentially a sci-fi offshoot of pathfinder, which in of itself was an offshoot of DnD 2nd (or 3rd) edition, but is there anything beyond that?
oh.
>how do these two compare?
uhhh... they're both in space? sort of?
otherwise they have next to nothing in common
>How do they compare?
Traveller is ultimately a pretty grounded game about believable space adventures.
Starfinder is a zany fantasy MMO loot grind "In spehss." that doesn't even have in-universe mechanics for upgrading spaceships. They just get better with the party's level because they have to for the game to work. Number go Up, nobody cares why.
Mongoose Traveller 2e is 95%+ compatible with Classic 70's Traveller and was first released in 2016. Cepheus Engine, which is am OGL Mongoose Traveller 1e, is again 95%+ compatible and is free.
Starfinder is a worse Pathfinder IMO. Traveller is hands down my favorite RPG system.
I've played a lot of Traveller and it's a fun game.
Based traveller bros. I've run two campaigns of it but one ended and the other is kinda on hiatus due to us doing other campaigns while one player in it wasn't around. Traveller just feels like a series of little "jobs" and escapades and I have a hard time making it tie together into a larger plot. The trading was interesting but got old fast. Still love the system I just find it harder to run a campaign than in DnD or in my savage worlds steampunk world.
>how do these two compare?
Aliens vs. World of Warcrap.
That's... actually pretty close, although I'd lean towards starwars
World of Starwarscraft?
Far Future is still selling cds, actual fricking discs, of pdfs of Classic, MegaTraveller, and The New Era. Traveller 5 should not be attempted by newbies, you gotta build up to that. They're also on DriveThru. Humble Bundle and Bundle of Holding have both had Traveller in the last year. So yeah, if you want the actual black books you'll have to hit up ebay but the pdfs are widely available to buy.
>check Amazon for 2e
>recently released 2022 version
>it's filled with several "editorial errors"
>check da archives/curated/aneex for 2016 version
>only ones I could find are either the 2015 version or the newest
>check ebay
>$90
yep. it's one of those days
have you tried searching for a traveller general thread on the archives and the linked traveller specific megas?
I've played Starfinder. Never again. It's awful shit. Fricks with the origin of its own races lore and level locks certain items and equipment like an MMO. In a fricking TTRPG! What nonce would design such a thing?
Anyhow. If you end up not feeling traveler, I'd recommend Stars without Number. I've read through it and also heard nothing but good things about it.
I also recommend SwN. Some great content out there for it.
Traveller
Stars Without Number
Coriolis
GURPS
can all power good space adventures
Spacemaster.
Mekton Zeta.
Spelljammer (2e D&D only)
even Battletech/Mechwarrior could be considered a space adventure.
How did you "look up traveller for a bit" and not realize that there is a current edition with a brand new core book out this year?
Traveller.
I dunno. When you punch someone they end your misery of playing starfinder, Seems well designed to me.
it even promotes correct boxing jab with the back of the fist facing up to aim it at your face. all around seems like a well thought out design.
>thing is it's somewhat obscure and I'm not even sure if I could even find a copy of it (or even be able to make a group with it)
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?filters=10134_0_0_0_0
Traveller is great:
Normally the group is forme by ppl of 3x years old that are at the end of their careers. Some have retire, others have been fired and become hobos and other have been critically injured and dicharged from the army.
This group of ragtags wants to go to space again and make extra coin, so they buy a 2nd hand ship and take a nice mortgage
After that the DM can develop the campaign to include a plot.
The idea is to make money using the trading/passenger/cargo table, but not enough to pay the mortgage so they need to make some odd and dangerouns jobs. These jobs are the adventures itself.