Traveller

Freeform rules
SUPERCONDENSATOR
Play the 1st edition like
a true space hero

Norbert G. Matausch
Traveller
Fast and loose
SUPERCONDENSATOR
Play the 1st edition like
a true space hero

Norbert G. Matausch

The rules in the Traveller Classic
books are tools for the referee. If you
need them, use them. If not, then
there's absolutely no reason to use
them.
Characteristics (strength, dexterity,
endurance, intelligence, education,
and social standing) are the only
numbers on the character sheet.
Roll 2d6 to determine each
characteristic – there are no fixed
Dice Modifiers (DM). The referee
decides when and if to add or subtract
from the player's throws.
Play the service mini-game –
write down skills, but no Dice
Modifiers. Again, the referee decides
on how skills affect the rolls.
All throws are 2d6 + Dice
Modifiers, determined by the
referee, against a Target of (usually)
8+ (also subject to change according
to the referee's opinion)
Weapon Damage:
1d6 for mostly harmless arms
2d6 for melee weapons
3d6 for average firearms or really
dangerous melee weapon
4d6 for dangerous weapons like las
pistols or shotguns.
5d6 for extremely dangerous
weapons like las rifles
–4–
The Rules
Damage for the first hit ("first
blood" in the rules): comes right off
Strength first, then Dexterity, then
Endurance. For every hit after the first
one, the player can distribute damage
between Str, Dex and End as they see
fit.
Make a throw to resist
unconsciousness. If a characteristic
is reduced to zero, the player rolls
2d6+terms served against 8+. If the
roll is successful, the character
remains conscious and can continue
to act, else they fall unconscious. The
referee might add a negative DM due
to old age.
One stat at 0 points means injury, two
stats at 0 means the character is
mortally wounded (but can be saved),
and three stats at 0 means instant
death.
Armor: To determine the armor
protection of a non-player character,
roll 2d6 and take the lower number.
That's the protection (used as negative
DM) a piece of armor offers.
This might result in Jack armor
offering a -5 DM. But who knows what
an opponent might be wearing
underneath?
Battle dresses use the higher number.
Really old and worn-out armor might
have 1d6-1d6 (with zero being the
obviously worst result).
Vehicles
This chapter describes how the
Supercondensator rules handle
verhicles – including spaceships.
Most important rule: Get out your
toy spaceships! Make sounds! Play! In
my game, I grant a general +1 DM to
any player who makes cool
spaceshippy scifi sounds.
A vehicle is defined by so-called
Chunks (thanks to Brandish Gilhelm
for that brilliant idea). One Chunk
stands for 10 hit points, one key
function or weapon, or 250 pounds of
metal or other building material.
Damaged Chunks. If the hit points
of a Chunk are reduced to zero, it is
destroyed. Any weapons or functions
associated with it are removed.
Weapon Damage:
1d6 for mostly harmless arms
2d6 for melee weapons
3d6 for average firearms or really
dangerous melee weapon
4d6 for dangerous weapons like las
pistols or shotguns.
5d6 for extremely dangerous
weapons like las rifles
Vehicles inflict double damage
against people on foot. Pedestrians
fighting against Vehicles roll for
damage as usual, but only 1s and 2s
count. If fighting against vastly
superior vehicles, the referee might
rule it’s impossible to inflict damage
with non-vehicle weaponry.
Shields and armor. Roll 1d6 to
determine the efficiency of the
vehicle’s armor. Roll 2d6 and take the
higher result if it’s a vehicle built for
combat. Use the armor number as
negative DM on the attacker’s roll.
–5–
Use Throws to determine what
Chunk is hit – except if a character is
targetting a specific Chunk. If a Chunk
is hit that is already destroyed, no
further damage is inflicted.
Speed. All Vehicles are either Slow,
Fast or Superfast. Big Vehicles can
never be Fast. Slow and Fast cost 1
Chunk each. Superfast costs 2
Chunks.
Chases. Set a distance of x amount
of clicks. Slow Vehicles go 1d6+skill
clicks per round, Fast Vehicles go
2d6+skillx2 clicks per round,
Superfast Vehicles go 3d6+skillx3
clicks per round. The first vehicle to
cover the distance escapes.
Piloting. Make a Throw against 8+
(apply skill DM) when piloting to avoid
obstacles.
Collisions. For each Chunk, roll 2d6
damage when colliding.
Example: Martian scout ship, 30 crew,
6 turret laserguns (5d6), targetting
system, dedicated shields,
camouflage circuits, cryogenic tanks
for insterstellar travel. Let’s count the
Chunks: laserguns (6), targetting
system (1), shields (1), camo (1),
cryogenic tanks (1) = 10. This Martian
scout ship has 100 hit points. If the
ship collides, it takes 2d6x10 points of
damage.
Against a pedestrian, this ship inflicts
5d6x2 damage with one laser turret
(35 points on average), or 210 points
on average if it uses all 6 turrets.

Playing Traveller the way Dave
Arneson and the early Twin Cities
roleplayers might have done it.
CHARACTER CREATION
Characteristics: Roll 2d6 for
Strength, Dexterity, Endurance,
Intelligence, Education and Social
Standing. If a stat is 5 or lower,
write it down as "below average",
or similar. If a stat is 9 or higher,
write it down as "above average",
or similar. Don't write a stat down
if it's average.
Play the service mini-game as
detailed in Traveller Book 1.
Write down the skills you earn in
service, but not the numbers.
Hits: Your character can get
hit/injured a certain number of
times; the exact number of hits is
determined by the referee. In
combat, if the winning result is
really high (again, the referee has
the final say in this), or your
actions leading to this situation
were stupid enough, it is entirely
possible that your character is
severely injured or even dies.
Going freeform
BASIC ROLLS
When the referee calls for it, roll
2d6: try to roll 8 or more. The
referee might increase or decrease
target numbers as dictated by the
situation
ONE-ON-ONE COMBAT
You roll 2d6, I roll 2d6. Who
rolled higher determines what
happens. If we're close, we
negotiate.
Winning with a high number (ref
determines what that means)
means a really good and/or
severe hit.
Shields grant a character 1 free
hit before they can get injured,
light armor also 1 free hit,
medium armor 2 free hits, heavy
armor 3 hits.

Note for referees: a character

has 4 hits: after the first hit,
characters are stunned, after the
second, lightly injured, after the
third, severely injured, after the
fourth, mortally wounded. Armor
and above-average stats give the
character a number of "free hits"
– think damage sponge – before
they start getting hurt.

–6–