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Bundle: 555
Archive-Message-Number: 6980
From: Anthony "K." Baggaley [-- REDACTED --]
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 94 15:56:16 GMT
Subject: Some Answers, some cynical comments


Well it looks like all the moans about GDW's massive incompetence
and discussions over obscure traveller/science facts has all moved
to the gdw-beta list. Pity, that's what I really liked about the 
TML, but I'm sure all the TNE players out there wouldn't agree...

I just thought I'd try answering a few questions people asked 
yesterday. (It's either that or my 'why TNE is trash' flame, and
I'm still collecting evidence for that)

[Snip]

                      -----------------

David Johnson asked-

>concerned with the `Big Picture'.  Is there anyone else who thinks
>discussions about weapon penetration, craft design, and planetary
>science is a little moot in a two-dimensional universe?

>(I'm not trying to hassle you `rules junkies' - I'm just looking for
>some like-minded-souls of my own.)

>In an effort to start a `Background' discussion, here's a question:  What
>is there to recommend TNE (vs. MT or CT) from a `background' point of
>view?  Forget the new rules and such, is the new campaign an improvement
>over the ante-Rebellion, Rebellion and Hard Times eras?  (For the sake 
>of discussion let's ignore the hard, cold reality that TNE is the only
>campaign being supported officially.)

Good point about the 2D Universe.

Well I'd put myself more in the rules-junkie area, but like most
Traveller players (I suspect) I've stuck with it because of the
background, not the rules. 

As for the merits of various backgrounds, the only 'merit' I can 
see in TNE is that the 'area of interest' i.e. the area that the
published background covers, is less 'civilised'. PCs have more of
a chance to act as bloodthirsty criminals and get away with it, with
smaller governments or no government in most areas. It has an
advantage- with all these smaller ponds PCs have more chance to be
big fish, which should suit some people and could be interesting
if they use this power for anything other than stealing chickens.
However, most Arses background I've seen implies they prefer to
'shoot people with big guns'- I get the impression it's this that's
making TNE so popular (not on this mature list of course :>)
 That you could do all this in CT, just outside of the Imperium,
means TNE has no real improvement over CT. But, again, it depends
who you ask...

[Snip]

                       -------------------
  And finally... for those few people on the TML that have ever 
  sent me mail, please notice I have a new email address. Thanks
  for dealing with the address change so quickly James
                       Hope that was some use.
                                     
                              Anthony K.
                      (someone must have been telling lies about me)
 most reliable email address (HA!) [-- REDACTED --]

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