Fifth Frontier War concludes

At the beginning of the month, Joe and I finished playing the old Traveller universe wargame Fifth Frontier War. Picking up where we left off last time, turn 20 saw more Zhodani Consulate reinforcements begin to make their way toward the front: The 2nd and 3rd Assault Fleets and the 14th Colonial Fleet. Meanwhile, the Zho 1st Assault Fleet destroyed the last of Extalay's system defense boats and planetary militia and landed the psionic 2nd Guard regiment to defeat the Imperial colonial corps and capture the planet. However, despite heavy Zhodani bombardment from multiple fleets, the Imperial subsector capital of Regina held fast, and the Consulate ships moved on to other missions.

As the war progressed, the ZC captured Roup and held off Imperial fleets trying to retake Jewell (subsector capital) and Ruby. And in the Sword Worlds territory, at Joyuse, the Swords' low-tech 1st Infantry Corps and 7th Armored battled the Imperium's high-tech 823rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and several brigades of low-tech infantry levies--with neither side able to drive off the other.

Just across the border in Imperial space, the 18th Imperial Fleet tried to recapture Vilis from a Zhodani army supported by guerrilla units. At the two Sword Worlds fleets, Gram and Joyuse, accompanied by the ZC 35th Fleet, defeated the 18th Imperial Fleet, which lost its admiral in the battle. That success was short-lived, as the Imperial Corridor Fleet then eliminated the Zho 35th, including three battleship squadrons and an admiral, but the Imps could not retake the world. However, they did manage to keep the Zhodani from capturing the neighboring system of Garda-Vilis.

Battles continued as Zhodani fleets crept further and further into Imperial space:  Rech, Uakye, Frenzie, Pandrin, Ruie, Lyse, Inthe, Denotam, Enope, Arkadia. The naval squadrons were aided in their efforts by the elite Fulacin Battalion, which established a secret base to capture Kinorb, all the way in the Ryhlanor Sector (not to be confused with the system of Kinorb in the Regina subsector).

By this time, the Zhodani reinforcements were well on their way to reaching Imperial space, and the Sword Worlds and Vargr fleets were still active (although the Imperium had captured all the Vargr systems). We decided to call the game at this point and tallied up the score. My Zhodani forces had captured thirteen worlds, including a subsector capital (Jewell). Joe's Imperials had taken all four Vargr planets, along with one Sword World system (Gugnir) and one planet of the Zhodani Consulate (Farreach). Calculating the victory points based on tech levels of captured worlds, plus certain bonuses, the Zhodani eked out a marginal victory. However, I think the tide would have turned soon enough, once more Imperial reinforcements made their way to the front.

It was a good time, evocative of the space opera I devoured as a youth. However, with eyesight not as sharp as back in the day, the map was a little hard to read, and the stacks of counters sometimes difficult to handle. So Joe and I discussed making the map a little bigger, so we can fit more counters into a single hex, and so that all the information about each system is contained within the hex, instead of in the boxes on the map's edges. So yes, I want to take the lessons I learned here and play again (but maybe try out Invasion: Earth first!).

Fifth Frontier War continues

On a recent weekend, my gaming buddy Joe and I picked up where we left off in fighting the Fifth Frontier War. The Zhodani fleets continued their attacks throughout the Spinward Marches, devastating Imperial fleets sent to oppose them. Notably, as we resumed play, Consulate reinforcements entered the theater, let by Admiral Niurditlas and the elite 1st Assault Fleet. At the same time, the Zho 16th Colonial, 28th, 47th, and 67th fleets joined the 17th Colonial to bombard Efate, and the 68th attacked Alell before moving to Efate to take out the planetary defense troops. This was followed by the Efate guerilla uprising against a Tech Level 15 mercenary armored unit and TL 15 Imperial huscarles.

Fighting continued at Alell, where system defense boats failed to dislodge the Zhodani 17th Armored Corps. And with the Vargr fleets running around Regina subsector, the Imperial 193rd and 212th fleets landed troops on the Vargr world of Balent after bombarding the planet from orbit, quickly dispatching the native forces.

Fighting was also heavy on Vilis, with the Imperial 18th Fleet chasing the Sword Worlds Joyuse Fleet back to Mjolnir before landing Imperial 2151st and 840th armies to retake Vilis. The ground forces were locked in a long battle, with fleets from each side providing orbital bombardment, and the Imperial 840th eventually being defeated. The world, however, remained contested.

There were battles elsewhere in the sector, with Zhodani guerillas fighting Imperial forces on Ruie, the Consulate's 4th Guards (Psionic) Regiment joining the fighting on Uskye, and the Zhodani 65th Fleet bombarding the planetary defenses at Extolay. At this point, the Zhodani have made significant advances, but the Imperials are starting to get enough reinforcements to turn the tide--including a legendary Black Globe fleet!

Invasion: Earth board game find

I found this on eBay for a very reasonable price. Similar to Fifth Frontier War, the board game Invasion: Earth is based on the future history of the Traveller universe.

This box was complete, containing all components and unpunched counters. Note the chits for the U.S. 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne: Now performing as jump infantry, able to make drops from orbit, just like God and Robert A. Heinlein intended.

The map is also cool, depicting Earth in the Fiftieth Century. I like turning the map into a flattened icosahedron so that you can depict movement over the poles.

Here is a detail of North America, complete with its starport. The red hatching indicates urban areas.

The game mechanics are very similar to FFW, and I bet some of the combat tables are identical. This looks like a fun game to try with Joe, once we're done with the current one we're playing.

The Fifth Frontier War begins

GNN News Alert: The Zhodani Consulate has invaded the Third Imperium. Fighting has broken out around worlds in the Jewell, Lanth, Regina, and Vilus subsectors in the Spinward Marches. Traveller News Service reports that Vargr and Sword Worlds forces have also violated Imperial territory.

My friend Joe has a copy of Fifth Frontier War, a massive wargame in the same background as the Traveller roleplaying setting. I'd acquired the rules to this game some time ago, but I had never seen the actual box in person. So when I asked if we could play it sometime, he agreed--because who doesn't want to play a complex board game with hundreds of counters and written orders? So we set aside seven hours one Saturday to play as many turns as we could. After about an hour of setting up, placing counters and writing orders for fleet movements, the game commenced with the Zhodani invasion, commanded by yours truly.

The first turn was successful for my Zhodani and their Vargr stooges allies. The Consulate's 35th Fleet captured the planet Frenzie, while Elasin fell to the 67th Fleet, Ruby succumbed to the 17th Colonial, and the two Vargr fleets secured the world Dentus. Things did not go as well for the Zhodani 16th Colonial and 68th Fleet, which met heavy resistance at Mongo and failed to take the planet. Likewise, the Joyeuse Fleet out of the Sword Worlds was repelled from its attempt to land on Vilus. They would need help from the ZC 35th Fleet to capture that planet.

It went like this for nine more turns, with fleets meeting and planets falling. My fleets slowly made progress into the Imperium, but Joe's forces held their own on many worlds. The Vargr's ground and space forces attempted to take Pixie from tenacious Imperial Marines, while mercenaries chased the aliens off Dentus. Most significantly, the Zhodani's 35th Fleet defeated the 18th Imperial Fleet at Frenzie, destroying two battle squadrons, two cruiser squadrons, and numerous transports--and killing the Duke of Regina, who was commanding the 18th. The Zhodani and their allies captured several more worlds, but Imperial system defense boats at Efate managed to hold off the 17th Colonial. Turn 10, our final round of the day, saw the Imperial 213th Fleet beat the Sword Worlds' Gram fleet, while the Zhodani 68th Fleet cleared out 90% of Allele's SDBs, allowing the 17th Army to make its way to the planet's surface, while the 17th Colonial kept up its bombardment of Efate. It was getting late at this point, so we decided to break until we have a chance to play some more.

Sure, the game is very complex and fiddly, with written orders, multiple combat odds tables, and lots of math--and the small hex and counter sizes don't help--but I love the sheer grandiosity of this game: clashing starfleets, planetary invasions, psionic troops, and grand strategy. It's the type of space opera I loved as a kid, and I'm having a blast as we play out this interstellar war. Luckily, Joe can leave the game out until we play again, so I'm looking forward to picking up where we left off.

Seven games in one Traveller supplement

Another weekend, another great find at Half Price Books.  This time, it's a booklet reprinting the rules for seven sci-fi boardgames by Game Designers Workshop, the company behind Traveller.  Titled Games 1-6+: The Classic Games, this book came out in 2001, in the same format as the Traveller roleplaying book compilation.  Instead of RPGs, however, it contains hex-and-counter games, with images of the hexes and counters.

 

This tome includes the games Imperium (Game 0, strategic interstellar war predating Traveller itself), Mayday (ship-to-ship space combat), Snapshot (close combat aboard starships), Azhanti High Lightning (battle for control of the eponymous fleet intruder, with 14 deck plans), Invasion: Earth (the final battle of the Solomani Rim War), Fifth Frontier War (battles for the Spinward Marches), Dark Nebula (based on the Imperium game system), and Striker (not a boardgame, but a set of rules for use with 15mm miniatures).

In addition to the rules for all these games, the book includes color reproductions of cover art, counters and game boards.  Unfortunately, many of the maps aren't all that hi-res, so I probably won't be able to play all of these games.  Still, it's a great look at the history of the Traveller universe, and who knows--maybe I can convert some of them to minis play.

Traveller at Half Price

Once more, a stop at Half-Price Books pays off--this time with a hardcover of the Marc Miller edition of the Traveller science fiction RPG from 1996.

Of course, it's a used copy, and someone wrote all over the title page.

And on the table of contents.

And on an inside page.

Of course, there's lots of Chris Foss art inside to sweeten the deal.

I'm sure I'll enjoy reading this, and someday maybe playing some Traveller as well.

Traveller on your phone

I don't usually post about electronic games, but because of the local connection and the game involved, I thought this was worth sharing.  The Austin American-Statesman reports a pair of brothers has ported the Traveller role-playing game to the iPhone and iPad.  From the article:

From Austin American-Statesman

When they were children, brothers Tony and Kieran Howlett were big fans of Traveller, a pen-and-paper game similar to Dungeons & Dragons that was released in the 1970s.

Thirty-five years and two attempts later, they've released their own version of the space-themed game for decidedly modern devices — the iPad and iPhone.

"Traveller AR" is a massively multiplayer online game, in which players can battle one another in flight combat. And like its old-school predecessor, there's a heavy choose-your-own-adventure element, with players able to explore, battle or trade virtual goods.

In an interesting take on crowdsourcing, the article states, the developers will allow players to create their own missions as a reward for exploring distant parts of the setting.  I'm glad I don't have an iPhone--I'm already distracted enough with all my other toys--because I'm sure this game would become a huge time sink.

When Worlds Collide

(or: Starfleet Wars meets D&D)

I've posted before about a campaign game involving starships and space battles, but what about adopting the Five Powers setting to another string of linked combats: a role-playing game?

While Traveller seems like the obvious choice, I think it would be fun to stat up the various starfaring species for Dungeons & Dragons.

In fact, you could derive an entire setting from the SfW background, basing the characters on already-existing classes from the B/X version of the game:

• Terrans: 12" move; no special abilities; use fighter experience table
• Entomalians: 9" move; two weapon attacks per round (they have four arms) + paralyzing stinger; vulnerable to smoke/poison gas; use elf experience table
• Carnivorans: 12" move; +1 strength, +2 constitution; use dwarf experience table
• Aquarians: 12" move (18" in water); amphibious; use magic-user experience table
• Avarians: 15" move; +1 dexterity; use cleric experience table

Since this is a sci-fi mod, all characters are considered proficient with all weapons and armor.  To resolve spaceship combat at the individual character level (e.g., starfighter vs. starfighter), just use that character's to-hit number.

I envision exploring a world that was the scene of a massive battle decades ago; battered starship hulks litter the world, waiting for adventures to recover valuable technology (or plain ol' loot) from within ancient wrecks guarded by unsleeping automated defenses or now occupied by strange creatures from this or other worlds--a high-tech dungeon crawl. 

Would such a world be worth exploring?  What about importing some of the Five Powers to a traditional D&D setting?  I will explore that idea a little more in the coming days.

Wandering monsters--in SPAAAAACE!

In brainstorming for the starship campaign I want to run, I've come to envision it as akin to a traditional roleplaying game.  However, instead of running a single character with numbers describing physical and mental attributes, each player will operate a single starship (with the possibility of acquiring additional ships similar to how RPG characters gain henchmen during the course of a campaign).  While the combat rules will take care of a ship's physical attributes, I devised additional rules to describe the intangible characteristics of the ship and its captain.

This got me to thinking about the background for such a game, which could take the form of a sandbox setting so beloved of many roleplayers.  In a sandbox game, the game master starts out with a map containing some interesting locations (and some idea of what each location contains), gives the players a brief background and maybe a few leads, and lets them wander about the setting in search of adventure.  The Hill Cantons D&D campaign I play in is such a game--our characters started out with a vague idea of their surroundings and wandered around the area stumbling into and out of trouble.

Of course, this kind of play is pretty natural for sci-fi games--Traveller was an old-school SF role-playing game that encouraged this kind of play; Stars Without Number is a more recent OSR offering in the same vein.  But while these games usually start out with each player controlling a single character with maybe one ship between them, I'd like to skip those intermediate steps and start each players out with his or her own spacecraft.  Such a mini-fleet could then travel from star system to star system, in search of loot and glory like its fantasy RPG counterpart.

Which brings me (finally!) to my point: how to adjudicate what the players encounter as they roam the spaceways.  I'm thinking about adapting the order of play from the old Tom Moldvay version of the Basic D&D rulebook (the one with the red Erol Otus cover).

The Moldvay encounter rules play out pretty wargamey for something we've come to associate with a more free-form sort of play.  Here's the steps a referee follows during a turn in Basic D&D:

1. check for wandering monsters
2. party moves, enters room, listens, and searches
3. turn ends if no wandering monsters, otherwise roll number appearing
4. determine distance between monsters and party
5. check for surprise
6. roll for initiative
7. roll for monster reaction
8. determine outcome (talk, retreat, combat)
9. end turn

The Dave Cook version of the D&D Expert rules (blue book with Otus art) has a virtually identical sequence for wildnerness play, with the addition of checking to see if the party gets lost.  These rules for encounters should translate pretty easily to outer space.  However, despite the picture above, I don't think I'll include any spacedragons on my interstellar encounter table.

Interstellar treasure

Last week I had some time to kill in San Antonio, so I went to check out a Half-Price Books location.  Like my trip to one of those stores a few months ago, this latest excursion also proved fruitful:

I found a compilation of the first nine volumes of the original Traveller rules.  That's right, the game that launched a thousand starships: classic Traveller.  Although I think I still have my original ruleset, I have no idea where it might be, so it was cool to stumble across this.

This book reprints the first three booklets from the original Traveller boxed set (the one with the "Free Trader Beowulf" quote on the lid):  Characters and Combat, Starships, and Worlds and Adventures.  It also includes the first five supplements--mercenaries, interstellar navies, scouts, merchants, and robots--and "Book 0," an introduction to Traveller and role-playing.  This volume came out in 2000.  It has a $28 cover price brand-new, but look how much I ended up paying for it:

plus tax.

I was a little concerned, however, when I flipped through the pages and noticed someone had written inside the book:

A closer look showed just who had taken a pen to the frontspiece: the game's creator, Marc Miller!

OK, I don't know if it's actually his autograph, but I bought this book as a reader, not a collector, so the signed page was just a bonus. 

These rules are what the kids call crunchy--with a lot of detailed mechanics on building characters, vehicles, ships, worlds, economic systems and even star systems.  My favorite quote?  This passage from Book 3:

The referee has the responsibility for mapping the universe before actual game play begins.  The entire universe is not necessary immediately, however, as on a a small portion can be used at any one time.

I don't know if I'll ever get around to playing this, but there are plenty of ideas useful for other science fiction games.  Stand by, Free Trader Beowulf--help is on the way!