The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Traveller has a huge universe. The original line from GDW had many, many supplements. The original game is rated on the totality of all of these supplements. The result was an ok (for its time) rules system and a very good background.

GURPS Traveller should be looked at similarly. The first book is useless by itself. Without access to the old GDW books it is too sparse to run a campaign. There are no starmaps, no setting descriptions, and no plot lines. Like many GURPS products, it needs other books to work.

But if you have the books...

"Far Trader," is the best treatment of trade I have ever seen in an RPG. Real economic concepts, like comparative advantage and the Law of One Price, are explained. Jim MacLean's background in economics (he is a doctoral student in that subject) really shows through here.

Chapter Two's advanced trading rules take into account all sorts of variables that a real star merchant would have to face. Competition from big trading lines is factored in on the shipping tables, so there will be no getting rich shipping products between two nearby worlds (if trade is lucrative enough, big corporations move in and undercut small fry traders like the PC's.)

When I GM'd with these rules, it really felt like the players were running a business. They bought a ship with a loan, and had to scramble to make their monthly payments. There were real price fluctuations, and real accounting. Generally, the merchant character will make more money using the full rules, but it is quite time consuming and requires a calculator. There is a 'basic' set of rules when the accounting gets in the way of action. I found myself using these rules when the characters wanted to do something other than make money.

In Chapter Three, the finance rules tell you how banks operate, how much interest to charge on long- term ship loans, and how to do an IPO! All the nitty- gritty details one could want for a merchantile campaign. What the difference is between a sole proprietership, a partnership, and a corporation is stated with the clarity of a first- year economics textbook (maybe a bad example.)

Chapter Four is a primer on the shipping industry. It seems to be based on ninteenth and early twentieth century tramp steamers. Traveller itself seems to use this assumption, so it is OK. Terms of shipping, and several technical details of space travel are expounded. This is a useful chapter for those who have wondered about the specifics of star trading. The authors treat the star merchant business like a real industry. They are convincing.

Chapter Five is the character section. The template approach from the earlier GURPS Traveller books is continued. Some of the templates are unneccessary, I think. Who is going to play a Shipper's Agent? Or a Financier? These are useful NPC's, but I think the primary utility of templates is to introduce new players into the ever- more- complex GURPS rules. There are so many skills that it is easy to miss some. The neophyte would- be star crewman may find out that he is missing necessary skills like Free Fall/TL10 or Vacc Suit. I am the reigning GURPS Rules guru of my playing group, and I realize that not everyone has the time or inclination to read all the skills available to a beginning GURPS character. The templates are a measured response to the skill explosion in the GURPS system.

The sixth chapter, Campaigns and Adventures, gives some useful ideas about how to use this nifty book. There is a good discussion on the mechanics of being a pirate. Just where are the best targets? How risky is it to prey on a major shipping corridor? There are several sidebars expanding descriptions of a few worlds within the Spinward Marches.

Chapter seven includes a map of District 268, a subsector of the Spinward Marches. Economic data for the entire Spinward Marches, necessary to use the advanced trading rules, is also included. Ownership of "GURPS Traveller: Behind the Claw," is very useful if you want to run a campaign in that sector.

There is an appendix with additional starship and starship component data.

Overall, I loved this book. It is a professional look at a long- neglected aspect of RPG's, trade. There is plenty of supporting data for the GURPS Traveller line, and I think it is the best of the GURPS Traveller line so far. If you want to play a sci- fi game based on interstellar trade, this is THE book.

Taken as a whole, the GURPS Traveller line supports a campaign in the Spinward Marches of the Third Imperium well. The supplements thoughtfully support each other. "Far Trader," is a hands- on approach the creating a universe that is logical and consistent.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Far Trader
Author: Christopher Thrash, Jim MacLean, and Steve Daniels Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: GURPS Traveller Cost: $20.95 Page count: 128 Playtest Review by John Lynch on 02/26/00. Genre tags: Science_fiction Far_Future Space	Traveller has a huge universe. The original line from GDW had many, many supplements. The original game is rated on the totality of all of these supplements. The result was an ok (for its time) rules system and a very good background. GURPS Traveller should be looked at similarly. The first book is useless by itself. Without access to the old GDW books it is too sparse to run a campaign. There are no starmaps, no setting descriptions, and no plot lines. Like many GURPS products, it needs other books to work. But if you have the books... "Far Trader," is the best treatment of trade I have ever seen in an RPG. Real economic concepts, like comparative advantage and the Law of One Price, are explained. Jim MacLean's background in economics (he is a doctoral student in that subject) really shows through here. Chapter Two's advanced trading rules take into account all sorts of variables that a real star merchant would have to face. Competition from big trading lines is factored in on the shipping tables, so there will be no getting rich shipping products between two nearby worlds (if trade is lucrative enough, big corporations move in and undercut small fry traders like the PC's.) When I GM'd with these rules, it really felt like the players were running a business. They bought a ship with a loan, and had to scramble to make their monthly payments. There were real price fluctuations, and real accounting. Generally, the merchant character will make more money using the full rules, but it is quite time consuming and requires a calculator. There is a 'basic' set of rules when the accounting gets in the way of action. I found myself using these rules when the characters wanted to do something other than make money. In Chapter Three, the finance rules tell you how banks operate, how much interest to charge on long- term ship loans, and how to do an IPO! All the nitty- gritty details one could want for a merchantile campaign. What the difference is between a sole proprietership, a partnership, and a corporation is stated with the clarity of a first- year economics textbook (maybe a bad example.) Chapter Four is a primer on the shipping industry. It seems to be based on ninteenth and early twentieth century tramp steamers. Traveller itself seems to use this assumption, so it is OK. Terms of shipping, and several technical details of space travel are expounded. This is a useful chapter for those who have wondered about the specifics of star trading. The authors treat the star merchant business like a real industry. They are convincing. Chapter Five is the character section. The template approach from the earlier GURPS Traveller books is continued. Some of the templates are unneccessary, I think. Who is going to play a Shipper's Agent? Or a Financier? These are useful NPC's, but I think the primary utility of templates is to introduce new players into the ever- more- complex GURPS rules. There are so many skills that it is easy to miss some. The neophyte would- be star crewman may find out that he is missing necessary skills like Free Fall/TL10 or Vacc Suit. I am the reigning GURPS Rules guru of my playing group, and I realize that not everyone has the time or inclination to read all the skills available to a beginning GURPS character. The templates are a measured response to the skill explosion in the GURPS system. The sixth chapter, Campaigns and Adventures, gives some useful ideas about how to use this nifty book. There is a good discussion on the mechanics of being a pirate. Just where are the best targets? How risky is it to prey on a major shipping corridor? There are several sidebars expanding descriptions of a few worlds within the Spinward Marches. Chapter seven includes a map of District 268, a subsector of the Spinward Marches. Economic data for the entire Spinward Marches, necessary to use the advanced trading rules, is also included. Ownership of "GURPS Traveller: Behind the Claw," is very useful if you want to run a campaign in that sector. There is an appendix with additional starship and starship component data. Overall, I loved this book. It is a professional look at a long- neglected aspect of RPG's, trade. There is plenty of supporting data for the GURPS Traveller line, and I think it is the best of the GURPS Traveller line so far. If you want to play a sci- fi game based on interstellar trade, this is THE book. Taken as a whole, the GURPS Traveller line supports a campaign in the Spinward Marches of the Third Imperium well. The supplements thoughtfully support each other. "Far Trader," is a hands- on approach the creating a universe that is logical and consistent. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)