TEXT:  
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  1 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
   
  Players’ Guide to 
  MEGATRAVELLER 
  Role-Playing in the Shattered Imperium 
   
  Basic information about the 
  MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
   
  “The fact that the Imperium was the largest, the strongest, and the single most 
  dominant force in interstellar politics for more than a thousand years misled even 
  its most vocal detractors. Critics talked about change rather than revolution. 
  Dissidents talked about escape rather than change. 
  "Five hundred years of stable interstellar government produced an 
  understandable complacency on the part of every member of the Imperial nobility. 
  Every noble had a vested interest in maintaining the status quo; it was the source of 
  their power and their fortunes. 
  "Imperial succession had been a smooth process for centuries. When 
  Dulinor's bullets killed not only the emperor but also his immediate heirs, they 
  created a turmoil that would ripple throughout the galaxy.  
  “Every noble could be counted on to support the obvious choice, if there was 
  one, but when there is no obvious choice; each noble supported a successor 
  based on his own conscience, and there are as many consciences as there are 
  souls in the universe. 
  "Traditionally, honor and enlightened self-interest held the Imperium together. 
  Nobles could be depended on to be conservative; to decide for the status quo. 
  But what decisions could they make when there was no clear status quo? 
  “The Imperial court supported Lucan. More sensitive nobles, believing the 
  charges that Lucan had killed his own brother in order to become the leading 
  contender for the throne, chose to support the less controversial Margaret. Nobles 
  in Ilelish supported Dulinor. Solomani nobles decided the time was ripe to support 
  their homeland. Nobles on the fringes found their territories were not a priority when 
  compared with the factional infighting; they were soon forced to abandon the 
  Imperium in order to survive. Others found they preferred to be big fish in little 
  ponds rather than small fish in an Imperial ocean. 
  “The very forces that pulled the stable Imperium together now pulled the 
  shattered Imperium apart." 
  —Norris Aella Aledon 
  The Last Days of the Imperium, 
   Imperial Books (Second edition, Regina: 1146). 
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  2 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
   
   
  Strephon 
   
  Yaskoydray 
   
  Ihatei 
   
  Dulinor 
  Lucan 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Norris 
  Margaret 
   
  The Coordinator 
   
  Ishimkarun 
   
  Craig 
   
  The Imperium’s thousand-year-reign created an illusion of strength and lasting power, but continued 
  expansion and internal pressures have strained its ability to govern to the very limit. The only thing that 
  held the vast interstellar empire together was the person of the emperor: the one individual to whom all 
  imperial citizens ultimately owed their loyalty. 
  Now the emperor is dead. He has no immediate heirs. His assassin claims the throne by an obscure 
  and obsolete right. His nephew claims that he is the Emperor's rightful successor. The Moot demands a 
  say in naming a new emperor. The Solomani demand independence. The Vargr have invaded several 
  frontier provinces. Aslan ihatei are nibbling at a few distant subsectors. And the Imperium is crumbling. 
   
  The Imperium was held together, before the Emperor's death, by a web of personal oaths and loyalties. 
  Hereditary nobles held their offices directly from the emperor; new appointees hold their offices as 
  rewards for contributions or good work. Potentially disloyal citizens were often granted nobility and co-
  opted into support of the empire. All nobles had a vested interest in supporting the Imperium. But which 
  side do they choose when no faction is clearly right, or clearly winning? Their choices were dictated by 
  their other loyalties: most often dividing the nobles at the expense of the Imperium. 
  At the same time, signs of weakness within the Imperium enticed outsiders to attack, conquer, and 
  pillage. The famous Corridor Fleet was transferred to the Core, and Vargr raiders moved into the void it 
  left; the entire Spinward Marches territory was cut off from the central Imperium. Imperial task forces were 
  withdrawn from the Trojan Reach to fight the invading Vargr, and Aslan ihatei conquered undefended 
  worlds on the Marches' frontier. Imperial fleets along the Solomani border moved back to a more 
  defensible line, and the Solomani gobbled up whole sectors at the first opportunity. Unrest and Vargr 
  incursions in Vland sector forced three megacorporations there to re-establish the Vilani Empire, with its 
  merchant socialism, if only to protect their markets. The League of Antares found their portion of the 
  Imperium unprotected against raiding Vargr, and seceded to become a client state of a more protective 
  border empire. 
  Within the Imperium the population was not faced with clear choices. Loyalists supported a new 
  emperor, but its various factions could not agree on which of several heirs had priority. The Pretenders 
  supported Emperor Strephon's killer, accepting that ascending the throne by right of assassination was a 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  3 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  legitimate, if seldom used, precedent. Federalists supported a change to the federation form of 
  government. And many citizens preferred to keep quiet, wishing that the old days were back. 
   
  POINTS OF INTEREST 
  There are several points of interest in the current situation. 
  Advance Knowledge: Though current technology in the Imperium allows jump 6 travel, the standard 
  means of ferrying information, the xboats, only travel at jump 4. Publicly, the Imperium writes this 
  discrepancy off, citing the high cost of building new ships and the fact that many frontier routes simply do 
  not need jump 6 service. The cost of jump 6 is high enough to make a universal jump 6 xboat network 
  inefficient. But the Imperial government also knows the power of information, and maintains a variety of 
  naval couriers which can make jump 6. Knowing vital facts before they become general knowledge is 
  essential to a well-run bureaucracy. 
  When Strephon was assassinated on 132-1116, the word went out immediately by both naval courier 
  and the standard news services. The following table shows the increasing discrepancy between the 
  advance word and the official news:
   
  Assassination 
  132 1116 
  132-1116 
  World 
  Advance 
  Official 
   
  Word (J 6) 
  News (J 4) 
  Vland 
  202 1116 
  237 1116 
  Dlan 
  244 1116 
  300 1116 
  Daibei 
  250 1116 
  309 1116 
  Terra 
  311 1116 
  036 1117 
  Regina 
  328 1116 
  067 1117 
  Home 
  001 1117 
  117 1117 
   
  Note that Dulinor announced the news locally 
  in Dlan 245-1116. 
  The further from the event, the greater the 
  discrepancy between the advance word and the 
  official news reports. As an example, at Regina, 
  there was over one hundred days between the 
  time the government and nobles knew about the 
  Emperor's assassination and the time the official 
  news reports were broadcast to the public. This 
  gave the nobles one hundred days to prepare 
  themselves, possibly to sway public opinion, and 
  to lessen the shock when the news became available to the masses. 
  The Moot: The Moot rises to a prominence it has never had before with the assassination of Strephon; 
  it is the legislative body of the Imperium. It has few powers, and even more rarely exercises them. The 
  Moot is theoretically composed of all nobles (baron and above) of the Imperium. It has evolved over the 
  years into a sort of elective assembly, as those attending hold proxies for absent nobles, and vote them 
  on matters of importance. Sitting members cast weighted votes based on the proxies they hold. 
  The Moot is technically supreme in the Imperium, but its power is extremely limited. Its acts are 
  primarily advisory to the Emperor. In practice, the Moot has one power: to dissolve the Imperium --- the 
  power to commit suicide. When this power is brought to bear, it compels compromise between opposing 
  parties. 
  In the absence of an Emperor, the Moot becomes important as the validating body for the new 
  Emperor. It has the power to examine the qualifications and credentials of the heir apparent, and in 
  unusual situations, reject him. 
  Right of Assassination: The curious fact is that the assumption of the Imperial throne by a successful 
  assassin traces its roots back more than 800 years. Assassination grew to be accepted as a viable way of 
  removing an unfit, insane, or ineffective Emperor.   
  Certain conditions apply to such assassinations; no commoner can simply walk in, shoot the Emperor, 
  and take over his job. The assassin must be a high-ranking noble, be prepared to defend his or her 
  actions to the Moot, and have sufficient support in the Moot to make the claim stick. As such, 
  assassination is a risky undertaking, since death at the hands of Imperial bodyguards or the Imperial 
  justice system is a very real possibility. 
  When Martin II died in 244, he had no immediate heirs to take his place; the Moot examined the 
  credentials of several claimants and supported Cleon Zhunastu, great-great-great grandson of Cleon II. 
  Cleon resolved disagreements within his cabinet by shooting vocal opponents. Surviving members of the 
  government decided it was essential to the health of the Imperium that Cleon be deposed. Porfiria drew 
  the short straw, and shot Cleon as he entered the council chamber. Partially in recognition of her efforts, 
  she was proclaimed Empress in 245. 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  4 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  During a 147-year period in the chaotic fifth and sixth centuries, 11 assassinations propelled new 
  emperors to the throne. In most cases, the new emperor personally assassinated the old one. Only with 
  the assumption of Arbellatra in 629 did the method fall into disuse. 
  The Factions: Remember, every Imperial noble has a vested interest in maintaining the power and 
  strength of the Imperium, which is, after all, the source of their power. Why should anyone tear down the 
  most powerful government in the universe? But every noble in the power structure faces a unique 
  problem in the current situation: in supporting the Imperium, who exactly does one support? There is no 
  clear choice at present. 
  The choices each face include: the Usurper Dulinor who raises genuine criticisms of the current 
  government, and claims the throne by time-honored right of assassination; the Pretender Lucan, already 
  crowned Emperor, but also accused of killing his own brother on the way to the throne; the Other 
  Pretender Margaret, seen as an easy and legitimate alternative to Lucan; the "Real" Strephon, who 
  appeared in Usdiki/Gushemege in 1117 claiming his double was the one killed in the Palace; or even the 
  Archduke of Deneb (the Duke of Regina), conquering hero of the Fifth Frontier War, and a loyal 
  commander of a major group of fleets. Less powerful Imperial leaders, each ruling a significant force of 
  starships and territories, include: Litininin of Daibei, who declared independence for his sector when the 
  Imperium started draining it of naval strength; the Shadow Emperor of the Restored Vilani Empire; and 
  the Regent of Antares, now aligned with the Julian Protectorate in order to resist the advances of Vargr 
  worlds to coreward-various Vargr marauders, and even entire nations have been on the move since the 
  civil war began. 
  Every noble has made his choice; every Imperial citizen will have to live with the consequences. 
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  5 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  THE MAP 
  The map shown here depicts the approximate positions of power and resistance at this chaotic point in 
  the struggle for dominance. Of course, friction is widespread--- virtually no part of the Imperium is free 
  from commerce raiding or outright warfare. 
  The attached notes give explanations of certain important events and their locations. Detailed 
  information is for the most part unavailable, and the average Imperial citizen is left pretty much in the dark 
  about the wars waging around him. Actual coverage of events is often far removed and reshaped by 
  propaganda, and the rumor mills are working full tilt. However, information on this map should be 
  considered reliable. 
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  6 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  MegaTraveller Designers’ Notes 
  MegaTraveller is without a doubt the largest Traveller project ever attempted to date. Many people had a hand in 
  the original design and conceptualization of the game, but when push came to shove the final editing and assembly 
  work was handed to Gary Thomas and Joe Fugate. We thought it would be nice to let them get in their two cents 
  about what they have done, why they did it, and what you can expect to get out of it. 
  MegaTraveller is here at last! By the time you read this (we have to write it some months ahead to meet 
  publication schedules), all three volumes of the new rules set should be available in your local game store. Was the 
  10 year wait worth it? If you already play Traveller, is this something you need? What changes were made, and why? 
  These are all good questions, and this is our chance to give you some answers. 
  First, who are "we"? Marc Miller first conceived of Traveller 10 years ago, and along with Frank Chadwick has 
  guided its development since that time from the bridge at Game Designers' Workshop. In that time, GDW has 
  published more than 50 different Traveller books and magazines. Gary Thomas and Joe Fugate are the brains and 
  brawn behind Digest Group Publications, publishers of Travellers' Digest magazine and several other approved 
  Traveller books. 
  When Traveller first appeared, it was revolutionary: a powerful, playable, science-fiction role playing game with 
  infinite expandability. A whole universe waited to be explored. At the beginning, GDW didn't publish background 
  material for the game, but allowed referees and players to develop their own milieux. It soon became apparent, 
  however, that the game could grow faster if more background was laid out. Not everyone has the time to invent a 
  galaxy of worlds, inhabitants, culture, and technology. 
  So GDW started in. The Spinward Marches were laid out in loving detail. Aliens appeared: the proud and ferocious 
  Aslan, the intent and mysterious Zhodani, the tradition-bound and militant K'kree, the mercurial and quick-to-take-
  offense Vargr, the silent and scheming Hiver, the anachronistic and quiet Droyne, the reactionary and independent-
  minded Solomani. Cultures flourished. Technology and commerce prospered. Far-ranging starships were designed 
  and built. The historical underpinnings of the Third Imperium were discovered. And the first inklings of the 
  governmental structure of the Imperium were hinted at in the system of nobility. 
  In this development, many hands played an important role. Besides Marc and Frank, the Keith brothers William and 
  Andrew were instrumental in giving the game a definite flavor through their writing and art. Magazines like Journal of 
  the Travellers' Aid Society, High Passage, Far Traveller, and Travellers' Digest came along with their contributions 
  from many sources. 
   
  SO MUCH FOR HISTORY 
  But not to belabor a point: if 
  you've come this far in your game 
  playing, you probably know where 
  Traveller came from. The reason 
  we mention it here is that it is 
  important to be clear on where we 
  are if we are to understand where 
  we are going. Ed Edwards, former 
  editor of Working Passage and one 
  of 
  Traveller's 
  most 
  vocal 
  and 
  devoted fans, says that in one 
  sense, "Everything we have done for 
  the 
  last 
  ten 
  years 
  has 
  been 
  playtesting." Now that we've had a 
  chance to try out the game, we've 
  encountered its kinks. We've found 
  its strong points. And over the years, 
  each of us has thought of how we 
  would change the game to perfect it. 
  Some of the game's growth has 
  been unpruned; different branches 
  of the same tree have fought each 
  other in space and stunted each 
  other's growth. Some of the roots 
  had reached bedrock, or withered 
  from 
  exposure, 
  lacking 
  a 
  firm 
  foundation.  
  A few years ago, Marc decided 
  that we were approaching the time 
  when the game would need to be 
  rebuilt, from the bottom up, to 
  incorporate everything that all of us 
  had learned over the years about 
  role-playing in general and Traveller 
  in particular. 
   
  IN THE BEGINNING 
  So here we were, with a mass of 
  material and a deep desire to make 
  all the pieces fit without throwing 
  any away.  
  A monumental task? Definitely.  
  An impossible task? Definitely not! 
  We worked hand-in-glove for the 
  entire duration of this restructuring 
  task, knowing that what we came up 
  with at the end had to be greater 
  than the sum of its parts. It had to 
  breathe fresh life into a game that 
  was still quite healthy but had grown 
  flabby in a few places and had a few 
  muscles that hadn't been exercised 
  as much as they could be. Marc 
  never wanted a cosmetic retouching 
  of the game: Instead, he insisted 
  that whatever came out of this 
  process had to be right. If something 
  was wrong, it was changed. If 
  something was right it was kept. If 
  something needed more develop-
  ment, the development was done. 
  And if something was over-inflated, 
  it was pared down to size. We like 
  what we came up with, and we think 
  you will too. 
   
  ON WITH THE TASK 
  One of the first decisions, one that 
  was obvious after working with it in 
  Traveller sessions for the last three 
  years, was to include the DGP task 
  system in the new version. The 
  structure of the Universal Task 
  Profile was an enhancement that 
  gave real meaning to character skills 
  and 
  attributes, 
  and 
  it 
  enabled 
  referees to resolve, actions in a 
  consistent and easy way. 
  Every 
  time 
  a 
  task 
  roll 
  is 
  attempted, no matter how trivial, 
  there is some element of risk. This 
  risk creates conflict (the skeleton on 
  which any adventure is built), and 
  success gives the characters (and 
  their 
  players) 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  accomplishment that was some-
  times lacking before. 
  You can't pick up the new 
  MegaTraveller game rules without 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  7 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  encountering the task system. What 
  does this mean to the referee and 
  the players? Once you've learned 
  the basics of the task system, you're 
  well on your way to creating realistic 
  (yet playable) dramatic situations. 
  Your air/raft is stalled and the 
  villains are hot on your trail? Make a 
  task roll. The Vargr who had 
  "befriended" you now turns against 
  you, weapons ready? Make a task 
  roll. The customs agent wants to 
  have "just a closer look" at your 
  ship's hold? Make a task roll. Your 
  starship 
  sensors 
  pick 
  up 
  an 
  unknown object coming at you at a 
  high rate of speed? Make a task roll. 
  The simplicity and universality of 
  the task system give it its power. 
  After just a few minutes, a referee 
  can have at his fingertips a way to 
  bring any situation to life instantly. In 
  playtests, we've found that inex-
  perienced players are not at a 
  disadvantage: they can have just as 
  much fun as the "old hands" by 
  virtue of the task system. As long as 
  the 
  referee 
  understands 
  its 
  fundamentals, it is a tool ready for 
  any 
  circumstance. 
  And 
  players 
  enjoy using the system: when they 
  encounter a new situation, more 
  often than not, they ask if some task 
  could apply if we don't mention one 
  first.  
  In fact, some of the universality of 
  the 
  system 
  came 
  from 
  these 
  requests. As obvious as it seems 
  now, the task system was not 
  originally used for combat. Then in a 
  playtest, a newer player, who didn't 
  know the standard Traveller combat 
  rules, asked what task roll was 
  needed to shoot at an enemy. 
  Lightning struck! The light bulbs 
  went on over our heads, and we 
  realized at once that we were really 
  on to something. As we said, you 
  can't open the MegaTraveller rules 
  without finding the task system as 
  the thread that gives color to the 
  whole cloth. 
   
  GOODBYE, OLD FRIEND 
  One result of the increased use of 
  tasks is the elimination of many 
  unnecessary rules for situations that 
  are 
  now 
  handled 
  in 
  one 
  comprehensive way. Most of these 
  nit-picking details were impossible to 
  remember anyway, and looking 
  them up always slowed down the 
  play of the game. 
  Quick now, a quiz: What's the 
  basic roll needed to avoid a mishap 
  with a vacc suit? And what's the die 
  modifier for vacc suit skill in this 
  instance? What about your air/raft? 
  Do you remember the DMs for bad 
  weather, being chased, and so forth, 
  to avoid crashing the thing? Under 
  the task system, you will never have 
  to look these up again. 
   
  CHARACTER GENERATION 
  Traveller 
  revolves 
  around 
  its 
  characters, 
  those 
  disembodied 
  entities that carry out the players' 
  desires in the game. Thus, changes 
  to the character generation system 
  were some of the most important 
  made in MegaTraveller. 
  Advice on this point came from 
  many sources. Some old time 
  Traveller players wanted us to base 
  character generation on the one 
  year system (like Mercenary and 
  High Guard) and to throw out the 
  "regular" 
  four 
  year 
  system 
  altogether. We hesitated to do this, 
  though, because of the added 
  complexities (read: it takes a long 
  time) to generate a character year 
  by year. 
  But something needed to be 
  done. 
  That 
  the 
  systems 
  were 
  different was obvious. A player 
  using the one year system had a 
  greater degree of control over the 
  resulting character information. Not 
  only that, but a player using the one 
  year system could get a lot more 
  skills than someone using the four 
  year system. In the context of the 
  game, this wide diversity wasn't 
  "fair" to those with less time, but we 
  hated to throw out the baby with the 
  bathwater and cause players to lose 
  control over the identities of their 
  game personalities. 
  The compromise we reached is 
  an effective one. By adding new 
  skills 
  to 
  the 
  system 
  and 
  by 
  revamping the charts with many new 
  cascade skills (in which players 
  choose a specific skill desired from 
  a group of related skills), we've 
  given the "four-year" player as many 
  skills as the one year player had 
  without costing him the extra game 
  time necessary. The one year 
  systems 
  are 
  still 
  given 
  as 
  "advanced" character generations. 
  Too many players insisted that we 
  leave them in MegaTraveller, and 
  we were more than happy to fulfill 
  this request. Where a specific one 
  year system is not given for a 
  particular character career, the four 
  year system is designed in such a 
  way as to suggest what the one year 
  system would be like. 
   
  SKILLS FOR ADVENTURES 
  One result of the new system is 
  that 
  characters 
  generally 
  have 
  higher skill levels than before. The 
  task system takes up this slack 
  perfectly: its tradeoffs make the 
  game 
  more 
  realistic 
  without 
  requiring 
  characters 
  to 
  be 
  unbelievably talented in any one 
  realm. 
  In 
  those 
  cases 
  where 
  characters do end up being "smarter 
  than the average bear," we find this 
  an advantage. After all, no one 
  really wants to play "the fellow down 
  the street." The reason behind the 
  game is the search for adventure 
  among the stars: the characters are 
  adventurers, individuals culled out of 
  society because they do stand out in 
  some way. 
  But this system is still "unfair" 
  because of the different degrees of 
  experience that different characters 
  have. A career Navy officer with 36 
  years under his belt will be a better 
  pilot than the green recruit getting 
  his first taste of a starship. Is there a 
  way to reconcile this disparity within 
  the structure of the game? 
  Certainly 
  there 
  is, 
  and 
  MegaTraveller 
  accomplishes 
  it 
  beautifully. Again starting from the 
  basis of the task system, characters 
  can try their hands at things they 
  may not be completely expert at. 
  Over time, by way of these repeated 
  efforts, they learn, just as "real" 
  people 
  would 
  under 
  similar 
  circumstances. 
  Eventually, 
  this 
  experience can be measured after 
  the character's ability has reached a 
  plateau point, and the character 
  record is then changed to show the 
  addition of this new skill level. In 
  MegaTraveller, you can play the 
  veteran or the recruit, and after a 
  number of terms of game time, the 
  recruit's skills will be similar to those 
  "rolled up" in the veteran's character 
  generation. 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
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  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  If you want to start out as an 18 
  year old novice, go for it! It won't be 
  long before your character has 
  accumulated many skills useful to a 
  party of galactic adventurers. If your 
  character is the academic type, he 
  can go to college, too, and pick up 
  skills that way. (Naturally, the more 
  you play, the more your character 
  will pick up skills, but we've never 
  claimed there's anything wrong with 
  playing Traveller a lot!) 
   
  OH, GIVE ME A HOME 
  Another 
  enhancement 
  to 
  the 
  MegaTraveller character generation 
  system is the required homeworld 
  determination. 
  No 
  longer 
  are 
  characters faceless orphans without 
  any roots. With the new system, the 
  first characteristics rolled up are 
  those of the character's homeworld. 
  The impetus for this addition to 
  the rules is a desire to expand the 
  role-playing aspects of the game. If 
  you know where your character is 
  from, 
  it's 
  easier 
  to 
  create 
  a 
  personality that seems real. Once 
  we had decided to make this 
  change, our playtesting helped us to 
  discover 
  that 
  knowing 
  your 
  homeworld has much more impact 
  on play than we realized at first. 
  Characters from high tech worlds, 
  for example, live under different 
  environments than characters from 
  low tech worlds. We've simulated 
  this by including lists of automatic 
  zero level skills for characters from 
  these worlds. Certain skills, too, are 
  limited by their Tech Level. If your 
  character is from a low tech world, 
  he won't get much chance to fly an 
  air/raft (grav vehicle skill); on the 
  other hand, your high tech character 
  won't ever have the chance to learn 
  how the clutch on a standard 
  transmission works (Ground Car 
  skill). 
  Another 
  problem 
  that 
  every 
  Traveller 
  player 
  has 
  wondered 
  about from time to time is the effect 
  of tech level on skills. Is a navigator 
  from a tech level three world able to 
  act as navigator on a tech level 15 
  starship? Seems doubtful, but the 
  rules were never specific on this. 
  MegaTraveller 
  spells 
  out 
  the 
  conditions under which skills can 
  transfer between devices of various 
  tech levels. 
   
   
  FLESHING OUT  
  THE CHARACTERISTICS 
  By 
  better 
  defining 
  what 
  characteristics mean, we've solved 
  one recurring problem in the game: 
  "I just rolled a 9 for my (fill in the 
  blank); is that good?" Players will 
  now have a firmer basis for knowing 
  the 
  abilities 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  constraints of their characters… 
  another change that enhances the 
  game's role-playing aspects. 
  For 
  example, 
  the 
  mysterious 
  social standing is now clear and 
  meaningful 
  and 
  has 
  continuing 
  influence 
  on 
  play 
  sessions. 
  A 
  character with a high value has an 
  abiding need to "keep up with the 
  Joneses," by spending money to 
  stay in the lifestyle he's accustomed 
  to. In the context of the game, this 
  means that the character has a 
  regular 
  cash 
  outflow 
  he 
  must 
  maintain. The result? The character 
  needs an equally regular cash 
  inflow, and that means adventure. 
  Remember the typical monthly 
  salaries for characters given in 
  Traveller? Now characters have 
  typical monthly expenditures, too. 
  Let's get that hold loaded up with 
  cargo and head on to the next 
  system. We need a good profit this 
  month! 
   
  YOU'RE AS YOUNG  
  AS YOU FEEL 
  Anagathics medicines that reduce 
  the effects of aging are covered in 
  great 
  detail 
  in 
  MegaTraveller. 
  Characters can use these drugs 
  both during character generation or 
  after mustering out. In either case, 
  anagathics 
  are 
  expensive 
  and 
  potentially 
  dangerous 
  to 
  one's 
  health. But it's entirely within the 
  scope of the rules to have a 70 year 
  old character with the fitness and 
  physique of a 40 year old. (This 
  could be a good way to build up 
  skills....) 
   
  PSIONICS 
  Task based, of course. Psionics 
  are streamlined and made more 
  consistent with other aspects of the 
  game. What psionics can and can't 
  do is clarified in the new rules. 
  Levels of psionic skill are handled 
  just like a level of any other skill, and 
  the 
  all-powerful 
  task 
  system 
  resolves any attempted use of 
  psionics. 
  One interesting side effect of 
  using tasks is that many psionic 
  tasks are classified as "uncertain." 
  This places these events in the 
  proper light: psionics are no longer 
  the super duper powers that never 
  fail. So you've read your adversary's 
  mind, have you? And you know 
  what he's thinking, do you? So 
  you're sure you can trust him, are 
  you? All right, it's your neck. 
   
  ALL DRESSED UP  
  AND NO PLACE TO GO 
  World 
  generation 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  an 
  important 
  feature 
  of 
  Traveller. You begin with a basic 
  star system then go as long as you 
  want. Create a major world for the 
  system. Add other worlds if you 
  want. Satellites? Just keep going. 
  The beauty of the system is that you 
  can 
  stop 
  wherever 
  it's 
  most 
  appropriate. 
  Sometimes 
  players 
  don't need that much detail, and in 
  those cases the new system can 
  save the referee's time. (The new 
  system 
  incorporates 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  original system, most of Book 6: 
  Scouts, and a smidgen of Grand 
  Survey.) 
  The new Universal World Profile 
  listing standard also gives you more 
  information than you had before. It 
  now 
  includes 
  the 
  population 
  multiplier, the number of gas giants 
  in the system, and the number of 
  planetoid belts. 
   
  MINOR DISAGREEMENTS 
  The combat systems in Traveller 
  (and in other role-playing games) 
  vary considerably in their techniques 
  and effectiveness. At one point, 
  GDW 
  started 
  to 
  develop 
  an 
  advanced 
  combat 
  system 
  for 
  Traveller in order to consolidate and 
  simplify the systems then in use for 
  the game. 
  Some minor work on this concept 
  was begun, but before it could bear 
  fruit, the MegaTraveller project had 
  already started, so GDW decided at 
  that 
  time 
  to 
  incorporate 
  the 
  advanced 
  combat 
  system 
  into 
  MegaTraveller along with whatever 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  9 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  enhancements or modifications the 
  new rules set required. 
  Surprise, surprise! Combat in 
  MegaTraveller 
  is 
  task-based. 
  Players 
  pick 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  risks 
  associated with tasks quite readily, 
  and this basic knowledge of game 
  mechanics carries right over to 
  combat resolution. Should I stick 
  around and fight? Or should I strap 
  on my grav belt and head for the 
  hills? Decisions like these are made 
  easier by the consistent nature of 
  the task system. A player already 
  understands the different difficulties 
  a task might entail, so he can better 
  assess the risks involved in any 
  combat decision he makes. 
  The 
  new 
  combat 
  system 
  is 
  improved in other ways, too. In 
  some games, dice are king, and 
  they reign as long as they can. 
  "Let's see, this fellow is about to 
  shoot his laser pistol at you .... Let 
  me check the result." And only 16 
  dice rolls later, the referee has 
  determined that the draw was 
  successful. "Now let's see if he's 
  aiming at you ...... 
  Excessive dice rolling is tedious; it 
  drags the game down at a point 
  when it should be the most exciting. 
  The MegaTraveller combat system 
  is also derived from our "fast 
  combat" system, a Traveller variant 
  used for years of playtesting in 
  extended campaigns. This means 
  that 
  results 
  are 
  known 
  almost 
  instantly, with a minimum of dice 
  rolling or paperwork. 
  One way combat is speeded up is 
  by 
  deferring 
  the 
  detailed 
  determination of damage until the 
  end of the combat session. If 
  someone's drawing a bead on you 
  with his FGMP-15, and you're lucky 
  enough to get your shot off first, you 
  don't really care whether your slug 
  hit him in the thigh, the kidney, or 
  the neck. What you want to know is 
  whether he's still standing and 
  whether he's still got you in his 
  sights. Once things have settled 
  down, then you can take the time to 
  check on his medical condition. 
  The 
  new 
  combat 
  rules 
  also 
  incorporate "interrupts." Interrupts 
  mean that characters can "jump into 
  the action," pre-empting another 
  NPC or PC by acting first. In the 
  game, the result of this interrupt is 
  heightened attention from all the 
  players. In some systems, while the 
  referee and a single player spent 
  time resolving one interaction, the 
  rest of the group could go out for 
  pizza without missing any of the 
  events, thinking, "That doesn't affect 
  me, does it?" However, it does affect 
  you in MegaTraveller: you always 
  have a chance to change the course 
  of events by taking direct action. But 
  again, 
  there's 
  conflict. 
  If 
  you 
  interrupt too soon, your action may 
  be wasted. If you wait too long.... 
   
   
  GET THE BIG PICTURE 
  One 
  advantage 
  to 
  the 
  MegaTraveller combat system is 
  that there is only one Mega-
  Traveller combat system. Whether 
  you're attacked by a groat, a thug 
  with a cudgel, a Vargr with a laser 
  carbine, or a system defense boat 
  with a meson gun, the system is the 
  same. Do you really want to shoot at 
  that armored starship with a bow 
  and wooden arrows? OK, it's up to 
  you (personally, we think you'd have 
  to be nuts), but with the new system 
  you can do it and find out how much 
  damage was done. (Hint: absolutely 
  none at all! Has anybody got a bottle 
  of starship touch-up paint handy?) 
   
  MAYBE  
  WE CAN WORK THIS OUT 
  Not every character interaction 
  ends in combat, of course. In 
  MegaTraveller, 
  five 
  types 
  of 
  interpersonal tasks allow characters 
  to use their skills to negotiate and 
  resolve conflicts without coming to 
  blows. Want to pump someone for 
  information in a conversation? Make 
  a task roll. Want to bribe an Imperial 
  official? Make a task roll. Want to 
  agree on a fair price for your ship's 
  cargo? Make a task roll. (By now, 
  you should be getting the picture: 
  everything in MegaTraveller revol-
  ves around the task system.) 
  The reaction table now shows the 
  degree of cooperation over the long 
  term, rather than some immediate 
  inner emotion felt by the NPC. We 
  used to hate rolling "hostile": if you 
  stop someone on the street to ask 
  directions, 
  are 
  you 
  assaulted? 
  Probably not, but you might not get 
  a straight answer, either. The new 
  interpersonal 
  interaction 
  system 
  allows 
  a 
  wider 
  spectrum 
  of 
  meaningful responses in the game. 
   
  WE'VE GOT TO STOP  
  MEETING LIKE THIS.... 
  The 
  encounter 
  system 
  in 
  MegaTraveller, 
  like 
  most 
  other 
  systems 
  in 
  the 
  revision, 
  is 
  integrated: one set of charts does all 
  the work for the referee. Animal 
  encounters, patron encounters, NPC 
  encounters, 
  starship 
  encounters, 
  pre-determined adventure encount-
  ers, rumors, all are resolved in one 
  consistent system. The headache of 
  trying to remember six different sets 
  of rules is thus eliminated, as well as 
  the problem of remembering when 
  to roll which number of dice for 
  which type of encounter. 
   
   
  CRAFT DESIGN 
  It would seem pointless to keep 
  the "Traveller" name unless there 
  were plenty of opportunities for 
  characters to actually travel. We 
  needed systems that would allow 
  designing craft of any and all sizes, 
  from the very smallest all the way up 
  to the largest. 
  For small vehicles, we used 
  Striker as a jumping off point. This 
  system, 
  developed 
  by 
  Frank 
  Chadwick, was remarkable in that it 
  allowed the designer to use one set 
  of rules for the whole gamut of tech 
  levels. At the same time, we wanted 
  to cut down on some of the Striker 
  complexity and ensure that the 
  vehicle design system and the 
  starship design system did not 
  contradict each other. 
  As work progressed on the two 
  systems, we realized how powerful 
  this concept of non-contradiction 
  was. It didn't take long to start 
  linking small vehicles, small craft, 
  and starships into one integrated 
  craft design system. Now, using the 
  same set of rules, you can design 
  almost any vehicle imaginable, all 
  the way from your grandfather's 
  Model T clear up to a 100,000 ton 
  tech level 15 battle cruiser. (Pitting 
  the two against each other is still an 
  unfair fight, however.) 
  One 
  significant 
  addition 
  to 
  starship design is ship sensors, 
  many of which were borrowed from 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  10 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  DGP's Grand Survey and Grand 
  Census (which in turn owed their 
  beginnings to Marc Miller's Special 
  Supplement 3: Missiles). Once 
  starships have "real" sensors, the 
  fun is just beginning. 
   
  NOSE-TO-NOSE,  
  TURRET-TO-TURRET 
  Starship combat in Traveller has 
  benefited greatly from the new rules. 
  At once more realistic, easier to 
  learn, and easier to run, it owes 
  much of its procedure to the 
  MegaTraveller 
  personal 
  combat 
  system. Once you've learned one 
  system, the second follows along 
  the same basic lines. 
  The starship combat hit resolution 
  is a, yep, you guessed it, task-based 
  version of High Guard. Another 
  difference between the two is the 
  use 
  of 
  starship 
  sensors 
  just 
  mentioned. Under the old system, 
  any ship "within range" was a 
  possible 
  target. 
  Under 
  Mega-
  Traveller, you have to determine 
  what the ship is first. Is it a Vargr 
  corsair? 
  Or 
  a 
  friendly 
  vessel 
  maintaining radio silence during the 
  battle? You better know for sure 
  before firing. Besides, you're aiming 
  your 
  weapons 
  with 
  the 
  dual 
  assistance of your sensors and your 
  computer; now don't you wish you'd 
  gone ahead and installed that Model 
  9? 
  With the necessity of sensors, 
  there's a lot more possibility of 
  skullduggery and deception. Power 
  down your fusion plant, and your 
  enemy's sensors show that your 
  vessel is an insignificant target. But 
  if your enemy isn't fooled, you could 
  end up a sitting duck. On the other 
  hand, what about that clump of 
  space debris you just whizzed by? 
  Maybe it deserves a closer look. 
   
  BUYING AND SELLING 
  Money makes the world go 'round, 
  so they say, and we're dealing here 
  with 11,000 worlds. Commerce rules 
  in MegaTraveller were adapted 
  from Merchant Prince, with the 
  addition of detailed cargo rules. Now 
  you know whether your cargo hold is 
  filled with laser rifles or vacc suits. 
  (We can certainly think of a scenario 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  would 
  make 
  a 
  difference.) 
  Special 
  rules 
  for 
  hazardous cargoes also serve to 
  spice up an adventure; you wouldn't 
  mind the firefight between your ship 
  and that corsair if it weren't for the 
  fact that your hold is loaded with 
  potentially explosive petrochemicals. 
  Dealing 
  with 
  the 
  day-to-day 
  details of interstellar trade is also 
  unified by means of the task system 
  and the use of character skills. 
   
  YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK IT UP 
  Ten years of role-playing taught 
  us 
  one 
  thing: 
  Players 
  want 
  background material, even if they 
  sometimes exercise the option of 
  modifying that material for their own 
  campaigns. 
  To this end, MegaTraveller has 
  much more background material 
  than the original Traveller had 
  (which was minimal, at best). The 
  third book of the MegaTraveller set 
  is 
  the 
  Imperial 
  Encyclopedia, 
  which is completely filled with library 
  data, several maps, exhaustive lists 
  of equipment, armor and weapons, 
  a catalog of starships and vehicles, 
  and a few details on starship 
  operation. 
  In developing the background, 
  Marc 
  wanted 
  to 
  provide 
  more 
  opportunities for adventure than 
  currently exist in the Third Imperium, 
  so changes were in order. But Marc 
  insisted that these changes be 
  implemented 
  in 
  a 
  peaceable 
  manner: things had to be "upward 
  compatible," so we couldn't go back 
  in time or otherwise change the 
  written history. 
  To create a new scenario, then, 
  we had to move forward in time 
  about 10 years allowing some 
  radical shifts in the political makeup 
  of the regions contained in and 
  around the Third Imperium. Emperor 
  Strephon is dead, shot down in cold 
  blood by an archduke who then 
  claims the throne by an ancient 
  right. In the ensuing confusion, big 
  chunks 
  of 
  the 
  Imperium 
  start 
  breaking off, and Aslan and Vargr 
  on the border start encroaching. (If 
  you've read the articles in the last 
  two issues of Challenge Magazine, 
  you already know about this.) 
  These border spats (and they 
  exist throughout the whole region, 
  because 
  there 
  are 
  lots 
  more 
  borders) are dangerous to anyone 
  travelling in the area, and danger 
  spells adventure. Anywhere you go, 
  you might find warships, corsairs, 
  petty thieves, and a general state of 
  lawlessness. 
   
  LIBRARY DATA 
  In 
  some 
  respects, 
  this 
  third 
  volume was the hardest to write, 
  even though it had no new rules per 
  se. We collected the background 
  from the entire corpus of Traveller 
  books and magazines and then 
  summarized this into library data. 
  But not your ordinary library data: 
  the Imperial Encyclopedia has 
  library data with a twist. In order to 
  further develop the background for 
  MegaTraveller, we give one version 
  of library data and specify the 
  version. According to this scenario, 
  the information collected was part of 
  a project instituted by Archduke 
  Norris of Deneb. Naturally, this 
  funding 
  source 
  brought 
  about 
  certain biases in the library data. Of 
  course, 
  it's 
  still 
  complete 
  and 
  accurate. Well… comprehensive, at 
  least, and reasonably correct. Oh, 
  forget it: some of the library data 
  entries that "should" be there are 
  missing, and others are just plain 
  wrong. 
  Now, you know that, and we know 
  that, but do your characters know 
  that? Some do, some don't (in doubt 
  as to which is which? That's right, 
  make a task roll). But those who 
  believe everything they're told might 
  be in for some nasty surprises later 
  on. We can say this: the library data 
  collectively is at least as accurate as 
  the books, taken as a whole, in your 
  own local library. Is that reassuring 
  or what? 
  (A special section for the referee's 
  eyes only fills in some of the gaps, 
  but 
  players 
  should 
  resist 
  the 
  temptation to peek.) 
   
  EQUIPMENT,  
  WEAPONS, AND ARMOR 
  The 
  third 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  MegaTraveller rulebooks contains a 
  complete listing of handy gadgets. 
  We combed through everything in 
  print for Traveller and included 
  almost all of the equipment for this 
  revision. The handy part about this 
  list is nearly everything is in one 
  place: 
  from 
  books, 
  magazines, 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  11 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  adventures, 
  alien 
  modules, 
  you 
  name it. And everything fits together 
  well in one standard tech level 
  progression. In the original system, 
  there was no laser pistol; in the new 
  system, there are two different 
  versions at several different tech 
  levels. 
   
  CRAFT DESIGN EXAMPLES 
  The 
  Imperial 
  Encyclopedia 
  contains craft designs, each with the 
  new Universal Craft Profile listing. In 
  one place, this listing gives you a 
  complete rundown of the craft's 
  operational status. 
  We included small vehicles like 
  the air/raft and ground car, small 
  craft like the GCarrier and the ship's 
  boat, and full-fledged starships like 
  the Scout/courier and the system 
  defense boat. Space was at a 
  premium here, but we were able to 
  squeeze in all the vehicles from the 
  basic Traveller book. 
   
  MISCELLANY  
  AND POTPOURRI 
  Taking advantage of 10 years of 
  Traveller experience, the new rules 
  are much more comprehensive. 
  Your character wants to jump off a 
  ledge? It's in there. Throw a rock 
  across a chasm to hit that pesky 
  K'kree in the snout? It's in there. 
  Throw that same rock across the 
  same chasm, but on a.125 gravity 
  world? That's in there too. What's it 
  take to power up your starship when 
  you want to blast out of port in a 
  hurry? It's in there. Want to use your 
  communicator to call down fire from 
  your orbiting starship? It's in there. 
  Want to put on a tech level 15 false 
  moustache to sneak past the guard? 
  It's in there. 
   
  SOME FINAL THOUGHTS 
  We all love Traveller, or we sure 
  wouldn't have agreed ahead of time 
  to work on a project that would take 
  such big pieces of our lives to 
  complete. But we recognized its 
  weaknesses, and we had good 
  ideas to change the game for the 
  better by incorporating 10 years of 
  "playtesting" the original system. 
  We wanted the new game to 
  better 
  simulate 
  the 
  "reality" 
  of 
  science-fiction. We wanted the new 
  game to have more detail, yet be 
  more playable. And we wanted the 
  whole shebang to fit in with what 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  previously 
  in 
  Traveller. 
  Conversely, 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  differences between the old and 
  new systems, but we made these 
  changes only when we decided that 
  the change was necessary to bring 
  about the greatest improvement. We 
  weren't afraid of complexity, either. 
  While much of the game mechanics 
  are 
  streamlined 
  and 
  simplified 
  (thanks mostly to the task system), a 
  few aspects are more detailed in 
  order to heighten the sense of 
  "being there." The complexity came 
  about because of the compre-
  hensiveness of the new game: 
  simply stated, you have many more 
  options to choose from in the 
  MegaTraveller rules. 
  This myriad of choices, though, 
  was made easy to handle by 
  focusing our efforts. We knew that if 
  we 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  game 
  indiscriminately, the wealth of detail 
  would overpower both players and 
  referees alike, giving a "realistic" 
  system that would not be any fun. 
  MegaTraveller has the best of both 
  worlds. 
  In appearance, the three volumes 
  of MegaTraveller are meant to be 
  enjoyed. No one enjoys flipping 
  through rulebooks to find some 
  obscure reference (and we think 
  we've eliminated the need for that), 
  but even if you did we think you 
  would enjoy the graphic presen-
  tation. 
  The books contain small vignettes 
  scattered 
  through 
  them: 
  small 
  "sketches" of a few paragraphs that 
  give the reader a better look at 
  some 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  Traveller 
  universe. 
  All three books went way over 
  their "expected" size; for the most 
  part, we bit the bullet and included 
  the extra material. 
   
   
  THE BALL'S IN YOUR COURT 
  MegaTraveller is on its way to your dealer's shelves. Take a look at it and let us know what you think. This game is 
  yours; we need feedback so we can start preparing the next 10 year revision. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  12 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
   
   
  Canon. noun. A body of rules or principles generally accepted as authoritative and 
  fundamental in a field or art or philosophy: for example, "the neoclassical canon"; "canons of 
  polite society."  
   
  THE MEGATRAVELLER CANON 
  MegaTraveller books and sourcebooks published by Game Designers’ Workshop are the “official” texts 
  (the canon) for the MegaTraveller science-fiction role-playing game. The canon includes all of the rules, 
  adventures, and sourcebooks published by Game Designers' Workshop, either directly or through 
  Challenge Magazine. 
  Because of the Digest Group Publications’ participation in the design of MegaTraveller, their designers 
  had a deep and abiding understanding of the rules, and DGP focused much of its energy on the 
  publication of MegaTraveller materials under their license. The DGP material is classified as apocryphal: 
  that is, authoritative, but not fully official (and thus not listed here). Apocryphal materials include the entire 
  run of The Travellers’ Digest and The MegaTraveller Journal (four issues). 
   
   
  The published Mega-
  Traveller modules were 
  evaluated in a survey of 
  52 players and owners 
  who were asked to rate 
  each module on a scale 
  from 1 to 9 (9 is best). 
  No specific criteria were 
  specified; the assumed 
  criteria being "general 
  satisfaction."  
   
  Title 
  Rating 
  Max 
  Min 
  Print Run 
   Date 
  MegaTraveller Boxed Set* 
  7.95 
  9.0 
  4.0 
  26642 
  1987 
  Players Manual 
  8.00 
  9.0 
  4.0 
    8790 
  1987 
  Referee’s Manual 
  7.57 
  9.0 
  1.0 
    9540 
  1987 
  Imperial Encyclopedia 
  7.48 
  9.0 
  5.0 
    9567 
  1987 
  Referee's Companion 
  7.35 
  8.0 
  1.0 
  15524 
  1988 
  Rebellion Sourcebook 
  7.52 
  9.0 
  4.0 
  20175 
  1988 
  COACC 
  5.52 
  9.0 
  3.0 
    8295 
  1989 
  Fighting Ships 
  3.40 
  8.0 
  3.0 
  10000 
  1990 
  Knightfall 
  6.76 
  9.0 
  1.0 
    5000 
  1990 
  Hard Times 
  7.05 
  6.0 
  1.0 
    5000 
  1991 
  Assignment Vigilante 
  6.95 
  9.0 
  1.0 
    5000 
  1992 
  Arrival Vengeance 
  7.65 
  9.0 
  4.0 
    5500 
  1992 
  Astrogator’s Guide 
  6.06 
  9.0 
  1.0 
    5000 
  1992 
  Average Rating 
  6.89 
  8.4 
  4.1 
   
   
  *MegaTraveller Boxed set includes one each of Players’ Handbook, 
  Referee’s Handbook, and Imperial Encyclopedia, plus the Map of the 
  Spinward Marches. 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  13 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  THE MEGATRAVELLER BOOKS AND SOURCEBOOKS 
   MegaTraveller is set against a background of star-spanning rebellion and emerging splinter empires. 
  It's role-playing game rules provide an entire universe to be explored. Players can assume any role and 
  undertake any mission in the universe of the future. 
   Traveller postulates that mankind has conquered the stars and that travel from one stellar system to 
  another is commonplace. However, the tremendous distances involved dictate that interstellar voyages 
  can take weeks, months, sometimes years. 
   In many ways, the situation is similar to Earth in the 18th century. Communication is limited by the 
  speed of travel, setting the stage for adventure in a grand fashion with all the trappings of classic science 
  fiction: star-spanning empires, huge starfleets, wily interstellar merchants (and equally wily interstellar 
  pirates), complex diplomatic maneuvers, and larger-than-life heroes, heroines, and villains. 
   Traveller is the name of the overall game. MegaTraveller is the name of this rules set, and is used to 
  differentiate it from the 10 years of development and earlier editions that preceded it.
   
   
   
   
  PLAYER’S MANUAL 
  The Player’s Resource 
   
   
   
   
   
  REFEREE’S MANUAL 
  The Game Master’s Resource 
   
   
   
   
   
  IMPERIAL ENCYCLOPEDIA 
  Details of the Universe 
   
  • 
  The thrilling new environment for Traveller—the Shattered Imperium.  
  • 
  State-of-the-art role-playing rules and background materials.  
  • 
  RPGA and SIGMA Award winner. 
   
  The vast star-spanning Imperium has ruled for more than 1000 years, straining to guard its borders and keep the 
  peace. Now, powerful forces are tearing the empire apart; rival forces are competing for the throne, and there is no 
  clear winner in sight. The Rebellion is sweeping the empire. 
  MegaTraveller is a complete science-fiction role-playing game, based on three basic rule books: 
  The MegaTraveller Players' Manual contains the basic information any player needs to prepare for and 
  participate in Traveller situations, scenarios, and adventures. Intended as a reference for every participant, it includes 
  character generation, enhanced character generation, skills, task resolution, experience, personal combat, and 
  psionics. 
  The MegaTraveller Referee's Manual is a basic reference for the referee who expands on the topic of tasks, and 
  deals in depth with vehicle design and combat (including both surface vehicles and starships, worlds, and commerce. 
  The MegaTraveller Imperial Encyclopedia is the basic reference for every Traveller participant. It deals with 
  library data, maps, world data, and equipment. The Encyclopedia includes all of the raw information necessary to 
  learn about the Shattered Imperium and role play within it. 
  The boxed MegaTraveller set includes all three of these books, plus a poster-size map of the Spinward Marches. 
  Each book is also available separately. 
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  14 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
   
   
   
  REFEREE'S COMPANION 
  Additional rules 
  for MegaTraveller campaigns. 
   
   Expand the universe of 
  MegaTraveller with more rules, 
  background, information, and 
  materials for the dedicated referee. 
  Materials that simply wouldn't fit into 
  the grand, three-volume 
  MegaTraveller rules set have now 
  been brought together into this 
  compilation. 
   MegaTraveller Referee's 
  Companion covers all the major 
  alien races in the Traveller 
  universe, dealing with each one's 
  homeworld, physical appearance 
  and abilities, mental make-up, and 
  interstellar territories. The Referee’s 
  Companion also covers large-scale 
  combat, timekeeping, 
  communications, in-system 
  operations, research, mapping, 
  megacorporations, technology, and 
  robots for MegaTraveller. 
   
   
   
  REBELLION SOURCEBOOK 
  The battles for the Imperium 
  have begun! 
   
   You can join the Rebellion and 
  shape the course of Imperial history! 
  The Emperor is dead! Who will win 
  the Iridium Throne? Many different 
  factions have squared off in the 
  impending struggle for ultimate 
  power. 
   Rebellion Sourcebook covers 
  the diverse factions of the Rebellion, 
  their equipment, their goals and 
  strategies, and (most of all) how 
  players can get involved in the 
  grandest adventures the stars have 
  ever seen. 
   Includes the short adventure: "Nail 
  Mission." 
   
   
   
  FIGHTING SHIPS 
  OF THE SHATTERED IMPERIUM 
  Starships of the Rebellion 
   
   The Imperial Navy never planned 
  for the worst of all possible 
  contingencies: a far-flung Rebellion 
  that would shatter the empire into 
  squabbling factions, each with its 
  own portion of the Navy’s fighting 
  strength. 
   Fighting Ships is a compendium 
  of immense battleships and cruisers 
  that served with the Imperial fleet 
  and now serve with the fleets of the 
  many factions of the Rebellion. 
  Includes 58 ship types, including 
  battleships and dreadnaughts, 
  cruisers, carriers, escorts, and 
  auxiliaries. 
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  15 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
   
   
  COACC 
  Close Orbit and  
  Airspace Control Command. 
   
  The army controls the ground!  
  The navy controls space!  
   
  But the interface between the two 
  belongs to COACC — the fliers. 
  Aircraft of all types — jets, props, 
  helicopters, dirigibles — come under 
  the Close Orbit and Airspace 
  Command. 
  MegaTraveller COACC provides 
  rules for fliers in the Traveller 
  universe. Coverage includes 
  character generation, COACC 
  organization, aircraft design 
  sequences, example aircraft, and 
  air-to-air combat rules. 
   
   
   
   
  KNIGHTFALL 
  The Legacy of the Long Night 
   
  It was just a routine trade 
  expedition in Massilia sector. 
  But suddenly the tides of war 
  shifted, and Emperor Lucan's 
  forces overran the world. Now, 
  the characters are prisoners of 
  war, and their ship has been 
  confiscated. They must escape 
  and track down their stolen 
  starship. During the search, they 
  stumble on secrets that could 
  put an end to this cursed 
  Rebellion once and for all. 
  The search for their starship 
  takes them to an Imperial knight 
  with information about a fabled 
  lost city of technological 
  wonders from the Long Night 
  period. If he can find it, its 
  marvelously high technology 
  could help Margaret's faction 
  prevail in the Rebellion. 
   
   
   
   
  ARRIVAL VENGEANCE 
  A Top Secret Mission 
   
  In 1123, Archduke Norris, ever 
  faithful to the Imperial ideal, ordered 
  a top-secret mission. A borrowed 
  100-year old cruiser from the 
  mothball fleet is assigned a hand 
  picked crew for a three-year 
  mission. 
  The Ship: ISS Arrival Vengeance, 
  a 60,000 ton Azhanti-High 
  Lightning class cruiser. 
  The Course: Cross the Great Rift 
  to Daibei, run trailing to Delphi, then 
  coreward to Core and Gushemege. 
  Contact Craig, Margaret, Lucan, and 
  Strephon. 
  The Mission: Penetrate the war-
  torn shattered Imperium in search of 
  some hope of a reunified empire. 
  Join the crew of the Arrival 
  Vengeance, be a custodian of the 
  future of the Domain of Deneb—
  perhaps that of the entire Imperium. 
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  16 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
   
   
  HARD TIMES 
  A MegaTraveller Sourcebook 
   
   
   Inevitably, aftermaths are longer 
  than the wars that cause them. The 
  War of the Rebellion is no 
  exception. 
   Hard Times provides both 
  referees and player with a detailed 
  look at the post-Rebellion Imperium 
  and the new challenges that they 
  can expect to face in it. It includes: 
   Practical guidelines for creating 
  new adventures in the post-
  Rebellion Imperium. 
   10 well-detailed sample 
  adventures, plus adventure outlines. 
   A flexible adventure interface 
  design that allows use of each of the 
  adventures as part of a complete 
  campaign. 
   Additions to the UCP design 
  sequence, special postwar 
  industries, and a unique collection of 
  implements and opponents. 
   
   
   
  ASTROGATOR’S GUIDE  
  TOTHE DIASPORA SECTOR 
   
   
   Astrogator’s Guide presents up-
  to-date information on the worlds 
  and interplanetary conditions in this 
  crossroads sector: the point of 
  contact between Lucan, Margaret, 
  Daibei, and the Solomani 
  Confederation.  
   Intended for use with Hard Times, 
  it includes color maps of all 16 
  subsectors, both 1121 and 1129, 
  UWP data for all 476 worlds, and 
  color insignia and symbols of the 
  leading governments and military 
  organizations. 
   
   
   
  ASSIGNMENT: VIGILANTE 
  Starmercs against Piracy 
   
   
  In the wake of the Rebellion, 
  chaos rules over the once proud 
  Imperium. Bands of corsairs stalk 
  the spaceways, crippling the trade 
  that once linked over 11,000 worlds. 
  Without some force to permit the 
  safe passage of trade, interstellar 
  society cannot help but collapse. 
  Even in these dark times, people 
  can still be found to shoulder the 
  burdens of civilization. One such 
  group is the crew of the starship 
  Vigilante. A fighter carrying 
  mercenary ship, its dedicated crew 
  of starmercs specializes in the 
  eradication of pirate forces wherever 
  they may be found. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  17 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  The Designers 
  MegaTraveller was the comprehensive revision of the Classic Traveller game rules 
  published on the tenth anniversary of the original game’s publication. 
   
   
   
  Marc Miller was the lead and system 
  designer for MegaTraveller. 
  Miller, a founding partner in Game 
  Designers’ Workshop, established his 
  reputation as a designer producing 
  complex, detailed wargames in the 
  1970’s, but found his true calling in 
  science-fiction games. He was inducted 
  into the Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame 
  in 1989. 
   
   
  Joe Fugate was the founder of Digest 
  Group Publications, which published the 
  Travellers’ Digest series of Traveller 
  articles and adventures. Fugate was the 
  editor of the core rules set for 
  MegaTraveller. 
   
  
   
   
   
   
  Players’ Guide to the MegaTraveller role-playing game system. 
  18 
  Copyright © 1989-2005 Far Future Enterprises. 
  Who We Are… 
  Once upon a time, four game designers got together to publish their 
  work under the name Game Designers’ Workshop. From the 
  beginning, GDW produced award-winning wargames and role-
  playing games. In fact, pioneered in publishing detailed wargames, 
  innovative role-playing games, and entertaining game concepts. 
  Over the course of the company’s existence, they produced an 
  average of one new title every 22 days for 22 years. GDW won every 
  major award for design excellence, and inducted two of its designers (Frank Chadwick 
  and Marc Miller) and one of their RPG systems (Traveller) into the Adventure Gaming 
  Hall of Fame. GDW closed its doors in 1996. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Far Future Enterprises, established in 1996, is the successor to GDW and publishes in 
  reprint format some (but not all) of the game systems which originated with GDW. FFE 
  publishes the Classic Traveller reprint series, the Classic Twilight: 2000 reprint 
  series, and is preparing the Classic 2300 AD reprint series. 
   
   
  For information about Traveller on CD-ROM: www.farfuture.net 
   
  For information about Traveller as ebooks: 
  www.drivethruRPG.com 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Traveller/00 - Other Materials/Guides and indexes/Guide to MegaTraveller.pdf