Oodain wrote:
Fnord wrote:
I run a Stargate RPG under Traveller rules.
I'd like to try Calvinball sometime ...
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bnever tried actually playing traveller,
how does it compare to alternity?
Well, Traveller has been around longer (since 1977), so it has a vary large canonical database (
Link to Traveller Wiki); there is an extensive fanbase ("
Citizens of the Imperium" and "
Freelance Traveller" for example); and the original rules are simple (Roll 2d6 for 8+ to hit, with Dice modifiers for armor and weapon used).
Traveller harkens back to the Golden Age of Science fiction, and derives much of its "science" from the works of Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Heinlein, and their contemporaries.
The rules are meant to be adaptable to any S/F style - I've seen Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon V, Firefly/Serenity, and (of course) the aforementioned Stargate franchises played out with Traveller rules - usually before any "official" RPGs were licensed for each of the franchises. Traveller has also been adapted to GURPS, Mongoose, and some minor RPG rulesets, as well.
More about Traveller can be found in
This Wikipedia Article.