Using just the T2K setting

[Scratches]

I've never read any of GDW's T2K material and I was wondering if the setting is good for transplanting into a different game, i.e. Traveller?

If I were to buy the CD I'd probably strip out the combat and tasks system (if it uses one), other similar mechanics, chargen and specifics of Earth politics. What I'd like is information on an apocalyptic setting, specific encounters, how society manages, generating destroyed cities, radiation effects, working with equipment that there's no longer the technology to support, that sort of thing.

I'd like my players to have a detailed experience in a post-apocalyptic non-Earth world as part of an ongoing Traveller campaign. Is T2K a good way to go?

 

[aramis]

No, not really.

Well, to be specific:
T2K doesn't do civilians all that well. As in, there aren't many in the book. Which is because T2K has a companion game that doesn't do military characters well, but has loads of civilians: Dark Conspiracy.

Further, T2K presumes "The apocalypse was last week. Now we go home." So it doesn't cover characters who are from the post apocalypse timeframe, only relics.

And then, on top of it all, there's the issue that Neither T2K nor Dark Conspiracy really mesh well with any edition of Traveller except for TTNE... and that is because TTNE is (quite literally) mechanically T2K2.2, with one fewer skill points per term, and some Travellerisms thrown in. Essentially, it's T2K 2.3 mechanically.

 

[Scratches]

That's a shame, good info though, thanks.

What I'm try to do is bring an old module called "Exonidas Spaceport" to life. There's a nuked continent but scarce details on it, I thought it'd be an interesting place to be for a while. It's from Dragon Magazine but I can't remember the issue because I pulled it out of the magazine, it's from 1982.

I'll keep looking for something.

 

[aramis]

That's a shame, good info though, thanks.

What I'm try to do is bring an old module called "Exonidas Spaceport" to life. There's a nuked continent but scarce details on it, I thought it'd be an interesting place to be for a while. It's from Dragon Magazine but I can't remember the issue because I pulled it out of the magazine, it's from 1982.

I'll keep looking for something.

Issue 59.

 

[Putraack]

I've never read any of GDW's T2K material and I was wondering if the setting is good for transplanting into a different game, i.e. Traveller?

If I were to buy the CD I'd probably strip out the combat and tasks system (if it uses one), other similar mechanics, chargen and specifics of Earth politics. What I'd like is information on an apocalyptic setting, specific encounters, how society manages, generating destroyed cities, radiation effects, working with equipment that there's no longer the technology to support, that sort of thing.

IMO:
- T2k2 has a pretty good random-encounter system, in that the GM determines what kind of politics hold sway locally (i.e. non one's in control, or this area is depopulated, or in the hands of marauders, or controlled by a nearby military unit, etc.), and the table then lays out the likely encounters for that local regions. Those can show some of the apocalyptic setting, which is "WW3 just happened, but only half of the world's population is dead, not 90%".
- cities are done, in that a few adventure books are set in cities that have been devastated or depopulated.
- radiation effects are minorly dealt with, as in "x rads = see rules for sickness"
- there is a well-done and playable (IMO, again) system for vehicle damage and wear & tear, as well as using home-brewed alcohol for vehicle fuel. It could be extended to other complex items. There is a rarity rule for limiting the availability to PCs of things that should have been expended or broken down by now, after 4+ years of war and scarcity-- tanks and antitank missiles are rare as hen's teeth, and just as precious.

In short, I think you could use it to create a setting on a nuked continent like you suggest, but it would be a bit of work.

 

[savage]

In the blend of Traveller, it may be adequate for your needs. It has encounter lists, equipment, etc. However, you'll have to work on equating T2k equipment to Traveller equipment. Others are right that there is a focus on military characters which means make everyone some sort of military. If you want NPC mass generation is pretty fast. I suppose Morrow Project or a slew of other games might meet your needs as well. Dark Conspiracy pushes the fantasy horror realm into the twilight rules.

 

[rich4421972]

Is T2K a good way to go?

In terms of the setting alone (not the mechanics), yes. Post-apocalyptic settings shouldn't be difficult to reproduce. My favorite low-tech game system is the one given in Traveller: The New Era. Again, not necessarily the technical aspects as much as how TNE treated extremely low-tech societies and small dictatorships.
Watch some movies, too. I think you'll find that finding a setting is possible as long as have a favorite rules system standing by. I like the way GURPS handles character generation but I like the combat system given in the GDW house rules

 

[mike wightman]

First Edition Twilight 2000 was one of my favourite game systems for a long time - I wish they had used it for T2300 and for TNE.

 

[Kilgs]

For a post-apoc setting, T2K does have excellent NPC charts and ways of categorizing geographic areas such as Organized, Independent, Anarchy, Terrorized etc.

For specific examples, get the Howling Wilderness or Eastern Europe Sourcebook.

Hard Times (MT) has a system for a slowly degrading society/civilization.

TNE, as mentioned above, shows the effects that devolution has on society in general. Basically, it takes everything in Hard Times and shows the effect a hundred years later or so.

But TNE/MT are geared to produce these effects through the Traveller UWP system. So if you're running a single planet, they are less helpful than the T2K supplements.

I would also recommend a number of free documents for Morrow Project. You can find them on http://www.thesupplybunker.net/morrow.htm

 

[Scratches]

Morrowind looks great. It's a bit unsettling to read the Canadian Nuclear Impact List and see that I'm probably dead.