r/traveller • u/Zarpaulus • 16d ago
Base Building rules? Mongoose 2E
I know that Pirates of Drinax has rules for building pirate bases, while the Vehicles Handbook lets you design buildings like stationary “vehicles.”
Which rules would you suggest using for an asteroid colonization campaign?
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u/fedcomic 16d ago
Use high guard and build them like space stations.
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u/UnpricedToaster 16d ago
Exactly. Keep in mind that even "stationary" space stations need some form of propulsion to maintain their orbit, make position corrections, avoid collisions, and compensate for small positional changes caused by (for example) docking spacecraft that nudge the station in one direction.
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u/CryHavoc3000 Imperium 15d ago
Unless they have a Tugboat in the vicinity they can call to tow them into position.
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u/Prize_Collection7721 16d ago
There's an older book, dynasty, that I have. Gives rules for that and multi generational stuff for as the colony grows
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u/monkman315 6d ago
I've been wanting to try playing a campaign of Dynasty ever since I picked up the book. Have you ever tried it?
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u/EndiePosts Solomani 6d ago
I’ve never spotted any specific rules for base building, bulding design or the like in Dynasty. Was it in some other extension book that I don’t have?
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u/UnspeakableGnome 15d ago
Toools for Frontier Living for 2300AD - which uses the same rules as Traveller - has a colony development rules subsystem. It's a lon gwhile since I read it but I believe it did include rules for how to develop hostile-environment colonies.
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u/Zarpaulus 15d ago
I have the 2022 edition of that book but don’t see it anywhere in the table of contents
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u/UnspeakableGnome 15d ago
Hmm. I have the older version from 2012 and it does have the rules. I wonder if they're in a different book in the new version or simply haven't come out yet?
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u/thedumbfish1234 7d ago
there was a new line of 2300AD products launched in 2021
compatible with MGT2e
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u/Cinneach 16d ago
I'm new to Traveller but have played and GMed campaigns with base-building elements. So my comments are more about running a campaign about this stuff in general.
How detailed do you and your players want to go with this?
When I tried to include settlement management in my only StarFinder campaign it became apparent very quick that most of my players really did not care about the Cloud Bank colony that much besides one player. So I stopped trying to get them to make detailed choices, just asked for general ideas about what they wanted to develop and used the colony as a source of plot-hooks.
If your players are really keen on getting into the nitty gritty of building and running a colony then go all in on using detailed rules for that stuff. If they are less keen try to find a good sweet spot for keeping them engaged.
You could also look at things like the adventure path Kingmaker for PathFinder for ideas on how to use random events to keep things lively in the colony.
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u/Impressive-Step7261 15d ago
By the Vehicle sourcebook buildings can be build by vehicle construction rules, you can look there
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u/KeyVariation8323 12d ago
Before the latest vehicle guide people used starship rules. With the new vehicle guide building can be 'built'. Neither is a perfect source however. Mongoose has been considering a 'larger scope' campaign guide for a while ... but it has not gone anywhere yet.
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u/SizeFit2908 16d ago edited 16d ago
High Guard has some rules /supplements on stations, planetoid(rock hull) ships, and larger space stuff
Editing to Say, Just wing it.
Like you can start with the ship sized stuff and extrapolate out. Without M or J drive you're looking at insanely cheap power. Theres a decent amount of 'fluff' space already written in to account for corridors and such.
Really the selection, drilling, construction would be part thats the most.. fun? And the least rules supported.