RPG Saturday: Mongoose Publishing's Traveller

 

Last week, I discussed the classic Traveller from the 1970s and early 1980s. But as I mentioned, there have been numerous updates to Traveller over the intervening years, the most recent of which is the version shown above from Mongoose Publishing: the Mongoose 2nd Edition, 2022 update.

    The basic game mechanics remain the same: roll 2d6 and add/subtract modifiers to achieve or exceed a target number, which is generally 8. And the Core Rulebook covers the same subjects as the three booklets of the classic game's box set: character creation and skills, combat, basic equipment and vehicles, spacecraft and starships (with rules covering both creating them and operating them), psionics, intersteller trade, and world creation. Pretty much everything you need for a basic game and setting is in the core rulebook. But the difference is that this version of the game is more developed and updated over the classic rules, with more options reflecting modern ideas of science fiction adventure. The layout is better set out and, unlike the classic set, there is a significant amount of good quality interior art. 

    Character creation is similar to the classic Traveller, using a life path with the career options available in the classic game, but with several additional careers taken from the Citizens of the Imperium supplement. In the classic game, you were limited to careers in the Navy, Marines, Army, Scouts, Merchants, and "Other". This version also includes careers as an "agent" (spy or law enforcement), a drifter or barbarian, a noble, a rogue (thief, gangster or pirate), a scholar or scientist. And even the basic careers have more variety. And, unlike the classic rules, you can't die in character creation. 

    The classic rule set did not include options for aliens (at least in the basic rules). The Core Rulebook here includes options for an alien character, including the two main alien spacefaring species of the Traveller setting, the Aslan and Vargr. 

    This version has more rules on environmental dangers beyond just a poison atmosphere, including more detailed rules on the effect of different gravities and radiation. It also has examples of alien animals, and random encounter tables.

   The examples of equipment and weapons is much more expansive than the classic rules and includes whole categories of equipment not addressed in the classic rules, including items that would be familiar to a cyberpunk setting: body augmentation, more detailed rules on computers, drugs for enhancing combat, and personal sensors. There are more weapon options incorporating the weapons that players would now consider a must in a science fiction setting including handheld gauss weapons, lasers, stunner, and plasma rifles. And there are rules for vehicle combat and special vehicles, and a far greater selection of example vehicles. (And if you get the Central Supple Catalogue supplement, it has a far greater number of equipment examples plus rules on equipment availability).

    The spacecraft rules or greatly expanded and includes examples of common spacecraft and starships a character might use or even own, including deck plans. Space combat rules are also greatly expanded. 

    The rules on trade and carrying passengers, for those acting as merchants (or smugglers) is more detailed and has more options. The same for world creation. 

     The only downside is that there is still no rules for robots, nor are robots or drones included in the basic equipment (although they include a robot repair kit). For that, you will have to get the Robot Handbook which details robots ranging from tiny nanobots up to "robot brains" used to control starships. It also covers creating robots, androids, cyborgs, cloning and using robots as characters. 

    In short, unless for purposes of nostalgia or economy, there is no reason to play classic Traveller over the Mongoose Traveller. 

     If you want a more detailed look at Mongoose Traveller, Seth Skorkowky did a 10 part review and tutorial going over the basic rules. Here is the link to the playlist. Below is the first video which is an introduction and overview of the game. 

 VIDEO: "Traveller: Part 1 - Introduction"
Seth Skorkowsky (13 min.)

Weekend Reading #57

 Some longer and more involved reading for the weekend:

• First up this week is the latest newsletter from Defensive Pistolcraft by Jon Low.  A few things that stuck out:
• Jon links to a video called "Principles for the Armed Lifestyle" from the Citizen-Defender YouTube channel and, in particular, a section of the video about have rules where you have predetermined reactions to certain actions or circumstances. But that YouTuber broke one of his own rules in a class when a retention screw dropped out of his holster. That rule was to never carry a weapon in a compromised holster; but rather than fix the issue, he just let it slide. On the way home from class he made a stop. After leaving the vehicle, his pistol fell out of his holster and went skittering across the ground. 

 Jon comments:

[Making pre-decisions] is critically important.  If you've already made the decision that when X happens we immediately execute Y, you can move much faster than the enemy.  It's always the decision that takes time, not the action.  You've practiced the action a thousand times, so your execution is fast.  You haven't practiced  the decision, because ever situation is different and often surprising.  So, it's a hard thing to "practice".

I guess the other lesson is to not procrastinate.

• Speaking of pre-decisions, Jon includes this advice:

 Train yourself to immediately gouge the eyes of the attacker, if someone attacks you with our without a weapon.  No thought, no decision, just immediate action.  It doesn't matter that you succeed or not, this will give you time to get to your gun.  

On that topic, when you go into to claw the eyes with the fingers, come up from below rather than a straight shot, because your hand/fingers will be out of view until the last instant making it harder for the target of your attack to blink or otherwise protect their eyes. 

• Jon quotes this from an article by Karen Hunter: "Too many women believe self-defense is only for people who are athletic, aggressive, young, or physically powerful.  That mindset alone stops countless women from ever building skills that could save their lives.  In reality, you do not have to be athletic or in peak physical condition to be dangerous."  It reminds me of a sales slogan for Colt revolvers in the 1800s: "God created men, Col. Colt made them equal."
• For those of you using a weapon light on your handgun, Jon quotes the following from a trainer: "I was doing exercises with my weapon mounted light (WML) in the dark.  I was using my support side thumb to actuate the light switch on my WML.  The light would not turn on.  The lever seemed to be jammed.  It would not move.  The problem was that I was pressing on the housing of my WML, not on the switch.  Something to practice.  Need to get this straightened out immediately.  And did so." Jon adds the following comment: "Never use your trigger finger to actuate the WML.  Lots of documented cases of officers attempting this and firing their pistol.  Task Overload Confusion.  If you don't understand or don't believe, take Chuck Haggard's class.  Don't be that guy." I only have one weapon light for a pistol, which an Olight that has bilateral buttons on it that are pushed in from the side. I can use the trigger finger to activate the light if I wanted, but since I'm probably going to be shooting it two-handed with a thumbs forward grip, the thumb of the off-hand gives me more leverage  so that it the one I use.  So, at least with my light, the safer option is also the easier option.
• Jon includes a good explanation of your vision in low light settings, including how various factors can result in your seeing something (e.g. a dark blog you mistake for an intruder) when there is, in fact, nothing there.  
• A lot more, so read the whole thing. 
•  Greg Ellifritz has published another Active Response Training "Weekend Knowledge Dump". A few links that caught my attention in particular:
• An article on "Hiking with Trekking Poles" from Swift Silent Deadly. Greg attests to his appreciation for trekking poles. I had tried them years ago and returned to using them a couple years ago. The article goes over the advantages and disadvantages to using trekking poles and some of the features that the author suggest (e.g., he likes the clamping adjustments rather than the twist to tighten style; and he prefers the cork handles). The primary disadvantage he lists is that you have both hands full, but that ignores that you can use just a single trekking pole like a walking staff. It leaves one hand free and works great for narrow trails. However, you will want to use both for heavier loads. You might find this article to be useful: "How to Use Trekking Poles and Hiking Staffs" from REI. It not only goes over why you might want trekking poles, but how to select them, different ways they help when hiking (or even just walking), and tips on how to use them. 
• An article on using handheld light with a long gun. The author illustrates his concepts with an AR style rifle. I'm not sure how they would work with other types of actions. You will notice that the author just uses variants of some of the handgun light techniques. I have to say, though, that it looks far more awkward than using a separate light with a handgun. 
• A link to a good article from the Organic Prepper blog on the topic of a hospital go-bag. Probably something you will use more in your life than a "get home bag" or "bug out bag" (unless those bags pull double duty as a "quick overnight camping bag" as well).
• An article for putting together a DOPE card for a shotgun (i.e. for how it patterns at different distances or with different types of ammo). The author also links to a downloadable DOPE card (.docx format).
• An article from ITS Tactical on adjusting your vehicle's mirrors so you don't have blind spots. In many ways, this is probably the most important of the articles in the list since you probably drive every single day and are more likely to be involved in an auto accident than be the victim of a crime.
• A historical piece providing brief bios of 20th Century lawmen gunfighters: Ralph Friedman, Delf "Jelly" Bryce, Bob Stasch, Frank Pape, and Jim Cirillo. 
• And a video entitled "The 4 Tests Predators Run on Targets." As the author notes, predators generally do not start with violence but use methods to test you and close distance: (i) the "help me" script; (ii) the "moral pressure" script; (iii) confusion or distraction; and (iv) being overly friendly or all smiles to bypass your suspicions. Basically, as the author notes, nice does not equal safe. 
• Finally, an article from Guns Magazine on carrying for the mobility impaired (the author uses an electric wheel chair). The author has specific recommendations for a gun belt ("the thick 1.25″- or 1.5″-wide belts offered by CrossBreed and other leather companies") and holster (Bianchi Model 101, Foldaway Belt Slide Gun Holster). Interestingly, Amazon is selling the holster as a two pack in sizes 10 and 16 which will probably cover almost any size of semi-auto handgun you might own. 

•  The Realist, who contributes articles to this blog, directed my attention to this article: "Government Food Confiscation Laws: How Private Food Stores Were Seized in History and What Legal Mechanisms Still Exist"--Preppers Will. The author begins:

    Most people assume that the food stockpiled in their pantry, freezer, or basement belongs to them unconditionally. Under normal circumstances, they are absolutely right. But history tells a far more complicated story, and the legal frameworks governing food supply, distribution, and access during emergencies reveal a side of government power that most people rarely think about until a crisis forces them to.

    Government food confiscation laws, whether formally codified or embedded within broader emergency statutes, have existed in various forms across nearly every major civilization. And in the modern United States, the legal infrastructure for federally directed food resource management remains very much intact, even if rarely invoked.

    Understanding the history of how governments have seized, rationed, and redistributed private food stores is not just an academic exercise. Whether you are a prepper planning for long-term food independence, a policy researcher, or simply a curious citizen, knowing how these laws work and where they come from gives you a clearer picture of the relationship between individual property rights and state power during crisis scenarios.

    From Stalin’s grain brigades to the U.S. Office of Price Administration during World War II, and from the Defense Production Act of 1950 to the FDA’s modern mandatory recall authority, the legal machinery behind food control has always been more extensive than most people realize.

While we generally think of OPSEC regarding food stores as necessary to prevent a mob of hungry people from showing up at our doors, the more likely scenario might well be police or other law enforcement showing up to confiscate your food items. You might also want to check out my post, "An Example of Why OPSEC is Important" for an example of the application of anti-hoarding laws in place during WWI which resulted in the prosecution of a couple living in Washington D.C. for hoarding. As I noted, "The 'offenders' were caught because they were informed on by a friend of the local 'Food Administrator.'" 

•  Probably more important than the events in the Middle East: "Successful SpaceX Starship 12 launch ends with spectacular fireball." The launch has originally been scheduled for Thursday evening, but then scrubbed; then reset for Friday. From the article:

    SpaceX’s Starship 12 rocket had a successful launch Friday night, before its suborbital test run around the Earth concluded with a stunning fireball explosion as it splashed down in the Indian Ocean.

    The rocket’s launch — the largest and most powerful of its kind — took place at around 6:30 p.m. EST and the 66-minute test flight was deemed a success by SpaceX.

[snip]

     During it’s more than hour-long mission, the rocket didn’t go into full orbit and was a pivotal step in testing how new hardware within Starship fares under real flight conditions, SpaceX said. 

     V3 of Starship 12 contained two key features — the ‘Super Heavy’ bottom booster stage with 33 powerful engines and the Starship, which is the upper part of the spacecraft above the booster that has its own engines.

    A few minutes after launch, the ‘Super Heavy’ booster separated and conducted a ‘boostback’ burn to slow down before splashing down in the Gulf of America — unlike previous missions that attempted landing back at the launch site.

    Meanwhile, the upper Starship spacecraft continued into space and released 22 fake Starlink satellites 20 minutes into the flight.

And Musk must be practicing some OPSEC: "SpaceX confirmed that Friday’s fireball eruption was planned since they don’t plan on reutilizing the experimental spacecraft."

    Glenn Reynolds has published a piece entitled "And Away We Go!" which discusses the import of these developments. An except:

    There are still bugs to work out, and capabilities to add, but what we saw on Friday was a full-fledged interplanetary spaceship. Starship v.3 is big enough to carry cargoes to the Moon and Mars. It uses methane fuel which — as Bob Zubrin demonstrated in the 1990s in support of his “Mars Direct” exploration/settlement architecture — can be manufactured on-site from the Martian atmosphere using 19th Century chemical technology. (I’m positive that Musk has studied Zubrin’s work carefully too.)

    It will also support missions to asteroids, which are loaded with precious and valuable metals, carbon compounds, and other useful stuff. (Even rock is useful for radiation shielding, and using stuff that’s already in space is generally cheaper than launching it from Earth.)

    A moon base is practical with Starship. Artemis, for all the hype, uses NASA’s SLS rocket, which is based on technology over half a century old — Congress mandated that it use Space Shuttle technology — and costs literally billions per launch.

    Large structures in Earth orbit are practical with Starship. Elon wants to build data centers in orbit, and others are following his lead. (As I wrote decades ago, the first Earth explorers brought back spices because they had an enormous value-to-weight ratio; space-based communications is even better because photons don’t weigh anything. Computation is similar. Also, the anti-AI-data-center movement on Earth is just playing into his hands.) Space solar power plants, converting the 24-hour, unfiltered sunlight of outer space into electricity that is beamed to Earth via microwave (a technology long-since demonstrated) are practical with Starship.

    And it’s not just lift capacity. The Musk empire also stresses AI and robotics. When we were thinking about large space structures in the 1970s we assumed they’d be built by humans, like offshore oil rigs. In my Space Law seminar last fall we did some rough modeling on how much faster you could build them using robots controlled by AI. The answer was rough, but clear: Much, much faster. And more cheaply, and without labor issues.

    Elon’s other company, The Boring Company, which specializes in tunneling, is often forgotten, but it’s actually revolutionary in itself. And you know what you need for bases and colonies on the moon and Mars? Tunnels. Lots of tunnels. (Also, later, for asteroid habitats.)

    It’s like he’s been thinking about this stuff all along. It’s like that because he has.

 Read the whole thing.

The Government's Secret Army

Big Country Expat has an interesting piece on clandestine operations stateside, including some personal stories and observations that make you go "hmm." But he backs this up with reference to a 2021 article from Newsweek, "Inside the Military’s Secret Undercover Army." The article relates, in part:

    The largest undercover force the world has ever known is the one created by the Pentagon over the past decade. Some 60,000 people now belong to this secret army, many working under masked identities and in low profile, all part of a broad program called "signature reduction." The force, more than ten times the size of the clandestine elements of the CIA, carries out domestic and foreign assignments, both in military uniforms and under civilian cover, in real life and online, sometimes hiding in private businesses and consultancies, some of them household name companies.

[snip]

    The signature reduction effort engages some 130 private companies to administer the new clandestine world. Dozens of little known and secret government organizations support the program, doling out classified contracts and overseeing publicly unacknowledged operations. Altogether the companies pull in over $900 million annually to service the clandestine force—doing everything from creating false documentation and paying the bills (and taxes) of individuals operating under assumed names, to manufacturing disguises and other devices to thwart detection and identification, to building invisible devices to photograph and listen in on activity in the most remote corners of the Middle East and Africa.

    Special operations forces constitute over half the entire signature reduction force, the shadow warriors who pursue terrorists in war zones from Pakistan to West Africa but also increasingly work in unacknowledged hot spots, including behind enemy lines in places like North Korea and Iran. Military intelligence specialists—collectors, counter-intelligence agents, even linguists—make up the second largest element: thousands deployed at any one time with some degree of "cover" to protect their true identities.

    The newest and fastest growing group is the clandestine army that never leaves their keyboards. These are the cutting-edge cyber fighters and intelligence collectors who assume false personas online, employing "nonattribution" and "misattribution" techniques to hide the who and the where of their online presence while they search for high-value targets and collect what is called "publicly accessible information"—or even engage in campaigns to influence and manipulate social media. Hundreds work in and for the NSA, but over the past five years, every military intelligence and special operations unit has developed some kind of "web" operations cell that both collects intelligence and tends to the operational security of its very activities.

    In the electronic era, a major task of signature reduction is keeping all of the organizations and people, even the automobiles and aircraft involved in the clandestine operations, masked. This protective effort entails everything from scrubbing the Internet of telltale signs of true identities to planting false information to protect missions and people. As standard unforgettable identification and biometrics have become worldwide norms, the signature reduction industry also works to figure out ways of spoofing and defeating everything from fingerprinting and facial recognition at border crossings, to ensuring that undercover operatives can enter and operate in the United States, manipulating official records to ensure that false identities match up.

And this was in 2021. Imagine how much it has grown since. 

    With this in mind, BigCountryExpat describes a rather horrific accident involving twin brothers (apparently Syrian) whose car was demolished in a collision with a jacked up truck where both the driver and his passenger were from Langley, Virginia. The driver was apparently never charged, and as far as BigCountryExpat can find, the news stories of the incident have since been scrubbed from the Internet. Anyway, an interesting piece so be sure to read the whole thing. 

Joel Richardson: What Daniel 8 Says About The War In Iran

If you are interested in whether Daniel 8 has any relevance to the ongoing conflict, I'll save you time: probably not. But it is an interesting look at a prophecy that was predictive when made and has relevance to the Last Days.

The prophecy that Joel Richardson is discussing in this video is from Daniel where he is shown a vision of things that were still in his future: a fierce ram (representing the Persian Empire) who is overcome by a goat with a single great horn (Alexander the Great) who defeats the ram. But the single great horn is broken and four horns spring up (representing the division of Alexander's empire after his death) and a small horn that springs up from one of the four, generally believed to be the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Clearly this represents what is now historical periods to us, but Richardson believes it has application to the last days because the Antichrist is also described in Revelation as the little horn, suggesting a connection between the Antichrist of the Last Days and the little horn in Daniel's prophecy. 

 VIDEO: "What Daniel 8 Says About the War in Iran"
Joel Richardson (23 min.)

Major Lithium Deposits Found In U.S.

From Science Alert: "Vast, Untapped Source of Lithium Found in The US Could Last 300 Years." China most disappointed:

    There could be nearly 330 years' worth of lithium hiding beneath the Appalachian Mountains, which stretch like a stony spine across the eastern United States.

    New research from the US Geological Survey suggests that the Appalachians may contain around 2.3 million metric tons (2.5 million US tons) of recoverable lithium oxide locked away in pegmatites, the grainy, granite-like rocks that form as water-rich magma cools and crystallizes deep within the Earth.

    "This research shows that the Appalachians contain enough lithium to help meet the nation's growing needs – a major contribution to US mineral security, at a time when global lithium demand is rising rapidly," says Ned Mamula, Director of the US Geological Survey (USGS).

    Therefore, mapping US mineral resources may help reverse the country's recent reliance on lithium imports. 

Some Stories About Voting Irregularities In 2020 And This Year

 Just some interesting articles and posts:

• "Trump Calls for Investigation Into Maryland Elections After Mail-In Ballot Disaster"--Townhall.  Short version: "President Donald Trump has called for the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the state of Maryland for sending out mail-in ballots to individuals of the incorrect political party ahead of the state’s closed primary elections." The state mailed out 500,000 illegal ballots and, when they "discovered" the error, they mailed out 500,000 correct ballots with no knowing what happened to the earlier ballots. 
• bumbadum on X: "Some people may not be "hip" to this because it was 6 years ago... But in Georgia the Freedom Caucus people sued the state to recount and audit the ballots. The judge never threw out the case so the ballots were held in evidence for over 6 years, and just recently it was found that over 300,000 ballots were certified without poll worker signatures." This was in response to another tweet that claiming that all the allegations of the fraud in the 2020 Georgia election had been debunked. 
•  The SCIF on X: "After the 2020 Arizona election, Republicans were granted access to examine duplicate ballots and found that 2% off all ballots examined were switched from Trump to Biden or just taken away from Trump all together for no reason. The Biden electors then called a special emergency with the judge in an attempt to only have their attorneys examine the ballots and be kept secret from the public."

A Short Sling Tutorial

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that this guy was a consultant and trainer for the sling for the House of David streaming program. In any event, this is a YouTube short video with a very brief introduction/tutorial on using a sling. 

 

 VIDEO: "Sling tutorial in a short" -- Dash Rendar

Austin Spree Shooter An Illegal Alien

The Battle Swarm Blog notes that the oldest of the three shooters who recently terrorized Austin--17 year old Cristian Fajardo Mondragon--is an illegal alien with an ICE detainer. "He was also on probation through the juvenile justice system at the time of his arrest and has a juvenile detainer," as well as an outstanding warrant for stealing a firearm. 

    I have to say that I am positively shocked as I had been assured by Democrats that immigrants committed crimes at far lower rates than Americans notwithstanding the fact that 100% of illegal immigrants are committing federal crimes.

More Ways Diversity Makes Us Stronger As A Nation

• Helping the elderly: "FBI Shuts Down India-Based Call Center Scam Targeting Hundreds of Elderly Americans"--Gateway Pundit. 
• Helping address the shortage of truck drives: "Illegal immigrant truck driver from India arrested in deadly California hit-and-run after Biden release"--New York Post. 
• Providing child care services: "Minnesota’s ‘Quality Learing Center’ raked in $215K federal payout — senator demands receipts"--New York Post. 
• Boosting the economy: "Study finds over half of immigrant households in U.S. on welfare, including legal immigrants."--What Finger. 
• Their energy: "Hundreds of young people take over NJ beach town, sparking chaos and curfew ahead of Memorial Day weekend"--New York Post.  
• The vibrant night life: "Florida duo allegedly gloated about killing off-duty firefighter for his phone and sneakers: ‘Smiling about it’"--New York Post.
• The spices and flavors of their native countries: "Three dead and first responders rushed to hospital after exposure to mystery substance in New Mexico"--Daily Mail.  
• Some of our best doctors: "The “Pipeline” Problem That Medical Schools Don’t Want to Discuss"--City Journal.  
• Bringing new insights into business practices and university life: "Empty offices, Indian HR calling the shots: ICE uncovers rampant OPT abuse by foreign students"--Financial Express.  
• Participating in civic life: "Chinese communists are infiltrating the US by honeytrapping spies, duping pols, buying farmland, more"--New York Post.

Townsends: Bread On A Stick

Before the outbreak of the War of 1812, the U.S. considered invading Canada. General Hull was sent from Ohio to attack a British fort in Detroit. Hull's supplies were captured by the British, however, so he sent word to Cincinnati for more supplies and men to guard the supplies. A man from Chilikothy, Ohio named Samuel Williams raised a force of 100 men to head to Detroit. They were outfitted with a unifor, tomahawks, knives and guns, but no cooking gear. So they had to improvise. Their food was basic: flour, salt, and bacon. To make the bread they mixed the flour with some salt and water to make dough which they rolled out and wrapped around sticks to cook over an open fire. Townsend follows the details in the letters Williams wrote to his wife, including details on how they prepared and cooked their bread, and gives it a try. An interesting video both for the improvised means of cooking and the overall history. 

 VIDEO: "Bread On A Stick - Campfire Soldier Bread"
Townsends (10 min.)