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Mongoose 2e Traveller Character Sheet - Updates

1689774161

Edited 1693049401
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi All, I've got back into Traveller after 4 decades and ran a game a few weeks back for my D&D crew (who sadly now want to go back to D&D) ;-) When I setup the game in Roll20 I found the current character sheet had some issues and the layout, for my poor old eyes, was a little janky. So I've made a bunch of changes, mostly cosmetic, but also fixed Initiative to be Effect (which I don't think it was), and some toggles for modifiers that didn't seem to retain state... I'm not sure if anyone other than me would be interested in this, I'm not sure who wrote the original... I guess if anyone is I can submit alongside the existing one...not sure... Some screenshots below. Best regards, Coryphon
1690825946
Pat
Pro
API Scripter
Looks like a great improvement - please post it.
1690843402

Edited 1690843430
GiGs
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Sheet Author
API Scripter
That looks great. You probably can't submit your sheet alongside the original, but can overwrite and replace the original. That's how sheet development occurs on Roll20. I believe the original creator was CoalPoweredPuppet (a very prolific sheet creator!), but he announced that he wasn't doing any more Roll20 or sheet work a while ago, so don't feel you need to contact him to go ahead.
1690969303
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Thank you for your interest, info and advice. I will get on it!
Interesting! That looks cool! I've been doing updates to the sheet myself! Trying to make it more functional--especially the ship sheet. I've got some things working...but I realized I probably should rewrite the code to be more layout friendly. Oh, I and I changed how the attribute rating/temp/mod thing worked...very anti-intuitive. I hope your version gets accepted--then I can compare notes!
1690975204

Edited 1690975437
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Ah man, wish I'd known LOL... My changes are largely aesthetic so would be great to get fresh eyes on... I think for the ship sheet it was purely layout... I've also asked Mongoose whether I can implement Passenger and Trade Goods tabs. I've done (but not included!) the passenger generation.  This was largely as the rules for the Trade chapter say, 'give this to your players and let them go nuts', so it would be cool if the players could do that 'in-VTT' themselves...and run their own trading...
Any effort to update the current sheet is very much appreciated! Please, make the changes to the original sheet or post your changes somewhere (like here) for others to copy and use on their custom sheets. Thank you, in any case!
1690989622
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hiya, I have submitted a pull request to GitHub!
I ran a session last night (New Zealand time) and this morning woke up to the new sheet - I like it. Would love the trade stuff to be there as well. That can slow a game down a lot when doing it either manually or on a third party app (of which there are some doozies linked to travellermap). I found the font size on the template a BIG improvement - I had trouble reading them as well. Fire away I say. Full salvo. 
1691040950

Edited 1691048479
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Thank you  We’ll see what Mongoose say! Two fixes/features to come: - Dark mode for dice rolls (roll templates) - Ability to whisper dice rolls (for GM) Edit: Pull request submitted for the above features
Thanks for updating the sheet. I had some annoying formatting issues with the previous one when using Firefox but now they are fixed. Also the sheet really looks nice.
1691093906

Edited 1691093970
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Many thanks Fred, glad its all working. Mongoose Publishing have allowed me to add Trade rules: passengers, freight, mail and speculative, so am adding those for next release …
Coryphon said: Many thanks Fred, glad its all working. Mongoose Publishing have allowed me to add Trade rules: passengers, freight, mail and speculative, so am adding those for next release … That is great news. Can't wait to see them implemented.
Coryphon, I have a question for you. When I looked at the sheet, the code was not particularly efficient and not particularly modern when it comes to layout/CSS. Did you work on that or just add to what is already there?
1691391748

Edited 1691393303
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi there, I largely just re-skinned based on what was there. I’m no expert in html/css…  The CSS did seem somewhat bloated around things like rolltemplate styling, lot of repetition. I’m getting to grips with the Roll20-specific stuff so didn’t want to break anything ;-) There’s a bunch of “style=“ tags as well which I guess should be css-ified… If you can give examples of the worst offenders I’m happy to try and refactor (and to learn!). It’s not a huge character sheet compared to others, but would be nice to make it as good as possible…
Now that we have someone overhauling the character sheet, I'd like to ask opinions about a change to the dice template. Currently the template shows the rolled skill (or characteristic) in the header at the top, then the rolling character's name under it, and finally the roll result under that. I've always felt it would be clearer to have the skill and character name switch places, to have the skill that is being rolled next to the roll result. It would be closer to how some other games do templates (with character's name shown at the top). What do other Travellers think of this? Also, I find it slightly distracting that the roll result is not centered inside the box it is shown in. It's not a biggie, by any means, but if at all possible could this be fixed. Pretty please! (I wouldn't show the roll result in italics as it is now, either, but what the hey.) To illustrate the issue, here's a snazzy picture, made with good ol' Windoze Paint - look at the professional artistry shown! ;)
1691740777
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi Tommi, Thanks for the input! I’ve just refactored the CSS for the templates as there was a lot of duplication so these changes should be easy now. I suspect the centring of the result may  be a by-product of the italicised font which may  have been used to reflect the Traveller logo font(?). Think thats a pretty uncontroversial change ;-) (Have also put a bit of space below the result as it annoys my eye seeing the little box sitting on the bottom of the template!) Flipping the skill and character name I’m sure is also doable, I’ll check it out. As you say, maybe see if anyone else has any comments or recommendations… As a quick update, the passenger, freight and mail implementation is complete and the speculative trade which is much more complicated is in progress, Regards, Coryphon
There should be a way for players to whisper die rolls to the GM, too. I will be playing a character in my next traveler game that has to keep his identity, and skills, secret from the other players/characters. Being able to whisper rolls that only the GM sees would be useful for my character. Btw, THANK YOU  for working on this sheet and updating it. The Traveler sheets have needed work for a long time... Coryphon said: Thank you  We’ll see what Mongoose say! Two fixes/features to come: - Dark mode for dice rolls (roll templates) - Ability to whisper dice rolls (for GM) Edit: Pull request submitted for the above features
1691761843

Edited 1691761915
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi Saul, The whisper should now be live now, although the CSS accent-colour doesn't seem to be working (checkbox should be red, not system default (blue)), but I'll fix that. It just adds '/w gm' to all rolls... My pleasure, it's turning out to be a lot of fun. Let me know if you have any issues, Regards, Coryphon
I missed it. Sorry. Maybe because it's in a smaller font? Or next to boxes but not itself in a box? Not sure why I missed it. I'm not sure how I feel now about the switch of the skill/name. On the 5E sheet, the name of the character making the roll is not shown. On the Call of Cthulhu sheet, the name is shown first, then the skill. That almost makes more sense to me: "Character is making a skill check, here's the result" kind of. Call of Cthulhu roll result (dark mode): Is there a way to make it settable by the GM? I'm guessing not based on what I know of roll templates and sheet design but figure I'll ask anyway. Coryphon said: Hi Saul, The whisper should now be live now, although the CSS accent-colour doesn't seem to be working (checkbox should be red, not system default (blue)), but I'll fix that. It just adds '/w gm' to all rolls... My pleasure, it's turning out to be a lot of fun. Let me know if you have any issues, Regards, Coryphon
1691784449

Edited 1691784496
GiGs
Pro
Sheet Author
API Scripter
It would be possible to do that but there are two problems: Its extra work for the sheet author, that would need to be done for every single roll in the sheet. That could be a lot of work and easily might not be worth it. Its a per-character setting, not a per-campaign setting, so you could easily have different characters in the same campaign set up differently. (so not a per-GM setting, but per-sheet). That's probably not good. Personally I'd pick one approach (whichever the sheet already does) and stick with it.
I don't know if this is were I can get Mongoose Traveller 2nd Edition Authors Fabian D., Martin P., Simon B. attention but every time I roll initiative using their Character sheet for my game it adds a -8 to my rolls and I can't figure out how to get it to stop.  
1691794089
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi all, Saul : I'll make the whisper checkbox text a bit bigger GiGs &amp; Saul : Yeah, I'd realised that, I'll see how easy it is, but not sure how to get a consensus on the roll template, I'll change it and grab a screenshot and post to see what people think... Kelly : As per the rulebook (2022), Initiative is the&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of a roll: At the start of any combat, every Traveller makes either a DEX or INT check (it pays to be quick of the hand or quick of the mind). The&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of this check is their Initiative for the duration of the combat and will reflect when they get to act in a combat round. Those with higher Initiatives act quicker than those with lower Effects.&nbsp; So that, as I understand it is the difference between DEX/INT check and 8, hence the -8. However, I'm not entirely sure what the last sentence means... Looking at:&nbsp; <a href="https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/" rel="nofollow">https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/</a> &nbsp;it quotes: "The book uses the language of Effect. Effect is taken by subtracting 8 from your roll. Technically, if each character had different difficulties for Initiative, then we’d need to consider effect. Personally, I find it easier to convey “Highest roll wins”." This is a change I made on my first resubmit of the character sheet, as I thought it was incorrect based on the rules... Happy to revert as it's not entirely clear what the benefit is, I can maybe make it an option toggle...? Regards, Coryphon
1691794638
Pat
Pro
API Scripter
Great updates to the sheet&nbsp; Coryphon!&nbsp; Thank you for you efforts. Here's another small annoyance with the current sheet for your consideration. The "temp" field makes you type in negative numbers to reduce your stats.&nbsp; What do folks think about renaming the "temp" column "current" and having the modifier always calculated off the "current" value?&nbsp; &nbsp;It seems like a more common approach taken on other sheets and feels more intuitive ( at least to me).&nbsp; Thanks again for your work here
1691798112
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi Pat, Ah, TrooperSJP mentioned this higher up in the thread and I didn’t quite understand it, but now I get it! Certainly possible I’m sure, although could ‘break’ existing characters that are in-flight as it were with existing damage temp modifier ;-)&nbsp; Could get around that with sheet open callback and some attr mungeing though…maybe… Regards, Coryphon
1692292566
Pat
Pro
API Scripter
FYI.&nbsp; Saw some field width/spacing in the Combat -&gt; Armor section in the sheet today: (The "Required Skill" drop down is wrapping to the next line.) I tried resizing the char sheet window, but couldn't get it to hop back up to be on the same line. Thanks again for your efforts here.
1692292852
Pat
Pro
API Scripter
Another nice to have would be to add Attack Effect to the Damage score automatically.&nbsp;
1692294610

Edited 1692294642
Coryphon
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Sheet Author
Hi Pat, Thanks for the feedback. Will look into the wrapping for next release, sounds fairly simple. As has been pointed out the sheet html is a bit ‘legacy’, lot of table usage rather than flex grids etc. Will also look at damage effect.&nbsp; I’m going to do a bigger update post in a few days as the trade stuff is nearing completion, but is quite complex, and I would like to solicit some testers before I submit ;-) Regards, Coryphon
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Edited 1692301884
GiGs
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Sheet Author
API Scripter
Coryphon said: As has been pointed out the sheet html is a bit ‘legacy’, lot of table usage rather than flex grids etc. This is very true. The sheets were designed before legacy code became a thing and the designer (Coal Powered Puppet) would freely admit he wasn't the finest web designer, he just had enough time on his hands and the interest to create the sheet. He did create some really nice work (like the ways skills are made visible in the traveller sheets), but his code didnt take advantage of what was then pretty new CSS.
1692300098

Edited 1692304436
Coryphon
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Sheet Author
Thanks GiGs, Absolutely, the functionality of the sheet is great, I am, to quote Umberto Eco, a dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants ;-) Once the trade functionality is complete I would like to do a ‘refactor-only’ update to tidy up the HTML/CSS. I’m reading your (frickin’ excellent) articles on CSS at the moment and wince every time I use an in-line style for convenience LOL… Regards, Coryphon P.S. What kind of worries me is there’s no ‘staging’ area for changes to character sheets as some (future) changes could be destructive in some way!
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Edited 1692302334
GiGs
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Sheet Author
API Scripter
Coryphon said: P.S. What kind of worries me is there’s no ‘staging’ area for changes to character sheets as some (future) changes could be destructive in some way! You do have to be careful with sheets that are in use by others. As long as you don't change any attribute values, you can recover any changes. If you change attribute names, the old attribute names still exist. Are you building your sheets using the custom sheet sandbox? I generally copy the files I'm working on to a different location on my hard drive, so they aren't in the github repo, work on them till I'm happy enough for an update, then put them back in the repo and make a new commit. PS: thanks for the CSS posts response :) Also, remember, using an inline style might seem like it's for convenience now, but very quickly turns into inconviences. Classes all the way :)
Pat said: Another nice to have would be to add Attack Effect to the Damage score automatically.&nbsp; It already does, AFAIK. Take a look at the screenshot below. For the attack, I rolled an 11 which is 3 over 8+ (thus an Effect of 3). Then I rolled damage with 3D6-3 and get a 5, but the roll template has added the Effect of 3 to it to bring it to 8 pts. of damage. I kind of wish, however, that there would be a toggle to NOT do that.&nbsp;
1692544238
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi Pat &amp; Tommi, You are correct, the to hit effect is applied to the damage: if(toHit &gt; 8) { damage += (toHit - 8); //console.log("TRAV: damage adj: " + damage); } It would be easy enough to parameterise this... Regards, Coryphon
Could we get a Vehicle sheet? The new changes look great. It looks like you fixed the credits not saving on the inventory page. Thanks for that.
Coryphon said: Hi Pat &amp; Tommi, You are correct, the to hit effect is applied to the damage: if(toHit &gt; 8) { damage += (toHit - 8); //console.log("TRAV: damage adj: " + damage); } It would be easy enough to parameterise this... Regards, Coryphon What would be nice is the ability to check a box for the 2 types of auto fire burst and number of shots
Do you mean a vehicle besides a ship?&nbsp; Donald W. said: Could we get a Vehicle sheet? The new changes look great. It looks like you fixed the credits not saving on the inventory page. Thanks for that.
It's been a while since I played Traveler (new game starting soon) but isn't each shot rolled separately as a separate attack when doing auto fire, and so the damage is done separately too?&nbsp;&nbsp; Donald W. said: What would be nice is the ability to check a box for the 2 types of auto fire burst and number of shots
1692606659
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Donald W. said: Could we get a Vehicle sheet? The new changes look great. It looks like you fixed the credits not saving on the inventory page. Thanks for that. Sure, I’ll add it the list, looks like I can base it on this:&nbsp; <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/6139/0839/files/travvhbvehiclecolour.pdf?v=1642015635" rel="nofollow">https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/6139/0839/files/travvhbvehiclecolour.pdf?v=1642015635</a> Coryphon
1692606810
Coryphon
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Sheet Author
Saul J. said: It's been a while since I played Traveler (new game starting soon) but isn't each shot rolled separately as a separate attack when doing auto fire, and so the damage is done separately too?&nbsp;&nbsp; Donald W. said: What would be nice is the ability to check a box for the 2 types of auto fire burst and number of shots I’ll take a look at this too ;-) Got another day or three on trade stuff, so will take a look then 👍 C
That would be for vehicles other than space ships? Things like hovercraft and the like? Yes, that sheet appears to be the "official" vehicle sheet from Mongoose. Coryphon said: Donald W. said: Could we get a Vehicle sheet? The new changes look great. It looks like you fixed the credits not saving on the inventory page. Thanks for that. Sure, I’ll add it the list, looks like I can base it on this:&nbsp; <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/6139/0839/files/travvhbvehiclecolour.pdf?v=1642015635" rel="nofollow">https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/6139/0839/files/travvhbvehiclecolour.pdf?v=1642015635</a> Coryphon
I'm anxious to see what you come up with. I'm about to start a new Traveler game, and our ship will be going out and exploring...&nbsp; Sort of like the original intent of Star Trek, or Star Trek:Voyager , our ship is going to be out exploring new worlds in a new area from what I understand from the GM. We're almost certainly going to be needing to do some amount of trading and keeping track of all that cargo. So, it'll be interesting to see what you come up with and whether we can use it in our new game.&nbsp;&nbsp; Coryphon said: Saul J. said: It's been a while since I played Traveler (new game starting soon) but isn't each shot rolled separately as a separate attack when doing auto fire, and so the damage is done separately too?&nbsp;&nbsp; Donald W. said: What would be nice is the ability to check a box for the 2 types of auto fire burst and number of shots I’ll take a look at this too ;-) Got another day or three on trade stuff, so will take a look then  C
1692634942
Coryphon
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Sheet Author
Thanks Saul ;-) That sounds awesome! I am fully implementing all the trading rules plus a 'cargo hold' to show current goods/freight, and a 'party funds' field which will auto-update from passengers, freight and speculative trading... Everything is functional except black market trading which I'm hoping to program in shortly. Then there's a bit of moving stuff about, removing inline styles, adding a diagnostic log and then testing all the mechanics are implemented correctly and testing across browsers... After that I'll push the files to my GitHub and post links so hopefully some people can make a copy of a game and plug in the new files to give it a run through... Oh, and a video run-through also ;-) It all feels intuitive to me, but then I've been staring at it for weeks LOL! Regards, Coryphon
1693060862

Edited 1693062036
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Hi All, I have pushed the code for the trading functionality, should be live in a day or two. I have also added a vehicle section as was requested. It's basic but functional. I have done a video walkthrough of the trading as it is pretty complicated:&nbsp; Video (Apologies for quality, this is the first video of this type I've done, hope it is comprehensible!) Discord here if anyone wants to raise bugs/issues etc.:&nbsp; <a href="https://discord.gg/a4ckFyV4" rel="nofollow">https://discord.gg/a4ckFyV4</a> A couple of points for the trading I noticed from the video: - Deleting 'other goods' rows in the manifest did not update the tons total, it does now - On passenger/freight a couple of the input attributes are the Effect of an 8+ roll by the player(s) (e.g.&nbsp; Broker, Carouse or Streetwise Check Effect) Regarding other points raised in posts above: Combat -&gt; Armor spacing/overflow ( Pat ): -&gt;&nbsp; I cannot reproduce this on my Mac... Weapon auto-fire/burst rules ( Saul J/Donald W ): -&gt;&nbsp; Will look into this Parameterise weapon attack effect applied to damage? ( Pat ) -&gt; Let me know if wanted ... Change order of things shown on roll templates ( Tommi /et al) -&gt; Not sure what the consensus is... Temp field for modifying base attributes instead of e.g. typing in damage and having things recalc ( Pat ) -&gt; &nbsp;Not sure what the consensus is... Next dev once I've recovered will probably be a non-functional refactor of CSS and HTML code... Regards Coryphon
Just watched the video. The sound is a bit.... poor (at least for me) but if I crank the volume all the way up and put my ear to the speakers I can understand it. That's the negative. The positive.... WOW... I'm impressed. I'm hoping I get a chance to use this new stuff in the game I'm playing now. We just started so I don't know yet what trading, if any, will be done, but I'm hoping because I really want to get a chance to use this stuff. You did an amazing &nbsp;job!&nbsp; Thank you! Coryphon said: Hi All, I have pushed the code for the trading functionality, should be live in a day or two. I have also added a vehicle section as was requested. It's basic but functional. I have done a video walkthrough of the trading as it is pretty complicated:&nbsp; Video (Apologies for quality, this is the first video of this type I've done, hope it is comprehensible!) Discord here if anyone wants to raise bugs/issues etc.:&nbsp; <a href="https://discord.gg/a4ckFyV4" rel="nofollow">https://discord.gg/a4ckFyV4</a> A couple of points for the trading I noticed from the video: - Deleting 'other goods' rows in the manifest did not update the tons total, it does now - On passenger/freight a couple of the input attributes are the Effect of an 8+ roll by the player(s) (e.g.&nbsp; Broker, Carouse or Streetwise Check Effect) Regarding other points raised in posts above: Combat -&gt; Armor spacing/overflow ( Pat ): -&gt;&nbsp; I cannot reproduce this on my Mac... Weapon auto-fire/burst rules ( Saul J/Donald W ): -&gt;&nbsp; Will look into this Parameterise weapon attack effect applied to damage? ( Pat ) -&gt; Let me know if wanted ... Change order of things shown on roll templates ( Tommi /et al) -&gt; Not sure what the consensus is... Temp field for modifying base attributes instead of e.g. typing in damage and having things recalc ( Pat ) -&gt; &nbsp;Not sure what the consensus is... Next dev once I've recovered will probably be a non-functional refactor of CSS and HTML code... Regards Coryphon
1693075524
Coryphon
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Sheet Author
Thank you Saul for your kind words and feedback ;-) I had three attempts at the recording as I lost my way the first two times ;-) Just tried the video on my ‘phone and audio seemed ok when i upped the volume to 80%, but will double check settings. I’m all Mac so that was a QuickTime screen record converted to mp4 using Handbrake…not sure if that affected quality… Regards, Coryphon
@coryphon I am noticing a -8 in the initiative roller seems like an error
1693117005
Coryphon
Pro
Sheet Author
Donald W. said: @coryphon I am noticing a -8 in the initiative roller seems like an error Hi Donald, As per the rulebook (2022), Initiative is the&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of a roll: At the start of any combat, every Traveller makes either a DEX or INT check (it pays to be quick of the hand or quick of the mind). The&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of this check is their Initiative for the duration of the combat and will reflect when they get to act in a combat round. Those with higher Initiatives act quicker than those with lower Effects.&nbsp; So that, as I understand it is the difference between DEX/INT check and 8, hence the -8. However, I'm not entirely sure what the last sentence means... Looking at:&nbsp; <a href="https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/" rel="nofollow">https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/</a> &nbsp;it quotes: "The book uses the language of Effect. Effect is taken by subtracting 8 from your roll. Technically, if each character had different difficulties for Initiative, then we’d need to consider effect. Personally, I find it easier to convey “Highest roll wins”." This is a change I made on my first resubmit of the character sheet, as I thought it was incorrect based on the rules... Happy to revert as it's not entirely clear what the benefit is, I can maybe make it an option toggle...? Regards, Coryphon
I did a little research on this. The Initiative is defined as Coryphon said.&nbsp; However, one could argue that since the Effect is calculated based on subtracting the target number from the roll, and there is no target number for Initiative, that the Initiative roll is simply 2d6+DM. However, one could also argue that the target number is simply 8 so that 8 is subtracted from the roll. This typically results in numbers ranging between -6 and 7. To the number obtained in the first step, you can add the Effect of a Tactics roll if the party is not surprised. This number varies based on the difficulty of the encounter but on average results in adding a number between -6 and 7 to the number obtained in the step above, resulting in a number between -12 and 14. Based on answers by Mongoose on their forums ( <a href="https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/is-there-a-comprehensive-2nd-ed-errata.120907/" rel="nofollow">https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/is-there-a-comprehensive-2nd-ed-errata.120907/</a> ), you can have a negative number for the initiative. You still get to act, even if you have a negative initiative. The initiative only determines the order. I've only played with three GMs running Traveler. They have, in the past, simplified the process by making the Initiative 2d6+DM and adding the Effect of a Tactics roll only if it's positive. The final answer appears to be: it depends on the GM how Initiative is calculated but the bottom line is that however the Initiative number is calculated, it can be negative, and it is only used to determine the order in which parties act so it doesn't really matter what formula is used, as long as it's consistently applied to all parties, including enemies. Coryphon said: Donald W. said: @coryphon I am noticing a -8 in the initiative roller seems like an error Hi Donald, As per the rulebook (2022), Initiative is the&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of a roll: At the start of any combat, every Traveller makes either a DEX or INT check (it pays to be quick of the hand or quick of the mind). The&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of this check is their Initiative for the duration of the combat and will reflect when they get to act in a combat round. Those with higher Initiatives act quicker than those with lower Effects.&nbsp; So that, as I understand it is the difference between DEX/INT check and 8, hence the -8. However, I'm not entirely sure what the last sentence means... Looking at:&nbsp; <a href="https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/" rel="nofollow">https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/</a> &nbsp;it quotes: "The book uses the language of Effect. Effect is taken by subtracting 8 from your roll. Technically, if each character had different difficulties for Initiative, then we’d need to consider effect. Personally, I find it easier to convey “Highest roll wins”." This is a change I made on my first resubmit of the character sheet, as I thought it was incorrect based on the rules... Happy to revert as it's not entirely clear what the benefit is, I can maybe make it an option toggle...? Regards, Coryphon
1693142393
Coryphon
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Sheet Author
Great research Saul, thanks for the info… I’m happy to go with the will of the people ;-) Can probably make it a checkbox option, each player would have to set it… Regards, Coryphon Saul J. said: I did a little research on this. The Initiative is defined as Coryphon said.&nbsp; However, one could argue that since the Effect is calculated based on subtracting the target number from the roll, and there is no target number for Initiative, that the Initiative roll is simply 2d6+DM. However, one could also argue that the target number is simply 8 so that 8 is subtracted from the roll. This typically results in numbers ranging between -6 and 7. To the number obtained in the first step, you can add the Effect of a Tactics roll if the party is not surprised. This number varies based on the difficulty of the encounter but on average results in adding a number between -6 and 7 to the number obtained in the step above, resulting in a number between -12 and 14. Based on answers by Mongoose on their forums ( <a href="https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/is-there-a-comprehensive-2nd-ed-errata.120907/" rel="nofollow">https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/is-there-a-comprehensive-2nd-ed-errata.120907/</a> ), you can have a negative number for the initiative. You still get to act, even if you have a negative initiative. The initiative only determines the order. I've only played with three GMs running Traveler. They have, in the past, simplified the process by making the Initiative 2d6+DM and adding the Effect of a Tactics roll only if it's positive. The final answer appears to be: it depends on the GM how Initiative is calculated but the bottom line is that however the Initiative number is calculated, it can be negative, and it is only used to determine the order in which parties act so it doesn't really matter what formula is used, as long as it's consistently applied to all parties, including enemies. Coryphon said: Donald W. said: @coryphon I am noticing a -8 in the initiative roller seems like an error Hi Donald, As per the rulebook (2022), Initiative is the&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of a roll: At the start of any combat, every Traveller makes either a DEX or INT check (it pays to be quick of the hand or quick of the mind). The&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of this check is their Initiative for the duration of the combat and will reflect when they get to act in a combat round. Those with higher Initiatives act quicker than those with lower Effects.&nbsp; So that, as I understand it is the difference between DEX/INT check and 8, hence the -8. However, I'm not entirely sure what the last sentence means... Looking at:&nbsp; <a href="https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/" rel="nofollow">https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/</a> &nbsp;it quotes: "The book uses the language of Effect. Effect is taken by subtracting 8 from your roll. Technically, if each character had different difficulties for Initiative, then we’d need to consider effect. Personally, I find it easier to convey “Highest roll wins”." This is a change I made on my first resubmit of the character sheet, as I thought it was incorrect based on the rules... Happy to revert as it's not entirely clear what the benefit is, I can maybe make it an option toggle...? Regards, Coryphon
Coryphon said: Great research Saul, thanks for the info… I’m happy to go with the will of the people ;-) Can probably make it a checkbox option, each player would have to set it… Regards, Coryphon Saul J. said: I did a little research on this. The Initiative is defined as Coryphon said.&nbsp; However, one could argue that since the Effect is calculated based on subtracting the target number from the roll, and there is no target number for Initiative, that the Initiative roll is simply 2d6+DM. However, one could also argue that the target number is simply 8 so that 8 is subtracted from the roll. This typically results in numbers ranging between -6 and 7. To the number obtained in the first step, you can add the Effect of a Tactics roll if the party is not surprised. This number varies based on the difficulty of the encounter but on average results in adding a number between -6 and 7 to the number obtained in the step above, resulting in a number between -12 and 14. Based on answers by Mongoose on their forums ( <a href="https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/is-there-a-comprehensive-2nd-ed-errata.120907/" rel="nofollow">https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/is-there-a-comprehensive-2nd-ed-errata.120907/</a> ), you can have a negative number for the initiative. You still get to act, even if you have a negative initiative. The initiative only determines the order. I've only played with three GMs running Traveler. They have, in the past, simplified the process by making the Initiative 2d6+DM and adding the Effect of a Tactics roll only if it's positive. The final answer appears to be: it depends on the GM how Initiative is calculated but the bottom line is that however the Initiative number is calculated, it can be negative, and it is only used to determine the order in which parties act so it doesn't really matter what formula is used, as long as it's consistently applied to all parties, including enemies. Coryphon said: Donald W. said: @coryphon I am noticing a -8 in the initiative roller seems like an error Hi Donald, As per the rulebook (2022), Initiative is the&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of a roll: At the start of any combat, every Traveller makes either a DEX or INT check (it pays to be quick of the hand or quick of the mind). The&nbsp; Effect &nbsp;of this check is their Initiative for the duration of the combat and will reflect when they get to act in a combat round. Those with higher Initiatives act quicker than those with lower Effects.&nbsp; So that, as I understand it is the difference between DEX/INT check and 8, hence the -8. However, I'm not entirely sure what the last sentence means... Looking at:&nbsp; <a href="https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/" rel="nofollow">https://takeonrules.com/2020/09/29/lets-read-traveller-core-rulebook-combat/</a> &nbsp;it quotes: "The book uses the language of Effect. Effect is taken by subtracting 8 from your roll. Technically, if each character had different difficulties for Initiative, then we’d need to consider effect. Personally, I find it easier to convey “Highest roll wins”." This is a change I made on my first resubmit of the character sheet, as I thought it was incorrect based on the rules... Happy to revert as it's not entirely clear what the benefit is, I can maybe make it an option toggle...? Regards, Coryphon Perhaps make it a setting. that way people can choose their preference.
Saul J. said: Do you mean a vehicle besides a ship?&nbsp; Donald W. said: Could we get a Vehicle sheet? The new changes look great. It looks like you fixed the credits not saving on the inventory page. Thanks for that. Yes. Non Jump Capable. grav bikes air rafts etc.