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| Campaign 1: Secrets of the Ancients |
This product is no longer available from DriveThruRPG.com |
| Average Rating:4.0 / 5 |
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I haven't played Traveller in years, but this is an intriguing thing that RPG Now and the folks who make Traveller did -- offer a campaign setting for free! SOTA is based on an old "classic" Traveller supplement (oddly enough, also called "Secrets of the Ancients" :-) ), though in that case it wasn't a full-blown campaign so much as a small area adventure (like some of the old AD&D modules). This one presents a full up campaign similar to the kinds of things offered for Call of Cthulhu. There are a series of adventures the characters work through, learning more about what's REALLY going on in known space each step of the way, until, at the climax, they get the big reveal. It looks pretty well paced, with enough information to keep them involved and lead them to the next adventure, and even a few red herrings thrown in for fun (which could be parleyed by a witty GM into side adventures of their own), however the adventure is pretty linear and tends to force the players down a specific path to resolution. Again, a witty GM could probably overcome that and provide more links and options between the sub-adventures to allow the players to navigate a bit more freely between them, but given the steadily escalating nature of the events and opponents (always a problem with games that have "levels" for their characters), that may not be really desirable. Still, for the price, it's a great set-up and provides everything the GM and players need to start adventuring in the galaxy of Traveller; I highly recommend it. The production values are high, and there's plenty of material here for the players and the GM to mull over and digest. Even though it's offered for free, the designers didn't skimp on it at all. Based on the price alone, I'd probably give it a "four" or "five," but given the high production and design values and the price, this one really earns a "six!"
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This product comes in the form of a zip file containing the ten Secrets of the Ancients chapters, along with the introductory "Secrets of Secrets" chapter summarising the plot of the adventure.
Over the course of the last few months, Mongoose had sporadically published each chapter of this adventure on their website. This is the first time they were made available as a single package; they are otherwise available, all separately, on their website, also for free.
What is this adventure about? Basically, the plot of this story follows the plot of the Classic Traveller scenario "Secret of The Ancients," where the characters receive a MacGuffin which leads them to an Ancient city inside a gas giant's atmosphere, and thence to an Ancient spaceship and a journey beyond any living experience, to meet an impossible being who has an incredible story to tell them.
Well, I say it follows the plot "closely." In some ways, anyone who has had to sit through the original scenario may find that this revisioning has a lot more going for it (for instance, the chapter titled "The Secret," which gives away the actual secret, was originally effectively what is known in the writing trade as a "Mary Sue" - Marc Miller's invulnerable superbeing, Grandfather, delivered a monologue to the characters that turned out to be so boring that he walked off halfway through his own screed, leaving it to his android understudy to finish for him.
In this version, the characters have less of a sense of being railroaded through to a long monologue, and more of a sense of having to make choices, and following through on those choices and their consequences.
In this version, it promises, at least one actual Ancient dies in the course of the telling. At one point players get to run a game with an unheard-of scope: that of Ancients themselves, told in the form of a flashback chapter where they are Ancients. And the end game chapter comes to a point where the characters can make a decision which could affect the entire known universe, for good or bad.
I am definitely commending this scenario, although I must say that this is not a good entry-level game for complete newcomers to Traveller. Definitely for players who have had some experience of the game and setting.
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This is what the classic Traveller adventure with the same name should have been. This is a really good update on that adventure.
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Over all, not a bad start. The first campaign is a murder mystery designed to lure the characters into the plot of the “Secrets of the Ancients.” I agree with Mr. Clunie, the graphics could stand some improvement, but in general, they are sufficient. I found the acting hints helpful. This is the first Mongoose adventure I’ve read, so I don’t know if that is a standard component of their products.
The big selling point of the entire adventure will be the nature of the Ancients themselves. Mongoose Publishing has already broken with GDW’s concept that the ancients didn’t want to be involved with the rest of the universe. I assume that Mongoose will keep the Droyne as the ancient race, but beyond that it’s anybody’s guess. I will reserve my final judgment for the complete product.
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With this freebie, I think Mongoose has come up with a really nice adventure format, combining the best of the old (a vast and detailed backdrop worked by many hands), the best of the '80s and '90s (lyrical writing and keen social speculation) and the best of the new (streamlined mechanics and practical aids to play). Editing and PDF production are clean and attractive. Could use more art and better-looking maps.
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