Traveller or stars without numbers?

>>53431789
Trav is a lot of fun

I never got past chargen in SWN before the game imploded.

Traveller is older and has a way more granular take on character creation, with a lot of random chances for your character to die horribly.

Stars Without Numbers is a more streamlined experienced, but the options you have suffer for it.

I prefer traveller.

>>53431829
suffer for it ?
>>53431810
how did it implode?

>>53431922
In SWN, you're a warrior, han solo, or psychic. In Traveller, you can be a noble who suffered a drug-fueled burnout and became a scout to get away from an angry rival. Who then stumbled across a artifact from an ancient alien spacefaring civilisation that gave you psychic powers.
SWN doesn't have career paths, which does speed up character creation, but you lose out on some fun things.

>>53431989
Gameplay wise wich one haves better space combat and normal combat? i head swn is more deadly but that can be fix

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>>53431789
My personal poison would be Classic/Mongoose Traveller system and chargen, with bits of Stars Without Number bolted on.

The best edition of Traveller is the edition you cobble together yourself, and Stars Without Number is practically written to be ripped from for Traveller.
I really dig SWN's setting, and some of the supplements for SWN are pretty good. Suns of Gold for example is a whole supplement dedicated to making adventures out of bulk far trading, whereas I'm 90% sure Traveller is just like "hand the trading section to the players and let them handle it when they're in port, it's just book-keeping anyway"
Not that that's a bad thing, it's definitely more streamlined and works better in Traveller's official setting, but different strokes.

>>53432052
They have the same basic rolls, 2d6 + modfier. I don't actually know which is more lethal, but traveller has more stuff to play with because it's an older game. You could very easily transfer stuff between the games, though.

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>>53432052
In terms of personal combat, both are pretty deadly.
SWN is a retroclone of Basic DnD, so low-level characters can be dropped by a lucky shot. Higher level characters get more hit dice though.
Traveller, on the other hand, doesn't use levels or HP. Damage is done directly to your 3 physical stats (Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance). Two stats at 0 and you're knocked out, all three and you're dead. A standard rifle does 3d6 damage, and the average stat value is 7, so two rifle rounds could kill you straight up if you aren't wearing armour. Speaking of which, Traveller armour reduces incoming damage, while SWN uses an AC system.

It should also be noted here that Traveller has more "horizontal" character advancement, compared to other games' (and SWN's) more "vertical" advancement.
Once you're out of chargen, it takes a *while* to increase your skills, and it's even more difficult to increase stats. The emphasis is instead on getting better weapons, upgrading your ship(s), getting political power, and of course getting filthy stinking rich. I guess it's more realistic?

In terms of space combat, they're both pretty similar. Ish.
Traveller's a bit Harder sci-fi than SWN. Energy shields are inconvenient, expensive and high tech, so if a shot hits you you're gonna feel it. However most ships tend to be quite hardy. You're more likely to get your engine shot out than blow up.
On the other hand, SWN's space combat has this "drive phase" system, where ships go into a certain phase from 1-6, then gunners pick a phase to shoot into. If you shoot into the right phase you roll to-hit as normal, but if you shoot into a wrong phase you take a to-hit penalty for how out of phase you are.

Honestly man, I'd recommend just reading through Mongoose Traveller 2e and Stars Without Number, see which one you prefer

>>53431789
which version of traveller is the best for a newcomer to RPG's?

>>53433022
Mongoose 2nd edition

>>53431789

GURPS Traveller

>>53431789
Both at the same time.

>>53431789
Never played Traveller, but am currently GMing a SWN game. It's pretty fun, and the rules leave a lot of room for personal interpretations about the setting's tech and FTL.

>>53431922
>how did it implode?
GM flaked.

What other systems work for a sandbox style sci-fi game?

I want something character and narrative focused, but not quite sniffing as much of the narrativist glue as Fate.

>>53434189
There's definitely a space opera PBTA game.
I can't remember what it's called, and I don't remember it appealing to me much, but there's one out there

>>53434189
If you don't mind the sci-fi being a bit harder than Traveller then how about Diaspora?

question: i've started reading the core rulebook of 2e mongoose and when i got to the part in character creation about careers, i instantly remembered the character creation process of system shock 2. anyone else has noticed this?

>>53434990
If it's at all related it would be System Shock 2 that ripped from Traveller, not the other way around.

>>53434990
Well, it's still very different in that in SS2 your stats aren't random. In travellers two people in the exact same careers can have some pretty different stats. But it's possible SS2 took some inspiration with the whole choose previous careers concept, though I haven't read anything about it.