December 5, 2011: Are You Ready To Ragnarok?

This would normally be the point where I give a gentle plug for whatever new e23 release we've got for the week. However, this week's release is GURPS Traveller Classic: Sword Worlds. Each time I try skimming this supplement for something interesting to say, I come across something cool, get distracted, and end up reading for a few minutes. Sure, I have some half-hearted notes (for some reason I wrote "Vikings in SPACE?!?" next to a doodle of a tough guy with a beard), but I don't think my Hidden Masters will appreciate me taking six hours to write this ad copy.

So instead I'm going to note how useful the PDF format is for a supplement so full of information. At its core, GURPS Traveller Classic: Sword Worlds is an interstellar travelog for the Sword Worlds and Border Worlds. (I've got another note here that says "got butts kicked by Third Imperium," but I crossed that out and wrote another note: "Don't tell them that!") It includes their history, politics, and notable people, as well as detailed descriptions of individual planets. It also comes with spaceships, vehicles, and other tech specific to this region of space.

Having this supplement as a PDF makes it even more useful, since it allows for plumbing the depths of its information. For example, I came across a reference to the Saltsaar (a great ecological warfare effort), and I did a search for the term. I immediately came across five entries . . . and my PDF reader gave me surrounding context for easy reading! Such instant info is incredibly handy at the game table. (And I won't even mention the convenience of being able to print "scribble copies" of the world maps . . .)

To sum up, then: If you don't own GURPS Traveller Classic: Sword Worlds, then pick it up as a great GURPS Traveller supplement. If you already own the paper copy, the PDF is an incredibly useful resource. And if you already bought the PDF . . . well, you can practice your own "tough guy with beard" doodle, like I did.

-- Steven Marsh