Traveller: More d66 Lists?

Hey Traveller fans,

I got a request recently for more d66 lists. Do you want to see more? If so, tell us what additional lists would you like to see? Sure we can do more ship names, more planet names, more robot names, but us that what you are looking for? Or would you rather see more lists like “reasons why your communication/sensors systems are not working” or “robot’s current instructions” where they provide a reason for things happening. Is there any category that is not covered well by existing lists that you want to see done? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below and vote in the poll.

February 10, 2020 6

Traveller: D66 Compendium 2 is on Sale NOW!

The Traveller D66 Compendium 2 recently sold its 250th copy. We are Jon Brazer Enterprises could not be more proud of the d66 series. These short lists provide meaningful names and ideals to Traveller GMs everywhere. To celebrate this, we are offering the D66 Compendium 2 for 25% off its normal price for the next week. From now through March 18th, you can download all the lists that perfectly compliment the original d66 Compendium for US$7.50. Grab it for yourself or your game master that could really use a leg up when linking about alien names, colony names, space ship names and much more.

Grab the D66 Compendium 2 exclusively at DriveThruRPG right now while it is 25% off the regular price. Download now!

March 12, 2019 0

Any Traveller NPC On The Fly

When I am prepping a Traveller game to run at home or a convention, I will always take the time to stat up an NPC and come up with a full backstory. This way, I always have consistent skills, the right number of dice for weapons damage and the exact equipment the character should have. This should be part of any good GM’s prep before running a game. Yet when the players catch me off guard and I have to have a Traveller character on the fly, I don’t bother looking in any books. I just remember these simple rules:

1) Pick a Theme

This may seem obvious, but it must be stated upfront: have a theme for the NPC. If I don’t, I quickly have NPCs that are good at everything. To combat this, I pick a theme and I stick to that theme for the character. It can be as simple as “doctor” or as complex as “down on their luck stock trader who took up painting.” Either way, their theme is pretty simple as it only needs to get me through the game session so I can stat them out fully (should the NPC survive that long). That theme dictates what skills, characteristics, and other bonuses the person should and should not have.

2) Bonus Tree from Competent to Incompetent

In much the same way that the difficulty goes up or down depending on how difficult any particular challenge is, I keep a ladder in my head of what bonus to add to any roll. Here’s what I use:

Bonus	When To Use	How Many Skills
+4	Exceptional	Max 1
+2	Professional	1-3
+1	Above Average	2-4
+0	Average	3-6
–1	Below Average	4-8
–3	Never Exposed Before	All the Rest

Take the Doctor for a second. For an exceptional brain surgeon, I’d give them a +4 Medic, but for your average family doctor, their Medic would be +2. Related skills like Science (biology) and Admin would be +2. If the subject of art came up like if the doctor was talking to the stock trader, I could assume the doctor took an art history class in college for fun so is not a complete noob at it and would get a –1.

The down on their luck stock trader, well that person is down on their luck because they are not all that skilled at it to begin with. So I would give them a +1 in Broker, Carouse, and Gambler, +0 in Admin, Art, Persuade, and Streetwise.

Even then, I wouldn’t write these numbers down. This is just what I’d assume based based on the theme. If, by the end of the session, it looked like the NPC would return, I would write down those stats after the game while it was still fresh in my mind so I had it for next time.

3) Weapons and Armor

While I can fudge weapons and armor in a pinch, I pretty much keep these stats on a sheet close by.

User	Armor Bonus	Weapon Damage
Military	+15	5D+3 Zero-G or 4D, AP 5, Auto 3
Police	+10	3D Stun, Zero G or 3D, AP 3, Auto 2
Survivalist	+8	3D, Auto 3
Paranoid	+3	3D-3 or 2D Melee, Stun
Stealth	+1	2D Body
Unprepared/Civilian	+0	1D unarmed

Like I said, I keep this with me. Even if I remember what the police officer’s weapons and armor is, that doesn’t mean that the players will strip them of it after knocking the person out and then they are left with being an unprepared/civilian entry. This little preparation makes running a game quick and easy for when (not if) the players run the game off the rails.

If you really want to be prepared for any name you could possibly need, get yourself the d66 Compendium and its sequel, the D66 Compendium 2. Both are available at in Print and PDF at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow. Order your copy today.

January 15, 2018 0

Lots of 4- and 5-STAR Reviews

It was the end of last summer when I did the most recent review roundup. We have much to share since then so let’s jump right to it. Lets start with the 5-STAR review by Rick H. we got last night for our newest adventure Deadly Delves: The Gilded Gauntlet.

There are, however, many out-of-the-box problems that need to be carefully considered. I really liked this approach- the information the characters require is readily available, but making sense of it is key. Further, the encounters mix monsters with hazards in interesting environments. There’s a lot of content for the price, and I look forward to using it.

Read the full review at DriveThruRPG

I would also like to give a special shout out to John McCoy (no relation) for his first review ever. It was a 5-STAR review for Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Skinwalkers, and his review is short and sweet.

Love Skinwalkers, and this pdf is a great addition to them.

Thank you, John. We hope you write more reviews in the future!

Let’s skip over to Traveller and take a look at the reviews here. The d66 Compendium and D66 Compendium 2 are two of the most useful books in all of Traveller and people continue to recognize that. One person, James J, left very similar 5-STAR reviews for the both review for both, saying

Solid product. I bundled this and Compendium into a binder to take with me to Traveller sessions as Referee. Great stuff for ideas. This also works as a brainstroming setup for writing.

Another reviewer gave the D66 Compendium 2 a 5-STAR reviews, describing it thus:

Very useful, … I find it useful for both RPGs and Sci-fi wargames.

The d66 Compendium received another new 5-STAR review as well, saying:

It too is filled with lots of great d66 charts. But to be honest it also is a gold mine of great ideas. Just looking over some of the lists causes ideas to spring up in my mind. Not just a great place to randomly select a name, but to look at a name and begin to build out who or what it is. I have had fun just reading various entries and charts. I strongly encourage any GM to pick both this compendium and the 2nd one as well. They are both great additions to my collection and will be very helpful resources in my creative efforts.

The very same James J. gave Scenes of Space Hex Battle Maps a 5-STAR review, saying

I liked this a lot. I used the asteroid map in a recent Traveler Session. nice big hexes on four sheets. I like that there are different sizes. No problems printing and cutting these pieces to fit together with some tape. … I would buy more if there were more in the series.

Thank you very much, good sir.

Switching over to Fifth Edition, we are rather proud of Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Forbidden Woods getting Ismael A’s rating of “5 out of 5 stars, and my royal seal.” Let me reprint the whole review.

Now, I have to say that I am massively impressed with this product. It is not a bestiary so much as it is an ecology primer on a bunch of new creatures that are original, inspiring, and effective. Ranging from animal to elemental to monstrocity, there are plenty of interesting and original creatures to use in your campaigns. For each creature or type we are given a wide number of alternative builds, whether they be stronger versions of the base creature, or full distinct variations on a similar theme. For instance, we get young, adult, and elder spider bears, while the druidic guardians are varied by elemental type.

Each cluster of creatures comes with plot hooks, potential treasure (when it makes sense), and pointers for how a creature might behave in battle. This, coupled with the brief but comprehensive descriptions give creatures a depth that is not conveyed in a 1 page stat block. And although the hit point values are a bit low for a given CR, the creatures themselves are excellently represented for 5th edition statistics.

I very much look forward to seeing more books like this, and it has even changed my view on what shorter bestiaties should be. Without the history of older and established monsters, every new beast needs to be as fleshed out as the ones in this book.

Gaeton V reviewed Book of Heroic Races: Player Races 1, giving it 4-stars, describing it thus:

Overall though, I’m impressed. There are lots of “freebie” races out in the wilds of the internet, but very few of them have as much detail as these ones.

Martin S give a spoiler heavy 4-Star review of Pathfinder’s Deadly Delves: Along Came a Spider so I will only share his conclusions:

I think this is a good module and one that not only reaches its goal, but that offers many possibilities to expand on the material presented here.

That is a total Eight 5-STAR Reviews and only a pair of 4-Star reviews and nothing else in that time frame. Jon Brazer Enterprises has a reputation for exceptionally high quality work that does not disappoint. We do not release very fast because we take the time to do it right. Tell you friends about Jon Brazer Enterprises books for their games today.

Download all of Jon Brazer Enterprises book at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow, the OpenGamingStore, and Paizo.com.

May 24, 2017 0

5 By 5-Star Reviews

We got in a flurry of new 5 STAR reviews lately, and we’d like to share them with you. The first two are for the D66 Compendium 2. We represent them both here in their entirety!

This first one is by Richard N.

I purchased the first compendium some time ago and found it to be an awesome tool for helping with adding flavor to my campaign. I use it at least once or twice every session and when I am preparing. So when I saw that the 2nd was out I snagged it right away and was pleasantly surprised to see that they “kicked it up a notch” this time around. Not only are there pages and pages of names for everything from people to pets to famous space battles to recreational drugs, they have added D66 Event tables for careers to use during character creation! And they are awesome! I would highly recommend this (and the 1st one!) to anyone who has ever had that moment when a player asks “So, what is the name of….” and you drew a blank.

This next one is by Daniel C.

I was looking for some new Events to use. I asked for suggestions and was told this was what I wanted. So I came and bought it. I was not disappointed in any way. Not only did it have an event table for “Life Events” but also had events for each of the core careers in the Traveller core rule set. Some of these are great background ideas. Add to that the book has many more tables that will be quite useful I am sure. Overall this product was well worth the price I paid for it. I would strongly recommend this to any Traveller GM. I am glad I added this to my collection.

Download the 5-STAR rated D66 Compendium 2 today at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow.

Next we move onto a pair of Deadly Delve Adventures for Fifth Edition. The first adventure is a 5-STAR review for Rescue from Tyrkaven and is by Ismael A.

Firstly, the background for the adventure is very well written, and seeps out character and flavor. It was plainly well thought out and very developed. It is excellently layered with a hook that does not belie the true nature of the adventure, and a twist that should keep player interest throughout the endeavor. Good setup and thorough execution of initial hook. Also, there is good characterization of various expository NPC’s that promises a memorable session if a GM is willing to act them out.

From the first encounter, it seems like encounter design and balance are well done for the sensibility of 5th edition. The initial combat is meant more as a test of the character’s sensibility than their combat prowess, and could lead to some interesting decisions later. Statistic blocks are handled rather nicely, and are concise and readable. The next few encounters are a bit standard, and probably a sync for a 2nd level party to deal with, but it really builds up the atmosphere, especially with the special glyphs that seem to permeate the enemy lair. Room and encounter design do a nice job of setting the tone of the adventure by slowly introducing a creepy undertone.

There are interesting little details peppered within the room descriptions of the enemy lair, including some interesting moral choices regarding enemies that do not resist or fight.

The inclusion of a new creature (the negative energy elemental) is refreshing, and a bright contrast against the relatively mundane hobgoblin foes, as well as foreshadowing the nature of the lair itself.

The methodology for controlling the number of creatures in a later encounter was interesting as well; depending on player actions, they could fight more enemies at once, or fight a few with more enemies entering per round. This seems to reward players for circumstantial actions rather than punishing them for making an unknowable mistake.

Ultimately, the adventure is very short, and could serve as an excellent set piece to be fit into a larger campaign. There are a lot of loose ends presented within here that could either be tied to your campaign, or simply expand the adventure to interesting directions. This adventure will most likely take your 2nd level group to 3rd level (depending on how many there are in your party), so that makes it ideal for moving your characters into an ideal starting point for a full on campaign (given that the accepted wisdom states that adventurers are more sturdy and defines at level 3).

All in all, this excellent and short adventure is a showcase of an excellent understanding of 5th edition design and low level balance! 5 stars and my royal seal!

Ismael A also wrote a 5-STAR review for Deadly Delves: Along Came a Spider.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this product.

Along Came a Spider is an excellent and unorthodoxed adventure. It lets spiders take the center stage as the villains for a low level adventure, rather than as the rabble and fodder that are encountered incidentally on the way to the true threat.

This product is chock full of spiders, of all sorts. You have a young ettercap, swarms of spiders, and even a few new spiders designed just for this book. The adventure starts out pretty straight forward, but begins to take a strange and interesting twist. I won’t say much for fear of spoiling, but I was impressed with the adventure, and I can’t wait to run it.

This adventure is thorough, and has some varied locations. This is definitely an excellent introductory adventure. It is balanced to help survivability, as it is a bit of an issue for 1st level players in 5e. It also has great sensibilities for adventure design, such as appropriate traps and encounters as well as appropriately low ability check and save DCs to ensure you don’t hurt or hinder the players too bad out of the gate.

All in all, this book benefits from the author’s considerable talent and understanding of the system and of adventure design. This is an excellent 5th edtition module, and I look forward to seeing more! 5 out of 5!

That is not the only 5-STAR review we have for Along Came a Spider. This one is short and sweet coming from Howard B.

While not a sandbox adventure, this has interesting twists that will keep your game interesting.

Download these and other Fifth Edition releases today at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow, Paizo and the OpenGamingStore.

August 8, 2016 0

Traveller: Christmas in July Sale for the D66 Compendium 2

Like we talked about yesterday with our 5e releases and the day before with Pathfinder, our Traveller releases are available now for 25% off for the Christmas in July Sale. We have a wide array of Traveller books on sale now at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow that you should grab right now. Act fast since this sale end on July 29th. Right now, you can you can get a great price on:

the D66 Compendium 2 as well as the d66 Compendium
Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Mech Squadrons and Fighters and Small Ships
Foreven Worlds: Vehicles of the Frontier and Alespron, Fessor, Massina, and Tsokabar Subsectors

Grab these great deals today at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow.

July 22, 2016 0

Traveller: D66 Compendium 2 Now In Print!

I don’t know about anyone else, but the larger my books get, the more I want the book in print. So it is with great pleasure that I announce the D66 Compendium 2 is now in print. This 88 page book is now available as a soft cover, full color print book. You can have it in your hands the way it was meant to be seen and used.

With lists of names from ships to government bureaucracies and idea lists like contact main use places a criminal would hide out, the D66 Compendium 2 helps your game be the best it can be. About 100 lists for your Traveller game. This book is the game master’s best friend and now you can have the whole book in your fingers instead of on a laptop or tablet.

Order your copy of the D66 Compendium 2 today at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow.

June 22, 2016 0

Traveller: Always Be Prepared with the D66 Compendium 2

Names and Ideas to the Rescue!

Never be without the perfect name for a futuristic gambling game, military base, space ship, or character ever again! Make game preparation easier and be ready when your game takes a turn toward uncharted systems. Have a name ready for every planetary feature, every plague, every bureaucracy, and every piece of high-tech medical equipment with just the flip of a page.

The D66 Compendium 2 gives you 89 pages of names, ideas, and more for your Traveller games of any edition and is readily usable for any science fiction role-playing game. Inside you will find:

97 lists, combining more than 50 lists published since the original d66 Compendium, plus more than 40 brand new lists written just for this book
Lists of events for all 14 careers in the Traveller Core Rulebook
Ideas covering topics like gossip about a ruler, random events in a spaceport, details of a criminal’s hideout, and ways your contact is most helpful
Different kinds of common and uncommon pets, as well as various breeds of dogs, cats, and birds
Terran-based lists for games focusing around Earth and the Solar System
Name lists for 7 alien and human races, with the harder names displayed for easy pronunciation

Always Be Prepared with the D66 Compendium 2.

Download the D66 Compendium 2 today at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow.

April 29, 2016 0

Traveller: Contents of the D66 Compendium 2

As I mentioned in the [REDACTED] post, the D66 Compendium 2 is coming. And I just want to show off a bit of what is inside. First off, I just want to say that we have some REALLY BEAUTIFUL artwork in this book. We took the time to make sure it is the best. Check out the image at the bottom of this post. It is the picture start off the Character Creation section. Each section has a full page image like this one. You are going to love it.

Next up, I want to share with you all the sections inside. This way you know what to expect is inside. We’ll share the lists inside each section later, but for now, we want everyone to know all the sections within. So inside the D66 Compendium 2, we have:
Character Creation
Crime and the Law
Exploration
Ships
Traveller Life
Terra System
Third Imperium

April 28, 2016 0