Rules

Classic Traveller

The original Traveller rules are the standard to which all others are compared. Character creation starts by rolling 6 primary characteristics (Strength, Dexterity, Consitiution, Intelligence, Education, Social Status). CT assumed you were starting as a young person with essentially no skills. Unique to Traveller at the time was the prior history system, where characters were submitted through a career (via dice rolls), gaining skills, money and equipment.

Skill rolls are mostly based upon 2d6, roll high mechanic. Combat was based upon skills (e.g. Gun Combat skill detrmined your skill in combat with guns). Armor made targets harder to hit. The characters hit points were based upon the first three characteristics.

MegaTraveller

MegaTraveller made no fundamental changes to the CT system, but introduced two significant changes. First was the Task System, created by [Digest Group Publications|DGP]. This was a systematic approach to determinting and noting which skills and attributes were used for a given task, and created a regularized system of determing success or failure.

Second was the use of a variation of the Striker combat rules. With this armor absored damage.

GURPS Traveller

GURPS Traveller represents a break from the previous versions. GT uses the long established 3rd edition rules. GURPS uses a point system to buy characteristics, advantages, skills, and disadvantages. There are no random rolls for character creation. There are only four primary attributes (Strengh, Dexterity, Intelligence, Health). Some of the game mechanics captured in attributes in previous version (e.g. Social Status) are captured using advantages.

The GURPS skill and combat rolls are based upon rolling 3d6 and roll low mechanic. In combat, armor reduces the damage done by weapons, though some armor can make a target easier or harder to hit. Character hit points are based upon their Health.

Traveller D20

T20 uses the D20 rules estabished by Wizards of the Coast in their System Reference Document. D20 has a set of 6 primary attributes (T20 expands this to 8). Characters select a class which defines access to skills and advantages (called feats). T20 does have a prior history system based upon the CT model, but rolls give experience points to allow advancement through the class system.

Skills and combat rolls use a D20, roll high against a fixed target number, modified by skill ranks plus (attribute - 10 / 2) plus other modifiers. There is a single "Combat skill" called Base Attack Bonus (BAB), which increases based upon which class(es) the character has advanced in. T20 introduces a two hit point pools called "stamina" and "lifeblood". When the first is gone, the character is unconcious, and when the second is gone the character is dying or dead. Armor both make the character harder to hit and absorbs damage.

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