Adapting modules from Mongoose Traveller for use in other game systems

[HalC]

Hi All,
Just out of curiosity - let's say that I'm using a different role playing system than Traveller, but I want to purchase a Traveller Module. Despite the rules system not being Traveller, can the Module be loaded up for another game system, and the bulk of the material in the module be accessible by the user?

I'm interested in the Pirates of Drinax module, and the worlds and support material would be perfect for my needs. The ships not so much, but that's fine. I don't want to spend all that money on a module only to find that I can't use it with what I'd like to. If needs be, I can home brew the support material for use in my GURPS camapaign, but I'm sore tempted to cheat and use what is already available as it were.

Thanks in advance for answering...

Hal

[Trenloe]

You can use the Universal Modules extension to allow you to open modules from another ruleset. Find it here: https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/266/view

The gotcha is that data records specific to the original ruleset probably won't work correctly in the other ruleset - errors when opening, missing data, etc.. But the generic data should be accessible - story, books (reference manuals), images, etc..

Here's a quick overview of what things might looks like: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/j8m4w...4xfn9atfu&dl=0

[HalC]

You can use the Universal Modules extension to allow you to open modules from another ruleset. Find it here: https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/266/view

The gotcha is that data records specific to the original ruleset probably won't work correctly in the other ruleset - errors when opening, missing data, etc.. But the generic data should be accessible - story, books (reference manuals), images, etc..

Here's a quick overview of what things might looks like: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/j8m4w...4xfn9atfu&dl=0

Thank you Trenloe. That answers my question PERFECTLY.

While the Module I'm looking at is pricy - not having to take the time to fill in the game universe data potentially worth the effort.

For what it is worth, I wrote a VB.NET app to read any of the downloadable Sector files from TRAVELLERMAP.COM. Unfortunately, rather than have a single file structure for every sector listed on the website, there are many whose file structure may require 20 character spaces for a world's name while in others, it may only be 15.

There is a way around this flaw however - and that is to read line by line the text file until you reach the line that has this in it:

---- -------------------- --------- -------------------------- ------ ------- ------ ----- -- - --- -- ---- --------------

Each dash represents one character in a field. So all I have to do is count the length of each "group" of dashes, and that will then let me know field lengths and how to read a data line like:


0103 Taltern E530240-6 De Lo Po { -3 } (411-5) [1111] - - - 202 7 NaHu M2 V M2 V

In the end, my goal is to let the computer do all the hard work generating details for worlds based on their UWP, and then converting it into GURPS terms - including more precise world diameters, surface water percentages, etc.

Now for the bad news from my perspective. I wrote that app on my windows 7 machine, which is currently dead. So I have to rewrite that code from scratch on my Microsoft Visual Studio for windows 10 machine.

In all, I don't mind writing code to manipulate the DB.XML file(s) - so that I can simply output generated data into the same format, and simply copy and paste what is genenerated into the db.xml file. As noted with that Universal Mod link you posted - not all db.xml structures will be the same for all game systems.

Eventually, I will try to code for Architect of Worlds: Comprehensive Rules for Worldbuilding, and generate entire star systems and see if the added details add scenario adventure hooks. But that's for the future.

Hal