JM123 - Traveller RPG Character Creation | The Jaunty Mantis TTRPG Podcast

Cybernetic heartbreak, social disasters, noble nepo babies, improvised space romance, mishaps that should have been fatal, and the wild joy of letting dice determine your fate. The Jaunty Mantis crew spirals into utter chaos building Traveller RPG characters. Buckle up — it gets weird

Welcome back to The Jaunty Mantis, the podcast with creative questions for curious gamers! In this episode, Jesse, Matty, and Chris dive into the art (and anxiety) of doing NPC voices — when they work, when they fall apart, and when they accidentally turn every character into an unhinged space gremlin. The crew opens up about narrative style, the influence of Critical Role, how players respond to GM performance, and whether accents are helping or hurting the game.

Then the episode shifts gears into full character-creation chaos as the team builds life-path characters in Mongoose Traveller 2e!

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

00:00 – Cold open chaos & door-closing jokes
00:37 – Podcast intro: “The Jaunty Mantis”
01:00 – What everyone’s been playing this week
02:00 – Rifts game sickness derailment
02:40 – Convention prep and unexpected Traveler hype
03:00 – Jesse’s Vampire game update
04:00 – Running scenes with tons of NPCs
06:00 – Voice acting anxiety begins
07:00 – When GM voices get messy
08:00 – Are “female voices” problematic?
09:30 – Are NPC voices making characters seem unhinged?
10:30 – Should GMs summarize instead of acting things out?
12:00 – The Matt Mercer effect discussion
13:00 – Do GM voices help players roleplay?
14:00 – Why GMs love “embodying” NPCs
15:10 – Smooth (attempted) segue into Traveler
16:00 – What is Traveler RPG?
17:30 – The Traveler vibe: Firefly meets lethal sci-fi
18:30 – Character creation overview
20:00 – Rolling stats & youth background skills
22:00 – Jesse attempts nobility
24:30 – Matty chooses scholar
27:00 – Chris the Performer begins his downfall
30:00 – Survival rolls & life events
34:00 – Romantic disasters, enemies, rivals everywhere
37:00 – Tying characters together
40:00 – The great betrayal
45:00 – More advancement heartbreak
48:00 – Weaving character backstories
53:00 – Whis tournaments & power-team shenanigans
57:00 – Final term career shifts
59:00 – Episode wrap-up

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