Is Traveller Dead?

[Apache]

Originally Posted by GameBuddah

Yes, but it's still static. A CD Rom is still fixed in time. What we need is a universe that is moving forward in history, that's alive. *snip*

While the TNS entries were good color background, metaplot, specifically the White Woof version, is hated by pretty much every Traveller player I know.

Give me a nice non-Virus sandbox setting, and I'll do the rest.

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by GameBuddah

Yes, but it's still static. A CD Rom is still fixed in time. What we need is a universe that is moving forward in history, that's alive.

Most of us Traveller fans really dislike the metaplot advancement motif.

It sucked when MT fractured the imperium.

It sucked even worse when TNE obliterated the remnants.

I don't know anyone who used the JTAS News Entries back when they were new - none of the people I gamed with had JTAS subscriptions.

And I didn't like it any better when WWG did it on a more regular basis. Nor, for that matter, any other games.

Pendragon, now Pendragon does Metaplot right - "Here's an integrated campaign metaplot of 500 pages, 250 of which are actual adventure seeds for you to use."

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Mike Wightman

There is the often overlooked default skills rule.

You get lvl1/2 later called lvl 0 in skills relevant to your career - vacc suit at 1/2 or lvl 0 is one of the skills spaced based careers get.

So it could be argued that marines have lvl1/2 in vacc suit and familiarity with BD too from basic training.

No, the GM MAY give, not "you get".

Only weapons skills were an automatically get - look it up. Wait, here:

Default Skills: Often, some characters will have no skills appropriate to a given situation. A journey across a vacuum plain may be called for, and no one has vacc suit skill. In such cases, the referee may indicate that all individuals not otherwise skilled have vacc suit-0. A level of 0 for a skill indicates that the individual can undertake ordinary activities, but is not experienced enough to try dangerous activities or fancy actions. Level-0 indicates an orientation to the skill by an experienced person; it should not be taken as a stepping stone to level-1. Skills appropriate for level-0 are: airlraft, ATV, forward observer, steward, vacc suit, and weapons.
(Book 1, p.23)

Also, in re Battle Dress: "Battle dress and combat armor
are special forms of armored vacc suit and require at least vacc suit-1 to wear at all." Bk1, p. 22, bottom.

[GameBuddah]

Originally Posted by Apache

While the TNS entries were good color background, metaplot, specifically the White Woof version, is hated by pretty much every Traveller player I know.

Give me a nice non-Virus sandbox setting, and I'll do the rest.

So, you want a static universe where nothing changes. While I don't think we need a WoD level of meta-plot, its still nice to know what's going on in the rest of the Imperium, especially if you incorporate some of the events into adventures.

Speaking of White Wolf, I don't think GDW ever did that level of meta-plot, with the exception of jumping from MegaTraveller to The New Era. The shattered Imperium setting of MegaTraveller, was a natural progression from the static Imperium setting of CT.

I agree about the Virus, as a Computer Scientist, my reaction was WTF? (and I told Frank Chadwick that.) Since there was nothing in either CT or MT to indicate that computers were that powerful, I thought it came from nowhere. But that being said, since the Virus was part of the published GDW setting, its now part of Traveller to me.

Folks that don't like the Virus or the Shattered Imperium can find refuge in GURPS Traveller, the official "alternate" timeline, but to me, the GDW timeline, Imperium and Regency are Traveller.

And here's the thing, taking 5 minutes a week to write a snippet of text about some armed insurgents on some off beat world, wouldn't cost anything, but it would make Traveller seem more alive, at least to me.

[far_trader]

Originally Posted by GameBuddah

So, you want a static universe where nothing changes.

Not to jump in and presume to speak for Apache... but... ;-)

I'm sure that's not what he meant. I think he meant he wanted free reign to develop his own future-history of the game without worrying that the well meaning TNS would come along the next week with something that is totally contradictory to his vision and already established plots.

Not static at all. Little colour bits yes, metaplot emphatically no.

[Whitestreak]

Originally Posted by far_trader

Not to jump in and presume to speak for Apache... but... ;-)

I'm sure that's not what he meant. I think he meant he wanted free reign to develop his own future-history of the game without worrying that the well meaning TNS would come along the next week with something that is totally contradictory to his vision and already established plots.

Not static at all. Little colour bits yes, metaplot emphatically no.

You know, I've been playing Traveller for over thirty years, and I cannot recall *any* campaign that would have been considered to be in OTU.

I've have either, or played in, campaigns that were mostly homemade - there may have been large chunks that were lifted from the OTU, but where the PCs were, and what they were doing, had nothing whatsoever to do with anything considered official.

We pretty much always used Traveller as a tool kit for our games. Parts were used here, ideas were lifted from there and they were mixed together to become OURS. Why is there a demand for an official universe, being moved forward?

At least Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman and the others never tried to mandate that the GDW products *had* to be followed slavishly - unlike a few other gaming systems I could name.

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by far_trader

I think he meant he wanted free reign to develop his own future-history of the game without worrying that the well meaning TNS would come along the next week with something that is totally contradictory to his vision and already established plots.

And a free reign he has no matter what. All he has to do is to ignore any developments that doesn't conform to his vision.


Hans

[Centisteed]

Originally Posted by Whitestreak

We pretty much always used Traveller as a tool kit for our games. Parts were used here, ideas were lifted from there and they were mixed together to become OURS. Why is there a demand for an official universe, being moved forward?

At least Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman and the others never tried to mandate that the GDW products *had* to be followed slavishly - unlike a few other gaming systems I could name.

That's a good question. I wonder if there is some sort of
demand for a more richly detailed setting? The old D&D
had Greyhawk & you had villains like Warduke (& anyone
remember Keleck?) that people still remember. Traveller
doesn't seem to have a staple of characters or background
other than the "starter" aliens. I say starter because as
large as the unexplored galaxy map is, it seems fairly logical
that there are tons more out there.

I can even remember the various Star Frontiers aliens &
gear without a lot of effort. In fact, Traveller does seem
to be just a set of tools for rigging your own Space Game
(although the GT books seem to give a lot of setting material
that could be used to enrich Traveller components).

I've been following this podcast called Close the Airlock! that
covers a Traveller adventure (I think it's Mongoose) & most
of what is going on seems pretty customized to me. Not much
has yet been mentioned about the various human empires
or entities, only recently an Aslan came up & they have also gone
over a starship purchase. For instance, in their game a starship
salesman can sell nukes for their ship. I can't imagine anyone
would sell anyone else nukes, for the very reason that they
could just blow away half the planet from orbit with them!
Ergo, it's a homegrown game. :-) But I've not read Mongoose
books to see if that is legitimate or read far enough into the
CT to find out if it's canon!

Originally Posted by GameBuddah

Folks that don't like the Virus or the Shattered Imperium can find refuge in GURPS Traveller, the official "alternate" timeline, but to me, the GDW timeline, Imperium and Regency are Traveller.

And here's the thing, taking 5 minutes a week to write a snippet of text about some armed insurgents on some off beat world, wouldn't cost anything, but it would make Traveller seem more alive, at least to me.

They have a few fanzines out there that write a great deal
of stuff. Have you ever read those or used them? They seem
to be fairly frequent. In fact, if you are so inclined, you can
write your own fanzine to move Traveller forward. In fact
you ought to call it that: "Moving Forward: A Traveller Fanzine."

I think with GT & the alternate timeline, well you could make
variants, such as GT Shattered Imperium & the GT Virus campaign
to fall into place on the alternate timeline, whether the emperor
is alive or not. Is there an official timeline somewhere that defines
all of the Traveller editions & the alternate put together?

[Apache]

In fact, the reason GURPs Trav was an 'official alternate' timeline was that so many players hated the Rebellion/Virus, they were basically playing Traveller in that 'alternate' universe already.

TNE basically helped kill GDW.

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Hans Rancke-Madsen

And a free reign he has no matter what. All he has to do is to ignore any developments that doesn't conform to his vision.


Hans

You're (as usual) grossly ignoring the demands of players to adhere to canon if a canon setting is used. I don't know if it's just that you don't deal with folk of that ilk, or have some fundamental blindness to such behavior, but it's a very real consideration in many RPG groups.

The worst arguments I've had in game sessions have not been over rules - they've been over adherence to game X's canon.

Originally Posted by Apache

In fact, the reason GURPs Trav was an 'official alternate' timeline was that so many players hated the Rebellion/Virus, they were basically playing Traveller in that 'alternate' universe already.

TNE basically helped kill GDW.

Agreed on both points. I've run the TNE setting thrice... my players really detested it, even the ones who had no prior experience with Traveller, as they kept seeing signs they'd missed out on something....

But also, TNE further made massive changes to the underlying "physics" of the OTU. No more 2 weeks at 6G's... and a nearly 3 week trade cycle being needed due to travel times in-system for merchants.