Traveller Classic: where is the setting?

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

I'm confining my reply to noninteractive fiction that was around when 1st edition Traveller was published.

I think I hit a causality loop; If Firefly was inspired, supposedly, by Traveller, can Firefly now inspire Traveller? I think we're in danger of crossing the streams.

Interesting to note that The Expanse books, and now noninteractive visual fiction, was based on an RPG the author came up with himself. Here is an interview.

[Mike Wightman]

There are a couple of very Traveller like TV shows I've seen recently - Dark Matter and Killjoys. Can't comment on The Expanse since they haven't shown it in the UK yet.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Mike Wightman

There are a couple of very Traveller like TV shows I've seen recently - Dark Matter and Killjoys..

Your definition of "Traveller-like" appears to be centered on "persons of dubious moral character who possess spaceships". I would use a somewhat tighter definition.

[Blue Ghost]

What Mike said. Traveller initially started as a "GURPS Like" sci-fi RPG where you created the setting, though there were allusions to a loosely defined one in the basic books.

Currently, if you look at the GURPS or T5 CD/hardbound book, you'll note a very developed setting and background that's been evolving over 30+ years.

But it's important to note that even though the Imperium and all its neighbors and their collective histories are a solid B.G. for your game, you don't really have to use them, but it's there as a default if you need some kind of backdrop to serve the players in the adventure.

Traveller really is fun game. DND in space is what one game vendor at the Stanford University Shopping Center called it, only instead of griffins and dragons (which you can create with the animal encounter chart) you encounter exotic alien critters and bad guys who may be human or some other race.

Have fun >:)

[robertsconley]

This is a brief article about what referees did just after the release of Traveller

The Burgess Shale Period of Traveller

I write about it on my blog here

http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/20...traveller.html

from reading various accounts over the years about what people did, most campaigns revolved around one or two sectors with small empire, federations, etc. Even after the advent of the Spinward Marches, the hints in the various early adventures lead some to conclude the Imperium wasn't that big as it ultimately turned out.

[Anaraxes]

Where is the setting? Mostly coreward of Sol. The popular Spinward Marches sector is also a bit spinward.

http://travellermap.com/

[thrash]

Originally Posted by robertsconley

Even after the advent of the Spinward Marches, the hints in the various early adventures lead some to conclude the Imperium wasn't that big as it ultimately turned out.

Note that the proto-OTU Imperium wargame talks about the [Vilani] Imperium as having 70 star systems. I seem to recall a project collapsing the Third Imperium into four sectors: Spinward Marches, Core, Solomani Rim, and one other.

Over years of trying to make sense of canon, I've come to the conclusion that the "default setting" for Really Classic (i.e., pre-High Guard) Traveller is what the OTU calls the Long Night.

[Mike Wightman]

Originally Posted by thrash

Note that the proto-OTU Imperium wargame talks about the [Vilani] Imperium as having 70 star systems. I seem to recall a project collapsing the Third Imperium into four sectors: Spinward Marches, Core, Solomani Rim, and one other.

I remember a few of us messing around with something like that over at CotI ten or so years ago.

Over years of trying to make sense of canon, I've come to the conclusion that the "default setting" for Really Classic (i.e., pre-High Guard) Traveller is what the OTU calls the Long Night.

Now that is a really interesting idea.

[SteveS]

Originally Posted by thrash

. . .
Over years of trying to make sense of canon, I've come to the conclusion that the "default setting" for Really Classic (i.e., pre-High Guard) Traveller is what the OTU calls the Long Night.

That could make an interesting campaign -- someone trying to make it in the later years of the Long Night, or even during the early years of the Third Imperium but far beyond its reach.

[Knockman]

Thrash - just wanted to say that your 'The Nature of the Imperium' is a great resource. Well done.