TrippyHippy
Emperor Mongoose
The Elizabethan era would work, for sure.
Traveller in Historical Settings Poll
- Thread starter MongooseMatt
- Start date
SteveG
Mongoose
Thinking of adventures...
Ancient Egypt during or shortly after the building of the great pyramids - what's inside the secret chamber and how do we get to it?
Ancient China - wake up surrounded by a thousand teracotta warriors, buried under a mountain - what else is in here and how do we get out!?
Ancient Egypt during or shortly after the building of the great pyramids - what's inside the secret chamber and how do we get to it?
Ancient China - wake up surrounded by a thousand teracotta warriors, buried under a mountain - what else is in here and how do we get out!?
TrippyHippy
Emperor Mongoose
Also, could we have a straight up adaptation of Jules Verne......or a steampunk setting like Space: 1889?
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
We've used the rules for Vilkings and mid 1700s. Both went really well. I'm adapting them to use for 70's DrWho/Hellboy investigation types games. The core rules work well for many settings. So pleased to see you taking a look at doing it. With combat rules, Psi and lots of other stuff it fills most roles with a minor tweak here or there. Esp' with the new stats and good use of the companion book.
More!
More!
alex_greene
Guest
I just cast my vote, but I'd like to throw in my suggestions for other historical periods.
Ancient Britain, at the time of the Romans. You pick the period - the early Republic, the transition to Empire, the Fall of Rome, whatever sounds the most fun.
An alternative Ancient Earth, where the world's sunken lands and continents (Lemuria, Doggerland, Mu, Hyperborea, Zealandia, Atlantis) existed above water, and had civilisations.
Ancient Egypt. Pick the period. It was around for a long time.
The Bronze Age - you pick whether it's the Early Bronze Age, somewhere in the middle, or the time of the rise of the Sea Peoples leading to the Bronze Age Collapse. This game would be spread across the Med, and - what the hey - you could even tie it in with the alternative Ancient Earth, above.
The Great Diaspora, where early humans (Homo sapiens) began to roam across the face of the Earth from the species' origins in Olduvai Gorge.
Ancient Britain, at the time of the Romans. You pick the period - the early Republic, the transition to Empire, the Fall of Rome, whatever sounds the most fun.
An alternative Ancient Earth, where the world's sunken lands and continents (Lemuria, Doggerland, Mu, Hyperborea, Zealandia, Atlantis) existed above water, and had civilisations.
Ancient Egypt. Pick the period. It was around for a long time.
The Bronze Age - you pick whether it's the Early Bronze Age, somewhere in the middle, or the time of the rise of the Sea Peoples leading to the Bronze Age Collapse. This game would be spread across the Med, and - what the hey - you could even tie it in with the alternative Ancient Earth, above.
The Great Diaspora, where early humans (Homo sapiens) began to roam across the face of the Earth from the species' origins in Olduvai Gorge.
stefanya42
Mongoose
Near future, early days of exploring and colonizing the solar system, perhaps even early sub-light travel to near stars.
Alqualonde
Banded Mongoose
Unfortunately Wild West has already been done with Cepheus.
For Vikings & Pirates, most of the ships needs a rather large crew (far larger than a typical player group). It becomes harder to shine in a crew of a few dozen. I guess it would be the same in any warbands/army unless players are all commanders (but then it is more a wargame than a rpg).
So any period chosen should allow a small (4-6) groups of people to shine. It should also be popular (you need people interested in playing in this era.)...
There are many games about Victorian Era or 3 Musketeers but both are popular (thanks to movies & series) & allows a small group to have an impact... Maybe Chinese Wuxia?
For Vikings & Pirates, most of the ships needs a rather large crew (far larger than a typical player group). It becomes harder to shine in a crew of a few dozen. I guess it would be the same in any warbands/army unless players are all commanders (but then it is more a wargame than a rpg).
So any period chosen should allow a small (4-6) groups of people to shine. It should also be popular (you need people interested in playing in this era.)...
There are many games about Victorian Era or 3 Musketeers but both are popular (thanks to movies & series) & allows a small group to have an impact... Maybe Chinese Wuxia?
I voted for both Ancient Britain and Other, with the “Other” being the Bronze Age setting of Greece/Crete/Egypt/Middle-East prior to the Bronze Age collapse.
For the “Other” traveling aspect would be going between the various civilizations. Fight monsters. Trade in wines and olive oil. Whether or not this would be contemporaneous with the Greek heroes through to the Trojan War I leave as an open question, but it seems that if the Trojan War is included that would mark the end of the time frame.
Alternatively, this is set in the aftermath of the Bronze Age collapse. Delve into abandoned temples and settlements. Still fight monsters. Not much trading, but perhaps journey on a quest to retrieve texts for one of the last Greek still literate (it seems the Bronze Age collapse was so bad the Greeks lost being able to read and write, and had to come up with it again) who’s trying to preserve some knowledge. Who were the Sea Peoples? What was the cause (or causes) of the Bronze Age collapse is something Mongoose would have to settle on.
An alternative to Ancient Britain might be an earlier mythic Britain that focused on the immediate aftermath of Brutus (grandson or great-grandson of Aeneas) settling Britain.
For the “Other” traveling aspect would be going between the various civilizations. Fight monsters. Trade in wines and olive oil. Whether or not this would be contemporaneous with the Greek heroes through to the Trojan War I leave as an open question, but it seems that if the Trojan War is included that would mark the end of the time frame.
Alternatively, this is set in the aftermath of the Bronze Age collapse. Delve into abandoned temples and settlements. Still fight monsters. Not much trading, but perhaps journey on a quest to retrieve texts for one of the last Greek still literate (it seems the Bronze Age collapse was so bad the Greeks lost being able to read and write, and had to come up with it again) who’s trying to preserve some knowledge. Who were the Sea Peoples? What was the cause (or causes) of the Bronze Age collapse is something Mongoose would have to settle on.
An alternative to Ancient Britain might be an earlier mythic Britain that focused on the immediate aftermath of Brutus (grandson or great-grandson of Aeneas) settling Britain.
WHULorigan
Cosmic Mongoose
Alternatively, if you wanted to do a historical setting that was "OTU-History" related that was different, perhaps you could try something that I know one or two people over on COTI were toying around with as a thought experiment setting: What about a setting set in the time of the Ancients, but from the perspective of the "low-tech" transplanted hominids, and/or proto-vargr, and/or other proto-Droyne, or aliens/uplifts (possibly extinct) of a particular world at some time early or middling-period (or perhaps at or post-downfall period) of the Ancient Empire? The setting would be somewhat like a "planetary romance" setting (somewhat of a "swords & blasters" setting) like a "John Carter of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs or "Tschai: Planet of Adventure" by Jack Vance. Some higher technology might come into possession of the low-tech subjects of the Empire or be assigned to certain favored functionaries by their Overlords, but in general most of the PCs/NPCs of the setting do not wield the technologies of the Overlords or understand how the stuff works, only that it does and in some cases how to keep the minor stuff maintained in a rudimentary manner. The "Ancients" would be primarily in the background as the Overlords of the setting, not the primary characters and NPCs.
I like the idea of certain aspects of each of those in a Traveller Universe, but there is a fine line between what is appropriate to the feel of Traveller and what isn't.
Here are a few examples that are done well:
Pirates of the Age of Sail - The Pirates of Drinax does a very good job of putting a modern (or futuristic) twist on the idea of pirates. Perhaps, this idea could be formulated and set in another sector with a similar, yet new feel and environment. The step too far would be to have a series of planets that actually used sail powered ships in space (a la Spelljammer in Dungeons and Dragons). As a retro planet adventure, where the characters can travel to a low tech world might make sense, but players can do that now and you'd have to invest a huge amount of time figuring out ways to explains by people don't just swoop down and blow the pirates out of the water with their shiny, high tech spaceships...
Vikings - The Sword Worlds in my mind are exactly what I think of when someone says Space Vikings. Like the Pirates of Drinax it's hard to think how this idea could be reinvented in a way that could compete with the that. Actual historic style Vikings would also be a step too far for the same reasons pirates wouldn't work.
Here are a few examples of things I don't see working well or at all without huge caveats:
Napoleonic Adventures - When I hear people talking about Napoleonic Adventures I assume they are talking about huge land and sea battles. If they are just talking about the feel of French Society during the reign of Napoleon, that's something we probably don't need a full setting about. The problem with huge land and sea battles is that in the Traveller setting each side has the weapons and firepower to destroy entire planets. The wars of the future cannot be fought the same way they were in the past.
Ancient Britain - Knights in armor on horseback jousting to win the love of their lady... Sounds great for a book to read, but without a number of caveats I don't think this is likely to need a full setting developed in the Traveller Universe. In a stretch I could see a setting of armored warriors bound by a code of honor using blasters and swords that might be interesting, but I'd fear that it would be just a pale variation of the Sword Worlds or Warhammer (insert version number here...)
Finally, here are a few examples that are likely worth further development:
Wild West - Basically, any frontier or developing colony in the current Traveller Universe is ripe for a wild west feel. These are remote, undeveloped, and lawless areas where civilization barely has a handhold and survival is far from guaranteed. I'd love to see more development toward this and I think that there is definitely an interest with shows like the Mandalorian, the Book of Boba Fett, and Firefly being so popular.
Outlaws of Sherwood Forest - Remove the Sherwood Forest, add ships, and you're back at the Pirate theme. Remove the Sherwood Forest and change the setting to either spaceports or planets and you're looking more like organized crime - in the future! This could be a winner! I'd be interested in crime syndicates, corporate maleficence, and mobsters - Jabba the Hutt, the Yakuza, Enron, and Don Corleone. Sign me up!
My one new idea is that we've read and know a lot about the Imperium and all the other large governments throughout charted space, but we don't really know much about the groups who are working against those governments. Surely there is some group that doesn't like the Emperor, the Zhodani, or someone else and is working against them. Where are the freedom fighters, the rabble rousers, terrorists, or rebels? What are their stories? What does it mean to live in the shadows of the galaxies largest government and fight tirelessly to burn it down?
Here are a few examples that are done well:
Pirates of the Age of Sail - The Pirates of Drinax does a very good job of putting a modern (or futuristic) twist on the idea of pirates. Perhaps, this idea could be formulated and set in another sector with a similar, yet new feel and environment. The step too far would be to have a series of planets that actually used sail powered ships in space (a la Spelljammer in Dungeons and Dragons). As a retro planet adventure, where the characters can travel to a low tech world might make sense, but players can do that now and you'd have to invest a huge amount of time figuring out ways to explains by people don't just swoop down and blow the pirates out of the water with their shiny, high tech spaceships...
Vikings - The Sword Worlds in my mind are exactly what I think of when someone says Space Vikings. Like the Pirates of Drinax it's hard to think how this idea could be reinvented in a way that could compete with the that. Actual historic style Vikings would also be a step too far for the same reasons pirates wouldn't work.
Here are a few examples of things I don't see working well or at all without huge caveats:
Napoleonic Adventures - When I hear people talking about Napoleonic Adventures I assume they are talking about huge land and sea battles. If they are just talking about the feel of French Society during the reign of Napoleon, that's something we probably don't need a full setting about. The problem with huge land and sea battles is that in the Traveller setting each side has the weapons and firepower to destroy entire planets. The wars of the future cannot be fought the same way they were in the past.
Ancient Britain - Knights in armor on horseback jousting to win the love of their lady... Sounds great for a book to read, but without a number of caveats I don't think this is likely to need a full setting developed in the Traveller Universe. In a stretch I could see a setting of armored warriors bound by a code of honor using blasters and swords that might be interesting, but I'd fear that it would be just a pale variation of the Sword Worlds or Warhammer (insert version number here...)
Finally, here are a few examples that are likely worth further development:
Wild West - Basically, any frontier or developing colony in the current Traveller Universe is ripe for a wild west feel. These are remote, undeveloped, and lawless areas where civilization barely has a handhold and survival is far from guaranteed. I'd love to see more development toward this and I think that there is definitely an interest with shows like the Mandalorian, the Book of Boba Fett, and Firefly being so popular.
Outlaws of Sherwood Forest - Remove the Sherwood Forest, add ships, and you're back at the Pirate theme. Remove the Sherwood Forest and change the setting to either spaceports or planets and you're looking more like organized crime - in the future! This could be a winner! I'd be interested in crime syndicates, corporate maleficence, and mobsters - Jabba the Hutt, the Yakuza, Enron, and Don Corleone. Sign me up!
My one new idea is that we've read and know a lot about the Imperium and all the other large governments throughout charted space, but we don't really know much about the groups who are working against those governments. Surely there is some group that doesn't like the Emperor, the Zhodani, or someone else and is working against them. Where are the freedom fighters, the rabble rousers, terrorists, or rebels? What are their stories? What does it mean to live in the shadows of the galaxies largest government and fight tirelessly to burn it down?
WHULorigan
Cosmic Mongoose
Tim J osborne
Mongoose
Alternatively traveller set in the inter war golden age of who-dunnits a supplement for the American Sam Spade/Philip Marlowe types & another for the lord Peter Wimsey/Hercule Poirot or miss Marple types
Into The Black
Mongoose
The wonderful thing with Traveller is that all of the suggested timelines can occur simultaneously within the current Traveller era. A system with an X Star Port, an extremely low tech level, and a red zone to allow the society to grow unimpeded, would allow a group entrepreneurs to go planetside and see what's what. Of course, there would be some spies from the 3rd Imperium to watch for that exact scenario!
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
It's not so much as copying a genre, or find an niche that's not been exploited.
It's finding a hook that excites the player base.
It's finding a hook that excites the player base.
Rustre
Mongoose
I second this time period. But it could also support pulp adventures. Indiana Jones, Tales of the Gold Monkey, The Phantom, The Shadow. PCs sail their tramp steamer out of Singapore, fighting air pirates, nazi agents, and mysterious cultists, while searching the globe for the clues leading them to the lost treasure. But also selling that cargo load of teakwood lumber at a decent profit.
Jetrock
Mongoose
The Long Night! (well, it's a historical period from the Traveller universe anyhow)
Honestly, I'd rather Traveller move into other Sci Fi styles of settings than straight up historical fiction. But I think that something interesting for the late 17th/early 18th century (voted Napoleonics) would be the most likely to be novel and interesting. All the others listed are pretty easy to just get a good sourcebook on and then use the Traveller rules already.
Though if you do that, I hope it is more than "how to play a soldier in the Napoleonic era". There's an entire world to explore.
Though if you do that, I hope it is more than "how to play a soldier in the Napoleonic era". There's an entire world to explore.
Being done right now - look out for Pioneer next year
