Now I do not want to bash all ideas and the hopes and dreams of all you lovely gamers out there, I just want to offer my opinion and if my language offends, I am sorry.

I understand that everyone and their mother would like to see a lot of books about their favorite universe, but in my opinion, this would make Mongoose Publishing as crappy as Palladium Books who constantly puts out new worlds and universes for their Rifts game. Making all their gamers scream for their favorite setting and complain that not more books are made just for them, and the books they do publish is badly written and inconsistent with each other as if the editors and writers have not read the previous books that has been published.

What I like to see, is that Mongoose chose a few settings and center their efforts on those. My favorite is Third Imperium and I do not see any other game that is linked to these rules (such as Judge Dredd and etc) as Traveller.

And what I think is needed is a book that introduces the Third Imperium to a new public, one that has not been around for like 10-30 years of playing this fantastic game.

So what I think should be written soon is a "Players Guide to the Chartered Space" where you can read about the history of the 1st-3rd Imperiums, briefly about major and minor races. How the Imperium is run, notable cultural areas and brief ideas how to build/run adventures.

The reason why I think this is needed is that I help a friend who has a game store and we often get questions from new players about what game to play and what we would recommend. I usually recommend Traveller in the SciFi genre, but I am always sad to explain that there is no introductory book about the universe that would help new gamers understand the vastness of the game and what to do.

So I suggest a book that would look something like this:

Chapter 1: The Imperium and its Astrography:
In this chapter the Imperium is described so that you get a brief view and so that you can understand the rest of the book. Preferably with a few maps of the Imperium, where different important worlds are located (Sol, Capital, Vland, Zhdant, Kyshu etc) and ignore worlds like (Reference, that always confused me when I played magatraveller, why was that always on the maps).

Chapter 3: Timeline of the Imperium:
A timeline of important things happening in the Imperium, and a few lines about every heading, seperate headlines for each race would be wonderful.

Chapter 3: The Races of the Imperium:
Brief data o the races (with stat modifiers and abilities) enough to make an aslan, vargr, Jonkeeren, Imperial Human etc, but not so much that it ruins the Alien Modules, this will be a way to show that ''Here play a Droyne, and this way is the way that you make a Droyne as a character, but if you really want to know more: Look at Alien Module X where the whole book is about the Droyne".

Chapter 4: Life and Trade in the Imperium:
here it explains how the general ctizen of the Imperium looks on life, the emperor and more and how trade binds together the Imperium.

Chapter 5: Adventuring in the Imperium:
Here is a brief explanation, maybe 2-4 introductionary adventures that shows the variations of what you can do in Traveller: Third Imperium. Some help for a new game Master to make adventures, maybe a few patrons with possible adventures.

Chapter 6: Secrets, Rumours and Goodies:
This is a chapter that is specially made for the GM, here is all the open information about Ancients (not who they were, but that they existed and that they are gone), as well as other conspiacies that might exist in the Imperium to flesh out the universe.

S, what do you think.

I think the intent was to break down the Imperium into managable portions - so we started off with the Spinward Marches, for example.

That said, I do find it strange that the isn't a hardback 'Core Setting' book for the Third Imperium, in the same way we have for Judge Dredd, 2300AD and so on.

I think it ought to get one.

_________________
What's the ugliest part of your body?
Some say it's your nose?
Some say it's your toes?
I think it's your mind!

Frank Zappa

I would love such a book.

The reason why I think Traveller is not that big is because I think that it does not explain that much about the Imperium when you buy the Main book, all you get is biys and pieces all over the book as well as a small black map on one page.

having this kind of book would help immensely to new players and new game masters to understand the setting and cultures of the Imperium and general back history of the game. I mean almost all game designers use such a book to help players, and Traveller has never really done it. GDW was about to publish one to TNE setting when they went down and closed the doors. But at least they had Path of tears to help players.

Sure there are some in the Spinward Marshes, but the question is, how shall a new player who see all the books in the store shelves know that they should buy the SM book? Having a player's guide to the Chartered Space/IMperium book would not only help both players and game masters, it would probably also help Mongoose attract new players who want to test a new game.

Well, I know that our local gaming store took home Traveller because I asked them to and they took home an additional copy, but it just stood there on the shelf, much because it was hard to sell when the main book do not describe the setting and there is no obvious setting book to help players and game masters, so as far as I know, they still have that copy.

Sounds like a great idea . I buy them !

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YES! This would be not just great but *FANTASTIC*... how many settings we've seen published have a core book to cover the basic "lay of the land" then all the supplements on different areas, races, etc.

Most of the players I know do go out and buy the core book for settings like Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk (when they made such things), etc. For Traveller at least terra/sol games tried doing that for their twilight sector setting - only it was more (in my opinion) "oh yeah, we want to only do a few planets but here's kind of a tease at the gazillion light years of space we are just on the far edge of." At least they did one.

I would be all over a book like "Players Guide to the Chartered Space" (the 'Traveler's Guide to Charted Space?') probably two just so one can be out on the table for everyone to reference here and there. It would be my "ships library database of 'easy to find info' instead of lots of rolls!

_________________
Al B. [B-)
"Say... is that a new game on the shelf? M-U-S-T... B-U-Y... G-A-M-E !"

I have to agree that this would be an excellent anchor book for the Traveller line. While I love 2300, Hammer's Slammers, Strontium Dog, and even Cthonian Stars, I think the Imperium is still the campaign that moves Traveller books.

While some of this is covered in the Spinward Marches book, a solid introductory overview/campaign book would be wonderful. Put me down for two.

You mean something like the old traveller adventure book?

And, yet, the thing about Traveller that grabbed my attention when I first picked it up 30 years ago is that it didn't have a setting. It had rules on how to create a setting. Sure, there are some assumptions about specific technologies and their progression baked into the rules, but there is nothing that tries to push you into specifically using the OTU.

Since finding Traveller, I've played a lot of it as its own game, but the focus on creating settings rather than using the publisher's has also allowed it to serve as an excellent toolkit for whatever other game I might be playing at any given time. And I still have yet to own a copy of Spinward Marches, play a game set in the OTU, or have any OTU knowledge at all aside from the bits and pieces I've picked up from people talking on forums about their exploits in the OTU.

This isn't to say that a "core setting" book wouldn't be a good thing - a lot of people really love the OTU and/or don't have the time/interest to create their own setting - but I'm not so sure that it's essential to the game's success.

Same here. Back then Traveller seemed more like a set of rules for science fiction gaming in general than a game about the 3I. Whereas GDW decided to focus solely on their setting, one of the best things Mongoose have done is help Traveller to fulfil that initial promise and apply it to other settings. I'd like to see that taken even further.

This is a great Idea! I would buy the book and the pdf just to help sales!

Such a book is necessary.

The trick is that 3I is decentralized. So when you are talkng about 3I you would need to define what impacts 3I as a whole and what is a local (Sector level).

Some items that are of import to the Imperium as a whole in detail. Some of it has been given a few sentences, others whole books have been written.
In no particular order:
The ISS - Get into its mission in detail, High level organization structure. The Reference system (if it is in this version).
X-Boat Network - It's importance to the 3I. Talk about the J4 network, the J6 network (if it is truly around, functional and such). What information gets passed around. Develop time tables for data arrival times (like a message getting from one Sector to another)
The Imperial Navy - It's actual structure and organization, the nature of Depot systems. Imperial Navy High Command (or whatever). What each Sector fleet is designed to fight/defend against. Talk briefly about the interaction of Subsector and Local Navies.
The Imperial government - Describe actual powers of the Emperor, the noble family, how it came to be, who they are. Succession rules as of 1105 (we won't talk about 1116 happening or not ). The Moot and it's powers or not. The actual structure of the bureaucracy. What Arch-Dukes are and what they do.
The Neighbors - Describe the other powers, who if anyone comes around to talk to the Imperial throne (Zhodani ambassador, Solomani agent abroad, Hiver delegation, whatnot) if any.

I recall there have been books in many games that provide a Gazetteer format to describing countries in a one world fantasy setting. For the 3I, it could be done at the Domain level, or Sector level depending on how much would be written.

A Sector could be described as such
Sector xxxx (Part of the Domain of YYYY)
Duke: (Give their name, age, other details)
Sector Capital: (Name the World and UPP)
Explored: (Year ISS first came to the area)
Incorporation: (Year Sector was incorporated into 3I, perhaps date first Duke was given title)
Population and Major Worlds: (UPP's and Locations)
Navy: Location of Depot System, and other Major Naval Bases
ISS: Primary Scout Base location
History of the Sector
Sector's Primary Concerns
Describe a "minor alien race" or two (as was done in Deneb Sector)
Feel and flavor of Sector (i.e. Roleplaying opportunities!)
References to specific Mongoose Books you need if you want to know more

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IMTU tc+ tm tn++ t4+ tg t20++ ru ge++ 3i+ c+ jt-- au- ls pi+ ta he+ hi++ as va ith-- vr+ ne- so+

How about pulling double duty as a resource with an adventure focus as a way of helping describe the Imperium? Most chapters have a section of patron encounters and one-page scenarios, focused on the chapter's material.


1: Introduction (15pp) i.e. what is the Imperium? Includes the "Charted Space" map on one page, and briefly discusses the 1st and 2nd Imperiums and the milieux of the 3rd Imperium (Sylean Confederation, Aslan Border Wars, Vargr Incursions, 1st & 2nd Frontier Wars, Barracks Emperors, Psionic Suppressions, False War, 4th & 5th Frontier Wars).

2: Core (24pp), explaining how the center cosmopolitan core of the Imperium works (politics, megacorps, the peerage, royalty, etc) and how player characters can get mixed up in the affairs of the state, for better or worse. Map and listing of the Core subsector of Core sector. Map and detail of Capital (Sylea). Concludes with a couple pages of patron encounters and one-page scenarios.

3: Operations (20pp), explaining how fundamental Imperial institutions work (Navy, Depots, Scouts, Way Stations, Fleets, Capital shipyards, Xboat network, Imperial feudalism, the megacorps) via showing how player characters will encounter and interact with them, as allies, foes, and caught-in-the-middles. Concludes with a couple pages of patron encounters and one-page scenarios.

4: Minor Worlds (15pp), showing how obscure worlds in any part of the Imperium are given short-shrift, and how to use them as parts of petty power plays... and how player characters get embroiled in local affairs with wide-ranging implications. Concludes with a couple pages of patron encounters and one-page scenarios.

5: The Frontier (24pp), detailing the most typical (and atypical) Imperial borders and empires the Imperium deals with regularly, and how the player characters can live and die on the frontier. The Regina subsector is featured. Concludes with a couple pages of patron encounters and one-page scenarios.

6: Sophonts (20pp), detailing 10 (more or less) non-human races which can be found throughout large portions of the Imperium, and how player characters can interact with them, and how players can play them. Aslan, Bwap, Droyne, Vargr. Concludes with a couple pages of patron encounters and one-page scenarios.

7: Adventures (24pp), using the other chapters as a foundation upon which to demonstrate how referees bring together the setting, common tropes for adventures, and ways player characters can interact with it. Concludes with patron encounters and one-page scenarios bringing together multiple topics from previous chapters.

8: Rumor Mill (10pp) is a resource for referees to mine for further adventures, with d66-like lists of patrons, equipment, and rumors to mix and match.