So...about State of the Mongoose 2017...

[paltrysum]

Not to badger our poor, beleaguered friends at Mongoose, but are we likely to see any of the items listed on http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=849

We're kind of getting to the end of 2018 and none of it has come out yet.

[MongooseMatt]

Well, I can say a lot of that has been written!

The Traveller Companion is written, edited, and just waiting for a) one more chapter and b) layout. The latter will be taking place just as soon as we get back from the winter break.

Behind the Claw is in layout right now, and we are hoping to get the ebook version to you around November-ish.

Shadows of Sindal is written and edited, and will be going into layout right after the Traveller Companion, along with the Drinaxian Companion.

Psion is about 50% written and while I had wanted Mercenary to be out by now, it is actually a good thing it is not - we have a great new idea on how to approach this. Stand by on this one, it will be well worth waiting for...

'Another Box Set' was completed - backers have already received the electronic version of Element Cruisers, and it goes to print this week. Yay!

Starter Set II remains on the cards, though we have not been able to progress it this year.

The FFW and Sword Worlds are also still very much on the cards but we are laying the ground work for the former before we dive in - Behind the Claw is a part of that process.

2300AD has actually been overwritten (!), but layout is planned for early next year. This one was actually a victim of another project in that State of the Mongoose - my promise to get Victory at Sea out this year! Things are looking reasonably good for that (it is another big project on the scale of Drinax) and, if I am honest, VaS fans have been waiting longer than Traveller fans

The Miniatures Games is happening, and is in fact in full development right now. Much of the rulebook has been written, we are right in the middle of playtesting, and the miniatures that will appear in the main set are just about done (expecting completion this week or next - we are that close). Work has already begun on the two expansions forces for it, the Vargr and Aslan miniatures. Some of these miniatures have already been previewed on Facebook, but we are planning a full reveal on the week of November 5th.

So, not too long to wait now.

I will also claim that the miniatures game is part of the groundwork necessary for the FFW books...

In a similar timeframe, you will also see the first determined approach at a Traveller fiction series. We have not been completely idle

Ultimately, this state of affairs has arisen because of our new approach to Traveller design, in which things get released when they are ready, not because a deadline has been hit, and things are allowed to be sidelined when someone gets a Good Idea. This happens a lot, but I hope you will all agree that the quality of Traveller books has risen accordingly.

[crazy_cat]

Are the minis 15mm or 28mm scale? Thanks.

[paltrysum]

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to all of it but especially intrigued by the new approach to the Mercenary book. I want to run another mercenary campaign after we finish Drinax and I'd like to use what you come up with. Mind you that's a looooong time from now; we're only now wrapping up the 2nd adventure of Drinax.

[EwanS]

Is the 5th November when the miniatures kickstarter kicks off.

[MongooseMatt]

Are the minis 15mm or 28mm scale? Thanks.

28mm - they can't really be anything else with what we are doing.

Is the 5th November when the miniatures kickstarter kicks off.

Probably the Friday of that week, but will be confirming closer to the time!

[ochd]

Shadows of Sindal is written and edited, and will be going into layout right after the Traveller Companion, along with the Drinaxian Companion.

Any chance of some glimpses into Shadows of Sindal -- even if just the back cover blurb?

And, as I understand it, the Drinaxian Companion will be a compilation of the five supplementary Drinax adventures. Will it add extra features?

Thanks,

Dan.

[JMISBEST]

When's The Drinax Compendium out?

[MongooseMatt]

When's The Drinax Compendium out?

Likely Q2 next year.

Any chance of some glimpses into Shadows of Sindal -- even if just the back cover blurb?

And, as I understand it, the Drinaxian Companion will be a compilation of the five supplementary Drinax adventures. Will it add extra features?

New material being add to the Drinaxian Companion right now!

As for Shadows of Sindal:


Shadows of Sindal is a three-part adventure that takes place in the region around Noricum, the old capital of the Sindalian Empire, and is intended to tie into the Pirates of Drinax campaign, though it can be run as a standalone mini-campaign instead. Part 1 involves worlds within the Drinax Chain, the small interstellar main on which Drinax lies. Parts 2 and 3 take place on the Sindalian Main, or the Dustbelt as it is often known.

In Part 1: In Search of Sindal, the Travellers journey to Paal, which used to be a vassal world of Drinax. There, they discover forces attempting to recreate the vanished empire, and encounter a sinister bioweapon that turns Aslan into primitive, feral monsters.

In Part 2: The Plague of Sindal, the Travellers discover the bioweapon has been used elsewhere, devastating other Aslan communities. If it is released on a major Aslan world, it will wreak havoc but also result in an invasion of the Dustbelt once the Aslan realise what has happened. To prevent this, the Travellers must find the source of the plague and stop the next attack.

In Part 3: Prince of Sindal, the Travellers discover the plague is the work of a group dedicated to recreating the Sindalian Empire for their own ends. As open warfare breaks out on the world of Acis, and both Imperial and Aslan fleets converge, it is up to the Travellers to prevent the incident from escalating into a wider conflict. To do so, they must defeat Prince Richter, self-styled heir to the Sindalian Empire.

Overview
The opening of this adventure takes place at the Floating Palace of King Oleb on Drinax, and assumes the Travellers are crewing the commerce raider Harrier in Oleb’s service. If a different opening is required, the Travellers will need to come into possession of the rod and the knowledge that it is a key. They will also have to learn that it opens a vault on Paal. There are many ways this could happen, from a lucky find to a gift from an academic Contact. Once the Travellers have the rod, knowledge and general location of the vault, they can proceed with the adventure.

The biochemical weapon in this adventure strips Aslan of their dignity and civilised nature, turning them into degenerate monsters. This will have more dramatic effect on the Travellers if the contrast with their usual violent but honourable nature is made clear. Rather than presenting feral Aslan as just ‘bad guys’, the referee should play up the horrific nature of this weapon and the fact that these once-proud people are now just feral killing machines. They have been robbed of what in another context would be termed their humanity. To the people of the multi-species Trojan Reach, seeing an Aslan degenerate this way would be no different to seeing it happen to a member of their own species.

[paltrysum]

THAT...sounds incredibly cool. Hopefully it's on the blotter for early 2019. I think I could incorporate it right about then based on where my travellers are now. Thanks for the sneak preview, Matthew.

[Old School]

Sounds really interesting. I look forward to it!

I cringe to think about how my players would react, however. The whole idea of contrasting feral Aslan with normal aslan might be tough sell. As far as they are concerned, the Aslan are already the bad guys. Very strong imperial sympathies in my travellers. They are currently all in on an alliance with the Empire against the Aslan. The only real “piracy” they are doing currently is opportunistic destruction of random Aslan ships. A combination of radiation and communication jamming has resulted in a couple Aslan ships being wiped out with no clues. My “Pirates” are the new ghost of the reach as far as Aslan are concerned.

An opportunity to rule the dust belt would attract their interest, however. . .

[ochd]

Thanks for the overview of Shadows of Sindal, Matthew. You've sold it to me.

It's very helpful in dropping in some seeds over the next few sessions.

Dan.

[steve98052]

. . .
The biochemical weapon in this adventure strips Aslan of their dignity and civilised nature, turning them into degenerate monsters. This will have more dramatic effect on the Travellers if the contrast with their usual violent but honourable nature is made clear. Rather than presenting feral Aslan as just ‘bad guys’, the referee should play up the horrific nature of this weapon and the fact that these once-proud people are now just feral killing machines. They have been robbed of what in another context would be termed their humanity. To the people of the multi-species Trojan Reach, seeing an Aslan degenerate this way would be no different to seeing it happen to a member of their own species.

One could call it their "Aslanity". There's probably an Aslan word for that.

There are also Aslan who assimilate into other cultures, such as Darrian Aslan, who are normally peaceful, and revere science, learning, and the arts over violence, but are very tough in they are forced into combat. There are Imperial Aslan, some assimilated into the cultures of their respective Imperial worlds, others much like mainstream Aslan (land-lust, sex roles, etc.) but with allegiance to the Imperium rather than the great clans. There are presumably Zhodani Aslan. And there are humans and others who are culturally assimilated as Aslan, with their cultural gender defined by their role in society (combatant or not) rather than their physical sex.

I could imagine an adventure where the assimilated human members of an Aslan clan take on the role of attempted saviors of their biologically-Aslan family, trying to stop the spread of the plague, going places that aren't safe for their biologically-Aslan relatives.

[paltrysum]

Matthew, do you happen to have an outline of the updated Mercenary book that you can share?

[MongooseMatt]

Matthew, do you happen to have an outline of the updated Mercenary book that you can share?

Actually no, as a lot of our original plans have changed somewhat However, if you take a look at the Naval Campaigns book in the Element Cruisers set, you should get a good idea of the territory we will be heading in.

[Annatar Giftbringer]

Matthew, do you happen to have an outline of the updated Mercenary book that you can share?

Actually no, as a lot of our original plans have changed somewhat However, if you take a look at the Naval Campaigns book in the Element Cruisers set, you should get a good idea of the territory we will be heading in.

Using the naval campaign book as foundation for a new Mercenary sounds like a great idea!w

[Joebeast]

Are the minis 15mm or 28mm scale? Thanks.

28mm - they can't really be anything else with what we are doing.

Is the 5th November when the miniatures kickstarter kicks off.

Probably the Friday of that week, but will be confirming closer to the time!

So...any teasers? A photo of a sculpt maybe, anything.

[MongooseMatt]

So...any teasers? A photo of a sculpt maybe, anything.

Imminent. Like, soon. Very,very soon

If you pop along to our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mongoosepublishinguk) you will see a few bits and pieces - full reveal is just a matter of days away!

[Sigtrygg]

So that's where the boarding action rules disappeared to

Vanguard - a miniatures game of boarding actions during the FFW.

Did anyone have the foresight to make the maps in Element cruisers compatible with Vanguard or will I be breaking out my old AHL maps?

Two things - do you want all my money now or when the kickstarter launches , and is there a spaceship combat game in the works (I still think Victory at Sea can be hacked into a vector movement based system, or there is always A Call to Arms: High Guard)

Ok a third thing - what about vehicles and planetary combat?

I am looking forward to this.

[MongooseMatt]

Well...

We would indeed like this to be the first of a small line of Traveller miniatures games. While ships will not be the second game... it looks like they will be the third (and possibly fourth, but I digress).

The Element cruiser blueprints are not designed for miniatures play and, indeed, they would have been lessened if we had made them that way. You will see why in, oh, about two weeks