A mildly sane explaination of canon discussion

[rust]

Put another way, the setting exists solely to improve play, But play is not about validating the setting.

I am not sure whether I do fully agree.

While we use our own setting, far from the OTU, this setting meanwhile
also has its own "canon". If a player wanted to do "Cool Thing X", and
this would be "kewl" but in open contradiction to our setting's "canon", I
simply would not allow it.

The internal logic and the consistency of the setting are, from my point
of view, necessary to have fun with the game. It helps with the suspen-
sion of disbelief, and it gives the players and their characters a reliable
base for their decisions and actions.

Therfore even we non-canonistas sometimes have discussions about
our setting's "canon", where we try to close some annoying gaps or
to develop a plausible future for a part of our setting ...

 

[-Daniel-]

Put another way, the setting exists solely to improve play, But play is not about validating the setting.

I am not sure whether I do fully agree.

While we use our own setting, far from the OTU, this setting meanwhile
also has its own "canon". If a player wanted to do "Cool Thing X", and
this would be "kewl" but in open contradiction to our setting's "canon", I
simply would not allow it.

The internal logic and the consistency of the setting are, from my point
of view, necessary to have fun with the game. It helps with the suspen-
sion of disbelief, and it gives the players and their characters a reliable
base for their decisions and actions.

Therfore even we non-canonistas sometimes have discussions about
our setting's "canon", where we try to close some annoying gaps or
to develop a plausible future for a part of our setting ...

I think this is a good point. Regardless of the "setting" I am using, within that setting the need to conform to that setting is very important.

I love the OTU very much, and think "Canon", to some degree, does play a positive role in the game. The trick is not to allow it to take on such a large a role that it breaks the game.

Daniel

 

[simonh]

The internal logic and the consistency of the setting are, from my point
of view, necessary to have fun with the game. It helps with the suspen-
sion of disbelief, and it gives the players and their characters a reliable
base for their decisions and actions.

I agree absolutely, but only in the context of the particular campaign. Whether the Traveller game I'm running or playing in adheres to the official canon is of minor importance to me, conversely maintaining consistency within the campaign itself is of major importance.

Fiction, and especially roleplaying, are all about exploring the question 'what if...'. To me a question such as "What if X were were true in the 3rd Imperium setting" is a perfectly legitimate question and if it's a cool and fun one and everyone in the group is signed up to it (an important point) then why not base a campaign on it?

Simon Hibbs

 

[captainjack23]

Put another way, the setting exists solely to improve play, But play is not about validating the setting.

I am not sure whether I do fully agree.

While we use our own setting, far from the OTU, this setting meanwhile
also has its own "canon". If a player wanted to do "Cool Thing X", and
this would be "kewl" but in open contradiction to our setting's "canon", I
simply would not allow it.

The internal logic and the consistency of the setting are, from my point
of view, necessary to have fun with the game. It helps with the suspen-
sion of disbelief, and it gives the players and their characters a reliable
base for their decisions and actions.

Therfore even we non-canonistas sometimes have discussions about
our setting's "canon", where we try to close some annoying gaps or
to develop a plausible future for a part of our setting ...

I think this is a good point. Regardless of the "setting" I am using, within that setting the need to conform to that setting is very important.

I love the OTU very much, and think "Canon", to some degree, does play a positive role in the game. The trick is not to allow it to take on such a large a role that it breaks the game.

Daniel

Yes to both of you - and I would add, as I have before, that I have a really really hard time running a game if I don't have a good and fairly consistent feeling/idea of how the world functions: either to make scenarios, deal with inevitable player creativity, or just to sadly (and very rarely) have to say, "its a rule. you have to deal with it. Otherwise the game breaks".

 

[Allensh]

Ny take on canon, first, is that it is spelled with one "n".

My second take on the subject is that I totally LOATHE the word "canon" in this context. Traveller is not a religion, it's a fliipin' GAME. I have no problem with "official" vs. "unofficial" but that term just bugs me.

Now...I consider anything official that has been published by the direct owners of the Traveller IP and/or their designated licensees as long as that material hasn't been rendered unofficial, such as has happened with the original Judges Guild sectors, the DGP materials and the like. Thus, things published by GDW, Imperium Games, Steve Jackson Games, Avenger Enterprises, Mongoose (of course) etc. are official (although the original GT stuff was "alternate official").

Pretty much everything else is unofficial.

Allen

 

[captainjack23]

Ny take on canon, first, is that it is spelled with one "n".

My second take on the subject is that I totally LOATHE the word "canon" in this context. Traveller is not a religion, it's a fliipin' GAME. I have no problem with "official" vs. "unofficial" but that term just bugs me.

Now...I consider anything official that has been published by the direct owners of the Traveller IP and/or their designated licensees as long as that material hasn't been rendered unofficial, such as has happened with the original Judges Guild sectors, the DGP materials and the like. Thus, things published by GDW, Imperium Games, Steve Jackson Games, Avenger Enterprises, Mongoose (of course) etc. are official (although the original GT stuff was "alternate official").

Pretty much everything else is unofficial.

Allen

works for me.

I just note that yes, canon has one N. Ooops. In this sense it is more a legacy of literature analysis than religion, though. One alternative is to say "corpus" but that, despite being cooler in a snooty sort of way, has its own set of associations.

Me, I agree with you. But I've given up trying to chage it, as it facilitiates discussion if we use the same word for the same idea.....-and those are gems far and few between on the internet.

 

[AKAramis]

Allensh:

DGP is still official (when not contradicted by TNE or T4, still Canon), but may not be quoted in new materials due to copyright issues. DGP was the development house for MegaTraveller (it was outsourced to them, hence the majority of the errata issues). Note also that MegaTraveller Journal's copyright is listed as GDW for the later issues... thus pulling it from "forbidden canon" into "useful canon".

Up unti 1984, Traveller was probably the widest licensed property in print; over 20 companies (albeit many of them one-man affairs, with just a fanzine), the most notable of which included: DGP, Judges Guild, Games Workshop, FASA, Paranoia Press and Gamelords, but lots of local fan mags with official licenses. (I've products from all the listed, for CT, and several others as well... Alien Star with most issues, some other company's excellent striker stuff, etc...)

In 1984, Atlas decanonized all 3rd party maps and sector/subsector books.

In 1987, GDW announced the end of licenses EXCEPT DGP. (Then Seeker got one... but not for the setting, just for use with...)

For me, T20, GT (esp GTIW) and T4H, they are not and can not be definitive. Why? because they are
1) 3rd party
2) not "Traveller Rules" even if they use the setting*
3) contradictory to each other
4) likely to be overwritten by the next licensee

*And I'd argue GTIW is no longer the OTU simply because it includes limits that are not consistent, and mixes and mashes the Traveller Nth ISW timeline with the tech paradigms of the much earlier Imperium board game... not exactly a good fit, either, as said board game is all jump-2.

 

[donm61873]

The important thing to remember is that no one is telling you how to run your game. If you want the Zhodani to have a great racial fear of starfish, and a desire for the destruction of the Hivers to be the reason behind a K'kree/Zhodani alliance against the Third Imperium, have fun.

On the other hand, if you are one of those rare folks who are writing in the "OTU" for publication, then walk with fear. There's easily a 98% chance you will miss out on something that was published somewhere, and you'll receive e-mails and postings about you you destroyed Traveller because you forgot where in the Spinward Marches the ISMM Corporation's software labs are.

In the end, Traveller canon really is only good for shooting Traveller authors. No one else can be hurt with the ammo, but on the other side, you never run out of ammo either.

 

[serene_muse]

I detest when people start throwing Canon around because it's used to turn opinion and preference into "fact". Pointless. Traveller isn't a religion. The game's the thing, fun is all that matters. I'll use any reference from anywhere and bend it to my purposes.

Canon is for writers and developers only, and only if it suits their work.
Cannon is for blowing stuff up.
Don't confuse the two.

 

[rust]

Canon is for writers and developers only, and only if it suits their work.
Cannon is for blowing stuff up.
Don't confuse the two.

There are days when I would like to use a cannon on canon ... :twisted:

 

[serene_muse]

On the other hand, if you are one of those rare folks who are writing in the "OTU" for publication, then walk with fear. There's easily a 98% chance you will miss out on something that was published somewhere, and you'll receive e-mails and postings about you you destroyed Traveller

Or death threats. No I'm not making that up. :shock: As if the low pay for doing work on Traveller wasn't bad enough, the fan reaction should make any potential writer think very hard before proceeding.