Genre supplements for Traveller

[TrippyHippy]

As Traveller progresses into different genres, by virtue of different settings being made, I was wondering whether having specific Supplements made would be a popular thing to do. Broadly speaking I would say that the main genres of sci-fi are:

• Space Opera - Classic Traveller/Imperium territory, Star Wars, Dune, etc.
  Militaristic Sci-Fi - Hammers Slammers is a good example, but also things like Japanese Mecha type things also. War of the Worlds.
  Dystopian Sci-fi - Cyberpunk primarily, but also post-apocalyptic stuff (Mad Max) or Brave New World/1984 totalitarian regime style (without trying to tread on Paranoia's shoes too much). The Matrix would also fit in here obviously, as would John Wyndham (Day of the Triffids, etc) and zombies (Dawn of the Dead).
  Modern Conspiracy - The X Files, Conspiracy X, Delta Green, V. Also superspy genre (James Bond, Jason Bourne) and occult conspiracy (Da Vinci Code). Looks like it will be handled by Codename: Veil anyway.
  Retro/Pulp - Interwar and WW2 eras, Steampunk Victorian eras, Flash Gordan to an extent, Jules Verne (Journey to the Centre of the Earth), etc. Would also be a way of integrating the Superheroes genre into the fold (think Superman). Anything comic book like, basically.
  Time Travel - Low priority, as Dr.Who's come out, but still an option for the future - possibly integrating with the pulp genre (The Time Machine, etc).

Now, some of these genres have been well supported already, but the 2000AD books have also indicated that Dystopian and comic-strip style can easily be done too. I definitely think a Cyberpunk supplement would be a good fit and easy to do - covering megacorporate powers, street gangs, drugs and VI hacking, as would a pulp/retro/supers book. Note that the the Traveller universe is so broad, it wouldn't be as silly as you think including such things.

Thoughts?

 

[rust]

I would like to add Hard SF (no FTL drive, no contragrav, etc.) to your
list, a setting like for example Blue Planet or Transhuman Space.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Yeah, I thought about this one - to me, both Blue Planet and Transhuman Space are related in a way to the Cyberpunk sub genre. Both integrate cyberpunk staples such as megacorp exploitation and body enhancement, etc, into slightly new territory but both are basically near future extrapolations of present trends.

Maybe 'Dystopia' is the wrong word to use in these cases, and in the case of Blue Planet it also has to deal with the exploration of an alien world as a major difference - but I'd be grouping all that 'uplifting', biotech and 'future shock' technology in with the same thing.

I mean, Brave New World is pretty different to 1984, which is pretty different to Clockwork Orange, which is pretty different to Bladerunner, which in turn is pretty different to Blue Planet and Transhuman Space, etc. However, what's really changing is the context of the real world in which these things are written in.

 

[rust]

Yeah, I thought about this one - to me, both Blue Planet and Transhuman Space are related in a way to the Cyberpunk sub genre.

True, but there are also a number of Hard SF settings without any cyber-
punk or genetic engineering elements, for example GURPS' Terradyne
setting.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Well, 1984 doesn't have any cyberpunk trappings at all - apart from the notion of an ubiquitous media and the cynical control of the masses though it. But I'd still bracket it in with the same broad genre as The Matrix and Bladerunner. It basically is a refection of the contemporary world, seen through the lens of futuristic speculation.

It's critically the opposite of 'Utopian sci-fi', and usually involves ordinary people and anti-heroes as protaganists, as opposed to militaristic or heroic characters. It's not so much 'hard sci-fi' - but rather 'realist sci-fi', if you like - the notion that technology is not a panacea to society's or humanity's problems.

 

[Gentleman John]

It's critically the opposite of 'Utopian sci-fi', and usually involves ordinary people and anti-heroes as protaganists, as opposed to militaristic or heroic characters. It's not so much 'hard sci-fi' - but rather 'realist sci-fi', if you like - the notion that technology is not a panacea to society's or humanity's problems.

I think the opposite of 'Utopian sci-fi" would be "Dystopian sci-fi", or so it's referred to in Brian Aldiss' Trillion Year Spree. Realist sci-fi would presumably then be neither utopian or dystopian. I'm not sure I would classify cyberpunk as dystopian, either. Any sci-fi sub-genre can have its dystopian side. However, as in all these debates, YMMV.

 

[TrippyHippy]

It's critically the opposite of 'Utopian sci-fi', and usually involves ordinary people and anti-heroes as protaganists, as opposed to militaristic or heroic characters. It's not so much 'hard sci-fi' - but rather 'realist sci-fi', if you like - the notion that technology is not a panacea to society's or humanity's problems.

I think the opposite of 'Utopian sci-fi" would be "Dystopian sci-fi", or so it's referred to in Brian Aldiss' Trillion Year Spree.

Um...yeah. That's what I said. The point is that it's sometimes hard to make that distinction as this subgenre evolves, by the token that most sci-fi writers are seeking verisimilitude in their ideas. However, I can't quite see how 'classic' cyberpunk can be described as anything other than dystopian - or would you like to live in such a world yourself?

 

[BP]

Well stated, I think you've covered the bulk - and maybe just one supplement would do this... via simple rules options (like warp/anti-matter options in TMB).

Genres, versus specific settings, is certainly intriguing. The point being they can provide a framework for personal settings - which means they shouldn't be too detailed or that would miss the point IMHO.

Done well this would contain minor rules expansions and flexible narative to support capturing a feel while maintaining maximum compatibility with game mechanics (to facilitate using existing and future materials).

 

[Gentleman John]

Um...yeah. That's what I said. The point is that it's sometimes hard to make that distinction as this subgenre evolves, by the token that most sci-fi writers are seeking verisimilitude in their ideas. However, I can't quite see how 'classic' cyberpunk can be described as anything other than dystopian - or would you like to live in such a world yourself?

Apologies. I missed the intent of the post.

However, to answer your question, I'd rather live in the Sprawl than in AirStrip One.

Seriously, when it comes down to it, cyberpunk literature was a specific trope form the Movement school of science fiction writing. In cyberpunk, the authors were presenting a fragmentation of society characterised by increasing stratification. The 'heroes' of cyberpunk were rebelling against the status quo and refusing to accept it (hence the 'punk' part of 'cyberpunk'). There was more to the Movement than just cyberpunk, though. For example, Gibson's 'The Gernsback Continuum', which is Movement but not cyberpunk.

Back to the subject. Yes, the stereotypical cyberpunk setting is a dystopia. However, in the good examples of the literature, I would say they are only dystopias for the main characters. For the average person living in them, they are probably very comfortable. A few examples follow:

The Sprawl - Main setting for Gibson's trilogy of stories (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive). The major characters exist in a shadowy underworld of crime and vice, hence their environment reflects this.

NeoTokyo - Setting for both the movie and manga of Akira. It actually seems to be a pleasant place to live, provided you are not a member of a bosozuku (sp?) intent on creating havoc.

The City - Setting for When Gravity Fails. The City (a nameless Arabian city) does not appear to be any worse than a classic Arabian Nights-fantasy city. Again, the main characters are not operating entirely within the law, so the environment will be skewed.

I do not disagree that a large number of cyberpunk settings are dystopic, but I would not count them as being the best of the genre. However, you do not need a dystopia to be cyberpunk. All you need is something to rebel against. In the words of Marlon Brando: "What you got?"

 

[dmccoy1693]

Militaristic Sci-Fi - Hammers Slammers is a good example, but also things like Japanese Mecha type things also. War of the Worlds.

Funny you should mention that. I made a little announcement about this only today. link