How to make Traveller more popular with TTRPG players

[Sigtrygg]

"by far the most common reason for rejection of Traveller being able to run their bespoke setting idea or media rip off is that Traveller only does the Third Imperium." - not only reason, I posted them a while ago in another post.

I have posted previously the other common statements, but I am specifically referring to why they dismiss Traveller as a suitable game for themselves... in addition to the three you added, two of which I previously mentioned, the other common reason for rejection is random character generation

 

[Studio Cat]

Actually what I commonly see, in many different social media outlets, is that pretty quickly people come along slinging the usual hackneyed anti-Traveller tropes...

"You'll die in character generation!"

"Get ready to play an aging boomer, because this is a game system that only generates retired characters!"

"The computers are the size of rooms! Like in the 1950s!"

Then you have a golden opportunity to educate them about Traveller. Correcting these misconceptions becomes second nature after a few times.

I mean Hell, that room-sized computer canard has been around since the early 80's and been debunked since then as well. Dying during character creation is such an overdone complaint that there were official T-shirts sold by Marc Miller with, "I Died During Character Generation" emblazoned on the front (I'm actually wearing one now).

 

[Vormaerin]

They are both about as true as complaining about THAC0 and 1st lvl wizards only being able to cast one spell a day is for D&D.

 

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

They are both about as true as complaining about THAC0 and 1st lvl wizards only being able to cast one spell a day is for D&D.

It was true but then they added cantrips to first edition and I had my spell casters use them. In many cases the hide cantrip was as good as invisibility. A spice cantrip making garlic as an anti vampire element.

Later of course 2nd edition added specialist wizards who got more spells and the cantrip spell which let you do minor effects for an hour/level.

 

[actionman]

pretty quickly people come along slinging the usual hackneyed anti-Traveller tropes...

"You'll die in character generation!"

"Get ready to play an aging boomer, because this is a game system that only generates retired characters!"

"The computers are the size of rooms! Like in the 1950s!"

They get so much pleasure out of moaning the same old things. It's like a ritual.

 

[actionman]

room-sized computer canard

As if a computer that could calculate faster than light flightpaths wouldn't be the size of a room. As if the computers that do the avionics, the sensors, the comms, the security systems, the reactor-jump drive-maneuver drive diagnostics, the weapons systems, and everything else wouldn't be the size of rooms. As if current supercomputers aren't the size of rooms. As if server rooms that only handle internet traffic aren't the size of rooms. As if all of these systems wouldn't be ruggedized, hardened against radiation, and built with multiple redundancies. Starship computers are not someone's crappy windows PC running Microsoft Starship Manager.

Supercomputers:

 

[Condottiere]

Wouldn't that depend on how much associated data is being concurrently processed?

 

[Studio Cat]

As if a computer that could calculate faster than light flightpaths wouldn't be the size of a room. As if the computers that do the avionics, the sensors, the comms, the security systems, the reactor-jump drive-maneuver drive diagnostics, the weapons systems, and everything else wouldn't be the size of rooms. As if current supercomputers aren't the size of rooms. As if server rooms that only handle internet traffic aren't the size of rooms. As if all of these systems wouldn't be ruggedized, hardened against radiation, and built with multiple redundancies. Starship computers are not someone's crappy windows PC running Microsoft Starship Manager.

Supercomputers:

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Well, kinda. I've always looked at it as a mapping convention. A Classic Traveller Model/1 computer takes up two squares, one for the acceleration couch and one for the computer hardware.

 

[actionman]

Well, kinda. I've always looked at it as a mapping convention. A Classic Traveller Model/1 computer takes up two squares, one for the acceleration couch and one for the computer hardware.

Or it's just an abstraction. There would be the main computer compartment but the rest of the mass and computer components would probably be distributed around the ship.