Idea for future publications: Classic Box Set game reconstructions?

TrippyHippy

Emperor Mongoose
It is probably a way off the end-of-year ‘State of the Mongoose’ announcements, but this has been in my mind for a while anyway. Would Mongoose consider the idea of making some business out of re-releasing classic old games or editions of games, driven possibly by Kickstarter and seeing how they fly on the market?

I am specifically referring to Traveller and Paranoia as Mongoose’s major licensed properties, but there could be others. Chaosium has provided a successful model for this by re-releasing spruced up versions of Classic editions for Runequest and Call of Cthulhu. They raised good money on Kickstarter and sold pretty well, from my understanding. There is talk of doing the same for Pendragon too.

In the case of Paranoia, which has it’s 40th Anniversary next year, there is some fanfare in the current new Perfect edition (which I love already, incidentally) that it has conversion notes for the previous editions which allows you to use any of the old material. What better way to celebrate this than taking some of the old 1st edition files and reconstructing the original box set, maybe with a load of 1st edition scenarios as add ons. The quality of sturdy box-sets has dramatically improved in recent years, while keeping older 30+ year old boxes is no mean feat. I think there would be a market for the nostalgia of having an original-styled box in complete, pristine condition.

If this works as a Kickstarter campaign, then why not consider re-creating the Classic Traveller box sets? Why not consider re-landing the Judge Dredd license to re-release the old GW box set, or maybe getting a license for the classic Ghostbusters box? I think there are a lot of opportunities. I’d buy them.

Thoughts, Mongoose (and anyone else)?
 
All good. Also, while I think of it, another call to get the Space: 1889 licence and/or make a steam-punk/retro-sci-fi setting for Traveller - in the same box set manner as 2300AD.
 
That would be good. I definitely think that the Traveller mechanical system is a strong engine to run any type of space-faring setting.

However, I do recognise that publishing them requires that they are good business investments for Mongoose. I just think that the nostalgia market is one worth tapping into. Let me encourage getting a license for Blake’s 7 and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.....and then I’ll go and sit in the corner for a bit.
 
You can cheat, by taking a GURPS approach, changing names and I think sticking to a seventy five percent similarity to the franchise, and then publish a book of different settings, that appear to have a remarkable similarity to some well known ones.

Though copying Firefly might cause the universe to implode.
 
You can cheat, by taking a GURPS approach, changing names and I think sticking to a seventy five percent similarity to the franchise, and then publish a book of different settings, that appear to have a remarkable similarity to some well known ones.

Though copying Firefly might cause the universe to implode.
Firefly was Jess Whedon’s adaptation of an actual Traveller campaign he used to play/run.
 
I’m currently watching Blakes 7 with a friend using the reason “it’s just like Traveller” as a reason to do so.
Space crew on the run from a totalitarian, Terran Federation that is expanding their rule through the galaxy. The crew is made up of an idealistic political dissident and a rag-bag crew of petty crooks, smugglers and killers escaped from a penal colony (or at least on the way to one), using a high tech (stolen) spaceship as they avoid the machinations of a ruthless space commander trying to hunt them down.

How Traveller is that?!!
 
I would love to see a MgT master index. I own a lot of your products and I often find myself in the position of remembering something from somewhere but I have to get all the books out to search for it. Mostly I am thinking about new player races, ship designs, optional rules etc. For instance the Ralonya is on pg 70 of JTAS 13. Across the JTAS and rules/adventure booksMaybe it could be updated every time a new product comes out. I would pay for something like that.
 
I would love to see a MgT master index. I own a lot of your products and I often find myself in the position of remembering something from somewhere but I have to get all the books out to search for it. Mostly I am thinking about new player races, ship designs, optional rules etc. For instance the Ralonya is on pg 70 of JTAS 13. Across the JTAS and rules/adventure booksMaybe it could be updated every time a new product comes out. I would pay for something like that.
There is this index that gets updated:
 
I have suggested Blake's 7 in the office - but I might be the only fan of it here :)
Goodness me, big fan here, and they are just about to release the remasters!

Servalan would make a great (horrible, but great) Empress.
Margaret?

However, I will answer the original post.. a boxed classic set using the *current* rules but in the style of the LBB would be cute. However.. I have to say it needs to be a cash cow for it to be worth the while for Mongoose.
 
I would love to see a MgT master index. I own a lot of your products and I often find myself in the position of remembering something from somewhere but I have to get all the books out to search for it. Mostly I am thinking about new player races, ship designs, optional rules etc. For instance the Ralonya is on pg 70 of JTAS 13. Across the JTAS and rules/adventure booksMaybe it could be updated every time a new product comes out. I would pay for something like that.
If we do get a MgT master index, it would be best provided as an online resource to allow updates when new books are published.

For books that I consult a lot, I tend to produce my own "extended contents" for the book. See attached files for Behind the Claw, PoD : The Trojan Reach, and High Guard 2022. I use a "box" character to indicate the presence of a table on a page.
 

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If we do get a MgT master index, it would be best provided as an online resource to allow updates when new books are published.

For books that I consult a lot, I tend to produce my own "extended contents" for the book. See attached files for Behind the Claw, PoD : The Trojan Reach, and High Guard 2022. I use a "box" character to indicate the presence of a table on a page.
 
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