Interstellar Communications in Traveller

[MonsterX]

Damn, I was hoping to see -40s on Astrogation checks.

 

[Condottiere]

They actually use Guild Navigators.

 

[Vormaerin]

Setting destroying? I'm not sure about that. Setting changing? Absolutely. The setting shouldn't be encased in amber. Let it grow in new directions. A static setting because "it's always been that way and if it was good enough for my grognard, it's good enough for me" won't attract new players. Grow or die.

For myself, I'm interested in this new future because it is different and the upheaval is going to unsettle many things for Travellers and still not vaporize Charted Space.

That kind of setting change and growth should be determined by the GMs, not by publishers. It just pisses off players.

The published setting should be pretty static, because once it's at the table, it belongs to the players. Publishing Singularity is fine. Making Singularity the basis for future publications, not fine.

Right now, there's a bunch of "Futures" and your table can pick one or make up your own. Singularity and Wrath of the Ancients are different futures. Whatever outcome of the 5th Frontier War is potentially other splits in the future. I would think it pretty cool if they did a proper player facing Rebellion campaign.

But at no point, imho, should the setting just jump to 1120 with Mongoose's choices for which of those things apply and in what way now being standard in new publications. That's my job as the GM.

 

[Terry Mixon]

That kind of setting change and growth should be determined by the GMs, not by publishers. It just pisses off players.

The published setting should be pretty static, because once it's at the table, it belongs to the players. Publishing Singularity is fine. Making Singularity the basis for future publications, not fine.

Right now, there's a bunch of "Futures" and your table can pick one or make up your own. Singularity and Wrath of the Ancients are different futures. Whatever outcome of the 5th Frontier War is potentially other splits in the future. I would think it pretty cool if they did a proper player facing Rebellion campaign.

But at no point, imho, should the setting just jump to 1120 with Mongoose's choices for which of those things apply and in what way now being standard in new publications. That's my job as the GM.

Your milage may vary.

 

[Vormaerin]

The Hop Drive was introduced to the mainstream in JTAS 6, with the Steppehauler-Class Modular Freighter. It didn’t wreck the setting then, and it won’t now.

Just my humble opinion

It didn't wreck the setting because it isn't actually applied. That's actually a big problem for a lot of the rules. They write the rules. They don't actually use them. It's now pretty straightforward, if not easy, to cross empty hexes but everything still pretends Rifts are major obstacles. There's personal force fields that are better than most armor and no one in the setting uses them. There's rules for massive automation and nothing is actually massively automated.

This is because they are fine with saying 2300 or Pioneer or whatever have their own tech paradigm, but they don't want to clarify the tech paradigm of Charted Space. But they also don't want to do the work to update the setting for the impacts of the new rules.

A few years back, Matt said that they don't intend to advance the setting but rather they are going to continue to publish various campaigns fanning out from 1105(ish) with possible futures. Or, at least, that's how I understood his statement. I think that is vastly better than GDW's constantly churning the setting with their latest and greatest "update" to the setting.

 

[Vormaerin]

Your milage may vary.

If Mongoose wants to start running different product lines for Charted Space: 1105! 1150! Whatever and commit to actually writing books that implement the new technologies with all their effects at the society and structures, that would be interesting. As long as they are clearly labelled. But that, again, requires them to decide on tech paradigms and they've been resistant to doing that.

Whether that's better or worse than rolling out a new setting with different assumptions? I don't know.

 

[Terry Mixon]

If Mongoose wants to start running different product lines for Charted Space: 1105! 1150! Whatever and commit to actually writing books that implement the new technologies with all their effects at the society and structures, that would be interesting. As long as they are clearly labelled. But that, again, requires them to decide on tech paradigms and they've been resistant to doing that.

Whether that's better or worse than rolling out a new setting with different assumptions? I don't know.

While every GM should and will control what is appropriate for their Traveller Universe, even leaving aside Singularity, this is a clearcut use of the prototyping rules and isn't a stretch to them at all. No one has to use it even if secret time travelling Imperial Intelligence agents show up at their houses. Personally, I would love the chaos and upheaval, but I know not everyone shares that view.