It is your Universe, not that of some people in a forum!

[MaxTac Transfer]

Some people in groups and forums give the "there is only one way to play it right" vibes. Thankfully Traveller never was that type of game just like there are no painting guides for Imperial Ground Troops

The setting and the rules are an all you can eat buffet! Take what you want, ignore what you do not like, The only "right" way to play is what fits the persons on an individual table. If your players do not care about certain elements in the Suggested Traveller Universe (STU) - those elements are not there or different.

And many changes are purely cosmetic. Replacing Darrians and Swordies with Space Orks does not change anything but the costumes needed (and remember - RPG and Animee have an unlimted SFX budget!). Changing Ursa from "the Sollies did it" to "the Anciens did it" or making Solomani conspiracy guys look like a young Londo Molari will not effect the setting.

Some changes have theoretical problems but those may very well not be relevant to your group. Mine does not about fractional c rocks or dives to deep into the economic realities so we ignore the 1000D limit for maneuver drives just like we do with many J-Drive limits (Needs living astrogator, 100dt) without affecting our game fun.

Some changes are big (FTL coms depending on how they work for example) so the GM should consider what they do and check with the group if they like them. But if they do - well then your setting might have Interstellar News Network and Vargr News battling it out for the upcoming Emperors Election in 1117!

 

[Arkathan]

And many changes are purely cosmetic. Replacing Darrians and Swordies with Space Orks does not change anything but the costumes needed (and remember - RPG and Animee have an unlimted SFX budget!). Changing Ursa from "the Sollies did it" to "the Anciens did it" or making Solomani conspiracy guys look like a young Londo Molari will not effect the setting.

My shoes are too tight. But it doesn't matter, because I have forgotten how to dance.

 

[Geir]

there are no painting guides for Imperial Ground Troops

Pretty sure Imperial Marines are mauve with infrared camouflage...

Well said (the rest of it). In my particular case I sometimes have to be a little schizophrenic, because I'm writing something for the 'STU' and though I will try to drive a semi truck through the gaps when I can, I try to follow the often contradictory previous (almost wrote: perilous) canon.

If I had time to run my own Traveller universe (which... would be not be the OTU but... never mind, I'm not sure if this expensive supplement is helping my brain or just encouraging cross-talk) I wouldn't necessarily follow the things I actually write here or in the books. Nor would I necessarily recommend anyone hew to the rules as written - though I try really hard not to contradict myself...

 

[MasterGwydion]

Guys, the OTU (Official Traveller Universe) is a base concept, just like a stock car or stock motorcycle. When you buy it, it is the same for everyone, but the first time you use it, it becomes different than a stock item. Maybe you use different oil, or different items to clean your item than the manufacturer does. Maybe you changed the tires or had it chromed or repainted. What you have done has not changed the nature of what you bought, you just made it your own. Same with the OTU, and the millions of YTUs (Your Traveller Universes).

I have said before on here. In game play, there is no such thing as the OTU, only the YTU. When discussing the base game though, then you are discussing the stock model straight from the manufacturer, so in a discussion such as that, the OTU does exist and all of the YTUs do not.

All the OTU is, is a common point of reference for everyone to make it their own universe. (after purchase. )

 

[G'Naakbusters]

It doesn't matter what excuses you all make, you are G'naak and must be trampled.

 

[Vormaerin]

Was this apropos of something I didn't notice?

 

[Condottiere]

Ironically, guidelines are more for authors of official publications.

I tend to see them more in the wargaming sense, level playing field.

 

[-Daniel-]

Some people in groups and forums give the "there is only one way to play it right" vibes. Thankfully Traveller never was that type of game just like there are no painting guides for Imperial Ground Troops

I have hated the gatekeeper, "badwrongfun" twits for decades. Yes, if we want to understand an original designer's intent, we need to understand RAW. But even that is often not possible thanks to the vast number of authors and designers who have ignored rules and canon and wrote things that are contradictory. God forbid we also try and understand a subject across various editions and publishers. Bottom line is most things do not have a single way even if we try hard to follow some dream of a single canon reference/way. Add on the fact many of the gatekeepers are including in their house rules and their interpretation and cherry-picked references and not the whole that is the OTU.

Sorry for my rant, I will go back to reading again.

 

[MaxTac Transfer]

I have hated the gatekeeper, "badwrongfun" twits for decades. Yes, if we want to understand an original designer's intent, we need to understand RAW. But even that is often not possible thanks to the vast number of authors and designers who have ignored rules and canon and wrote things that are contradictory. God forbid we also try and understand a subject across various editions and publishers. Bottom line is most things do not have a single way even if we try hard to follow some dream of a single canon reference/way. Add on the fact many of the gatekeepers are siting their house rules and interpretation and cherry-picked references and not the who that is the OTU.

Sorry for my rant, I will go back to reading gain.

Believe me the Traveller ones (or RPG ones in general) are harmless. Come to a photography group or the vilest heap of scum and vilanie aka a photography meeting...

 

[MaxTac Transfer]

It doesn't matter what excuses you all make, you are G'naak and must be trampled.

Lucan the Great will protect us!

 

[Sigtrygg]

Traveller was a set of rules for you to build your own universe. I did, many of them, and still use a few of the settings I have created over the years.

My Imperial setting has all sorts of secrets that are not canon, but fill in some gaps (and a few of them have been included by authors without them giving me credit for the idea).

The Imperium was a sample setting, it didn't stick to the rules as written, it underwent several huge paradigm shifts from the Imperium of the early adventures, to the Imperium of the later CT era, then Rebellion etc. Add third party products and the GT ATU and the only thing consistent about the Imperium as a setting was its inconsistency.

Mongoose chose to reset their Imperium, but have wisely continued the inconsistency.

No one can tell you how to run your own game. No one can tell you you are doing it wrong. There are no game police.

What I can do is highlight when a modern author writing an Imperium related product has either missed something, is making a deliberate change, is making an unintentional change. Or I can correct a forum warrior who writes something was canon when it is actually just their false memory.

Let me restate - canon is for authors (for consistency), not the individual referee.
Even Marc used to say that he is bound by canon - hence the hot mess of his (and Don's) take on the Empress Wave.

The Mongoose Third Imperium is theirs, it is not consistent with the classic Third Imperium. They are the IP owners, they decide what is now canon. But they can not change what is written in the hundreds of books I have on my shelves (I have multiple copies of CT/MT/TNE books)

If they are happy to have Third Imperium authors write more inconsistencies great, good for them. If people enjoy this new content and use it in their games even more so.

Dogfighting in star fighters, ion weapons, personal defence screens - pew pew Star Wars Traveller fun

Mongoose Traveller is a great game. The Mongoose Traveller Third Imperium is not a setting I can use "out of the box", it departs too much from the Imperium I have been exploring for forty years, but then so does my Imperium

 

[Enkelas]

People in mongoose always have said that choose what you want, buy what you like and make your traveller as you feel right.
if someone tells you how they like the game, fine for them
in your table your rules and should not be a problem with it.

it is a game, have fun with it. No more, no less

 

[GypsyComet]

People in mongoose always have said that choose what you want, buy what you like and make your traveller as you feel right.
if someone tells you how they like the game, fine for them
in your table your rules and should not be a problem with it.

This is specifically why the acronyms OTU, YTU, MTU, etc came into common usage. Your table, your universe, and your choices.

But. Traveller is also its default setting to a lot of people, and they want to stick what has been written if possible. This is where the gatekeeping, both real and perceived, purposeful and accidental, tends to crop up. Some fairly angry exchanges took place back in the mailing list days because someone would make a definitive statement that didn't match published material, would defend it when challenged, and would only defuse the situation when they realized that they hadn't related some other decision or rule at their table that allowed their statement to make sense.

You can get away with a lot of variance from published setting or rules with the simple disclaimer "IMTU": In My Traveller Universe.

 

[ottarrus]

To the OP:
There IS 'only one way to play Traveller right'.
That way is YOUR way. That's what IMTU/IYTU means. No game, mechanic, milieu, adventure, or stat block survives contact with player characters anyway. If you want your Imperium based off the idea that Vilani won the Interstellar Wars, have at it and more power to you. [Come to think of it, that'd be an interesting read] But whatever works at your table is not only fine but encouraged.
Sure, some of us old grogs argue about how navy fleets work, or how many spaces to account for in a deckplan, or What The Imperium Is or Is Not. That is all, every single bit of it, just a bunch of grumpy Muppets spouting methane.
I would note that sometimes we use this board to kite ideas for our tables or explain how things are in our Traveller Universe, and then someone else fires off ideas or pricks a hole in an idea. But none of that should limit you on how you play. Frankly, I'm glad you're enough of a fan of Traveller that you're playing it at all.
Cheers, and Happy Travelling.

 

[Condottiere]

They've GURPSed it, they've Dungeonized it, they're trying to Cyberpunkize it.

You can figure out what works for you.

Too bad this hasn't been tried:

 

[Sigtrygg]

This is specifically why the acronyms OTU, YTU, MTU, etc came into common usage. Your table, your universe, and your choices.

But. Traveller is also its default setting to a lot of people, and they want to stick what has been written if possible.

And right there is the problem writ large.

Traveller is not a setting. The Third Imperium is a setting for Traveller.

This is where the gatekeeping, both real and perceived, purposeful and accidental, tends to crop up. Some fairly angry exchanges took place back in the mailing list days because someone would make a definitive statement that didn't match published material, would defend it when challenged, and would only defuse the situation when they realized that they hadn't related some other decision or rule at their table that allowed their statement to make sense.

This happened on a lot of occasion and still happens now.
There is a rumour that many MgT 1e authors had never even read the CT canon on Marc's CT cd...
also a lot of MgT Third Imperium material is past fanon made canon, or misremembered. Rather than take the time to read the cd that contains it all, or just ask someone who has this stuff memorised to an unhealthy degree.

You can get away with a lot of variance from published setting or rules with the simple disclaimer "IMTU": In My Traveller Universe.

The OTU is for authors only, once you crack open the books and start playing, whatever the setting, it is now your Traveller universe.

 

[Sigtrygg]

They've GURPSed it, they've Dungeonized it, they're trying to Cyberpunkize it.

You can figure out what works for you.

Too bad this hasn't been tried:

It has.

German Vehicles of World War II eBook

This supplement for Traveller introduces many vehicles that formed the fighting arm of Germany in the Second World War, and provides full details of each, allowing them to be used within games. The weapons unique to Germany are also covered, along with en

www.mongoosepublishing.com

American Vehicles of World War II eBook

This supplement for Traveller introduces many vehicles that formed the fighting arm of the United States in the Second World War, and provides full details of each, allowing them to be used within games. The weapons unique to America are also covered, alo

www.mongoosepublishing.com

Soviet Vehicles of World War II eBook

This supplement for Traveller introduces many vehicles that formed the fighting arm of the Soviet Union in the Second World War, and provides full details of each, allowing them to be used within games. The weapons unique to Russia are also covered, along

www.mongoosepublishing.com

Italian Vehicles of WWII eBook

This supplement for Traveller introduces many vehicles that formed the fighting arm of Italy in the Second World War, and provides full details of each, allowing them to be used within games. The weapons unique to Italy are also covered, along with enough

www.mongoosepublishing.com

French Vehicles of World War II eBook

This supplement for Traveller introduces many vehicles that formed the fighting arm of France in the Second World War, and provides full details of each, allowing them to be used within games. The weapons unique to France are also covered, along with enou

www.mongoosepublishing.com

 

[Grognardia]

Greg Stafford, the late author of the beloved Glorantha setting (for RuneQuest) said it best: YGMV (Your Glorantha May Vary)

 

[Sigtrygg]

Yup, if you are doing Romans vs Celts you are doing it bad wrong fun.

 

[CordwainerFish]

There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
And every single one of them is right!