Micky
Cosmic Mongoose
Yeah. That is the crux of the biscuit isn't it. Focusing on marketing is great but... at some point before doing so perhaps Traveller and Mongoose might need to ask themselves. What are you marketing and who are you marketing it towards. Preaching the choir does nothing to expand the game's audience.
I have often scratched my head furiously... to the point I've accelerated my balding ... asking myself. Why the HELL would one buy a limited scope and theme RPG like Alien when Traveller can do Alien. We've all done Alien mashup's with Traveller. A right of passage perhaps. It can do any kind of Sci-Fi setting and do it well. As long as you put the work into it.
But that is the rub, Traveller is fabulous for being a toolbox. And probably every RPG player who delights in the immense heavy lifting and great investment of time and creative energy it takes to fashion a particular type of Sci-Fi game is already into Traveller. Look at Seth Skorkowsky's videos, those things are far from niche videos. They get a lot of views. Traveller does a lot of marketing through them. Those kinds of RPG'rs I do think tend to skew older. We had to use our imaginations in the early days of RPG's to flesh out these games. It was great and we still love it. Not to play into stereotypes but... are younger players really the type of players that, regardless of how much marketing you throw at the game, are going to find Traveller of interest. No they go to games where they can plop it on the table and riff away man, not need to build a setting build from scratch before they even start playing.
One can say that while Traveller is the ultimate toolbox RPG game, surprisingly the number of tools in that toolbox are lacking. There is a reason many games have both a players book and a DM/GM/Keeper book. To provide tools to help a GM run games. Take a great example the Worldbulders book, I have a degree in Math, love numbers and that book had me reaching for a bottle of JD and a big fat joint. Imagine the reaction of some 20 something rock and roller with the attention span of a guitar riff. Ship's book have been a big hit for Traveller. Why? For those that want the selection of different types of ships, but don't have the time or the mind to do them up themselves. A book of worlds a GM could whip out quickly would be a fabulous tool for the Traveller toolbox.
I'd tend to avoid suggesting Mongoose do this.. or not do that.. they are the pros, we just just fans with opinion. However I do think if looking at the long term health of the game it needs to move past itching the old fan's scratch and looking at what today's players want. At some point it might focus more on picking a setting, and making that a part of the core game. Look at the Core Book, it is a setting neutral, generic Sci-Fi game. You get this toolbox but then what? A good opportunity perhaps to address that is, Mongoose to move Traveller from the 70's into what modern RPG's might expect. Perhaps for the big 5-0, release a new version of the Core. Instead of one book split it as many do these days. Do a players book with (expanded) char. creation and your basic Traveller rules... and then a 2nd book (a slipcase 50th anni!!) of one geared to GM with good firm details and tools for them to use. A GM's handbook with help. Instead of pages of (military or huge) starships that few begining games will ever use, do up pages of pre made planets. GM's have the incredible Travellermap resource but how can they use it. If you want to use the Third Imperium (Foundation) as its true default setting. How about detailing it. Several chapters in a GM guide. It is sort of head scratching that even after 50 years there is so much basic stuff about the Third Imperium that has not been detailed.
It is a lot of heavy lifting to explain, and set up a game for players based on large expansive empire when.. so little of it has been done. It is up to you to do. Some see the fun in that.. others... are running to more more narrowly focused game in which the hard work is done for them. They have the setting, they can just get down to play. It won't change Traveller, it would still be the ultimate toolbox, but a more focused setting presented to new players might them get in the door and then to discover that great toolbox.
just a few cents of thoughts from the cheap seats
