Supplements you'd like to see

[FallingPhoenix]

Kind of an informal poll from one of the faceless masses:

Once the OGL is out and available, what sort of supplements do you think would be most welcome and/or useful?

ships and deck plans?
strange new worlds?
adventures?
new life and new civilizations? (aka aliens)
new universes using the same rules?
something I haven't thought of?

FP, more of a sci-fi geek than he thought.

 

[AKAramis]

Kind of an informal poll from one of the faceless masses:

Once the OGL is out and available, what sort of supplements do you think would be most welcome and/or useful?

ships and deck plans?
strange new worlds?
adventures?
new life and new civilizations? (aka aliens)
new universes using the same rules?
something I haven't thought of?

FP, more of a sci-fi geek than he thought.

I suspect that we will see, in very short order, alternate rule subsystems. Whether or not they succeed is a very different matter.

While I like the T/E mechanic, for example, and feel it is fixable, if T/E has been removed, we may see a variant or three pop up as alternate task system supplements.

A lot also depends on just what is released in the SRD.

Alternate Trade Systems are also highly likely.

 

[rust]

On the top of my personal list would be a detailed trade system and a
world building system, much like "Far Trader" and "First In" for GURPS
Traveller.

 

[Golan2072]

Trade Cards (a table-less trade system using cards)
OTU aliens (are they in the pipeline)?
A strategic-level game ala Trillion Credits Squadron or T4's Pocket Empires
A vehicle design system
Exploration rules
Adventures which could be easily adapted to different settings
A Civvie's Guide to Sci-Fi Military Matters (mostly fluff, not rules - helping players/refs without any military background to portray military forces, situations and characters)
An expanded book on psionics
Expanded world generation rules
Alternate Technologies (reaction drives, fission power plants, stargates, additional biotech - in short, useful stuff to spice up an ATU)

 

[Jame Rowe]

I can contribute to any psionics handbook.

Expanded worldgen, specifically a method of generating cities/regions and/or starports.
A guide to corporations and megacorporations.
Guides to the area around the Spinward Marches: Deneb Sector (Not Deneb Domain, just Deneb Sector), Trojan Reaches and etc.

 

[Golan2072]

More sourcebook ideas:
A Solomani Rim sector-book like the Spinward Marches one
Expanded hacking/AIs/computer rules
A Robots book, including a design system (is this in the pipeline, too?)
Miniature gaming rules (both planetside and ship combat)

 

[Tyrant]

I'd love to see a lot more on cybernetics and bionics.
A psionics book would be great.
And something that allows players to customize their ships. Though I suspect that might be covered in HighGuard.

 

[TrippyHippy]

According to the licencing document we can probably expect to see these titles in the near future:

• Mercenary,
  High Guard,
  Scouts,
  Merchant Prince,
  Fighting Ships of the Imperium,
  Traders and Gunboats,
  Library Data,
  Animal Encounters, and
  76 Patrons.

It also makes strict rules of prohibiting excessive gore, violence, sexual violence and pornography - so I expect we won't see a licenced version of HoL anytime soon... :roll:

Honestly though, the major rules expansion I would like to see - still in a classic, black minimalistic style, is a Cyberpunk genre book. I believe that the classic Traveller rules are, and always have been, a perfect match for the genre. I'd like to see the two polar forces of sci-fi brought together under the same product banner for the first time.

 

[Golan2072]

Honestly though, the major rules expansion I would like to see - still in a classic, black minimalistic style, is a Cyberpunk genre book. I believe that the classic Traveller rules are, and always have been, a perfect match for the genre.

I second that. Traveller's gritty feel, real-sized (i.e. not larger-than-life) characters, hard science and slugthrower-heavy weapon mix fit well with a cyberpunk milieu. As long as you avoid the lighter, flashier, more stylish side of cyberpunk and stick to the grittier side of things you'd have a very good fit.

Also, remember that Alien, which is quite cyberpunk-y in terms of feel and plot, came out in the same year (1977) IIRC as CT.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Alien was more '78 going to '79 actually, but the point remains valid.

The only reason that cyberpunk wasn't infused within the original remit of the 'generic sci-fi' Traveller when it was first released, was that the sub-genre was only on the very cusp of it's beginning. Indeed, I don't think 'cyberpunk' was coined as a term until at least the mid-80s.

However, the Traveller game was designed in the same era as 'back-to-basic' punk and modernistic 'new wave' sensibilities - in a similar way to which OD&D was pretty much written in the post-hippy, glam rock/prog-rock era. Both games reflect the cultures of the times they were written in.

Actually, the whole 2000AD line of games being converted to the Traveller brand may well prove this point for me. It's just that I'd like see a Cyberpunk genre book too. Moreover, with the exception of Paranoia (which is a completely different form of sci-fi, altogether), I'd actually like to see Traveller being used for any sci-fi or technothriller genre - and it'd be good to see it being supported in this way.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I would like to see alternate setting books. NOT OTU, some ATU stuff, big or small in scale (a sector or a different galaxy). B5 falls into that category.

I would also like to see rules on developing/creating new colonies that are not worlds settled for hundreds of years. Exploration of the great unknown... (and mostly unihabited)...

 

[rust]

A Traveller version of the "Honorverse" could be quite interesting, al-
though it would probably prove impossibe to get the rights.

My current setting is a young colony on the edge of the Great Unknown
of the "Honorverse", and some more informations would be fine.

By the way, a new edition of the World Tamer's Handbook could also be
quite useful, and perhaps some more informations on unusual environ-
ments. Since my setting is a water world, a new edition of the Undersea
Eivironment would be very much appreciated ...

 

[pasuuli]

Moreover, with the exception of Paranoia (which is a completely different form of sci-fi, altogether), I'd actually like to see Traveller being used for any sci-fi or technothriller genre ...

I suspect even Paranoia could sit atop Traveller comfortably.

 

[TrippyHippy]

The thing about Paranoia is needs to be rules light - to the extent that rolling up on a lifepath system is pretty much a waste of time if the character is simply going to blasted to death by comrades, six times in a row.

Moreover, there are things like personality Tics and Perversity points that don't really sit within the remit of the Traveller game, either. Like any system, you could do it with the Traveller system, but it's not really tailored for that type of comedy game. Traveller is good at creating slightly gritty, thriller style games IMO.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

I'd love to see a Mass Effect setting for paper based play, but I kinda doubt Bioware and EA would allow a license, given that Bioware want to tread their own ground when it comes to rpg mechanics.

A Trek supplement would have been good, too, as Traveller is perfectly poised to produce Starfleet characters, and the extant rpg products, while great in certain areas, leave a lot to be desired in others. But again, really nasty licensing issues.

But some setting books for other 2000AD properties would be nice: Rogue Trooper, Nikolai Dante, Halo Jones (??!!), Ace Trucking Co., would all make great play settings.

 

[Emperor Herdan]

The thing about Paranoia is needs to be rules light - to the extent that rolling up on a lifepath system is pretty much a waste of time if the character is simply going to blasted to death by comrades, six times in a row.

Moreover, there are things like personality Tics and Perversity points that don't really sit within the remit of the Traveller game, either. Like any system, you could do it with the Traveller system, but it's not really tailored for that type of comedy game. Traveller is good at creating slightly gritty, thriller style games IMO.

I agree with your thoughts. Traveller would do quite well as a Cyberpunk genre campaign.

But furthering the thought of a Paranoia grafted traveller campaign consider the following...

Weren't most players in tha game clones of some type?
Get the GM to pregenerate a dozen or so "templates" of various character types. If characters have to do something that they're not trained in... well its -3 to start off with... "Ohh no Doc7 is issued the meson blaster..."

Base the campaign on a Virus Ship (for the Master Computer) (yes I know its not really suitable for MT but we are thinking of a Paranoia hybrid (shudder)) A big one. Doesn't even have to be Jump capable just large enough that the players may never even find out that they're in space...

(what little I remember of Paranoia...this might be a start...)

Anyway take care;

E Herdan

 

[Emperor Herdan]

Anyway... what about a David Weber suppliment for an ATU.

Not based on the current Honorverse nor his recent work... an earlier series "Empire from the Ashes" (I think) is the most recent publishing.

Could use the K'kree as the centaurs, Solomani as the Imperialists etc.

That could be interesting.....

Take care;

E. Herdan

 

[TrippyHippy]

I think the scope of actually creating a straight Orwellian world, or Brave New World, for Traveller players to visit could work very well - instead of trying to covert Paranoia (which I actually think is a masterpiece as it stands). That would be an excellent idea. As would doing a supplement for The Day of The Triffids or War of the Worlds too.

I really hope we get to see some exciting new licences in the next few years anyway. I am actually going to be literally travelling myself for the next couple of years, and my intention is to probably buy Traveller products exclusively on pdf file for my laptop, if the core rule book meets my hopes (which I'll buy seperately - I'd have prefered a softback LBB format, but hey, it'll do!). I also have the Classic Traveller CD-Rom too, and am considering the 5th edition as it stands.

I honestly think that having a simple, yet very inclusively open game, based upon just a few six-sided dice can really go a long way. Especially if the systems are fun (which I think they are), and there is plenty of support and variety.

Other things I'd like would be a book designed to introduce really wierd 'anomolies' that could be explored in space, and really well researched psionics book (like they did with Conspiracy X a long time ago). The Cyberpunk idea, I would hope could also introduce Matrix-style ideas about virtual reality. And why not have a 'Time Traveller' supplement?

Other settings I'd like to explore would be Blue Planet, The Culture, a world in which people mistakenly believe in Orcs, Elves and magic (but can actually be truthfully explained by science!), and a city sourcebook for a well detailed, technologically advanced city too.