The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society is back!

[MarkAlexander]

yeah Mark... the quality is what finally reeled me in after 40 years of NOT playing it.

My experience is very similar to Skorkowsky's. the reaction 'where has this game been my entire life'. With the same story that yeah sure I had heard of the game, who hadn't back then but while I gravitated more toward GDW's T2000 and more combat themed RPG like the stable of TSR games I just never got the nudge, or group of friends that played or actually tried Traveller.

However once I stumbled upon Seth's intro vids this last spring, while on his channel looking at D&D vids he had, I got interested and took the leap... but..

it was the quality of what I got, especially as I've waxed ineloquent before, the art and stunning visual presentation of Mongoose's Traveller that rapidly made it a full blown addiction and as Mr. Welch so accurately said.. 'be prepared to miss some house payments' as I wanted everything.. now.. not over time. Funny to say for one who is 40 years late to the party.. but I do wonder probably as many long time players do.. why isn't this game more popular than it is. Especially among younger players. Fabulous system, incredible modern production values.

I think the lack of popularity could be to do with availability. Many gamers still discover new stuff in games shops and Traveller just isn't on the shelves in most of them. Waterstones books in the UK sell board games now. If I was a Mongoose rep, I'd be approaching them. I also think that people like to play their favourite science fiction series. Hence the Star Trek Adventures game by Modiphius and Alien the role playing game by Free League. Perhaps a YouTube channel might help?

 

[Micky]

Traveller does have a big birthday coming up. Full court blitz of promotion incoming perhaps? Do something radical perhaps. Offer 1/2 price copies of the Core Rule book for new players and unleash the Traveller loving Youtube (influencers) reviewers upon singing its praises and get that word out!!

interesting point about hobby shops and game stores. Sure they were THE thing back when we were kids.. but are they really still a thing today. Especially with a younger crowd so tied to the internet and their phones and shopping with a click?

and doesn't Mongoose have a Youtube channel... I think I glanced at it but not a lot of content. Nearly a year between new videos before the JTAS Kickstarter announcement? Nor subscribers. An underutilized outlet perhaps for getting the word out perhaps.

 

[MarkAlexander]

Traveller does have a big birthday coming up. Full court blitz of promotion incoming perhaps? Do something radical perhaps. Offer 1/2 price copies of the Core Rule book for new players and unleash the Traveller loving Youtube (influencers) reviewers upon singing its praises and get that word out!!

interesting point about hobby shops and game stores. Sure they were THE thing back when we were kids.. but are they really still a thing today. Especially with a younger crowd so tied to the internet and their phones and shopping with a click?

and doesn't Mongoose have a Youtube channel... I think I glanced at it but not a lot of content. Nearly a year between new videos before the JTAS Kickstarter announcement? Nor subscribers. An underutilized outlet perhaps for getting the word out perhaps.

I think the massive popularity of board games and in-store gaming has got the youngsters out of the house, in the UK anyway. We are lucky to have an average population density similar to Connecticut. I spend my whole life within 30miles of a games shop.
Perhaps a starter set for £25/$25 would be worth doing? Hasbro have been very clever with their D&D starter sets and Chaosium did one for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition.
Also, what about putting the referees' screen artwork on a t-shirt?
I'm looking forward to the big birthday, hopefully there will be a one day convention in London.

 

[Micky]

nice.... I think I might still be sort of really butthurt that our local branch of the Complete Strategist .. that had been in Falls Church for 45 YEARS closed two years ago. Just not a place for table top brick and mortars anymore and if it is one thing this densely populated area does not lack for.. it is young professionals with a lot of disposable income.

 

[MarkAlexander]

nice.... I think I might still be sort of really butthurt that our local branch of the Complete Strategist .. that had been in Falls Church for 45 YEARS closed two years ago. Just not a place for table top brick and mortars anymore and if it is one thing this densely populated area does not lack for.. it is young professionals with a lot of disposable income.

Where is Falls Church?

 

[CordwainerFish]

Where is Falls Church?

Virginia, a few miles from Washington, D.C..

 

[MarkAlexander]

Virginia, a few miles from Washington, D.C..

Thanks.

 

[ColinD]

nice.... I think I might still be sort of really butthurt that our local branch of the Complete Strategist .. that had been in Falls Church for 45 YEARS closed two years ago. Just not a place for table top brick and mortars anymore and if it is one thing this densely populated area does not lack for.. it is young professionals with a lot of disposable income.

Victory Comics is still open and going strong, just a short walk from where the Compleat Strategist used to be.

 

[Micky]

oh wow. Thanks Colin I hadn't been there in years and had forgot all about that place.

 

[ColinD]

oh wow. Thanks Colin I hadn't been there in years and had forgot all about that place.

I can walk to Victory Comics and buy some of my painting supplies. I do miss the Compleat Strategist. Their Osprey Books were really great.

 

[Micky]

yeah I'm a long time, Tactics II playing with my father, kind of long time, hex and counter wargamer. Loved the games .. especially loved me some Osprey books. I laugh with my poor wife as to what she will do with everything, books and games, I have once I kick the can as while my daughters enjoying RPG's.. trying to get them into.. say.. ASL.. was a Bridge WAAAAYYY Too Far.

 

[gilthy]

I think the massive popularity of board games and in-store gaming has got the youngsters out of the house, in the UK anyway. We are lucky to have an average population density similar to Connecticut. I spend my whole life within 30miles of a games shop.
Perhaps a starter set for £25/$25 would be worth doing? Hasbro have been very clever with their D&D starter sets and Chaosium did one for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition.

There was a Mongoose Traveller 2e Starter Set back in 2017 or so, but that seems to have been discontinued (or I overlooked it on the site).

The closest available now is the Traveller Explorer's Edition, which is around $1 in PDF format,

Not sure how viable it would be to produce a starter set at the price point you mentioned above.

 

[Micky]

and keeping up with the scoreboard watching

just about to $100K I see. .really close.. like only one or two more premium backers kind of close.

772 backers! A still a long way to go, over 3 weeks. Really would like to see there were more than me that got into Traveller since the last JTAS Kickstarter.

 

[pelwer]

Is there a complete index of the content for all the Mongoose JTAS volumes anywhere? I have a lot of "I know I read this somewhere" moments and always forget to check the JTAS books. When I do, I am flipping thru them all until I find the article I'm looking for...

 

[Terry Mixon]

Is there a complete index of the content for all the Mongoose JTAS volumes anywhere? I have a lot of "I know I read this somewhere" moments and always forget to check the JTAS books. When I do, I am flipping thru them all until I find the article I'm looking for...

A desire for a consolidated index was mentioned in a different thread. This would be a good candidate for that treatment, too. Equipment would be another.

Heck, let’s be honest. I just want a huge honking index of everything. PDF is fine, I’ll pay for it and then be happy when it gets updated with every new book. That would be a huge benefit.

 

[Geir]

Past the last stretch goal now. For the record, I would like my patch General Chang style, covering my worse eye...

 

[ishldgetoutmore]

I don't know how I managed to miss both the JTAS 2 and JTAS 3 Kickstarters, having backed JTAS 1, but now I'm hoping there will be some way to purchase the physical copies as a bundle. Because now my JTAS 1 box set is looking a little lonely on its overcrowded shelf...