Traveller 2015 and onwards?

[TrippyHippy]

What releases are, or should be, in the pipeline?

For me, the two major things are whether we can see some miniatures based adaptations for both The Third Imperium and 2300AD (we already have a Judge Dredd game), along with whether we can see a move to providing more electronic support (APPs). With regards to the latter, I’d like someone to have a look at the recent Fiasco online app. All it does is provide a neat place to have a load of fold out charts - but this is basically the same sort of thing that Traveller is essentially made up of, and it could work just as well, with a dice roller provided.

Supplement wise, I’d like to see 2300AD’s setting getting much more fleshed out and an actual hardback core setting book for The Third Imperium - maybe with a comprehensive Library data section in the back. Oh, and more campaigns and adventures.

It’s hard to see how much more core Books can be added after the ones already presented including the upcoming releases, but maybe an investment in some new settings - historical or futuristic. We will be seeing the Wild West, and we’ve had some WW2 supplements, but what about the 1850s, or an ultramodern 21st century setting? Maybe look at licences to other sci-fi settings?

What are your thoughts?

 

[alex_greene]

What releases are, or should be, in the pipeline?

A guide for GMs. We've got the Campaign Guide, but we need a full Book to cover the art of Refereeing; using existing settings, creating one's own settings, managing players over the course of a campaign and so on.
Call it Worlds and Adventures.

 

[IanBruntlett]

A guide for GMs. We've got the Campaign Guide, but we need a full Book to cover the art of Refereeing; using existing settings, creating one's own settings, managing players over the course of a campaign and so on.
Call it Worlds and Adventures.

See "Gamemastering" by Dominic Wasch and "Robin's Laws of good gamemastering". Had to buy Robin's book as a PDF from the Steve Jackson Games website.

 

[Ataraxzy]

Eclipse Phase should be licensed.

I like my games simple, my prep-work complicated. Traveller scratches that itch for tons of genres, but it doesn't do Transhuman/Horror.

Heck, I'll write it if needs be. Not like I haven't done that before.

 

[Infojunky]

I like my games simple, my prep-work complicated. Traveller scratches that itch for tons of genres, but it doesn't do Transhuman/Horror.

Says Who?....

Or my games have been Heavily Post-Human for 20+ years.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Mongoose Traveller could do Mindjammer a lot better than the FATE based system.

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

Transhumanism would be good.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I’m not so sure that getting a new setting would be necessary for Transhumanism myself - I could see many of the concepts being integrated on the hidden edges of the 2300AD or even the Imperium settings actually.

What I’d prefer is a new Supplement: Transhumanism or something like that.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Eclipse Phase should be licensed.

I like my games simple, my prep-work complicated. Traveller scratches that itch for tons of genres, but it doesn't do Transhuman/Horror.

Heck, I'll write it if needs be. Not like I haven't done that before.

There is a Traveller setting Cthonian Stars :twisted:

 

[Ataraxzy]

Eclipse Phase should be licensed.

I like my games simple, my prep-work complicated. Traveller scratches that itch for tons of genres, but it doesn't do Transhuman/Horror.

Heck, I'll write it if needs be. Not like I haven't done that before.

There is a Traveller setting Cthonian Stars :twisted:

True, but it's pre-transhuman and TL9-10. And quite frankly, the advice on running horror is sparse.

I'd like to see a Transhuman supplement that covers TL9->TL15+

 

[Infojunky]

I’m not so sure that getting a new setting would be necessary for Transhumanism myself - I could see many of the concepts being integrated on the hidden edges of the 2300AD or even the Imperium settings actually.

What I’d prefer is a new Supplement: Transhumanism or something like that.

Dudes they are there just get distracted by what the Fans say, heck Traveller is all about post human funness just look back at all the adventures....

Or are we talking Transhuman in the Cyberpunk 2020 light, then well Traveller still does it but the cromes is a little more subtle.

 

[Ataraxzy]

I’m not so sure that getting a new setting would be necessary for Transhumanism myself - I could see many of the concepts being integrated on the hidden edges of the 2300AD or even the Imperium settings actually.

What I’d prefer is a new Supplement: Transhumanism or something like that.

Dudes they are there just get distracted by what the Fans say, heck Traveller is all about post human funness just look back at all the adventures....

Or are we talking Transhuman in the Cyberpunk 2020 light, then well Traveller still does it but the cromes is a little more subtle.

It can, but there's some pretty large lacunae there to cover too: I'd like to see rules for 'Morphs, both bio- and mechanical, Forks, effect-based computer interaction (not hardware based like we have now), hiding and finding people in a panoptic society, Info-life and more.

None of these are things that Traveller handles particularly well, but could.

Computational resources in standard Traveller are minuscule; How about some rules to handle ubiquitous computing? The idea of Computer/1 is great for period SF, but a transhuman society should have a majority of people who can instantaneously access massive server farms to perform complex interactions/interrogations with a thought, even aboard ships in jumpspace. Their e-butlers should be personalities in and of themselves, capable of volition on the PC's part. A PC should be able to create info-life with ease and regularity (depending on culture, of course) and have their Alpha|Beta|Gamma forks split off and merge with a few hours' work.

Your ship should have a strong A.I. and the replicator on board should be able to pump out any weapon/armor/foodstuff or whatever that you've bought the blueprints for.

Grey goo may be a problem, but there should be rules to handle Blue, Black and White goo too.

 

[alex_greene]

I'm sure that all of this would be covered if the book got the go-ahead.

I would like to see some form of transhumanism appearing in Traveller, as a setting option. The nature of transhumanism prompts the question "what exactly is human, anyway?" and spawns all other manner of philosophical questions.

 

[Infojunky]

All I can really say to someone who makes the assumption that Traveller's computers are X and thus the game is dated is; Find a better group to play Traveller with.

The Mongoose fork of Traveller is joyful mis-mash of earlier editions that had some awkward bits, that were heavily revised within their editions. So pretty much a computer is whatever you need it to be even within Mongoose.

As for Character generation all the tools one needs are in the aliens section and the equipment section to generate the types of characters that where being discussed. Two books that address this topic in further detail are MgT's Core Book for Traveller:2300 and the Robots Book from 13Mann, with those there are details and bits many of the Career Books as well as in number of the 3rd Party books that help flesh this topic out.

Also note the AI, Machine Intelligence question is also address in the 13Mann Robots book as well. Note in the core genesis of Traveller the was a disregard for AI and the like as part of the attitude of one or more of the principle authors. With that one of the most common Traveller Hacks is the inclusion of AI of some level or another.

But mostly I would like remind y'all Traveller is mostly a Roll-your-Own sorta game, thus what you feel is necessary might not apply to the next guy, so when talking about rules or ideas it is best to say "How would I do X?" Or better yet "Here Guys this how I am doing x, whadda you think?" With the second one you need to remember that there isn't any Traveller Cops who will come along and say "You're doing it wrong."

 

[Infojunky]

I'm sure that all of this would be covered if the book got the go-ahead.

I would like to see some form of transhumanism appearing in Traveller, as a setting option. The nature of transhumanism prompts the question "what exactly is human, anyway?" and spawns all other manner of philosophical questions.

Dave Pulver is Hanging around here, wouldn't mind if he took a stab at it...

 

[Ataraxzy]

I'm sure that all of this would be covered if the book got the go-ahead.

I would like to see some form of transhumanism appearing in Traveller, as a setting option. The nature of transhumanism prompts the question "what exactly is human, anyway?" and spawns all other manner of philosophical questions.

Quite so.

I'll write up a proposal over the next week or so. Not like I haven't written (and published) book-length gaming material before. Just not for Traveller.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Traveller 2300 almost became the first rpg to cover transhumanist themes.

The provolutionist movement augmented their agents mechanicially and biologically, and you had the pentapod biotech to adapt to human use. When they introduced the cyberpunk stuff to the Earth sourcebook they has machine AI and downloaded/uploaded people.

I could see the T2300 developing into a transhumance game if these themes were developed and allowed to reach maturity.

 

[Ataraxzy]

Traveller 2300 almost became the first rpg to cover transhumanist themes.

The provolutionist movement augmented their agents mechanicially and biologically, and you had the pentapod biotech to adapt to human use. When they introduced the cyberpunk stuff to the Earth sourcebook they has machine AI and downloaded/uploaded people.

I could see the T2300 developing into a transhumance game if these themes were developed and allowed to reach maturity.

I agree.

I think that we can do better than confining transhuman themes to 2300AD though. A good Supplement might cover everything from the Information Age all the way past the Elipse Phase-like portion through to ultra-tech transhumanism like The Culture or Orion's Arm.

 

[Infojunky]

As I stated Posthuman games are possible and somewhat supported by the Standing rules sets and backgrounds, the fact of the matter is both the specific settings of Traveller, the 3rd Imperium and Traveller:2300 have strict gatekeepers guarding what becomes background. Also note I don't know how far past Tech Level 15 Mongooses license can stretch as that is an area being actively explored by T5.

With that I would love to see another stab at the topic in light of what has been produced. In light of further comments one might want to build a new Tech Scale Metric to support ones efforts as they fork from the core settings. (Hint, I generally use a verbal scale of Low Tech, High Tech and Advanced Tech to describe variations from the norm)

 

[lastbesthope]

An Armageddon 2089 RPG and minis game

LBH