Traveller, 2300AD and the Planets

[Imperator58]

There was a game, Traveller: 2300/2300 A.D. (some of you may be familiar with it) that had a supplement called the Colonial Atlas. In it were page after page of system & planetary breakdowns, each accompanied by a planet map.
THAT'S something I'd like to see. Granted, even just the Marches alone is too big to be covered that way in a single volume, but for sure the vast bulk of interesting/important systems could be done!
I think it would be a great aid... and, unlike the other offerings in existence or coming up, completely new. Uh, color maps, please. 8)
That's a definite way for Mongoose to leave their permanent stamp on the Traveller Universe, to be sure.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Maybe just start with a Sub Sector or a Quadrant (4 subsectors)?

 

[AKAramis]

There was a game, Twilight: 2300/2300 A.D. (some of you may be familiar with it) that had a supplement called the Colonial Atlas. In it were page after page of system & planetary breakdowns, each accompanied by a planet map.
THAT'S something I'd like to see. Granted, even just the Marches alone is too big to be covered that way in a single volume, but for sure the vast bulk of interesting/important systems could be done!
I think it would be a great aid... and, unlike the other offerings in existence or coming up, completely new. Uh, color maps, please. 8)
That's a definite way for Mongoose to leave their permanent stamp on the Traveller Universe, to be sure.

Not "Twilight 2300", but "Traveller: 2300", later renamed "2300AD"...

And a subsector would work nicely at that scale: 1 page for the system and UPP's, a 1 page map of the mainworld, and one page of data, and you've a 100 to 150 page book REALLY quickly. It does, however, either require a team or a consistent and rabid "nothing else" author.

 

[EDG]

2300AD also had the advantage of being a much more realistic and closer to home RPG than Traveller. I can't think of any world writeups for the OTU that have actually means something to the reader as the ones Colonial Atlas (e.g. if it mentions something the Chinese did on a planet, one may think "I could totally see them doing that". Whereas if an OTU book mentions something the Vilani do on a planet then that doesn't trigger any similar kind of recognition).

The politics in 2300AD are also a lot meatier than the pseudo-feudalism of the OTU.

 

[Bygoneyrs]

Even better, what about a resorce book that picks a smaller area and does a few star systems completely and really goes into details about the total system and what one might find there and many plots.


Penn

 

[simonh]

Even better, what about a resorce book that picks a smaller area and does a few star systems completely and really goes into details about the total system and what one might find there and many plots.
Penn

Check out The Bowman Arm from Avenger Enterprises. You can pick it up at Comstar Games. It doesn't go into quite that much detail, but it's a good start and they have a few other adventures and supplements set in the same region. I picked these up a week ago and I'm very happy. Type-S is set near there as well.

Simon Hibbs

 

[Emryys]

Check out The Bowman Arm from Avenger Enterprises.

I recommend this too...

 

[Imperator58]

Are Avenger's products downloads or hardcopy?

 

[Klaus Kipling]

1248 stuff is in hard copy too, but the other stuff is just pdf dl.

To make such a work somewhat less daunting, how about 1 world per subsector in, say, the Marches. Either a significant or interesting world. Then there's only 16 to worry about. Get a different author on each one. Full colour maps, adventure hooks, patron encounters, and maybe an amber zone.

Places like Regina, Collace, Biter, Garda-Vilis, etc etc.

 

[Mithras]

There were never any world maps in the the Colonial Atlas (I wish!).

For this project, I reckon it would best be served by detailing a new subsector in a new region, so toes aren't trodden on. I know I have my subsector detailed full well.

 

[GhostWolf69]

Spinward Marches is roughly 400+something systems... 1 page each say 430 pages or so... Now that's a TOME! I'll buy it!

But honestly... more detailed info is probably prefereable. So I'd rather buy SubSector books, with 10-15 pages per system and a bunch of plot-hooks.

But that's just me. I mean brief info is allready available through the Library Data and the UWPs.

/wolf

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Each Sub-Sector contains about 40 worlds, so you could do 2-3 pages on each world (including a map) and fill a 100-120 page book. That seems about right to me.

For sub-sectors that contain a polity (like Sword Worlds and Darrian) you could include this data in an Alien Supplement...

 

[GhostWolf69]

Each Sub-Sector contains about 40 worlds, so you could do 2-3 pages on each world (including a map) and fill a 100-120 page book. That seems about right to me.

For sub-sectors that contain a polity (like Sword Worlds and Darrian) you could include this data in an Alien Supplement...

Yupp! Can I get an AMEN!

/wolf

 

[Mithras]

AMEN

 

[Colin]

There were never any world maps in the the Colonial Atlas (I wish!).

l.

The (likely late) 2320AD had maps for every colony world. I should know, I made them. And if you're looking for world maps (shameless self-plug follows) "Planets of the Interstellar Era", for an unnamed game system, had 24 different planets (or space stations), all mapped, with system maps as well.

 

[Imperator58]

My understanding is that (should all go well with the line) the Mongoose Traveller rules will be used to support alternate sci-fi universes. I don't recall exactly which ones are planned - was Hammer's Slammers one? I think Starship Troopers was, and 2300 AD mighta been too. GREAT plan - the latter was a fantastic game universe with a way-cumbersome rules set. I'd love to see it given a second (well, third) chance as a sub-product of Traveller.
And THEN we could get our Galaxy Guide!

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Announced alternate settings for Traveller include (but are not limited to)

Babylon 5
Strontium Dogs
Hammer's Slammers
Starship Troopers

From Mongoose anyway. OGL ATUs should be hitting the interweb this fall, if not sooner.

 

[EDG]

I would love it if Mongoose got 2320AD and released it under the new Traveller system - then 2320AD (and Colin) would get the treatment it actually deserved.