Traveller 5E

[Sigtrygg]

From X a couple of hours ago:

"The best science-fiction role-playing game ever, adapted at last to the world's most popular rules!

Spearheaded by GDW and TSR veteran Timothy Brown, Traveller 5E is coming from World's Largest RPGs, with crowdfunding in March 2026...!

and from the Mongoose News email I opened a few minutes ago (I've bolded a couple of bits):

"Traveller 5E

The best science-fiction role-playing game ever, adapted at last to the world's most popular rules! All of Traveller's key activities (character and world generation, personal and ship combat, you name it) fully converted to 5E's exciting, heroic game system.

Spearheaded by GDW and TSR veteran Timothy Brown, with a savvy team of Traveller and 5E experts, and in full coordination with Mongoose Publishing, this new approach goes beyond just the established universe, paving the way for whole new settings. No small undertaking, Traveller 5E is envisioned as combining the key Mongoose Publishing books into new volumes, making a 4-5 book, potentially 2,000+ page slipcase set, with a steady flow of rules, adventures, and entirely new settings to follow.

It's a gateway, a portal, to bring lots of gamers loyal to their favourite game system into the Traveller community.

Traveller 5E, coming from World's Largest RPGs, crowdfunding in March 2026."

Thoughts?

 

[Terry Mixon]

From X a couple of hours ago:

"The best science-fiction role-playing game ever, adapted at last to the world's most popular rules!

Spearheaded by GDW and TSR veteran Timothy Brown, Traveller 5E is coming from World's Largest RPGs, with crowdfunding in March 2026...!

and from the Mongoose News email I opened a few minutes ago (I've bolded a couple of bits):

"Traveller 5E

The best science-fiction role-playing game ever, adapted at last to the world's most popular rules! All of Traveller's key activities (character and world generation, personal and ship combat, you name it) fully converted to 5E's exciting, heroic game system.

Spearheaded by GDW and TSR veteran Timothy Brown, with a savvy team of Traveller and 5E experts, and in full coordination with Mongoose Publishing, this new approach goes beyond just the established universe, paving the way for whole new settings. No small undertaking, Traveller 5E is envisioned as combining the key Mongoose Publishing books into new volumes, making a 4-5 book, potentially 2,000+ page slipcase set, with a steady flow of rules, adventures, and entirely new settings to follow.

It's a gateway, a portal, to bring lots of gamers loyal to their favourite game system into the Traveller community.

Traveller 5E, coming from World's Largest RPGs, crowdfunding in March 2026."

Thoughts?

They said someone else would be doing the work and paying for it, so I don’t see a downside. It might bring more people in. I wonder how well it will mesh with Esper Genesis.

 

[JupiterIndustries]

more nice Traveller things to invest in is good.

I run a bit of 5E from time to time still even now but I more often play it, compared to Traveller and CoC which I only ever GM.

Spelljammer was a very disappointing experience and is the only comparable setting (albeit limited to just being set in space) I can think of so I expect that it'll be far better than that at least.

 

[Terry Mixon]

more nice Traveller things to invest in is good.

I run a bit of 5E from time to time still even now but I more often play it, compared to Traveller and CoC which I only ever GM.

Spelljammer was a very disappointing experience and is the only comparable setting (albeit limited to just being set in space) I can think of so I expect that it'll be far better than that at least.

There is Esper Genesis. I have the books and it is 5E science fiction.

 

[JupiterIndustries]

There is Esper Genesis. I have the books and it is 5E science fiction.

Yeah just saw your post. Will take a bit more of a deep look at that.

Also worth pointing out this 5E homebrew of Mass Effect which I just remembered: https://www.n7.world/

I think a 5E version of Traveler serves well as a pathway into the MGT. I don't see it overtaking that for me. It would certainly be useful for injecting into other settings too so the compatibility benefits are numerous.

 

[Limpin Legin]

Why 5E and not 6E? Doesn't that make Traveller "... a science fiction roleplaying game [consigned to the far, far Past]"?

 

[Sigtrygg]

WotC already has Exodus, their player book and monster manual are already available and I would expect an "Exodus DMs Guide" or some such will be next.

How does this Traveller 5E not clash with Traveller 5 copyright?

I'm also assuming this will not be a Mongoose or WotC product but rather licenced, so what is the name of the company producing it? Or is it a case of someone taking the SRDs that are out there and making this game?

 

[mavikfelna]

Not a fan of 5E but since Mongoose aren't the ones developing this, so it's not pulling resources away from MgT 2e, I don't have a problem with this. Hopefully it will bring in more players.
I don't like the logo design though. I think a more traditional Traveller font should be used. But that's just an old grognard complaint I suppose.

 

[JupiterIndustries]

Why 5E and not 6E?

Are you talking about the recent 5E updates? I thought that was 5.5 and not 6E.

How does this Traveller 5E not clash with Traveller 5 copyright?

Pretty doubtful it clashes, there's a clear difference between the two and if Mark has given everything to Mongoose now anyways I'm sure it's all above board.

I'm also assuming this will not be a Mongoose or WotC product but rather licenced, so what is the name of the company producing it? Or is it a case of someone taking the SRDs that are out there and making this game?

https://worldslargestrpgs.com/ is producing it, per the email.

 

[Sigtrygg]

I must not be the target audience, I had never heard of worlds largest rpgs...

will they be allowed to use The Third Imperium setting?

 

[Endie]

How does this Traveller 5E not clash with Traveller 5 copyright?

Given that Mongoose own the T5 rights now, and that Mongoose announced this collaboration through email, twitter and discord that I saw, it seems unlikely that there will be any issue.

 

[Endie]

I must not be the target audience, I had never heard of worlds largest rpgs...

will they be allowed to use The Third Imperium setting?

Funnily enough I backed their World's Largest Dungeon product a while back (despite not playing D&D these days), which has been progressing nicely, looks excellent in its production standards and is delivering on their goals, so I'm pretty relaxed about backing them on this as well.

 

[apastuszak]

I would have preferred they bring back GURPS Traveller using GURPS4. At least the GURPS rules fit better with Traveller.

 

[Stargrove]

I wonder how similar this will be to T20 when it came out? It was similar to D&D in that you started at level 1 and went from there and kind of got rid of the character creation mini-game that Traveller always had. Also, by the time you got to level 20, you were very powerful, just like in D&D.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Given that Mongoose own the T5 rights now, and that Mongoose announced this collaboration through email, twitter and discord that I saw, it seems unlikely that there will be any issue.

Do they? So where are the T5 book links on the Mongoose front page? Reading what Matt said it looks like T5 remains Marc's until... well I would rather not complete that.

 

[Sigtrygg]

I would have preferred they bring back GURPS Traveller using GURPS4. At least the GURPS rules fit better with Traveller.

The GURPS 4e rules were used for GT:ISW. I would like to have seen supplements that continued that line into the Rule of Man, the Long Night, the Sylean Federation becoming the Third Imperium, the various milestone in Third Imperium history up to 1105...

 

[Sigtrygg]

I wonder how similar this will be to T20 when it came out? It was similar to D&D in that you started at level 1 and went from there and kind of got rid of the character creation mini-game that Traveller always had. Also, by the time you got to level 20, you were very powerful, just like in D&D.

You could start at level 1 and begin your adventures but there was a comprehensive and very detailed prior history procedure that granted you XP as you completed terms which you could then spend on levels in classes that were available to the career you has undertaken. Complete seven terms and you could start play at quite a reasonable level that would make you much more capable than those that chose zero to hero.

 

[Limpin Legin]

Are you talking about the recent 5E updates? I thought that was 5.5 and not 6E.

I was referring to the publicised 2024 6E updates ... but I'm no marketing guy by any measure.

 

[Endie]

Do they? So where are the T5 book links on the Mongoose front page? Reading what Matt said it looks like T5 remains Marc's until... well I would rather not complete that.

Yes, they do. But in the announcement they said that they wanted Marc to continue working on T5 and Traveller fiction, and reaping all the gains from those for as long as he wants. After that, they said that they hoped that they would find someone else to pick up the work of maintaining and expanding T5.

 

[Endie]

I was referring to the publicised 2024 6E updates ... but I'm no marketing guy by any measure.

WotC completely messed up their marketing and branding on the 2024 revision, but if you refer to it as 6E most people will be confused. The most common unofficial name for it in the last couple of years has been 5.5, followed by 5e 2024 Edition. I think the latter is what WotC want but they've screwed up so badly so who knows?...