I remember the characters starting from between level 1 and 5 with a life path, nut I haven't touched the book since it came out. Now I have to go look.
Traveller 5E
- Thread starter Sigtrygg
- Start date
I remember the characters starting from between level 1 and 5 with a life path, nut I haven't touched the book since it came out. Now I have to go look.
Wolf_Solheim
Mongoose
I don't like WotC, I stopped playing D&D around 3.5E and I have absolutely zero interest in a version of Traveller shoehorned into a system that is (in my opinion) absolutely ill-fitting to depict the kind of universe that the Third Imperium describes.
If anyone is wondering: this is my first time posting on the forums despite being a long-time lurker without registering. That's how strongly I feel about this.
It's not something I'll buy, because I haven't bought anything for D&D since about 1988? I don't care if they make a new version of T20. But, as I said in another thread recently, I have always been bemused by marketing a game system as running on another game system. This seems likely to just further hammer home that Traveller = Charted Space rather than Traveller being a game system useful for all sorts of sci fi gaming.
But I'm not the one who makes a living off the IP, so it doesn't really affect me either way. If they make new Charted Space setting material, I might get that just because I enjoy reading that kind of thing. But the core rulebook? Nah.
But I'm not the one who makes a living off the IP, so it doesn't really affect me either way. If they make new Charted Space setting material, I might get that just because I enjoy reading that kind of thing. But the core rulebook? Nah.
It seems a total mismatch to me, Travellers aren’t supposed to be ‘superheroes’. Luckily I don’t have to buy it and can pretend it doesn’t exist.
While the idea is that it will introduce more players to the Traveller universe, I don’t see many, if any, 5E players trying real Traveller, especially if they’re given the chance to play it in superhero mode. Meh, if Mongoose gets a slice of the pie from licensing, that’s the biggest plus I can see.
While the idea is that it will introduce more players to the Traveller universe, I don’t see many, if any, 5E players trying real Traveller, especially if they’re given the chance to play it in superhero mode. Meh, if Mongoose gets a slice of the pie from licensing, that’s the biggest plus I can see.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Traveller editions tend to be universally confusing.
Except the first one.
Except the first one.
Talon Greyfeather
Banded Mongoose
So excited!!!! Another set of rules, lore, and a bunch more stuff to further divide the fan base! 
I understand the marketing advantage of taking it to 5E to broaden the audience, but I do not see the 3I being that draw. - unless it is something completely different - and then it is Traveller in name only.
I understand the marketing advantage of taking it to 5E to broaden the audience, but I do not see the 3I being that draw. - unless it is something completely different - and then it is Traveller in name only.
BaalAdvocate
Mongoose
Hopefully this doesn't follow the trend of things going to pot once there's an effort to mainstream it.
As we've discussed in other threads recently, people on this forum are not the target here: we already play Traveller. Some of us even play Traveller with other people.
This is about bringing in players who currently play the TTRPG that, like it or not, has for years had a bigger market of players than every other TTRPG put together. It's not aimed at most of us. The fact that people here get all worked-up about a version of Traveller that dares cross the lines of their Holy War is utterly irrelevant, because we aren't the target.
This is about bringing in players who currently play the TTRPG that, like it or not, has for years had a bigger market of players than every other TTRPG put together. It's not aimed at most of us. The fact that people here get all worked-up about a version of Traveller that dares cross the lines of their Holy War is utterly irrelevant, because we aren't the target.
No one is "getting worked up about a Holy War". That's just you being a jerk and disrespecting other peoples' opinions.
This is probably good for Mongoose, because they get licensing money out of. But Traveller is a rules system. D&D is a rules system. You do not get Traveller players by making a D&D version of Charted Space.
Charted Space is a cool thing. If people want to play in it using a new version of T20, great. That's not actually building the Traveller brand, however. It is further conflating Traveller with Charted Space, which is a known problem with getting people who don't like Charted Space's setting to actually play Traveller.
This is probably good for Mongoose, because they get licensing money out of. But Traveller is a rules system. D&D is a rules system. You do not get Traveller players by making a D&D version of Charted Space.
Charted Space is a cool thing. If people want to play in it using a new version of T20, great. That's not actually building the Traveller brand, however. It is further conflating Traveller with Charted Space, which is a known problem with getting people who don't like Charted Space's setting to actually play Traveller.
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Jarac Rassen
Banded Mongoose
As someone new to Traveller (started buying the books since March of this year, and now it almost takes up a whole shelf)... why?
I got into Traveller because it's not D&D 5E. It's grounded. Its character creation feature is second to none; no classes. It's not about becoming super heroes. 5E is fundamentally a different game from Traveller.
And if you think this will "bring more people to Traveller", you are kidding yourself. It will make people just want to play that version of Traveller. Again, 5E people typically only want to play 5E and nothing else. And if you try to say, "Hey, can we play Traveller?" They'll say, "Sure, we've got Traveller 5E."
I know this is about making more money and increasing brand awareness. It's a business decision. But don't think this will make a good pipeline to Mongoose 2E. It'll just be another setting in the 5E system that they will stick to and not leave.
I got into Traveller because it's not D&D 5E. It's grounded. Its character creation feature is second to none; no classes. It's not about becoming super heroes. 5E is fundamentally a different game from Traveller.
And if you think this will "bring more people to Traveller", you are kidding yourself. It will make people just want to play that version of Traveller. Again, 5E people typically only want to play 5E and nothing else. And if you try to say, "Hey, can we play Traveller?" They'll say, "Sure, we've got Traveller 5E."
I know this is about making more money and increasing brand awareness. It's a business decision. But don't think this will make a good pipeline to Mongoose 2E. It'll just be another setting in the 5E system that they will stick to and not leave.
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As far as I can tell this is a third party "Largest RPG" purchasing an IP License from Mongoose to produce a version of Traveller in 5th Edition. The Kickstarter breaks around march and Mongoose is helping out by boosting the news.
Like or hate 5th Edition D&D, this can only do good things by spreading the brand.
I think they are a bit late to the party, but hope they do well.
Like or hate 5th Edition D&D, this can only do good things by spreading the brand.
I think they are a bit late to the party, but hope they do well.
Studio Cat
Cosmic Mongoose
I'll wait and see what they come up with before I pass judgement on a new licensed version of Traveller.
My only concern is that if WotC/Hasbro decides to further their bad publicity campaign (you remember, where they send the Pinkerton's after reviewers for their own mistake and threatened to cancel the OGL which originally led to DnD's placement as the 800 pound gorilla of gaming) and get litigious claiming that Traveller 5E violates the Exodus IP somehow. That could turn out to be expensive.
My only concern is that if WotC/Hasbro decides to further their bad publicity campaign (you remember, where they send the Pinkerton's after reviewers for their own mistake and threatened to cancel the OGL which originally led to DnD's placement as the 800 pound gorilla of gaming) and get litigious claiming that Traveller 5E violates the Exodus IP somehow. That could turn out to be expensive.
Won't go into details, but lines have already been drawn in this arena and would be extremely difficult to breach.
Wizard
Banded Mongoose
My initial reaction was, let’s put it nicely... shock! But after thinking about it more, 2D6 Traveller leans toward realism, while Traveller 5e, drawing on other d20 systems, will lean toward the heroic side. I don’t think the Charted Space setting is the best fit for Traveller 5e, but imagine a setting where an entire planet of undead roams the stars in undead-piloted starships. Combine that with dungeons and regions of space ruled by evil empires, all waiting for heroes to intervene. That could work. I might have been tempted, but honestly, I’m far more excited for Dark Conspiracy.
That said, I do think Traveller 5e has the potential to attract a large number of d20 players. I expect it will include all the familiar Traveller rules for character, planet, starship, and vehicle generation, but reworked for heroic d20-style play. That provides a solid foundation, and then the setting itself will need to carry the weight to make it successful.
At the end of the day, if this helps Mongoose earn a bit more revenue, enough to hire more staff and deliver even more 2D6 awesomeness, I’m all for it.
That said, I do think Traveller 5e has the potential to attract a large number of d20 players. I expect it will include all the familiar Traveller rules for character, planet, starship, and vehicle generation, but reworked for heroic d20-style play. That provides a solid foundation, and then the setting itself will need to carry the weight to make it successful.
At the end of the day, if this helps Mongoose earn a bit more revenue, enough to hire more staff and deliver even more 2D6 awesomeness, I’m all for it.
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Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
T20 didn't and it was built upon 3E.
It worked well enough for T20, in point of fact T20 made less changes to charted space than Mongoose has, it certainly had a more canonical ship construction system.
Like the Essaray?
Once again you are taking fantasy tropes that were not taken by T20, why would 5E not just be a conversion of character generation, world design, ship construction and the charted space setting?
Me too, I am going to run a "Call of Cthulhu" game this Christmas, using material extracted from The Magnus Archives and Old Gods of Appalachia MCG products... what the players are not being told is that the "setting truth" is Dark Conspiracy...
it's ok my wife and the others playing this never visit these forums.
We will see how it does when it kickstarts, their last one was over a million, about ten times what Mongoose gets for their best kickstarters. Fantasy is a lot more popular than sci fi, but I expect to see a lot of news release about this one in the run up to the kickstarter.
I'll be interested to see what they do with combat/damage options...
Will there be crossovers?
Wizard
Banded Mongoose
I was just thinking if the aim it to bring new players into Traveller, we already have 2D6 for the realism. So, lets expand the player base by introducing new players and entice them with heroic Traveller 5e.
I was actually thinking about the planet Eox from the Starfinder setting. The thought of Eoxian bone structured ships just makes me smile.
It could be, but doing that just doesn't feel worth the effort to me. We already have 2D6 Traveller that does that well, so going in a heroic fantasy direction just feels like a better way of expanding the player base. We will then have 2 offerings, realistic 2D6 Traveller and heroic d20 Traveller, with a bit of fantasy, as I tend to think of fantasy elements when I think d20
, probably as that's where I had the most fun with d20 in the past.Sounds like fun. I'll just wait... hopefully Dark Conspiracy comes out in the first half of 2026, well at least the PDF.
