Traveller Friday Thread I - Bu and Embla's Visual Guide to the Traveller Universe

[Micky]

Enjoying a nice Traveller Friday (shades drawn and 'out of office' on for those pesky and oh so inconvenient work emails and phone calls interrupting the Friday day-dreaming of the fun I'm going to have putting Bounty Hunter through its paces this weekend).

I saw the JTAS Kickstarter unleashed the fan vote for which book cover you liked the most or thought should be the slip cover. One and same I suppose. Then there is perhaps some consideration of having Bu and Embla take us on a guided book tour of the Third Imperium's version of the Louvre and spotlighting all really great Mongoose artwork that has been done. Take your spousal unit's blasé French Impressionist coffee table book and banish it... replace it with your Traveller to really impress house guests.

but what are your favorite works of Mongoose Traveller Art. I have two specifically in mind.. one is a no brainer top of the list... the Mona Lisa of the Third Imperium and one never destined to die a stupid and highly implausible metaplot driven death in my campaign world, no sir, but probably will brose back through some books before posting a list.

Any off the top of your head favorites?

 

[paltrysum]

The cover of Glorious Empire.

 

[metlk]

If I had to pick a book cover, I would pick The Marches Adventures 1-5. For me, something about the image invokes the spirit of what Traveller is. Dangerous, exciting, unknown, and sometimes terrifying.

I want to add one of my favorite parts of MgT2e is the artwork. I won't say it's all fantastic, but a large part of it is really nice, colorful and does a good job of representing the old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words."

 

[Geir]

I'm sort of torn between the High Guard update cover (except the close escort looks slightly furry or felt-covered from a little too much digital noise at a bad illumination angle (I'm guessing - used to do digital art using Bryce a long time ago)) and the Spinward Extents cover (even though there is only a couple of Vargr worlds in those sectors (that's the other Extents... maybe I should have gone with 'Fringe' but that's the next two Spinward in my thinking)) - but it's a cool image.

But I also noticed that both Chris (paltrysum) and I picked covers for books we wrote for Mongoose, so there is that bias here, I think. But I picked one of his as well, though, so really, I must be neutral... or something.

 

[AndrewW]

But I also noticed that both Chris (paltrysum) and I picked covers for books we wrote for Mongoose, so there is that bias here, I think. But I picked one of his as well, though, so really, I must be neutral... or something.

Chaotic Neutral maybe.

 

[Micky]

The cover of Glorious Empire.

nice one but not surprisingly (as it wasn't just the quality of the writing alone that made the book my favorite) I think the cover of the Third Imperium book would be my favorite cover. Again not a surprise for it has my favorite piece of interior artwork of all the books. You did sort of hit the nail on the head in one of your Mayday interview videos about the artwork, the artist who did that book. Every picture told a story. None more so than the one of the Empress Iolanthe. Forget all the tough, unsmiling faces like those of the rest of the family. The huge smile just was a creative artistic masterstroke IMO and immediately hits you when you come do it while reading the book. Sticks with you.. you know like that certain rather famous piece of art..

what is behind that smile

Other Favorite covers. Rim Adventures. Talk about evocative. and also love the 2024 Ref Screen. Honorable fav mentions go the Mission to Mithril and Makergod

interior art? some other favorites. absolutely loved two from the recent two books that easily stick out in my mind.. The child being saved and given a doll in the SOM and the showdown at high noon in the Bounty Hunter book. However talk about another book, and yeah the 1b favorite Traveller book to 1a Third Imperium, one that just doesn't rock the printed word but brings its artistic heat with authority (once you get past the cover whose simplicity also has its own valid artistic merits). The Imperial Navy Sourcebook. FABULOUS interior artwork starting with the first piece at the introduction of the book. I'd have that framed in the office....

 

[paltrysum]

I'm sort of torn between the High Guard update cover (except the close escort looks slightly furry or felt-covered from a little too much digital noise at a bad illumination angle (I'm guessing - used to do digital art using Bryce a long time ago)) and the Spinward Extents cover (even though there is only a couple of Vargr worlds in those sectors (that's the other Extents... maybe I should have gone with 'Fringe' but that's the next two Spinward in my thinking)) - but it's a cool image.

But I also noticed that both Chris (paltrysum) and I picked covers for books we wrote for Mongoose, so there is that bias here, I think. But I picked one of his as well, though, so really, I must be neutral... or something.

I feel obliged to say that I really love the Robot Handbook cover.

 

[GabrielGABFonseca]

but what are your favorite works of Mongoose Traveller Art. I have two specifically in mind.. one is a no brainer top of the list... the Mona Lisa of the Third Imperium and one never destined to die a stupid and highly implausible metaplot driven death in my campaign world, no sir, but probably will brose back through some books before posting a list.

Any off the top of your head favorites?

My single favourite piece of art in any Mongoose book is page 152 of The Third Imperium, showing the Grand Palace of Arbellatra and the Imperial Moot Spire lit by a setting sun on Sylea.



Even if the underside of Arbellatra's Palace is missing its hangar bays (see the cover to Travellers' Digest 10), the idea, execution of, and feeling that this piece evokes is just [Chef's Kiss].
I've been meaning to re-create it in Blender 3D for a while now, but time is a precious (and rather slippery) substance, alas.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Behind the Claw.

 

[Micky]

My single favourite piece of art in any Mongoose book is page 152 of The Third Imperium, showing the Grand Palace of Arbellatra and the Imperial Moot Spire lit by a setting sun on Sylea.

View attachment 2004

Even if the underside of Arbellatra's Palace is missing its hangar bays (see the cover to Travellers' Digest 10), the idea, execution of, and feeling that this piece evokes is just [Chef's Kiss].
I've been meaning to re-create it in Blender 3D for a while now, but time is a precious (and rather slippery) substance, alas.

that book was so chalk-a-block full of great art. Another favorite of mine from that one... easily my favorite piece of 'alien' artwork in any of the books

 

[Micky]

and not surprising this guy has his own page of art... this one absolutely ruled from the Imperial Navy book. Get me a framed copy for the office/game room.

 

[Seffix]

Behind the Claw.

What is that structure? It has shown up at least twice, but I don't know what it is?

 

[MarkAlexander]

My favourite covers are:
From 2007, alien module 4 Zhodani
alien module 5 Solomani

The new stuff:
Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society Vol. 5
Mission to Mithral
Mysteries of the Ancients
and of course the Referee's Screen.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

Some random favourites of mine:

The portrait of the Duchess Damae of Ch'Naar Subsector in "The Third Imperium" (page 215); very striking character art, does what character art should do and makes her instantly memorable. Show that image to a player and they'll have a solid idea of "the duchess".

The piece in Aliens of Charted Space Volume One (I think), accompanying discussion of the K'kree-Hiver conflict. A piece that clearly isn't intended to be taken literally but which encapsulates the story perfectly; a K'kree soldier at a banquet table munching on a drumstick while Hivers loom over the scene looking two parts goofy and one part ominous. It's like a K'kree propaganda poster (note that the K'kree is alone, so that's two perversions in one) and I love it.

The bright-eyed young Droyne in Aliens of Charted Space Volume Two.

The interior cover picture in Aliens of Charted Space Four with the Tezcat and the Za'tachk freaking out (the Tezcat because there's an alien that isn't Tezcat-shaped and it's having a xenophobic meltdown, the Za'tachk because there's an angry Tezcat screaming in its face -- and also it's generally afraid of everything to begin with). With the Suerrat and Gurvin in the background standing together and looking on. It captures the essential characters of the four featured races very well.

To be honest, as someone who is invested in all the minutiae of the setting, it's great to have so many illustrations -- colour illustrations too -- of places, species, animals; everything from long-established aliens actually getting illustrations for the first time through to seeing female Zhodani noble-wear (as in the recent Fifth Frontier War book).

 

[Enaknomolos]

I absolutely love the updated referee screen. Each of the elements is relatively subdued, but the sheer quantity of them makes it over the top in the best possible way. It just makes me psyched to play.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

A question regarding the referee screen image (which is fantastic btw!):

The Vargr to the far right seems to wear the same type of vacc suit as the human right next to ‘em, but the visor part is missing/removed

Game-wise, would this be simply opening the visor on a regular vacc suit (very quick and easy to just close it at need), removing the visor/half the helmet (a bit more work) or is this the result of auto-helmet, collapsed state?

 

[paltrysum]

What is that structure? It has shown up at least twice, but I don't know what it is?

I believe it's from the surface of Trin, showing the phenomenon that is Trin's Veil.

 

[Geir]

I believe it's from the surface of Trin, showing the phenomenon that is Trin's Veil.

Maybe, but Trin's Veil is supposed to be a bunch of rocks (200ish??) from a broken up moon and that looks more like an aurora.
Pretty sure the star is meant to be Deneb, and the world is a high tech, industrial world (with a tainted atmosphere).
But I'm not sure what that weird yellow-blue region beyond the horizon and behind the aurora is supposed to be. Is the foreground on a moon? Not Regina, for sure. So it could be Trin, but I'm not sure if there isn't a better fit. Or it's just artistic license and I shouldn't waste too many brain cells on it.

 

[Micky]

A question regarding the referee screen image (which is fantastic btw!):

The Vargr to the far right seems to wear the same type of vacc suit as the human right next to ‘em, but the visor part is missing/removed

Game-wise, would this be simply opening the visor on a regular vacc suit (very quick and easy to just close it at need), removing the visor/half the helmet (a bit more work) or is this the result of auto-helmet, collapsed state?

probably retractable... a standard feature on any Vargr suit apparently has, for much any artwork you see, doesn't show the Vargr's face/head fully covered. Either retractable or so bad ass they don't need helmets like the picture I posted earlier. Vargr going to be Vargr and hard for artists to show their sexy chops if they had the full helmet kind of thing

I mean if you got it.. flaunt it. Goes for the Vargr.. goes for the artists doing them up.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

I can understand a sophont relying heavily upon getting and smell not wanting to have their sensory organs confined within a closed helmet unless necessary.

Just curious if that is the intended end result of auto-helmet or just fully opened (or removed) visor