Traveller Is In The Mainstream

[alex_greene]

Traveller still needs a lot more representation and mainstream awareness. Never mind the movies - it'd be cool to hear some character in a TV show describe how he had this marathon Traveller session exploring hundred thousand year old alien ruins.

Spaced gave 2000 AD a massive mainstream boost. We need a new Spaced. or even to get Sheldon Cooper in TBBT involved in playing Traveller at some point.

 

[dragoner]

Product placement costs money, money mong should spend making sure people who play games, and at game stores, know they exist.

 

[Reynard]

Alex, our luck Traveller will get a CIS episode as the furries had. (Episode 406 Fur and Loathing)

 

[alex_greene]

Alex, our luck Traveller will get a CIS episode as the furries had. (Episode 406 Fur and Loathing)

Probably more like NCIS. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has gone the way of its siblings CSI Miami and CSI:NY.
But yeah ... knowing our luck, that the one day they discover that SFRPGs also exist, they'll turn it into another point-and-laugh-at-the-freak-subculture-of-the-week segment.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Star Trek is the Traveller, what Lord of the Rings is to Dungeons & Dragons.

I'm not sure what it is you are trying to point out with this statement. Perhaps you could elaborate.

 

[dragoner]

Dungeons and Dragons has had a ton of advertising from the 70's until now.

1970's, with Gygax's daughter:

 

[Reynard]

Star Trek is the Traveller, what Lord of the Rings is to Dungeons & Dragons.

I'm not sure what it is you are trying to point out with this statement. Perhaps you could elaborate.

I get what analogy Tom was going for but Star Trek, when Traveller came out, was in stasis sleep. I'm sure there was some influence from the old series but the two have little in common in theme or technology. Star Wars and Traveller came out the same year so I doubt the two knew each other. I remember science fiction from the 70s (shutter) and can't think of too many that have much of an analogy to Traveller. Traveller reminds me more of pre-70s scifi. D&D was obviously influenced by the LotR novels. Has any interview with Marc pointed to novelized influences?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Alex, our luck Traveller will get a CIS episode as the furries had. (Episode 406 Fur and Loathing)

Probably more like NCIS. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has gone the way of its siblings CSI Miami and CSI:NY.
But yeah ... knowing our luck, that the one day they discover that SFRPGs also exist, they'll turn it into another point-and-laugh-at-the-freak-subculture-of-the-week segment.

One problem is, most recorded sessions of Traveller games that are posted on YouTube are not all that entertaining to watch. And the players come off as freak-subculture. There's hardly any Mongoose sessions on YouTube.

As long as Mongoose keeps producing what is probably the best sci-fi RPG out there, people looking for a sci-fi RPG to buy will hopefully realize it's the one to get.

 

[Hopeless]

Can you post any links to these you tube video's?

The only I've seen came across slightly not as good as some of the FFG Star Wars RPG You tube videos' the best of which was showing off the Force & Destiny rules regarding warring nature of a force user courtesy of Angel Arts I believe his channel is called.

Traveller could really use a web comic series I think there was one at one stage but good luck finding it!

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Can you post any links to these you tube video's?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=CT%3A+Merchant%27s+Rising+hangout

 

[Hopeless]

Can you post any links to these you tube video's?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=CT%3A+Merchant%27s+Rising+hangout

Much obliged!

 

[Nobby-W]

Star Trek is the Traveller, what Lord of the Rings is to Dungeons & Dragons.

I'm not sure what it is you are trying to point out with this statement. Perhaps you could elaborate.

I get what analogy Tom was going for but Star Trek, when Traveller came out, was in stasis sleep. I'm sure there was some influence from the old series but the two have little in common in theme or technology.
[ ... ]

Has any interview with Marc pointed to novelized influences?

There aren't a lot of Trek-isms in Traveller - it was far more heavily influenced by late golden-age space opera novels. The Earl Dumarest Saga is often cited as being particularly influential, notably containing tropes such as

• 
  * Low and High Passage, with a significant death rate on low passage
  * Low and high tech worlds
  * Air/rafts
  * Slow and fast drugs
  * Nobility embedded in local cultures
  * A 'large' 'verse with a remote earth
  * Characters describing themselves as 'Travellers'

 

[Nobby-W]

Can you post any links to these you tube video's?

Traveller could really use a web comic series I think there was one at one stage but good luck finding it!

There used to be a series called 'The Travellers' in White Dwarf. There a few web comics for which a Traveller influence is ascribed, although I'm not aware of any that are explicitly set in the 3I. Shlock Mercenary and Freefall are a couple that come to mind OTOH but I dare say there are others.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Since it has gone in another direction, I'd like to elaborate on my post that mentioned Star Trek and Star Wars. I was not using them to comment on their influence on Traveller. I was pointing out that these are mainstream product lines with movies, cartoons, computer games, toys, AND PEN AND PAPER RPG GAMES. Do you consider their pen and paper RPG products "mainstream" entertainment. Buck Rogers, Dr. Who, Firefly/Serenity, Star Gate have products along the lines of the things people are talking about - TV, movies, toys... I wouldn't consider these pen and paper RPGs "mainstream".

Overall, my point is that these were well recognized Sci Fi product lines first and I'd still not call their pen and paper RPGs "mainstream". Traveller would be working backwards, it's pen and paper game is not going to fill the theaters.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

Star Trek is the Traveller, what Lord of the Rings is to Dungeons & Dragons.

I'm not sure what it is you are trying to point out with this statement. Perhaps you could elaborate.

I get what analogy Tom was going for but Star Trek, when Traveller came out, was in stasis sleep. I'm sure there was some influence from the old series but the two have little in common in theme or technology. Star Wars and Traveller came out the same year so I doubt the two knew each other. I remember science fiction from the 70s (shutter) and can't think of too many that have much of an analogy to Traveller. Traveller reminds me more of pre-70s scifi. D&D was obviously influenced by the LotR novels. Has any interview with Marc pointed to novelized influences?

Perhaps Asimov's Foundation Trilogy is more similar. How about the Forbidden Planet? That has a Traveller Scale starship in the shape of a flying Saucer. Suppose you wanted to convert the Forbidden Planet into a Traveller Adventure? There are a lot of Traveller elements in that movie, and no Transporters by the way. Star Trek is a bit "Robot Shy". A Mercenary Cruiser can substitute for the flying Saucer.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Overall, my point is that these were well recognized Sci Fi product lines first and I'd still not call their pen and paper RPGs "mainstream". Traveller would be working backwards, it's pen and paper game is not going to fill the theaters.

Exactly. Traveller is not a franchise at all, when compared with Star Wars/Trek.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Can you post any links to these you tube video's?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=CT%3A+Merchant%27s+Rising+hangout

Much obliged!

This one is LIVE right now. https://plus.google.com/events/c8lpafj3kajlilbi4j6oselp0rk?authkey=CO7bsO-x58HeiQE
Don't know if it's viewable for all countries.

 

[Condottiere]

You need something to hook players, and that's usually a setting.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

You need something to hook players, and that's usually a setting.

Would this work?

 

[Condottiere]

That hooks PCs that failed their dodge roll.