Traveller Open Content - New Programme on the Way!

[MongooseMatt]

In light of recent events, Mongoose Publishing is going to be introducing a brand new Traveller Open Content programme, allowing gamers and publishers to build their own projects using the most recent edition of Traveller rules.


We will be working with existing Traveller OGL publishers to build a new SRD based upon the Traveller Core Rulebook Update 2022, using their feedback to ensure best utility, and a logo licence will be made available to clearly mark compatible products.

At this time, we are looking to the ORC licence to maintain openness, now and in the future.

The current TAS programme on Drivethru, which allows the publishing of material set in the official Charted Space universe, will continue to run separately, but alongside, Traveller Open Content.

More news as it develops!

 

[kronovan]

This is terrific news. By ORC are you referring to Open RPG Creative license such as the one Paizo Publishing has?
How would this effect those publishers that create different versions of the Cepheus Engine? Would they be able to create a CE edition based upon the 2022 update SRD and then retail it on a storefront like drivethru? Or is it just for other types of content?

 

[regex]

Are you considering relicensing the existing SRD so that the Cepheus Engine could (potentially) be relicensed as well? Or is this just an SRD update and the intention is that CE products under the OGL 1.0a will be left to sway in the wind?

E: I ask because I'm perfectly happy with what we have now (sans this licensing debacle), the current SRD and Cepheus Engine, and am not exactly interested in updated rules.

 

[timtoon]

How will the Traveller Open Content and TAS programmes differ?

 

[humusk]

Great news!

 

[alex_greene]

So many questions ...
I'll ask one. If it's set in the OTU / Charted Space / etc, with Droyne, Zhodani, Vilani and all our friends ... that's TAS, and anything else such as your own homebrew stuff (e.g. a whole different setting) ... that'd be the TOC license. Would that be the way you feel like you're heading?

 

[taosecurity]

Are you considering relicensing the existing SRD so that the Cepheus Engine could (potentially) be relicensed as well? Or is this just an SRD update and the intention is that CE products under the OGL 1.0a will be left to sway in the wind?

E: I ask because I'm perfectly happy with what we have now (sans this licensing debacle), the current SRD and Cepheus Engine, and am not exactly interested in updated rules.

I would like to second the vote for relicensing the existing SRD to enable Cepheus Engine to continue. I've bought many products from Mongoose itself and Cepheus Engine publishers. I'm excited to see where Mongoose takes Traveller, but I'd appreciate Mongoose support for Cepheus Engine via relicensing to ORC or an equivalent truly open license. Thank you.

 

[MatthiasDeWit]

I also want to support relicensing the currect SRD so the Cepheus Engine can continue.

 

[MongooseMatt]

So many questions ...
I'll ask one. If it's set in the OTU / Charted Space / etc, with Droyne, Zhodani, Vilani and all our friends ... that's TAS, and anything else such as your own homebrew stuff (e.g. a whole different setting) ... that'd be the TOC license. Would that be the way you feel like you're heading?

At this time, yes.

 

[MonkeyX]

This is great news. With my OSR projects on hold Traveller is something I’d like to support instead.

 

[kronovan]

Will this have any impact on Virtual Table Top content - i.e. the Mongoose Traveller 1 and Mongoose Traveller 2 rulesets for Fantasy Grounds?

Currently the ruleset is vaulted making it impossible for a Referee to write their own Extension to provide custom features to players. Some rulesets available for FG (Savage Worlds, FATE Core, Starfinder, Pathfinder, all D&D versions, to name a few) make part of the ruleset available by providing what's called a PAK file in the global \ruleset folder.
It would be a big boon to the FG VTT Traveller community, if we had a PAK file to code our own custom extensions. And it would allow someone to code an extension to properly support the Cepheus Engine.

And on another VTT note, what about selling Custom Modules on the Fantasy Grounds Forge?
A FG custom module could be equivalent to TAS, where the Referee is adding additional content to the existing Traveller Universe; currently a handful of these (mostly spacecraft deck plans) are free on the Forge. A custom module can also be a homebrew where the Referee is just using the ruleset to support a custom setting. Would the TOC allow homebrew setting modules to be distributed via the Forge and even charge $ for them ?

 

[Zeropoint]

I sure hope Mongoose decides to do the right thing and support the hobby here. There are several Traveller books I've been looking forward to getting when I have a little more disposable income in the near future, but ... how Mongoose decides to treat the community is going to play a big part in my decision on how much money I want to give them.

I'm not a mover or a shaker in the world, but I can and do vote with my wallet.

And you know, I already have a physical copy of the Mongoose 2e2022 Traveller core book. I like what I'm seeing here and I want more of it.

 

[gilthy]

I sure hope Mongoose decides to do the right thing and support the hobby here.

Read @MongooseMatt 's response here: https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/sad-and-disappointed.123776/#post-958692

 

[Condottiere]

I could be totally off with my impression, but it seems that Mongoose is going the socialist route with creating a workers' paradise, while Hasbro is choking on hyper capitalism.

As I understand it, Dungeons and Dragons as a whole brings in about one hundred fifty megabux of revenue, and they need to make it breakthrough the gigabux barrier, per annum.

 

[Arkathan]

No. The socialist route would mean that you get paid for someone else's efforts.
Hasbro is going the monopolistic totalitarian oligarch route. Davos style.

 

[Vormaerin]

Socialism means it works like insurance. Everyone pays in and it pays out as needed. It's not about getting paid for someone else's work. Mongoose is trending towards employee ownership, which is also not socialism, but it's definitely quite different from modern shareholder first capitalism.

 

[Arkathan]

OGL 1.0a & Creative Commons

Over the past few weeks you, the community, have made your voices heard. And we’ve listened. OGL 1.0a will remain untouched AND the entire SRD 5.1...

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Condottiere]

It's a ceasefire.

At some point management realized it could escalate to nukes.

 

[apastuszak]

Thank God this mess is over.

But the damage has been done already. The ORC license is still coming. And I expect that at least some people have at least tried a different system and don't plan to come back now.

I don't know if we should praise WoTC for listening to their fans, or vilify them for creating this mess in the first place.

 

[Spenser TR]

I wonder how/if this changes plans to issue a new license and community guidelines around the Traveller 2e content? Regardless of all the other things going on, I'm looking forward to hearing more about this.