Traveller Release Schedule 2023

[Vormaerin]

Metastories don't have to be bad. They were gonna rework the rules and the setting no matter what because they wanted to use their house rules in TNE and they wanted to do a Space Vikings setting without the hassle of making a second setting. Once the designers are making decisions like that, it leads to Virus.

I don't think Shattered Imperium was actually bad. They just had no idea how to write metaplot that players actually cared about. The Fifth Frontier War was basically useless in its original version. Matt says they are writing this to be played, not just read about. If they are going to have time move forward, which they may not, then they do need a 'house' answer for authors writing about whatever comes later.

I hope its not a a "metaplot" where the PCs save Norris from whatever and help forge the Imperial Warrant so he can take over the world or whatever. But as long as it is player focused and useful for storytelling beyond any 'campaign path' adventure arc, it should be okay.

 

[alex_greene]

Metastories don't have to be bad. They were gonna rework the rules and the setting no matter what because they wanted to use their house rules in TNE and they wanted to do a Space Vikings setting without the hassle of making a second setting. Once the designers are making decisions like that, it leads to Virus.

I don't think Shattered Imperium was actually bad. They just had no idea how to write metaplot that players actually cared about. The Fifth Frontier War was basically useless in its original version. Matt says they are writing this to be played, not just read about. If they are going to have time move forward, which they may not, then they do need a 'house' answer for authors writing about whatever comes later.

I hope its not a a "metaplot" where the PCs save Norris from whatever and help forge the Imperial Warrant so he can take over the world or whatever. But as long as it is player focused and useful for storytelling beyond any 'campaign path' adventure arc, it should be okay.

I imagine a bunch of Adventure modules could be coming out titled War Adventure 1 - Commandeered!, War Adventure 2 - Plausible Deniability and so on. Hells, it'd be nice to have War Adventures where the characters are Zhodani fighting for the Consulate.

 

[Sigtrygg]

[rant mode]I have said this before but it is nice to vent my spleen.
GDW couldn't do metaplots at the character level if it jumped up and bit them on the arse. I know they were a bunch of wargamers first, and really liked the war aspect but consider what the FFW, Rebellion, Kafer War did to their respective settings.
Pre-FFW there were adventures, short adventures JTAS adventures and TAS news adventure seeds. What was there during the FFW - endless news items about fleet actions, Striker, Broadsword.
How about an adventure where the PCs are involved with Noris recovering the warrant - a character level but important act?

And then we got the Rebellion. Go read MT again - the rebellion kicked off in 1116 and then we get five years of exposition with a campaign start date of 1121. And the intro adventure? Go get a widget from a BB at a depot... give me strength.

How about this.
1116 - the PCs encounter Lt Windhook and eventually learn his story. Will they help him or hand him in?
Or this - the group is involved in the rescue of a naval courier that has been attacked by pirates/Vargr raiders/misjumped. After providing assistance the crew is acting very secretly. They are carrying the advanced news of the assassination in advance of the civilian xboat system.

Get the players involved in the events - MT didn't become playable until Hard Times IMHO.[/end rant]

 

[alex_greene]

[rant mode]I have said this before but it is nice to vent my spleen.
GDW couldn't do metaplots at the character level if it jumped up and bit them on the arse. I know they were a bunch of wargamers first, and really liked the war aspect but consider what the FFW, Rebellion, Kafer War did to their respective settings.
Pre-FFW there were adventures, short adventures JTAS adventures and TAS news adventure seeds. What was there during the FFW - endless news items about fleet actions, Striker, Broadsword.
How about an adventure where the PCs are involved with Noris recovering the warrant - a character level but important act?

And then we got the Rebellion. Go read MT again - the rebellion kicked off in 1116 and then we get five years of exposition with a campaign start date of 1121. And the intro adventure? Go get a widget from a BB at a depot... give me strength.

How about this.
1116 - the PCs encounter Lt Windhook and eventually learn his story. Will they help him or hand him in?
Or this - the group is involved in the rescue of a naval courier that has been attacked by pirates/Vargr raiders/misjumped. After providing assistance the crew is acting very secretly. They are carrying the advanced news of the assassination in advance of the civilian xboat system.

Get the players involved in the events - MT didn't become playable until Hard Times IMHO.[/end rant]

You'll get no naysay from me there.

I can think up a bunch of wartime scenarios, most of which involve the ongoing war interrupting the Travellers' shady dealings. Ine Givar terrorist attacks interrupt a Brokering session downtown; the Travellers find their Type M Liner being commandeered as a troop transport; spec trade prices of luxury goods triple, but there's a risk they could be seized and the Travellers jailed on charges of profiteering; and then there are events such as bridges being blown up, or oncoming enemy troops forcing an evacuation of the city where the Travellers are.

The plot of Alan Moore's Lost Girls involved three women arriving at a mountain hotel around the outbreak of The Great War, which is abandoned when they learn that German troops have been seen approaching their position, leaving the women alone in an empty house.

So many TV series and movies also cover war plots.

 

[Iracundus]

With regards to the Rebellion as a setting, they could have extended the situation and the different factions become successor states, that the characters travel between and experience the different ways in which the claimants to the throne are running their territories.

I also think something like Pocket Empires would be great as a general release to simulate various polities at the fringes of the major powers but also if it ever came to a situation like the Rebellion, where individual planetary rulers try to cobble together something from the ruins.

 

[alex_greene]

With regards to the Rebellion as a setting, they could have extended the situation and the different factions become successor states, that the characters travel between and experience the different ways in which the claimants to the throne are running their territories.

I also think something like Pocket Empires would be great as a general release to simulate various polities at the fringes of the major powers but also if it ever came to a situation like the Rebellion, where individual planetary rulers try to cobble together something from the ruins.

Somewhat like The Pirates of Drinax.

 

[MongooseMatt]

I think I can safely say that everyone who just posted about the FFW will be happy with what we are doing. And you will start to see the results before Christmas...

Rim Expeditions currently on track for end of this month, just waiting for the art!

 

[Regnarts]

Is the Starship Operator's Manual still planned?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Is the Starship Operator's Manual still planned?

It is, should appear before the end of the year!

 

[MrUkpyr]

Metastories don't have to be bad. They were gonna rework the rules and the setting no matter what because they wanted to use their house rules in TNE and they wanted to do a Space Vikings setting without the hassle of making a second setting. Once the designers are making decisions like that, it leads to Virus.

I don't think Shattered Imperium was actually bad. They just had no idea how to write metaplot that players actually cared about. The Fifth Frontier War was basically useless in its original version. Matt says they are writing this to be played, not just read about. If they are going to have time move forward, which they may not, then they do need a 'house' answer for authors writing about whatever comes later.

I hope its not a a "metaplot" where the PCs save Norris from whatever and help forge the Imperial Warrant so he can take over the world or whatever. But as long as it is player focused and useful for storytelling beyond any 'campaign path' adventure arc, it should be okay.

Interesting - when I ran my own version of the FFW - I dropped some hints and the players went off to find Norris and bring him back with his personal McGuffin - it was a wild and crazy ride!

 

[Sigtrygg]

Norris as a patron and a group of PCs after the warrant would be an excellent scenario for the FFW - shame they never thought of it at GDW.

Fast forward to Agent of the Imperium and all Norris has to do is activate an agent wafer - the agents have full warrant powers.

Which makes me wonder...

pre-1105 did someone order the destruction of the Agent wafers, so Norris went after a derelict capital ship that pre-dated the destruction order. The wafer agents were destroyed, but their authority was never rescinded.

 

[Vormaerin]

Norris as a patron and a group of PCs after the warrant would be an excellent scenario for the FFW - shame they never thought of it at GDW.

Fast forward to Agent of the Imperium and all Norris has to do is activate an agent wafer - the agents have full warrant powers.

Which makes me wonder...

pre-1105 did someone order the destruction of the Agent wafers, so Norris went after a derelict capital ship that pre-dated the destruction order. The wafer agents were destroyed, but their authority was never rescinded.

I thought that the warrant that authorized them had a sunset clause?

 

[MrUkpyr]

I thought that the warrant that authorized them had a sunset clause?

in Canon - Imperial Warrants ONLY have a sunset clause if such a clause is put into it

 

[Vormaerin]

I'm talking about a specific warrant for the Agent. There were references in the story to his authorization ending at a certain date IIRC.

 

[Sigtrygg]

It ends when the personality fades or the Agent declare the emergency over.

 

[Vormaerin]

The specific manifestation. But there's a couple mentions that the whole scheme ends at a certain point and would have to be renewed. I guess I'll have to look it up at some point.

 

[The Canterbury Tail]

Any chance we can keep this thread to comments on release schedule and spin other conversations to their own threads?

 

[Grognardia]

Good news, everyone!

 

[G'Naakbusters]

Good news, everyone!

Looking forward to this! The Suerrat, Gurvin and Za'tachk are races whose notability is quite high in-universe for the "spearcarrier" peoples but about whom we know surprisingly little.

Great art as usual. That would be one of the Suerrat sublight generation ships? Bringing a little bit of Ilelish with them, I see.

 

[Vormaerin]

Good news, everyone!

The bad news being the other books originally planned for this month slipping back to next month.