Traveller Release Schedule 2023

[MongooseMatt]

Please note that release dates listed here are expected PDF releases and pre-order dates - printed editions will likely appear 3-4 months later. Though we will be updating this particular post rather than appending more, you are welcome to make comments and ask questions in this thread!

December
Whispers from the Abyss: A mini-campaign set in the region around the Abyss Rift within the Lanth subsector of the Spinward Marches. The Travellers are tasked with a potentially lucrative mission – to showcase a new starship variant to potential clients in the Rhylanor, Lanth and Vilis subsectors. Their voyage will take them to both iconic and obscure destinations, and along the way they will come to realise that something is stirring in the Abyss region.

January
Wrath of the Ancients: The conclusion to the stunning Ancients trilogy, your campaign will see powers unleashed never before witnessed in Traveller. Will your Travellers forestall a catastrophic return of the Ancients or will they strive to keep Charted Space free of god-like tyrants?
And more to come, already being worked upon:

Bounty Hunter: Channel your inner Mandalorian with a new style of campaign - taking on contracts, hunting down your prey, and collecting the bounty on their heads! This book brings bounty hunting to your games, either as a dedicated campaign where Travellers become bounty hunters during their careers, or as a 'bolt-on' supplement to existing campaigns where Travellers fancy trying their hands at something new.

February
The Fifth Frontier War: Turmoil in the Spinward Marches begins here, with a deep and broad overview of the entire conflict.

Starship Operator's Manual: Just picked up the access codes for your new ship and want to know how it really works? The Starship Operator's Manual is the essential companion for every free trader captain.

March
This is Free Trader Beowulf: A System History of Traveller: Written by Shannon Appelcline, who has been researching this volume for some time, this book tells the story of Traveller from its inception to the modern day - all the twists and turns the game has taken, the people involved, and inspirations that shaped the longest running science-fiction RPG!

Legend of the Sky Raiders
Pioneer
Singularity
2300AD: Building the Frontier
FFW: Flashpoints
War Fleets of the Fifth Frontier War

As noted before, everything is subject to change and rescheduling, but all the titles above have either already been written and are undergoing layout, or are in some stage of writing!

 

[Hrafnagud]

This is a very exciting list for 2023. I do note that Adventure Class Ships, Cold Calling, and Fifth Frontier War are absent. Any word on these titles?

 

[Yatima]

I see Mysteries of the Ancients has been pushed out slightly, looking forward to that one as the basis for my next Traveller campaign.
If I was to run Shadows as originally published to kick that campaign off, would I be in any danger of messing up any aspect of MoA?

J

 

[Sigtrygg]

If by Shadows you mean the original CT adventure it has nothing to do with the Ancients - different extinct alien race.

 

[Yatima]

If by Shadows you mean the original CT adventure it has nothing to do with the Ancients - different extinct alien race.

The race who lived at the pyramids were not the Ancients, yes, but it's not true to say it has nothing to do with the Ancients:

1. In the intro to Twilight's Peak, Marc Miller states: "... this adventure is itself an extension of two previously published Traveller adventures- Research Station Gamma (Adventure 21, and Shadows (part of Double Adventure 1)." So he considered Shadows part of the Ancients early trilogy.
2. There's a Droyne Coyn to be found in the pendulum shaft fracture of the pyramids (area 14).
3. There's a bag of 37 more Droyne Coyns to be found with the skeleton of a reptilian creature at area 20 on the lower level of the pyramids.

What is the link between this race from the Coreward parts of the galaxy and the Ancients? Don't know, and Miller does not say. Why do they have the Coyns distributed by the Ancients to the Droyne? Don't know, and again, Miller does not say. This set of coyns has more than the total of Coyns in modern sets, is it an earlier set of coyns distributed when the pyramids where in use? Don't know, Miller doesn't ... you get the picture.

But there does seem to be a link worth teasing out. If you've not read Shadows recently, go look at it again.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Shadows has this to say:

The pyramid structure on Yorbund was constructed
perhaps 50,000 years ago by a minor alien race originating
far to coreward. Voluntary exiles from their own civilization
(coming this far in sublight speed ships equipped with
low berths), they selected this world as the site of their
noble experiment in esthetic simplistics.

The Droyne Coyns are a bit of a red herring. Of course in this world of retcons who is to say what is going on now.

 

[Yatima]

Shadows has this to say:


The Droyne Coyns are a bit of a red herring. Of course in this world of retcons who is to say what is going on now.

Yes, I've read that.

I don't buy the red herring explanation for the coyns, Miller's intent is simply unknown as it's written. And it does not explain why he linked the three scenarios in TP. No matter, I guess my question to the Mongoose crew is have they included Shadows in MoA or not, so I can get started earlier than May.

 

[ChrisJ]

What happened to "Adventure class ships?"

 

[Iracundus]

I wish there were something like Pocket Empires again. I actually think that would be perfect for possibilities like the Rebellion setting or out on the frontiers, for players that either want to play a high level campaign as movers and shakers, or for the GM to game out the background with the player adventures perhaps nudging things in a certain direction.

 

[fnordland]

This looks great, thank you for all your work.

I wonder what a campaign set in the Zhodani consulate would feel like. Is it like a commune where everyone is working for the benefit of the greater good? In the documentary Kubrick by Kubrick, it is suggested that all Kubrick films are about the central theme of human failure. There is a great endeavour, there is law and order then change occurs and chaos intrudes. 2001 and Hal is his Scifi telling of this monomyth, the Human Condition. Zhodani culture has psionics, it has the Tavrchedl, it wants to promote Prosperity, Happiness and Stability. Are we talking Swedish Social Democracy or Confucianism?

The Empress wave or other such psionic event has wreaked havoc, the characters are going to restore order & social harmony. Imagine Batman as a social worker or therapist. An iconic hero who works for the community and social justice.

 

[Sigtrygg]

You are describing a campaign I am plotting right now

I am using the original version of the Empress Wave as detailed in TNE material and an extended CotI interview with Dave Nilsen.

The Zhodani don't appear to have noticed the wave during their early core expeditions, but according to TNE canon the wave hits the Consulate around IY1040. That gives me a few decades for Zhodani society "behind the wave" to become a lot more "interesting".

I'm going to send a group of PCs from the Consulate in front of the wave to investigate strange goings on behind the wave. This could even tie in with the adventure in the original CT Zhodani Alien module.

 

[fnordland]

You are describing a campaign I am plotting right now

I am using the original version of the Empress Wave as detailed in TNE material and an extended CotI interview with Dave Nilsen.

The Zhodani don't appear to have noticed the wave during their early core expeditions, but according to TNE canon the wave hits the Consulate around IY1040. That gives me a few decades for Zhodani society "behind the wave" to become a lot more "interesting".

I'm going to send a group of PCs from the Consulate in front of the wave to investigate strange goings on behind the wave. This could even tie in with the adventure in the original CT Zhodani Alien module.

I wish you the best in running the game. The core expeditions allow for unlimited travel into the unknown, finding any number of scenarios that have a feel of Star Trek or Stargate SG1. You may even find a crashed starship with passengers in suspended animation, waiting for lemon soaked paper napkins before departure... all you need is a Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy which you can write along the way.

 

[paltrysum]

I wonder what a campaign set in the Zhodani consulate would feel like. Is it like a commune where everyone is working for the benefit of the greater good? In the documentary Kubrick by Kubrick, it is suggested that all Kubrick films are about the central theme of human failure. There is a great endeavour, there is law and order then change occurs and chaos intrudes. 2001 and Hal is his Scifi telling of this monomyth, the Human Condition. Zhodani culture has psionics, it has the Tavrchedl, it wants to promote Prosperity, Happiness and Stability. Are we talking Swedish Social Democracy or Confucianism?

Great topics to explore. Setting a campaign in the Zhodani Consulate is a bold move. It requires a group who are prepared to step out of their comfort zones and really role play. The Zhodani are quite alien. Unlike the Vilani, who were able to assimilate fairly well with the Solomani, the Zhodani are vastly different. The reasons are many, probably too many to list here.

What often works for efforts like this is to find an analog in modern society. In the 1980s, people probably might have turned to the Soviet Union in a misguided attempt to make equivalent Zhodani psionic government with Soviet totalitarianism. Frankly, I'm not sure what might constitute an analog in today's world, but your suggestions—Swedish social democracy or Confucianism—are interesting.

There are a lot of clues about the Zhodani just from scanning the worlds of the Consulate in Travellermap (not all of which is official data, but most of the authors have made an effort to stick to the central themes):

• Zhdant is rather unpopulated considering it's their world of origin. That says a lot about them.
• They have not one, but two, catastrophes to deal with: the Empress Wave and the aftermath of the Qrekrsha Zone. Yes, the Wave is also an impending catastrophe for other sophonts, but the Zhodani and Vargr will be hit first.
• There are many Droyne worlds within Zhodani space, and they interact with them differently than Imperials do. The Zhodani origin as space-faring sophonts is intrinsically tied with the Droyne, with whom they shared part of their world and their moon (well, Chirpers in both cases, but their unique psionic society owes everything to their encounters with them).
• The Core Expeditions route.

I love your idea of a Kubrick movie about the Zhodani. It would reveal the true underpinnings of their society, which are not all what they seem.

The Empress wave or other such psionic event has wreaked havoc, the characters are going to restore order & social harmony. Imagine Batman as a social worker or therapist. An iconic hero who works for the community and social justice.

The Empress Wave as described by Dave Nilsen is quite a bit different than Marc Miller's current interpretation of the event. Both present intriguing game settings, though.

 

[fnordland]

Any form of traditional authoritarianism could fit the Zhodani, Conservative Monarchy, Benevolent Despotism. A mind controlled society that is for the 'benefit' of people is a twist on an old theme. We can consider FA Hayek Road to Serfdom and any marxist analysis of Capitalists vs Workers. Serfs and Nobles, etc. But those societies have failed through time, Zhodani want to preserve and sustain their society so presumably they have to consider the needs of all parts of society rather than a decadent elite.

 

[MongooseMatt]

This is a very exciting list for 2023. I do note that Adventure Class Ships, Cold Calling, and Fifth Frontier War are absent. Any word on these titles?

All coming, just waiting for a slot in the schedule!

 

[steve5858]

Oh looking forward to many of these releases

 

[ottarrus]

This looks great to me!
However I note nothing about Singularity, the new Traveller rules universe. Is this because of the ongoing OGL kerfluffle?

 

[ottarrus]

The Empress Wave as described by Dave Nilsen is quite a bit different than Marc Miller's current interpretation of the event. Both present intriguing game settings, though.

I'm not a great big fan of Nilsen's work. TNE was a hot mess in both the mechanics and milieu sense. Frankly, the 'Space Vikings' were nothing more than a looter-shooter with dice. 'Diablo' with Battle Dress. As for his Virus and Empress Wave... 'blech' pretty much covers it for me.
MJD's Fourth Imperium work tried to clean up much of the mess but there was ENTIRELY too much 'deus' in the 'machina' for that to even be plausible. NOBODY is as 'lucky' as MJD's Avery Aledon Alkhalikhoi. Not the Stainless Steel Rat, not Richard Sharpe, not even Odysseus or Gilgamesh got away with as much as 'Emperor Triple A' did.
I MUCH prefer MM's 'wave of madness' explanation. There is no doubt a psionic component to it but there's also a mystery as to its origin and purpose.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Virus was Frank Chadwick, the Star Vikings were a concept of Charles Gannon, and the Empress Wave was still in development, The TNE rules were a result of GDW deciding to use their own D20 system across all their games. I never cared for them or used them. FF&S was and remains the benchmark for a Traveller technology construction guide - I still use it to this day.

 

[OriginalCaruso]

Recognising this very welcome list is work-in-progress, would you please update titles with links when available?