Traveller Release Schedule 2026

[Grognardia]

I'd be the author. I'm the office Vargr champion, and yes, I'd approach it from their perspective with no dog jokes. I've had a few players over the years that can't resist making them, and it always rankles me. I'm a staunch Vargr advocate.

A campaign would emphasise the mercurial nature of the Extents, with a collection of Vargr Travellers navigating that environment. The goal is to get players to realise that it's all completely normal (a fish doesn't know it's swimming in water, after all).

Yes, the alpha thing has been debunked, but Vargr are designed around Charisma, and that won't change. We'll refrain from ever using the word "alpha," though.

Fingers crossed there will be a section on what it must be like to be a 'normal' Vargr on a corsair world. Just trying to keep your snout down, go to work at the air/raft manufacturer, care for your family, and maybe go on the occasional holiday.

 

[Terry Mixon]

I'd be the author. I'm the office Vargr champion, and yes, I'd approach it from their perspective with no dog jokes. I've had a few players over the years that can't resist making them, and it always rankles me. I'm a staunch Vargr advocate.

A campaign would emphasise the mercurial nature of the Extents, with a collection of Vargr Travellers navigating that environment. The goal is to get players to realise that it's all completely normal (a fish doesn't know it's swimming in water, after all).

Yes, the alpha thing has been debunked, but Vargr are designed around Charisma, and that won't change. We'll refrain from ever using the word "alpha," though.

I look forward to seeing how they can form large governments with the mindset they have, as well as how trade is even possible with a likely higher than average piracy/corsair issue.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[CordwainerFish]

Yes, the alpha thing has been debunked, but Vargr are designed around Charisma, and that won't change.

Vargr Charisma makes me think of the mahen'do'sat Momentum, and the mahen are more primate inspired than anything else.

(You do not want a species comparable to the kif on your marches...)

 

[Condottiere]

The problem with Vargr charisma, is that it's probably manipulatable, in that success can be perceived, as actually achieved.

Though creating that perception could be counted as success.

Compared to Dungeon And Dragons Charisma, which is a hard characteristic.

 

[hopsnbaer]

The problem with Vargr charisma, is that it's probably manipulatable, in that success can be perceived, as actually achieved.

Though creating that perception could be counted as success.

I think that depends on the circumstances. I like it being an internal mechanic.

A Vargr who hides in a closet and ends up being the sole survivor that is hailed as a hero may not have a Charisma bump because they know the truth. I could even see a Charisma drop.

A Vargr that manipulated something behind closed doors and won could be more self-confident because of their success and have a Charisma bump.

 

[Sageryne]

I look forward to seeing how they can form large governments with the mindset they have, as well as how trade is even possible with a likely higher than average piracy/corsair issue.

My thought is that merchant vessels in Vargr space are well armed with crews ready to counter-board if attacked.

This is like the age of piracy in the Caribbean. Trade didn't stop. The Spanish sailed galleon's full of gold right through the middle of the pirates. But every mechantman had to be ready to defend against attack.

It would seem to me that the way to protect against pirates in 400-dTon Rrazaghz Class Corsairs is to use larger merchant ships, say 5000-dTons, with very long ranged 50-dTon Particle Beam bays able to kill pirates before they get close. The best merchant ship captains would be former pirates with a nose for ambushes and a willingness to shoot first. In this scenario, merchants have the advantage. They would be willing to destroy their enemy as long as they got away safely. Pirates need to close with and capture their prey. Destroying the merchant ship leaves them without any loot.

If you look at the modern day Straits of Bab-al-Mandab, a piracy hot-spot, off the coasts of Yemen, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia, large oil tankers, container ships, and general cargo ships transit there everyday. Yes, some get hijacked, but nations have set up patrols to deter pirates, and the shipping companies have put mercenaries on-board to drive off boarding parties. Merchant ships taken by pirates are more often held for ransom. The pirates don't generally have the means to resell the ships or their contents in any meaningful way.

To me, the Vargr Extents would be Dodge City, everyone armed to the teeth, tip-towing around everyone else who is equally well armed. Yes, your cost of operations would be higher, but so would everyone else's, so the extra cost would just be baked into the cost of doing business.

- Kerry

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr self confidence (and charisma), measured by how high the tail is lifted.

 

[Jet_Black]

OK, I just have to ask once - what is the deal with Condottiere? I think I've never seen him post anything actually useful or on-topic, only rather random pictures and weird one-liners. I'm not a native speaker, so is it just a language thing that I don't get, or is he some kind of "court jester" that everyone tolerates?

 

[Terry Mixon]

OK, I just have to ask once - what is the deal with Condottiere? I think I've never seen him post anything actually useful or on-topic, only rather random pictures and weird one-liners. I'm not a native speaker, so is it just a language thing that I don't get, or is he some kind of "court jester" that everyone tolerates?

Don’t forget the numbered lists rather than actual paragraphs with details.

 

[hopsnbaer]

 

[Condottiere]

I noticed with the current crop of our populistically inclined politicians, a lack of concrete achievements, except those that they propagandize.

You could apply that to Vargr charisma, which is not a hard characteristic, but varies, apparently, as to how much self confidence any particular Vargr extrudes.

How do you know how much self confidence a Vargr extrudes?

Is it pheromones?

If so, they could be marking their self confidence up and down the boulevard.

So, I'll stick to the tail.

 

[Arkathan]

... I'm not a native speaker, so is it just a language thing that I don't get...

No, that's not it.

 

[Condottiere]

There's nothing wrong with dogs in space.

In fact, I find it hilarious.

The problem with Traveller's treatment of the Vargr, is that they are dysfunctional as a large interstellar polity; at least, for any extended period of time.

Their fundamental weakness is a lack of institutions, or institutional memory, beyond that of their immediate line of sight.

In terms of player involvement, that's also a strength, since they can be anything, believe in anything, or have done so, or will be, or repeat that cycle, ad infinitum.

Basically, Moties.

Democracy is basically correct, since if they don't like the direction their pack, or polity, is going, and believe they can't affect that, they can vote with their paws, and leave.

 

[Endie]

OK, I just have to ask once - what is the deal with Condottiere? I think I've never seen him post anything actually useful or on-topic, only rather random pictures and weird one-liners. I'm not a native speaker, so is it just a language thing that I don't get, or is he some kind of "court jester" that everyone tolerates?

I just block him. The only annoyance left at that point is that he has the two pointless threads he uses because getting a blog would be too much trouble, and his constant stream-of-consciousness there means that the Traveller subforum claims to have unread messages when it doesn’t really.

He’s not aggressive or prone to banging on about any particular subject (unlike me ) but it’s white noise you won’t miss.

Edit: ok he had a thing for memes about the bad moustache guy for a while that did really annoy a bunch of people.

 

[Varulv]

OK, I just have to ask once - what is the deal with Condottiere? I think I've never seen him post anything actually useful or on-topic, only rather random pictures and weird one-liners. I'm not a native speaker, so is it just a language thing that I don't get, or is he some kind of "court jester" that everyone tolerates?

Let us all pause for a moment and remember JMISBEST .

 

[Endie]

Let us all pause for a moment and remember JMISBEST .

“My friend said I could post asking if anyone has a bigger Drinax he has 27 dreadnoughts and eleventy-squillion troops and it includes most of the domain of Deneb… I also had a dream last night about…”

I mock but thought there was a fair chance it was a smart, neurodivergent 14 year old. And when I fitted at least the last two of those criteria I spent a lot of time and ruled, A4 notepaper making unfeasible and detailed Traveller militaries using Book Four.

 

[GabrielGABFonseca]

I'd be the author. I'm the office Vargr champion, and yes, I'd approach it from their perspective with no dog jokes. I've had a few players over the years that can't resist making them, and it always rankles me. I'm a staunch Vargr advocate.

I'm looking forward to this!

Yes, the alpha thing has been debunked, but Vargr are designed around Charisma, and that won't change. We'll refrain from ever using the word "alpha," though.

I do actually think that the idea of Charisma can be reconciled with real canid pack dynamics, which are just a subset of fission-fusion societies (which chimpanzee groups also are, hence why the mahen'do'sat feel similar, as CordwainerFish pointed out).

It'd require some reading into wolves (and separating the pseudoscience chaff from actual data) along with some brainpower to keep it consistent with previous materials, but I do believe it can indeed be done.

 

[PStanley]

The Rules Compendium is a big one and I'm hyped about it.

My Core Rulebook looks like it’s wearing a post-it note, Ghillie suit,. So, I’m looking forward to this release as well.

 

[WHULorigan]

I'm looking forward to this!


I do actually think that the idea of Charisma can be reconciled with real canid pack dynamics, which are just a subset of fission-fusion societies (which chimpanzee groups also are, hence why the mahen'do'sat feel similar, as CordwainerFish pointed out).

It'd require some reading into wolves (and separating the pseudoscience chaff from actual data) along with some brainpower to keep it consistent with previous materials, but I do believe it can indeed be done.

But keep in mind:

It is the psychological dynamics of Canids/Canines extant in -300,000, not necessarily modern canines, although many of the modern species and subspecies were in existence at the time, and probably behaved as they do today^*. There were some that exited that we know have since gone extinct. And there were some extant Canid genera that were close Canine-genus related that have NO modern surviving examples of their genera.

So there is some leeway for interpretation of behavior. And that is all before any Ancient meddling with the genome . . .

^* - Canis familiaris ("dogs") do not get domesticated until LONG after this - an order of magnitude long - about -25,000. So no domesticated canine behavior.​