Travellers Needed - The Future of Traveller

[Adept_the_Finn]

So, we come to you again - what would you like to see for Traveller in 2022 and beyond?

Over to all of you!

Thank you for asking Matt.

One of the biggests gaps I see in Traveller, is the treatment of major warships outside of the 3rd Empire. This has a been a problem since the seventies, and nobody seems to have the courage to address it.

Well, almost nobody. Much to my surprise T20 Traveller actually did a good job with adding in Solomani warships. Other than that, I can't think of any. I'm currently playing in your brilliant Pirates of Drinax campaign <3 and even there I'm painfully aware that we have to either skirt around the existence of major Aslan combatants, or create them from scratch ourselves.

I mean heck, you've published your version of all those crazy 3rd Empire cruisers, carriers and battle ships which were introduced in the seventies (up-ending the ship scale of Traveller in one fell strike), but there are no rival forces to pit your Element class cruisers and the like against!

PS. a 2nd edition Psion book would be nice as well, as well as a new take on the macro-economics.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Could we see a return of The Travellers comic strip, from early White Dwarf magazine?

Beyond that, more multimedia online shows and like.

 

[JNJ]

- 5th Frontier war,

- a zhodani adventure linked to the Core expedition,

- a follow up to the Fall of Tinath adventure found in the starter edition

- an introductory adventure where all the Travellers are from the same TL 0-1 balkanised planet and discover for the 1st time Imperium/Solomani TL 12-13 presence (scouts, or hidden military/scientific help to a king, or ...) ending with the travellers going to the stars : the opposite of the traditionnal adventure where scout travellers go on a TL 0-1 planet to accomplish a mission.

- ...

 

[schneeland]

Rather than just a bestiary, I’d like something that fully explores alien ecologies along with a tabular based alien generation system. The better researched the biological aspects are, the better.

That's a book I would find useful, too.

 

[TrippyHippy]

A couple of other ideas that may be either left field or jarring for some, but you did ask for all suggestions.

The first, controversially I guess, is whether or not to make an alternative version of the Traveller core rules for 5e (D&D) players? I’d quickly suggest that I’m not interested myself in such a thing, but it may be useful in terms of promoting the Traveller brand in new markets. I still find that there are plenty of gamers out there that are unaware of the existence of Traveller - particularly the younger, growing market of new players. Of course we have seen a D20 version of Traveller before, so it can be done. It is something to think about.

The other idea, that I'd personally find useful is a Science Fiction encyclopedia/compendium for use with Traveller. That is reviews, essays and discussions of science fiction in literature, TV, movies, games and any other media you can think of, that could serve as a source of inspiration for Traveller GMs - maybe with hints about how to include key concepts in your games. Start with Jules Verne and HG Wells and move on, right up to contemporary sources. If it is comprehensive and entertainingly written, again it might broaden the Traveller audience, and it might circumvent the need for licensing if you are writing about things, rather than being official products.

 

[IanBruntlett]

The other idea, that I'd personally find useful is a Science Fiction encyclopedia/compendium for use with Traveller. That is reviews, essays and discussions of science fiction in literature, TV, movies, games and any other media you can think of, that could serve as a source of inspiration for Traveller GMs - maybe with hints about how to include key concepts in your games. Start with Jules Verne and HG Wells and move on, right up to contemporary sources. If it is comprehensive and entertainingly written, again it might broaden the Traveller audience, and it might circumvent the need for licensing if you are writing about things, rather than being official products.

Well, the first edition of the Dungeon Master's Guide for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons had its Appendix N of "Inspirational and Educational Reading".

Someone did a web page of it:-
https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Appendix_N

 

[NOLATrav]

The other idea, that I'd personally find useful is a Science Fiction encyclopedia/compendium for use with Traveller. That is reviews, essays and discussions of science fiction in literature, TV, movies, games and any other media you can think of, that could serve as a source of inspiration for Traveller GMs - maybe with hints about how to include key concepts in your games. Start with Jules Verne and HG Wells and move on, right up to contemporary sources. If it is comprehensive and entertainingly written, again it might broaden the Traveller audience, and it might circumvent the need for licensing if you are writing about things, rather than being official products.

Shannon Applecline took a look at the fiction that inspired Traveller:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/178654/Ebook-The-Science-Fiction-In-Traveller

Not exactly what you’re suggesting but it’s our Appendix N essentially.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Not just suggesting an appendix, but a full, official encyclopedia.

 

[Condottiere]

The thing about Medieval fantasy is that in most cases there are real life examples and inspirations that are, what's the word for it, empirical in nature.

We can sort of draw a direct line between where everything came from, which usually comes down to what inspired Tolkien, and who Tolkien inspired, and counter reactions to that, and mining for inspiration from non European cultures.

You could say that Dungeons and Dragons has evolved, but that's more game mechanics and style of play.

Traveller will have to continuously evolve, as technology and society evolves, so anything you get from an article on it would be more of a snapshot of when it was written.

 

[agentwigggles]

Support for VTTs beyond Fantasy Grounds would be wonderful: Roll20, Foundry, or even Astral would do. That's the #1 thing holding me back from being able to get my friends to play.

To how I understand the only reason why there support for it on Fantasy Grounds, is that Mad Beards Man just started making MG1e for it on their own. And Mongoose decided to make it official. Mad Beard Man is still mostly working on his own.

MBM isn't really an employee of Mongoose to how I understand it.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Okay, some feedback for you all - but please keep the suggestions coming, we are reading every one of them!

I'd like more of the empire/location books. I'm anticipating the Third Imperium volume and its fleshing out of Core Sector,

These are coming - the Third Imperium book (appearing next month on PDF and pre-order!) is just the first, and we have the Zhodani Consulate lined up next.

We will also be looking at smaller empires, as we have already done with the Sword Worlds and Glorious Empire. The Florian League is likely next, though I would not rule out the possibility of that being 'leap-frogged' by something else!

It’d be really nice to see a supplement detailing the next several Tech Levels… say TL16 to TL20. Not just ships and gear, but also how it might impact thinking, daily life, interaction with off worlders, etc. Your current crop of writers and artists is formidable, I just know they’d have some very cool ideas to explore.

An interesting idea...

I could see a Traveller version of Space: 1889 for example, or War of the Worlds, maybe. They could be presented as alternative timelines, possibly, or maybe just different eras of the Traveller setting - as outlined in the setting’s timeline? Maybe also with a ’Time Traveller’ supplement.

Space 1889 was actually discussed as a possibility for a Traveller setting. Not on the cards at the moment, but maybe it is something we could revisit in the future.

You could also have a Matrix-y style ‘Virtual Traveller’ supplement, for ‘traveling' in simulated worlds. Or possibly, single planetary settings in more sandbox-y detail. You could start with Terra...

If we were going to do Matrix-y, we would do The Matrix

If you are prepared to go cross genre, then maybe things like ’Super Traveller’ (with superheroes). Not sure how much people are clamoring for this though and it could get silly. I could see, however, a big book of mutations or gene tech.

It has occurred to us that the Task Chain mechanic is a good representation of super powers bouncing off one another, a la Marvel. However, we would be looking for a brand new superhero setting before we did this, rather than generic rules. Inspiration has not yet struck on this one.

On this note, however, we have three alternate Traveller settings in the pipeline at the moment, either to be release next year or developed next year. One, in particular, I think a certain sort of Traveller fan will go absolutely dippy over. Look for an announcement in the State of the Mongoose address next month.

I'd like a Noble book. What the nobles do. How do Knights who oversee a planet

Another good idea. We have the idea of a new Dilettante book bouncing around, but a specific Imperial noble book would be interesting.

I would like to see something NEW. Deepnight was the first in a long time to give us something truly new to Traveller.

IF you want to stay in the OTU, give us a sourcebook on some race or region we haven't seen before. Give us a different time period, something that is not a rehash (however well written and updated) that really is something new to the setting.

This is something we are very much keeping in mind. The Spinward Extents is one direction we have gone on with this, and Core sector is really another. We also have a brand new 'grand campaign' coming out next year that will be tackling a subject that is pretty new to the Traveller universe - again, keep an eye on the State of the Mongoose next month.

Support for VTTs beyond Fantasy Grounds would be wonderful: Roll20, Foundry, or even Astral would do. That's the #1 thing holding me back from being able to get my friends to play.

This is something we are actively looking at, but it needs to be done properly and available skills for this are thin on the ground right now. We are expanding them, but it is a slower process than we would like.

Rather than just a bestiary, I’d like something that fully explores alien ecologies along with a tabular based alien generation system. The better researched the biological aspects are, the better.

Agreed, we do need an Animals book, and it should indeed be more than just a creature catalogue.

I also would welcome some new settings, although the last time Prime Directive was mentioned, nothing came of it. I mean, maybe some new licenses to hang on to the Traveller system would work? I dunno, because the Traveller licensing arrangements aren’t really easy to understand currently from a consumers perspective. Perhaps get a license to do Asimov’s Foundation series (now on Apple+) or, I dunno, Iain Banks’ Culture series. Or maybe, give some of the third party publishers who have gone their separate ways since MT2 came about an official Traveller license for their work rather than being an OGL title?

I believe you will be a Happy Bunny in 2022.

One of the biggests gaps I see in Traveller, is the treatment of major warships outside of the 3rd Empire. This has a been a problem since the seventies, and nobody seems to have the courage to address it.

Watch out for the new Empire books...

PS. a 2nd edition Psion book would be nice as well, as well as a new take on the macro-economics.

On the cards, though not yet assigned.

Could we see a return of The Travellers comic strip, from early White Dwarf magazine?

Now this was almost a thing a few years back. I will see if we can revisit it.

Beyond that, more multimedia online shows and like.

In development right now.

- 5th Frontier war,

In the works in a major way, though we have to wait for certain things to fall in place before we pull the trigger on this one.

- a zhodani adventure linked to the Core expedition,

This has indeed been mooted as a campaign. The Rim expeditions too.

- a follow up to the Fall of Tinath adventure found in the starter edition

This is certainly something we have wanted to return to, though I think at this stage we would be looking at revising the whole area and story.

- an introductory adventure where all the Travellers are from the same TL 0-1 balkanised planet and discover for the 1st time Imperium/Solomani TL 12-13 presence (scouts, or hidden military/scientific help to a king, or ...) ending with the travellers going to the stars : the opposite of the traditionnal adventure where scout travellers go on a TL 0-1 planet to accomplish a mission.

An interesting idea - I know our writers are keeping an eye on this thread too, so we will see if that resonates with any of them!

 

[Bill Sheil]

Fully agree with the world building and especially alien ecologies and biospheres whether carbon, silicon, arsenic or extreme environment based.

It could never (and should not attempt to) be comprehensive but give a list of suggestions, ideas and set of principles and characteristics as well as guidelines for fauna (and flora) statistics.

 

[Evil Aardvark]

Support for VTTs beyond Fantasy Grounds would be wonderful: Roll20, Foundry, or even Astral would do. That's the #1 thing holding me back from being able to get my friends to play.

To how I understand the only reason why there support for it on Fantasy Grounds, is that Mad Beards Man just started making MG1e for it on their own. And Mongoose decided to make it official. Mad Beard Man is still mostly working on his own.

MBM isn't really an employee of Mongoose to how I understand it.

MBM is a gem, and he does a lot of great work. I've bought all of the Fantasy Grounds Traveller product that have been produced, and he's done a great job with what he has to work with. The problem isn't with Mad Beard Man, the problem is Fantasy Grounds itself - it is a bit of a relic from the past that might be wonderful if you're used to it, but getting people to move from newer technologies to Fantasy Grounds isn't something I've managed.

Whilst I'd love to be able to buy a full suite of tools on Roll20 or similar, I'd be completely happy with just a complete character/npc/ship/vehicle sheet. Both Roll20 and Foundry are already most of the way there. Roll20 has a sheet that's mostly complete, and Foundry has a "twodsix" sheet that's most of the way there, too.

 

[TrippyHippy]

If we were going to do Matrix-y, we would do The Matrix

It has occurred to us that the Task Chain mechanic is a good representation of super powers bouncing off one another, a la Marvel. However, we would be looking for a brand new superhero setting before we did this, rather than generic rules. Inspiration has not yet struck on this one.

OK, then, in all seriousness, why don’t you get The Matrix license, and make a game based on Traveller rules (compatible, at least) and use it as a platform to explore both virtual realities and super hero powers?

Who else is doing anything with The Matrix license in RPGs?

 

[MongooseMatt]

OK, then, in all seriousness, why don’t you get The Matrix license, and make a game based on Traveller rules (compatible, at least) and use it as a platform to explore both virtual realities and super hero powers?

Not always that easy, and you don't always get a licence just because you want it, no matter how much money is thrown into the bid. It also seems that licensors are beginning to 'wise up' with RPGs, in that they require an awful lot of resources for the approval process but do not necessarily generate huge royalties (which is the primary focus of most staff handling licences for the Big Boys).

For example, this is exactly what happened recently when we approached Sony to do a new Ghostbusters RPG. Our pitch was good, and they liked the idea we presented that 'anyone can be a Ghostbuster', but the stumbling block was the amount of text they needed to approve, even in a simplified, baked-down rules set.

Just the way of things.

 

[Lurking Grue]

Maybe a bit late to the party, but my Top 3 wish list for Traveller is:

1. More medium length adventures and longer campaigns, but not necessarily these monster ones like Drinax and Deepnight (even if they are appreciated, they are a bit too long for my table). I consider the old Traveller Adventure or 1e Tripwire and Secret of the Ancients a perfect length for a campaign book.

2. More background/setting information books for the OTU, not so for alternate universes. With the exception of 2300AD, more stuff for that setting is very much appreciated! (Side note: While Space:1889 is a splendid setting, it belongs to Ulysses North America now and they are doing a new edition next year. So I don't think it is up for grabs.)

3. An official support in Roll20 VTT. At the very least a new, professionally made character sheet would be great. Foundry already has a great fan-made character sheet and system support, but Roll20 is lagging far behind (and it is the VTT of choice of my group).

 

[agentwigggles]

So something the discord community has repeated a few times is how traveller doesn't need t be about being in a spaceship. And you can run entire campaigns without ever leaving a planet or a solar system.

A book that focuses on running an entire campaign on a planet/asteroid/big ass space station. And expenses of running a business. (Or something to be the terrestrial equivalent to a ship's mortgage.) And help on creating a city based on TL, govt. type and law level. And the relationship between the planet and the often imperial owned and operated starport.

 

[MongooseMatt]

1. More medium length adventures and longer campaigns, but not necessarily these monster ones like Drinax and Deepnight (even if they are appreciated, they are a bit too long for my table). I consider the old Traveller Adventure or 1e Tripwire and Secret of the Ancients a perfect length for a campaign book.

An updated Secrets is coming out next week, and Martin is currently working on a Solomani-based mini-campaign of exactly the size you describe!

 

[IanBruntlett]

Well, I have bought a number of system-neutral RPG books. Engine Publishing (https://enginepublishing.com/) has produced a number of very interesting books that are quite hard to get hold of in physical form. I was wondering, would Mongoose be interested in doing a print run of them?

At the moment I am making my way through "Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters" which covers Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror.

After that, I will be reading their "Masks: 1000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game" which covers Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Modern.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

So something the discord community has repeated a few times is how traveller doesn't need t be about being in a spaceship. And you can run entire campaigns without ever leaving a planet or a solar system.

A book that focuses on running an entire campaign on a planet/asteroid/big ass space station. And expenses of running a business. (Or something to be the terrestrial equivalent to a ship's mortgage.) And help on creating a city based on TL, govt. type and law level. And the relationship between the planet and the often imperial owned and operated starport.

Cool someone else that's interested in role-playing on a single planet for a change.

Well, I have bought a number of system-neutral RPG books. Engine Publishing (https://enginepublishing.com/) has produced a number of very interesting books that are quite hard to get hold of in physical form. I was wondering, would Mongoose be interested in doing a print run of them?

At the moment I am making my way through "Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters" which covers Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror.

After that, I will be reading their "Masks: 1000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game" which covers Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Modern.

I have all their printed books. They are the best!