Travellers Needed - The Future of Traveller
- Thread starter MongooseMatt
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MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
This would be kind of cool...
Well, this has been discussed
Here is the issue though.
We need to figure out what it is that the players actually do. And it probably cannot be the trading/mercing/pirating/etc of 1105, because then all we are doing is putting a different skin on the same game. So, you need to do something different, while still being Traveller.
Updating tech and a few empires ain't gonna cut it
agentwigggles
Cosmic Mongoose
I think nother issue with a far future setting, is relatability and conflict. Not that there wouldnt or couldnt be conflict 7000+ time period. But with the advance technology, it would to me, mean that most of the adventures and stories we're currently telling, would just be solved with tech and without much risk. Even rigt now, the community is having a hard time balancing that robots/drones are fairly capable in real life and PC still needing to do stuff. I dont know Miller had this in mind when he made Charter Space so AI phobic, but it helps a lot that everything still manually done as much as possible.
We cant have it be in a DARK AGES or shattered empire. We have those milieus already. There nothing gained by setting it in the 7700 but then go on to say its still TL10 avg. Thats dumb, just revamp those milieus. For me at least, thats at least TL20. Lots of Psionic stuff. Free Traders have hop drives. (Which indicates that the play space has to be even larger. Campaign wouldnt be a few sub sectors, but a few sectors.) Everyone has like Star worth of energy at their disposable for their whims.
It gets weird.
This is a failure of my imagination but I dont know what kind of problem you have when nearly everyone has a Star worth of energy at their disposable. What the heck are they doing they dont have suffecient means.
We have the Mystery/Wraith campaign, and the PC kinda at time get in a Darkroom themepark ride, not quite abble to have agency when Grandpa can casually Skip drive and think a deathstar laser. When uber eats local range is tens of parsects.
It gets weird.
Not bad.
But probably not human adventures.
Which isnt bad also.
We cant have it be in a DARK AGES or shattered empire. We have those milieus already. There nothing gained by setting it in the 7700 but then go on to say its still TL10 avg. Thats dumb, just revamp those milieus. For me at least, thats at least TL20. Lots of Psionic stuff. Free Traders have hop drives. (Which indicates that the play space has to be even larger. Campaign wouldnt be a few sub sectors, but a few sectors.) Everyone has like Star worth of energy at their disposable for their whims.
It gets weird.
This is a failure of my imagination but I dont know what kind of problem you have when nearly everyone has a Star worth of energy at their disposable. What the heck are they doing they dont have suffecient means.
We have the Mystery/Wraith campaign, and the PC kinda at time get in a Darkroom themepark ride, not quite abble to have agency when Grandpa can casually Skip drive and think a deathstar laser. When uber eats local range is tens of parsects.
It gets weird.
Not bad.
But probably not human adventures.
Which isnt bad also.
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
It become a galaxy spanning space opera...Well, this has been discussed
Here is the issue though.
We need to figure out what it is that the players actually do. And it probably cannot be the trading/mercing/pirating/etc of 1105, because then all we are doing is putting a different skin on the same game. So, you need to do something different, while still being Traveller.
Updating tech and a few empires ain't gonna cut it
Star Wars with the name filed off, Rebel Moon the director's cut (I liked it) but obviously rebranded, Foundation (TV series), even elements of Dune.
Travel to distant parts of the galaxy, encounter vastly more alien beings, psionics, star fighters, mechs, cybernetics, bioengineering, everything that can't fit in the Third Imperium but could be out there somewhere.
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MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
I agree with this. Everything becomes post-scarcity at TL-17, so no one actually needs to adventure for money anymore. The trade game is also finished once TL-17 is hit because you can Fabricate everything down to the molecular level. So, no money, no trade. I am not sure what a universe like that would look like, but I would have a hard time playing Traveller in it and have it feel like Charted Space.
I think the Milieus We have are fine, some of them just need some love, like Milieu 0. The end of the Dark Age was a great setting. Everything is alien and different outside of Sylean Space, even the humans are strange from so long in isolation. In Milieu 0 you are also much closer to things like the Empire of Sindal, and the Darrian's Star Trigger "Oopsy", the Aslan Border Wars are ongoing, etc. In this time period the Glorious Empire would be near its peak of power. (maybe) Need to go back and read the Glorious Empire book again.
Deep, deep, deep space exploration was one of the options discussed. If you combine it with carving out your own area of space, it does indeed become a different game - but is it still Traveller? Which begs the question... what is Traveller?
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
I can tell you what it isn't.
It isn't just a re-imaged Third Imperium, ripping off Star Wars and Dune (although we've all done that
)Go back to 77
Traveller covers a unique facet of future society: the concept that expanding technology will enable man to reach the stars, and to populate the worlds which orbit them. Nonetheless, communication will be reduced to the level of the 18th Century, reduced to the speed of transportation. The result will be a large (bordering ultimately on the infinite) universe, ripe for the bold adventurer’s travels. Using this three-book set, players are capable of playing single scenarios or entire campaigns set in virtually any science fiction theme. We have tried to make these rules as complete as possible, with provisions for both solitaire and unsupervised play. But, the main thrust of the game has been that of refereed or umpired scenarios and campaigns. The use of a separate, independent referee allows a large degree of flexibility and continuity often not possible of the players themselves control the game. In addition, the referee inserts some measure of uncertainty in the minds of the players as they travel through the universe.
By 81 this had become:
Traveller deals with a common theme of science-fiction: the concept that an expanding technology will enable us to reach the stars and to populate the worlds which orbit them. The major problem, however, will be that communication, be it political, diplomatic, commercial, or private, will be reduced to the level of the 18th century, reduced to the speed of transportation. The result is a large (bordering on the infinite) universe ripe for the adventurer's bold travels. Using this set of three books, players can play single scenarios or entire adventuring campaigns set in any science-fiction situation. These game rules are as complete as they could be and provide for solitaire and unsupervised play. But the main thrust of the game is the refereed or umpired situation. An independent referee allows a large degree of flexibility and continuity often not possible when players themselves control the game. A referee inserts some measure of uncertainty in the minds of the players as they travel through the universe. Finally, the referee deals with new situations that these rules may not cover; after all, no set of rules can totally define the universe and how it works.
Both editions agreed that:
Crucial to the continuing campaign is the referee; he actually creates a universe, and then catalogs the creatures and societies which populate it.
In order to begin, the referee creates a star map and generates the specifics of the worlds noted on it (Book 3 gives details for this procedure). Initially, however, only clues (sometimes misleading or false) as to the nature of the universe will be available to the players.
The referee may also indicate possible quests for the characters, using rumor, barroom conversation, or so-called general knowledge. For example, rumor may indicate the sources of potential wealth or power; subtle or not-so-subtle clues might exist which could lead to devices or techniques to save the world from cataclysm. The possibilities are endless.
In any case, the referee can make or break a campaign, as it is his imagination which the other players use as a springboard to adventure.
The referee is responsible for maintaining the master maps and charts of the universe, and for determining the various effects of natural forces, chance, and non-player characters on the adventures. He must settle disputes concerning the rules (and may use his own imagination in doing so, rather than strictly adhering to the letter of the rules). He also acts as go-between when characters secretly or solitarily act against the world or their comrades.
Crucial to the continuing campaign is the referee; he or she actually creates a universe and then catalogs the creatures and societies which populate it. In order to begin, the referee creates a star map of a subsector and generates the specific details of the worlds within it. Initially, however, only clues (sometimes false or misleading) as to the nature of the universe are available to the players.
The referee may also indicate possible quests for characters through the use of rumors, barroom conversations, and so-called general knowledge. For example, a rumor may indicate the source of potential wealth or power; not-so-subtle clues may exist which could lead to devices or techniques to save the world from cataclysm. The possibilities are endless.
In any case, the referee can make or break a campaign, as it is his imagination that the other players use as a springboard to adventure. The referee is responsible for maintaining the master maps and charts of the universe, and for determining the various effects of natural forces, chance, and non-player characters on the adventurers. The referee must settle disputes about the rules (and may use his own imagination while doing so, rather than strictly adhering to the letter of the rules).
Finally 81 had the best footnote to the game
Traveller is necessarily a framework describing the barest of essentials for an infinite universe; obviously rules which could cover every aspect of every possible action would be far larger than these three booklets. A group involved in playing a scenario or campaign can make their adventures more elaborate, more detailed, more interesting, with the input of a great deal of imagination.
The greatest burden, of course, falls on the referee, who must create entire worlds and societies through which the players will roam. One very interesting source of assistance for this task is the existing science-fiction literature. Virtually anything mentioned in a story or article can be transferred to the Traveller environment. Orbital cities, nuclear war, alien societies, puzzles, enigmas, absolutely anything can occur, with imagination being the only limit.
The players themselves have a burden almost equal to that of the referee: they must move, act, travel in search of their own goals. The typical methods used in life by 20th century Terrans (thrift, dedication, and hard work) do not work in Traveller; instead, travellers must boldly plan and execute daring schemes for the acquisition of wealth and power. As for the referee, modern science-fiction tradition provides many ideas and concepts to be imitated.
Above all, the players and the referees must work together. Care must be taken that the referee does not simply lay fortunes in the path of the players, but the situation is not primarily an adversary relationship. The referee simply administers the rules in situations where the players themselves have an incomplete understanding of the universe. The results should reflect a consistent reality.
Welcome to the universe of Traveller
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
So to answer the question what is Traveller succinctly in its own words:
Traveller covers a unique facet of future society: the concept that expanding technology will enable man to reach the stars, and to populate the worlds which orbit them.
Nonetheless, communication, be it political, diplomatic, commercial, or private, will be reduced to the level of the 18th Century, reduced to the speed of transportation.
The result will be a large (bordering ultimately on the infinite) universe, ripe for the bold adventurer’s travels. Using Traveller players are capable of playing single scenarios or entire campaigns set in virtually any science fiction theme or situation.
Travellers must boldly plan and execute daring schemes for the acquisition of wealth and power. As for the referee, modern science-fiction tradition provides many ideas and concepts to be imitated.
The referee creates a star map of a subsector and generates the specific details of the worlds within it. Initially, however, only clues (sometimes false or misleading) as to the nature of the universe are available to the players.
The referee may also indicate possible quests for characters through the use of rumors, barroom conversations, and so-called general knowledge. For example, a rumor may indicate the source of potential wealth or power; not-so-subtle clues may exist which could lead to devices or techniques to save the world from cataclysm. The possibilities are endless.
The referee must settle disputes about the rules (and may use his own imagination while doing so, rather than strictly adhering to the letter of the rules).
One very interesting source of assistance for this task is the existing science-fiction literature. Virtually anything mentioned in a story or article can be transferred to the Traveller environment. Orbital cities, nuclear war, alien societies, puzzles, enigmas, absolutely anything can occur, with imagination being the only limit.
Welcome to the universe of Traveller
Traveller covers a unique facet of future society: the concept that expanding technology will enable man to reach the stars, and to populate the worlds which orbit them.
Nonetheless, communication, be it political, diplomatic, commercial, or private, will be reduced to the level of the 18th Century, reduced to the speed of transportation.
The result will be a large (bordering ultimately on the infinite) universe, ripe for the bold adventurer’s travels. Using Traveller players are capable of playing single scenarios or entire campaigns set in virtually any science fiction theme or situation.
Travellers must boldly plan and execute daring schemes for the acquisition of wealth and power. As for the referee, modern science-fiction tradition provides many ideas and concepts to be imitated.
The referee creates a star map of a subsector and generates the specific details of the worlds within it. Initially, however, only clues (sometimes false or misleading) as to the nature of the universe are available to the players.
The referee may also indicate possible quests for characters through the use of rumors, barroom conversations, and so-called general knowledge. For example, a rumor may indicate the source of potential wealth or power; not-so-subtle clues may exist which could lead to devices or techniques to save the world from cataclysm. The possibilities are endless.
The referee must settle disputes about the rules (and may use his own imagination while doing so, rather than strictly adhering to the letter of the rules).
One very interesting source of assistance for this task is the existing science-fiction literature. Virtually anything mentioned in a story or article can be transferred to the Traveller environment. Orbital cities, nuclear war, alien societies, puzzles, enigmas, absolutely anything can occur, with imagination being the only limit.
Welcome to the universe of Traveller
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
Or if you want the short answer:
Using Traveller players are capable of playing single scenarios or entire campaigns set in virtually any science fiction theme or situation.
Modern science-fiction tradition provides many ideas and concepts to be imitated, the possibilities are endless with imagination being the only limit.
Welcome to the universe of Traveller
Using Traveller players are capable of playing single scenarios or entire campaigns set in virtually any science fiction theme or situation.
Modern science-fiction tradition provides many ideas and concepts to be imitated, the possibilities are endless with imagination being the only limit.
Welcome to the universe of Traveller
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Good luck.
Limpin Legin
Emperor Mongoose
That seems to be the consensus with Traveller. I am just wondering what would you recommend when imagination is **the limit**, at your time of greatest need?
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
I roll on the CT encounter tables a few times and make stuff up. Failing that I have two fall backs - Five Parsecs from Home and its supplements and a game called a Across a Thousand Dead Worlds are basically big long lists of random encounter tables that can map out an evening's scenario.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
If you play in the Borderlands, take all 50 US States and assign one state to each system. Then google "Nebraska weird news", or "Ohio dumpster fire", or "Florida Man" A version of whatever news story you find is what is happening on that world.
Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
I absolutely love this!
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
I use this method to keep things from going stale and because the stupidity of My fellow countrymen never ceases to amaze Me.
Eventually, rolling on tables gets boring.
Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
My wife showed me a drawing of someone from the UK trying and failing to name US states and that could be how other residents get confused about the rest.
