What Properties Would You Like To See Mongoose Acquire?

[Klaus Kipling]

Just to weigh in, I cannot believe Blake's 7 has scored so highly - I think some people need to re-watch the series, rather than rely on nostalgia

I own the entire series and finished re-watching it (again...) just a few months ago. Not just relying on nostalgia here.

The writing on that show is fantastic.

Same here. Finished watching it (again) last year. Blake's 7 sh*ts all over B5, fer sure. Maybe not in the effects department, but ideas, acting, and characters.... And certainly the Liberator is one of the best designed ship's in sfdom.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

i bought my mum the radio plays of Blakes 7 (the newer ones with the original cast) for christmas a couple of years back, and she and I still love them!!

Blakes 7 has aged pretty well, ok so the effects are now laughable, but the stories, characterisation, plots are still kick a*s grab you by the throat good!

Chef

If you rewatch TNG, or nay, even early B5, those effects are now pretty laughable too.

 

[locarno24]

Andromeda and/or The Culture.

Especially the Culture - it has that wonderful slightly wierd sense of humour that gives you almost Paranoia-like elements at times (at least from the perspective of the more-or-less human characters who haven't got a bloody hope of really understanding what's going on once Minds get involved)

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

An original setting not based on a movie, TV show, or computer game.

 

[hdan]

I would absolutely buy a "Mass Effect" book.
I would probably buy an "Andromeda" book or a "Firefly" book if it wasn't too expensive.

 

[nats]

None of these, Traveller is interesting enough on its own, all these ancillary developments just dilute the work on Traveller. Dont see any need myself for loads of variations abnd film/literary genres are far too rigid compared to Traveller.

 

[Golan2072]

There are two old games by Looking Glass Studios (EA owns the IP now, IIRC) that will work great with Traveller rules - System Shock and Thief. System Shock is sci-fi/cyberpunk in quite an interesting universe; and while Thief is steampunk-fantasy, it is relatively low-magic and quite lethal in its combat, so it will probably work well with the Traveller rules.

 

[locarno24]

I don't see the Culture as restrictive - it's very much a 'sandbox' setting as it is - indeed that's how Ian Banks has used it.

The main thing it has that traveller is (currently) missing is the top-end stuff (beyond current traveller TLs) like the Mind AIs, really smart nanotech, effectors, humunga-warships like the GSV, petter understanding of hyperspace allowing displacers, gridfire weapons, grid energy sources and so on.

Nothing really contradicts anything in traveller, and it could essentially be a sourcebook which stacks straight on top of existing books with new tech components and gear, and possibly some sort of combat modification rules - inividual versus mercenary sized force for the often hinted at but never seen properly occasions where special circumstances agents really cut loose. Ditto for almost barrage-of-barrage rules for a Rapid Offensive Unit letting rip on any 'normal' TL fleet of ships.

 

[TrippyHippy]

The other obvious high profile licensed setting, that ought to be a given considering the Rebellion links that already have a lot of games under it's title, is Alien vs Predator.

Not entirely sure how it would be done, but it should have been done already.

In my view, Traveller needs to get another load of settings and a big license in the next year or so, to boost gamer interest in the next few years. I like the 2000AD stuff, and the OTU will always be strong - but they need to keep branching out.

 

[SnowDog]

My take would be:
- Autumn Rain Setting from books by David J. Williams
- Ghost Recon Future Soldier
- Borderline (the comic by Risso et al)

 

[Ishmael]

I keep saying it over and over again...

Maschinen Krieger

 

[dmccoy1693]

- Ghost Recon Future Soldier

I could see this for a battlefield evolution setting more than traveller.

 

[Travellingdave]

Has any one mentioned the Tadeshi Kovacs novels: Altered Carbon and Broken Angels?

Great combination of sci-fi noir with some epic plotting. Brain transfer tech, interstellar colonies, anti-grav drives, smart weapons and low-level AI but NO FTL travel, only FTL communications. Hence personalities are transmitted between systems more often than bodies are shipped. Bodies have become merely sleeves for personas.

It would push the Mongoose system with regards to separating a character's mental attributes from their physical ones, but I don't think it would be too hard to do: INT, EDU, SOC, vs. STR, DEX, END.

 

[SnowDog]

- Ghost Recon Future Soldier

I could see this for a battlefield evolution setting more than traveller.

I have understood tha BFE will be replaced by some other products...

Still, GR is about small team based combat so very well fit for RPG format (if it works as a fantasy version like Wraith Recon, why not as a near future military game?). Future Soldier version would also give some scifi toys to play with, which would be nice.

Has any one mentioned the Tadeshi Kovacs novels: Altered Carbon and Broken Angels?

Great combination of sci-fi noir with some epic plotting. Brain transfer tech, interstellar colonies, anti-grav drives, smart weapons and low-level AI but NO FTL travel, only FTL communications. Hence personalities are transmitted between systems more often than bodies are shipped. Bodies have become merely sleeves for personas.

It would push the Mongoose system with regards to separating a character's mental attributes from their physical ones, but I don't think it would be too hard to do: INT, EDU, SOC, vs. STR, DEX, END.

Takeshi Kovacs books by Richard Morgan? No, I have not seen them listed here but they would also be awesome. The last in series "Woken Furies" had a part that I could very well envision even as a minis game setting or a very nasty place for RPGs

These books are a bit transhumanist and that sleeving process could get problematic, like you said.

 

[DB Reborn]

Honor Harrington
Vatta's War
Posleen War

Neal Ashers Polity series would be good as well

 

[Techno-Guru]

None of these, Traveller is interesting enough on its own, all these ancillary developments just dilute the work on Traveller. Dont see any need myself for loads of variations abnd film/literary genres are far too rigid compared to Traveller.

I disagree. I personally don't find much interesting about the core setting (generic space opera) other then the races. And besides, weren't you complaining about career book eight? They're going to have to find something else for those writers to do once book nine and/or ten are finished.
I honestly haven't gotten into Honor Harrington (what would be a good book to start with?) but I can attest that Starfist has an espionage/covert ops element in with the military storyline. At the very least, all three military careers in the core book would have no shortage of things to do.
Vatta's War would be easy to convert into Traveller and have plenty of plot hooks. We have the conflict with Turek, general trade and travel both before and after his year-long war, and the possiblity for players to explore Turek's origins and the mystery of how he managed to get his fleet together.
Plus of course there are the more expensive (to license) classics like Star Wars and Star Trek that would have no shortage of times and places to throw the party.

 

[rust]

I honestly haven't gotten into Honor Harrington (what would be a good book to start with?) ...

The first of the series, On Basilisk Station, is one of the best books of the
entire series, and all the others more or less build upon it.

 

[Techno-Guru]

The first of the series, On Basilisk Station, is one of the best books of the
entire series, and all the others more or less build upon it.

Thank you very much, I'll see if I can find it.

Yeah, I have to throw my support behind Vatta's War and Starfist if I haven't already.
Also recently started reading the Polseen War series (Watch on the Rhine and A Hymn Before Battle.) My only complaint with that setting is that other then humans, the only race that isn't a pacifist of some kind are the Polseen...

 

[FreeTrav]

In my view, Traveller needs to get another load of settings and a big license in the next year or so, to boost gamer interest in the next few years. I like the 2000AD stuff, and the OTU will always be strong - but they need to keep branching out.

A valid viewpoint, but I think it needs to be tempered somewhat - the gaming market really isn't big enough to support both competition and one company doing a gazillion different settings for their House System.

The number of settings that a single company should support is going to depend on how "interchangeable" the settings are - it would, for example, take less effort to support both the Vatta's War universe and the Republic of Cinnabar universe than it would to support either of those and the Two-Space War universe, because the fundamental assumptions of the latter are rather further away from either of the former than the former are from each other, and books written for either of the former could be relatively easily adapted to the other - but adapting either of those to or from the latter would be less easy.

I would like to see Mongoose pick up some more settings - Vatta and Cinnabar are probably at the top of my personal list - but only if they feel that they can do a credible job of supporting them.

 

[FreeTrav]

I honestly haven't gotten into Honor Harrington (what would be a good book to start with?)

There is no question but that you should start with the original book of the series, On Basilisk Station. Everything eventually traces its way back to the events of that book. I encourage you to purchase either dead tree editions or electronic editions (the latter from http://www.webscription.net), but if for some reason that's not possible, contact me off-list and I can arrange for you to get electronic editions completely and legally free.

Vatta's War would be easy to convert into Traveller and have plenty of plot hooks. We have the conflict with Turek, general trade and travel both before and after his year-long war, and the possiblity for players to explore Turek's origins and the mystery of how he managed to get his fleet together.

In addition to general trade, the story shows clearly that it's not difficult for player-characters to Make A Difference, and have major influence on the political "look" of the setting based on their actions.

You could probably make similar statements about the Republic of Cinnabar series, though that universe appears less amenable to player-character-induced political influence.