Classic Traveller as the OD&D of SFRPGs?

[badger2305]

Right now, I'm in the process of analyzing the 1977 edition of Traveller on my blog, in a series of posts entitled Traveller Tuesdays.

I'm attempting to do a couple of different things:

• I want to look at Traveller's 1977 edition in much the same way we've been looking at Original D&D: rather than seeing it as backwards, what opportunities did it offer?
  
• I also am mentioning some of the reactions we had at the time to Traveller as it appeared to us.
  
• I'm also linking 1977 Traveller to its science fiction literary and media inspirations.
  

To kick off some discussion here, how can we re-imagine Traveller the way that we've been re-imagining and exploring Original D&D?

Comments here or on my blog are welcome!

[Finarvyn]

I've become more interested in science fiction recently and, now that our Traveller section is less hidden, I'm hoping that we might generate some enthusiasm in this project. The 1977 Traveller is exactly the edition that I would want to promote!

[Alex]

There were other versions of Traveller? People think CT was backward? Man, I'm out of touch. I know of 3 LBB Traveller which I thought was the first version. Then recently I found the Traveller Starter Edition which seems to be the same material combined into normal sized pages and better layout plus artwork. But the content seems identical. I never thought there was anything wrong with those rules (aside from wasting space on psionics and improving skills, since both are astronomically unlikely to happen).

[eris]

Aug 9, 2010 10:31:50 GMT -6 Alex said:

There were other versions of Traveller? People think CT was backward? Man, I'm out of touch. I know of 3 LBB Traveller which I thought was the first version. Then recently I found the Traveller Starter Edition which seems to be the same material combined into normal sized pages and better layout plus artwork. But the content seems identical. I never thought there was anything wrong with those rules (aside from wasting space on psionics and improving skills, since both are astronomically unlikely to happen).

The 3 LBB *were* the first version. There was a 1977 version of them and a slightly revised version in 1981, and 5 more LBB's were added over the years. Starter Traveller was the first 3 LBB's (1981 version) reformatted and *slightly* modified. All of these versions are refered to as CT, or Classic Traveller. CT was originally setting free, but over time the 3rd Imperium Setting was introduced. You can still get the LBB today from Marc Miller at www.farfuture.net/hardcopy.html in the form of the BBB.

In the mid 80's GDW came out with Mega-Traveller which extended and modified the rules a good bit. This version was dubbed MT and is available from DriveThruRpg...I think. There were some things in MT that I liked, and used, but I never really switched away from CT. MT started the destruction of the 3rd Imperium through a nasty civil war that eventually reduced everybody to "Hard Times."

In the early 90's GDW came out with Traveller: The New Era (TNE). TNE was a big break in rules, moving from the d6 only rules to the "GDW house system", a d20 based task system (not WEG's d6 or WotC's d20 system's though). TNE also finished off the Imperium by introducing Virus which wiped out almost all star level civilization and moving the timeline ahead 100+ years to a period where Humaniti (GDW's spelling) was just beginning to get back into space here and there. I've played there and, although the rules aren't too bad they aren't really *Traveller* to me. When I ran games there I moved the timeline ahead 1000+ years and made the past filled with legends, and had humans just getting back in to space from a few places. IMO, TNE just about killed Traveller off...except for a few of us diehards.

Later Marc Miller's Traveller (T4) tried to revive the brand by going back to CT...almost. It was very, very, poorly executed. The setting was the CT one, but set just as the 3rd Imperiem is being formed.

SJG got a license for Traveller and produce GURPS Traveller (GT). If you like GURPS and you like Traveller, you'll like GT. SJG is still selling some GT material as ebooks and runs a bi-weekly blog (for pay) dedicated to Traveller (JTAS), but their support is dwindling...has dwindled to almost zero.

Traveller20 was a d20 version of Traveller that came a bit later. There were some good things there, but d20 just didn't work for Traveller, IMO. There was some good CT-style setting stuff published for it, though.

In recent years, there have been various Traveller sightings. Marc Miller has been writing about Traveller 5 (T5) for years and there is an actual beta out for it. TravellerHero made a brief appearance. As did a community based attempt to "make a better CT"...think LL, S&W, etc., but that was kaboshed by Marc Miller and his chosen licensee Mongoose. Mongoose is the *only* licensee now (with SJG's grandfathered in for a period of time), and Mongoose Traveller (I call it Ricki Tiki Traveller or RTT) is the only legal rules set that can be sold. There is a limited SRD for RTT, so other folks can publish some non-rules set and non-official setting materials.

That's a brief history of the history of All My Travellers.

[Falconer]

Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 are available as $4 PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com. Looks like these are the ’81 revision—not sure how much less cool that makes them. I wouldn’t say $12 is cheap, but this does look to me like the best way to get started.

[slade]

For what it's worth I believe En Garde! is to Traveller what Braunstein is to OD&D.

En Garde! is the char gen framework that inspired the char gen mini-game in Traveller.

[eris]

Aug 9, 2010 15:03:14 GMT -6 @slade said:

For what it's worth I believe En Garde! is to Traveller what Braunstein is to OD&D.

En Garde! is the char gen framework that inspired the char gen mini-game in Traveller.

Probably, quite true. The same folks that came up with one came up with the other.

[James Maliszewski]

Aug 9, 2010 15:03:14 GMT -6 @slade said:

For what it's worth I believe En Garde! is to Traveller what Braunstein is to OD&D.

En Garde! is the char gen framework that inspired the char gen mini-game in Traveller.

That's an excellent insight and one I'm ashamed to say hadn't really clicked with me till now.

[coffee]

If you're going to get the three books, you might as well spend the same $12 on The Traveller Book. This single volume collected all the rules from the three books, then added some things from Book 0 and some adventures and some material from the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society.

It includes a few things that were cut from Starter Traveller.

It's the most complete single resource for Basic classic Traveller.

Again, just my Cr0.02.

[ffilz]

The best deal is the Classic Traveller CDROM for $35 from here:

www.farfuture.net/cdroms.html.

You get everything for Classic Traveller, all the rule book variants (except the original printings of the boxed set and High Guard), board games, modules, supplements, etc.

Frank

[Finarvyn]

I bought that CD just a couple weeks ago, Frank, and so far I agree. It's a great resource.

What makes me nervous, however, is the number of threads on CotI that are complaining about errors and/or bad scans on the disk.

[ffilz]

I've found a few minor problems, but overall, everything I've actually read has been readable.

[ffilz]

Also, I don't think rpgnow has any different scans from these.

[eris]

Aug 11, 2010 11:13:21 GMT -6 ffilz said:

I've found a few minor problems, but overall, everything I've actually read has been readable.

You know you can get hardcopy at www.farfuture.net/hardcopy.html and Books 0-8 for $28 is a very good deal. If you scroll down a little on that page there is a $10 Books1-3, too. I have copies of each. I also bought a couple extra of the $10 books to give to friends and relations...made good gifts.

The $10 one is all 3 of the LBB (81 version) in a digest sized book. The only down side is the small font (8 pt I think). Other than that it's everything a player (or Ref) really needs to play CT.

The $28 book is the Big Black Book, or BBB . It is a 14x8.5 inch book with the original digest sized books laid out with pages side by side. It is a bit ungainly to use at a table, but is *all* of the CT rules. The supplements and adventures are also great purchases...although I see that the adventures are Out of Print.

You can also get a quick start version of Mongoose's version on their site...free I think. It has enough information to get started playing.

[oldgamergeek]

Right now is a great time for Classic Traveller fans like me.
Mongoose Traveller is a good game feels like Classic enough that it is worthy of praise. did see the d20 version is now GONE not real upset over that one myself.

[murquhart72]

Aug 9, 2010 16:44:56 GMT -6 coffee said:

If you're going to get the three books, you might as well spend the same $12 on The Traveller Book.
Again, just my Cr0.02.

The Traveller Book is awesome, especially if you're into the Imperium setting. The only reason I like the original box is because it compliments my D&D box so well and is divorced from any setting, allowing for more of my own imagination

[Mike]

Aug 9, 2010 10:31:50 GMT -6 Alex said:

There were other versions of Traveller? People think CT was backward? Man, I'm out of touch. I know of 3 LBB Traveller which I thought was the first version. Then recently I found the Traveller Starter Edition which seems to be the same material combined into normal sized pages and better layout plus artwork. But the content seems identical. I never thought there was anything wrong with those rules (aside from wasting space on psionics and improving skills, since both are astronomically unlikely to happen).

I really like the Starter Edition but for some reason the Experience and Drugs section were omitted - which is why I prefer the original booklets (1981 revised) or the Traveller Book.