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Authors with Traveller credentials

kafka47

kafka47

SOC-14 5K
Marquis
We have endless book lists (as a librarian, believe me this a good thing) but how many published science fiction authors have admitted to having played Traveller? So the authors, I know with definite Traveller credentials are:

Jefferson P. Swycaffer
Martin J. Dougherty
Orson Scott Card
Robert Sawyer
Michael A. Stackpole
James Maliszewski
Sharyn Mccrumb
Randy McDonald

Pity Herbert George Wells did not live long enough, he would have got quite a kick to see how his invention of the wargame would have been transformed into Traveller: Small Wars (although, this product is probably only vapourware)...

Does anyone know of others...
 
I don't know how may folks out there are fans of Osprey Publishing books (Man-at-Arms, Elite and so on), but I suspect I'm not the only guy who likes them.


Here's a title for ya:

Men at Arms 2000: Emperor Strephon's Commanders

 
Dear Folks -

William H. Keith, Jnr (Bolo Rising, Warstrider series, Gray Death Legion series, etc)

...and his various pseudonyms:

Ian Douglas (Heritage Trilogy - Semper Mars, etc)
H. Jay Riker (SEALS: the Warrior Breed series)
Keith Douglass (Carrier series, and SEAL Team Seven series)
Robert Cain (Cybernarc series)
Keith William Andrews (Freedom's Rangers series)

Bill's page is here , and his Baen page is here.
 
Oh! I didn't know Ian Douglas was Bill Keith. I really enjoy his books!

I didn't understand about H.G. Wells "Little Wars" and vaporware. Here is a link to an online copy Little Wars
 
this is actually a neat question, i correspond with a few authors i'll ask them if they've ever played it...


Ursula K. Le Guin < shes really polite
Glen Cook < hes funny
Mike Resnick < he is nice, but a mystery man
Mike Z. Williamson < very friendly and funny
Farely mowat < kinda quiet, probably too old though for traveller
J. W. Rawles <VERY good man, probably to serious though for traveller
 
Allen Steele has played Traveller and has mentioned the game in his "Near Space" stories.

I suspect that Walter John Williams has played Traveller after reading his "Dread Empires Fall" trilogy, very Traveller-esque and a damn good read to boot.
 
Before calling science fiction 'traveller-esque', I suggest reading some older (pre-Traveller) science fiction. Traveller really doesn't have anything that wasn't already present in science fiction in the 70s.
 
Wil Wheaton? Possibly. I know that he now writes books and has played RPGs for a long time - I'm just not sure if he played Traveller.

:Edit: Damn, Brian Aldiss was on 'Desert Island Discs' (a radio interview programme) last week which I missed.

Ravs
 
Originally posted by Anthony:
Before calling science fiction 'traveller-esque', I suggest reading some older (pre-Traveller) science fiction. Traveller really doesn't have anything that wasn't already present in science fiction in the 70s.
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Hi, I'm Jeff!

My library is full of what's been called 'older' science fiction. I understand what you are getting at, but go pick up the first book in the series (called The Praxis) and give it a read. I think you'll understand why I believe its Traveller-esque afterwards.
 
I didn't understand about H.G. Wells "Little Wars" and vaporware. Here is a link to an online copy Little Wars [/QB]
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Traveller: Small Wars was one of the ideas that SJG was soliciting for. And, it is a pet project/idea of the designers of Traveller (Marc, Loren, Frank, etc.) to have a Traveller RPG setting that would emulate or simulate countless Small Wars (wars that never involve too many participants and not the Total Wars ie Solomani Rim War nor FFWs) but at the same time not be a wargame. A type of unity between Trillion Credit Squadron, Mercenary, and Striker (to use only CT examples) employing elements of all 3 but not being the same. A game that would allow a Ref. & players direct high & low level actions within a small military theatre. --Does that sound about right, Loren?
 
Originally posted by kafka47:
So the authors, I know with definite Traveller credentials are:

Orson Scott Card
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Just curious...does he play RPG's? I never knew that.

Mike
 
James has gaming fiction, and under a pseudonymn that he asked me not to reveal.

Yup, when I spoke with the good Mr. Card, he revealed that he loved Traveller.

Also, one episode, with a quirky Science Fiction literature program called "Prisoners of Gravity" that might appear on your public broadcaster once featured RPGs and Card spoke there of his guilty pleasure. If memory serves right in both cases.

rpr??
 
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