Levels of "canon"
Is Gateway to Destiny not canon? I think it's quite well done although there is a bit too much mashed in there.
Gateway to Destiny should be considered "licensed" as explained below. Being "licensed" material doesn't mean it's not useful or high quality.
AFAIK Judges Guild sectors were "de-canonized" so that QLI could develop those sectors for it's T20 games.
Here are the
Levels of Traveller Canon that I have been able to collate from previous publications and forum posts (and not restricted to just this forum/company).
Only material written and/or published by Marc Miller through GDW, Imperium Games and/or FFE is to be considered canon or Official Traveller Universe (OTU). Marc owns the IP rights to Traveller (except the DGP material held by Sanger, hence Marc's reference limitations in licensee contracts(?) to the material IIRC). This is the first 'level' and is the
only truly canon material. Since Marc owns the IP his material does not have to remain perfectly consistant throughout the changes of the rulesets he has published or written. It is all still considered canon. Fans may want to differentiate the inconsistencies by referring to material based upon ruleset used, ie Classic Traveller canon or Traveller: New Era canon.
The second level is what I refer to as "Licensed Traveller". "Licensed Traveller" is material produced by Marc Miller contracted companies such as Steve Jackson Games (GURPS Traveller), Quicklink Interactive (T20), Judges Guild (Classic Traveller), Comstar/Avenger (Classic/1248 Traveller), Loren Wiseman Enterprises (Traveller Ships), Mongoose Publishing (Mongoose Traveller), Digest Group Publishing (MegaTraveller), etc. that must be compatible with the Official Traveller Universe as specified in the licensee contract. For SJG their material is set in an alternate Traveller universe where the Rebellion era developed by GDW during the MegaTraveller ruleset does not transpire. For QLI their material could be set in the time period of the Solmani Rim War within specific sectors. For Mongoose Publishing their material revisits the Spinward Marches during the Classic Traveller era in the Imperial years 1101+. Licensed companies with specified development areas and/or eras often state/advertise that their material is "official", it is not (See "first level" above). Though licensed materials might have a 'historical' relationship to previous GDW(etc.) canon/OTU material and/or be internally consistant to itself so as to be deemed 'official' or 'canon' to itself,
it is not canon. It is "licensed" material that may in whole (DGP) or part (JG) be downgraded in status by Marc Miller (commonly referred to as being 'de-canonized') at the end (or default) of any licensee contract.
Mongoose Publishing's Developers' Pack details the conditions which third party companies may publish Traveller material using their Traveller ruleset. "Third Party" is the label I give this level of canon material. This includes the Traveller Logo License. Since this is just an extension of Mongoose's license they cannot exceed Mongoose's level of canonicity; they are third party Mongoose licensees. Mongoose Publishing permits sci-fi games, adventures, alternate universes, etc. to be published using the rules as contained in the System Reference Document within the Developers' Pact under the Open Game License (OGL) but such material is not "Traveller" and is not considered "Third Party" material.
The Developers' Pack includes the Foreven Free Sector Logo License (FFSLL) which specifically prevents all third party publishers using this license from making claims that published material is "official" or canon despite being published in previous published OTU material settings (the Foreven sector). The Developer's Pack also includes the latest version of Marc Miller's Traveller fair use policy (FUP) applicable to Traveller fans' free internet websites and free fanzines (hard copy or internet based). This material is about as far from official or canon as one can get and is restricted to pre-Mongoose versions of the rulesets. Marc reserves the right to revoke or modify the FUP at any time (ie he can legally order a fan to remove content from a fan's website). I do not assign a specific name to this level of canon but generally refer to it as 'fan' material.
Hopefully, this will assist
all of Traveller's fans to understand exactly what is canon and what is not.
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