Is this the TU?

[Agemegos]

Suppose that I arrive on a liner at the orbital port facility, and taken a shuttle down to a spaceport ground facility. I collect my luggage, go through the arrival formalities, and take some sort of local transport to my hotel in the business district of the planet's chief financial centre. I check in, bathe, change, and go out for a meal. After a night seeing the sights I sleep in my hotel room, and in the morning I meet a local contact to discuss some delicate and confidential business, something that couldn't be arranged by sending messages.

Considering the things that I have seen and done, and the things that I have not seen or done, what gives away that I am in the Traveller Universe. What are the tell-tale observations, absences, actions and omissions?

 

[Gadrin]

Kinda reminds me of the T4 main book with its full-page b&w artwork and the paragraph below each informing the reader what's involved in Traveller.

 

[aramis]

Well, you left out: they searched you for weapons but waived your beaker monkey upon seeing he's been given panimmunity, had to get local government permission to exit the starport, and local transport was a beast and buggy.

 

[far-trader]

Suppose that I arrive on a liner at the orbital port facility, and taken a shuttle down to a spaceport ground facility. I collect my luggage, go through the arrival formalities, and take some sort of local transport to my hotel in the business district of the planet's chief financial centre. I check in, bathe, change, and go out for a meal. After a night seeing the sights I sleep in my hotel room, and in the morning I meet a local contact to discuss some delicate and confidential business, something that couldn't be arranged by sending messages.

Considering the things that I have seen and done, and the things that I have not seen or done, what gives away that I am in the Traveller Universe. What are the tell-tale observations, absences, actions and omissions?

Well, just my take since we all know what Traveller is but we all define it differently

Breaking it down, adding my clues to it being Traveller in bold...

After a week in jumpspace to travel X parsecs I arrive on a liner at the Highport (orbital port facility), and take a shuttle to the Downport (down to a spaceport ground facility). I collect my luggage, go through the arrival formalities, most notably being apprised of the local weapons restrictions, and take a gravcar* (some sort of local transport) to my hotel in the business district of the planet's chief financial centre. I check in, bathe, change, and go out for a meal. After a night seeing the sights I sleep in my hotel room, and in the morning I meet a local contact to discuss some delicate and confidential business, something that couldn't be arranged by sending messages.

* possibly, depending on TL and other factors

I might also have added that you're staying at the local Traveller's Aid Society hotel but it could as easily be a regular hotel.

So the easiest way to know you're playing Traveller depends on the ref using the correct jargon, much like any other game or setting. For example we know we're aboard a Federation Starship in the Star Trek universe if we are assigned to an away team and issued phasers, then beamed down to a planet. We also know our life expectancy is probably short if our uniform is red

 

[casquilho]

Far-Trader is doing what I would also do. I think of the generic experience as a plain pasta. The pasta could be used in lots of dishes. That is the basics you have described.

The background is the spice and sauce I use to make it a particular dish.

The restaurant you eat in specializes in a form of Solomani cooking, the Vargr driver in your car, and the Darrian you are meeting for the confidential business are all part of that spice.

Daniel

 

[Merxiless]

Could be Traveller, could be Spacemaster, could be all sorts of settings.

 

[Thuban]

Suppose that I arrive on a liner at the orbital port facility, and taken a shuttle down to a spaceport ground facility. I collect my luggage, go through the arrival formalities, and take some sort of local transport to my hotel in the business district of the planet's chief financial centre. I check in, bathe, change, and go out for a meal. After a night seeing the sights I sleep in my hotel room, and in the morning I meet a local contact to discuss some delicate and confidential business, something that couldn't be arranged by sending messages.

Considering the things that I have seen and done, and the things that I have not seen or done, what gives away that I am in the Traveller Universe. What are the tell-tale observations, absences, actions and omissions?

The SPA logo on the starport personnel uniforms, TNS bulletins streaming on monitors throughout the starport, names like Tukera, Sharurshid, and Imperiallines on the arrival and departure monitors, the TAS hostel, passing through planetary customs and immigration before crossing the Imperial extrality line, signs written in Galanglic and (depending exactly where in Charted Space I am) Bilandin, Gvegh, Trokh, et cetera, the presence of humans of a variety of extractions (Vilani, Geonee, Suerrat, et cetera) as well as sophonts such as Bwaps, Vargr, Hivers, Aslan, and so on (again depending on exactly where I am), startown with off-duty Imperial Marines in their maroon walking-out dress, the Imperial starburst displayed prominently, checking for messages with the IISS communications office, synching my hand computer library program to the local data net - that's what comes to mind off the top of my head.

 

[Agemegos]

Could be Traveller, could be Spacemaster, could be all sorts of settings.

Quite. But if it is Traveller, what gives away that it is Traveller? What do I do and see in that process in the TU that I would not do and see if this were not the TU? What things that I might seen and do in most SF settings that I do not see if this is happening in the TU?

Suppose that you saw a character doing those things in the opening montage of a movie. What might you see on the screen that would make you think "Cool! A Traveller movie!"? What might you see that would make you think "Darn! It isn't Traveller."?

 

[Agemegos]

Well, just my take since we all know what Traveller is but we all define it differently

Well, I don't know what Traveller is. When I played it in '82 the campaign was set in Larry Niven's "Known Space", and the game a played in last year was set in the New Era in a planetary society that had just rediscovered Jump. I've read GURPS Traveller, but it doesn't speak to me. So I'm groping around for teh spine of the setting, the bones that everything hangs off and that the muscles do their stuff by working it. I'm searching for an essence of Traveller.

 

[far-trader]

Well, I don't know what Traveller is.... I'm searching for an essence of Traveller.

Ah, got it

Well, some of what was said might apply peripherally to the question, how the ref (or director/writer/producer) would clue a player (viewer) in that it is Traveller. But it would require that the player (viewer) already be familiar with Traveller. Otherwise it will look like a space adventure. There are a few threads around the site already dealing with just what Traveller "is" recognized by. Several of them don't really separate it from general sci-fi individually, but collectively they all produce the signature. Stuff like...

A week in jump space, totally cut off from the universe.

Communication limited to the range of jump and the one week travel time.

Wide ranging technology levels on worlds of the Imperium. Everything from stone age primitives to technology indistinguishable from magic to us.

Wide variety and open use of weapons for self defense, a reliance and expectation of "looking out for yourself" within the varied law of the member worlds. Often summarized as "Shotguns in space".

For just a few. Maybe someone can resurrect an old thread about what Traveller is for you too.

 

[casquilho]

I know this is just my opinion, but I have always thought of Traveller as “colonial era” in space. Limited communications, feudal structure of government, "Major" races and "Minor" races, a core of space that is industrialized and a frontier that is wild and still open for those who want to take the risk.

But I will also point out that we need to remember that Traveller was first put out as a generic SciFi game. The idea that you can still see how it could be twisted to fit various backgrounds shuld not be seen as a bad thing, but rather show why it has survived to this day both as Traveller and as a basis for many other background games run by people just like me.

Daniel

 

[far-trader]

I did a quick search and here are a few threads that may help answer your question...

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=50

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=14278

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=334

 

[Andrew Boulton]

I'm searching for an essence of Traveller.

Comes in a bottle shaped like a pyramid. Costs Cr250. Smells like wet Vargr.

 

[far-trader]

Comes in a bottle shaped like a pyramid. Costs Cr250. Smells like wet Vargr.

That'd probably sell quite well, and sounds like an excellent setup for an adventure cargo :smirk:

 

[Merxiless]

I see the error of my first answer.

What you are asking is what defines the Traveller Universe as a setting.

Impossible to answer, because strephon is and is not schroedinger's cat.

People can't agree on a 2d6 / multi d6 die mechanic, how can they agree on what it is or should be as a setting.

I think Marc defined it pretty well in The Traveller Book, if that answers your question.

Comms at speed of jump
1 week in jump
humanistic
interstellar empire
etc.

My own campaign is very different, it's not the TU by any means, but all the local players call it "Traveller."

 

[Andrew Boulton]

How can you tell you''re in Star Wars? Or Trek? There's nothing major - different aliens, different design styles. Traveller ships are big (no FTL fighters), but not huge (no Death Stars either). Other than jump drives and antigrav, there's no "magic" tech.

 

[Merxiless]

I'm still kind of scratching my head about the question.

I mean, each setting is different. Use Traveller, use Your Own TU. Use Star Trek.

 

[Gadrin]

My own campaign is very different, it's not the TU by any means, but all the local players call it "Traveller."

I'd probably give it enough spice that most die-hard Traveller fans would see it and run-away in horror -- meaning those left to play could enjoy ourselves.

Anyway, I'd like to hear more details about your version of Traveller, either here or PM me or start another IMTU post.

 

[Gadrin]

I'm still kind of scratching my head about the question.

I mean, each setting is different. Use Traveller, use Your Own TU. Use Star Trek.

I believe he's gathering info to write some articles over on the GURPS side of things and wants to make sure it's familiar enough either not offend people or make a faux pas.

I believe he's good enough just to write it and then pass it over to one of the Traveller grognards over there (or here) and ask them what they think.

 

[Agemegos]

I believe he's gathering info to write some articles over on the GURPS side of things and wants to make sure it's familiar enough either not offend people or make a faux pas.

That's right. I an exploring the possibility of writing up some world descriptions with adventure seeds for the Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society. So I want a better idea of what will make such things useful to as many GMs as possible. Worlds that can only be tucked into an obscure corner or rationalised as existing during the Long Night are not, I think, portable enough to be worth writing.

Traveller fans can put down their pitchforks. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the ambition was presumptuous and that the plan is unworkable.