journals???

[trader jim]

this probably has been asked and answered in the past but i cant find it....are the "journals" anf their contents "cannon"???

 

[WendellM]

The Traveller Canon list that appears at the front of several of the FFE reprints includes all 24 issues of the Journal, and issues 25-34 of Challenge.

On page 3 of Journal #22, Loren Wiseman wrote:

I'd like to take the remainder of my space here to deal with a question that sometimes causes a good deal of confusion among Journal readers, that is, the distinction between "official" and "unofficial" articles. There is considerable difference between an official addition to the rules (such as "Computers" in issue #1 or the various errata printed from time to time), a suggested variant (such as the Special Supplements), and rule-expansion type articles, such as this issue's "From Port to Jump-point." Official rules additions replace or revise any previous rules which have dealt with them. Official rules additions are rare, and will be clearly identified as such. Everything else in the Journal is optional.

What this means in practice is that we will occasionally print contradictory articles. Often, two (or more) writers will have equally valid ideas on some facet of Traveller. It would be stifling to say that one is right and all the rest are wrong simply because of the order in which they were presented. For example, "Seastrike" contains material dealing with underwater vehicular combat. It takes a particular approach, and gives a few suggested rules for dealing with this facet of the universe. However, referees need not use these rules if they have others they feel are better. Similarly, the fact that we have published an article on this topic will not prevent me from running another on a similar subject later, especially if the subject matter is approached in a significantly different but no less valid manner.

 

[trader jim]

thanx - if mr wiseman says EVERYTHING ELSE IS OPTIONAL thats good enough for me!! thats almost
cannon in my book!!

 

[Vargas]

For what it is worth, in the forward to the CT Books 0-8 reprint, canon is described as being JTAS 1- (some number I forget but it includes {prepare to activate full body shudder!} IRIS) perhaps 30?.

 

[Elliot]

IRIS was a Charles Gannon article in challenge and was described as a Traveller variant - it became canon because CG took over MT in the interregnum before evil Dave took over (aka ruined) Traveller.

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Elliot:
IRIS was a Charles Gannon article in challenge and was described as a Traveller variant - it became canon because CG took over MT in the interregnum before evil Dave took over (aka ruined) Traveller.

And it was decanonized again (very cleverly) in Survival Margin when it was revealed that Strephon had never even heard of IRIS. They were merely a bluff run by some enterprising members of the Imperial intelligence community.

Hans

 

[alanb]

Which is actually a good story in its own right.

The actual idea itself was terminally silly, but the decanonization saved it, and made it interesting.

<mutter - psionic superspies - bah, humbug...>

Alan Bradley

 

[vegascat]

Bah Humbug indeed. Who ever hear of psionic superspies. How could anyone ever believe the Zhodani were able to infiltrate so far in. Forget everything about that old hoax, there is nothing to it. You can stop staring at the rotating disk now.

 

[Vargas]

While I am in full agreement that IRIS has been defrocked, the resources which did the job are themselves not canon according to Marc's statement in the reprint but I acknowledge it's not possible to list every exception to the rule.

And for what it's worth, IRIS was never canon to me (rebel that I am)