LBB again?

[Gatsby]

Now for an idea to fire up the board some more:

Return to the concept of CT BEING Traveller. Since the LBBs always were update to the system anyway (Books 4,5,6,7 actually over-ruled books 1,2, and 3), why not continue as was?

The first reprint book (FFE-1) IS the core rules manual. (Or if you're lucky, you have the first print runs....) Then you can start doing LBBs again- Traveller becomes Traveller again.

Example:

Traveller Book 9 - Traveller's Way (Tasks and Interaction)

Traveller Book 10 - Nobles

Supplement 14 - The Card System

Supplement 15 - Deck Plans (how to...)

Campaign 1 (new LBB class!)- Ziru Sirka (merely rule modifications to the main systems to play in the time of the campaign and campaign info and ships, tech, etc.)

Campaign 2 - Rule of Man (merely rule modifications to the main systems to play in the time of the campaign and campaign info and ships, tech, etc.)


Adventure 13 - Faraway Sector

Etc. Etc.

LBBs could go for $7....and you can start printing them right away along with the BCB (Big Collection Books)!

Now, THAT would get me really going again...like: where's my nearest Game store! "Did any Traveller come out this week?"

Gats' (dreaming VERY good dreams, perhaps....)

 

[Crimson Cat]

I would love to see that. But then again I like the D&D system over the advanced especially with the dragon article on how to create new classes from scratch.
Give me a basic set of rules that can be easily modified to fit a situation and I am a happy camper.

 

[FlightCommanderSolitude]

If new Traveller material did indeed come out in LBB format, I would wet my pants with joy. Sadly, I don't think that's the direction things are going in.

-fcs

 

[DrSkull]

Gatsby, I think that is freaking brilliant.

 

[T. Foster]

Although I'm still attached to the idea of my massive Traveller dream-book that I've been describing over the past few days, I've gotta admit I really like the idea of new Traveller LBBs. I mean I REALLY like this idea. And it still leaves room for my MBB (massive black book) somewhere along the line -- after all, The Traveller Book coexisted with the original LBBs, as an option for folks who like fancy artwork and having everything in one place.

Bring on Book 9!

 

[Crimson Cat]

Would an LBB on vehicles be helpful. Liking the idea of new ones more and more(hint, hint).

 

[T. Foster]

OK, Book 9 is 'The Traveller's Way,' the intent of which is to upgrade the game-system as a whole in the same way Books 4-7 upgraded other specific sections.

First (Character) Section:
Homeworld Generation (from MT/T4)
Background Skills (from T4/T5 draft)
Higher Education (from T4/Books 4-7)
Life Pursuits (from T5 draft)
Special Duty (from MT)
Allies/Contacts (from TNE)
New Careers: Enforcer/Agent, Entertainer, Journalist (from MT/T4, possibly saved for later volumes)

Second (Rules) Section:
Task System (from MT preferably, IMO)
Task Library (sample tasks for common activities from Books 1-7)
Experience and Improvement (from MT)
Interpersonal Activities (from MT)
Research (from MT Ref Companion)

That's probably just about enough to fill 56 LBB pages, and IMO manages to hit pretty much every addition from the later editions that felt like real improvement rather than a mistake or change for change's sake.

I'd love to slide this book up onto my shelf.

 

[Myscha the sled dog]

My pen and paper rpg experience dates back to a time of the first runs of Traveller and AD&D. But I must admit the recent reprints in a landscape format of the original LBB are, in my opinion, an ideal solution to facilitate the rules.

Having a singular and secondary book open-laid on top of the other (that STAYS open) and has just about everything a referee needs to look up is much more helpful than multiple small books, hardbound books, or even the softbound versions used in T4.

Landscape books stay open, and don't require you to press down on the binding or bend it to conform to your will.

Also, the beauty and simplicity of the recent reprints of Classic Traveller compliment each other end to end on shelves or in stacks.

For a referee, I must admit using the landscape printed format is a pure pleasure. Hardbound books are clumsy, slip off each other, and are heavy. Landscape formats allows for nice easy to read "letterbox" style presentation of the material as well.

Although having lots of little books, or multiple big fat hardbound books, or hundreds of softbound vertical printed books (like Rifts) seems to be a trend with publishers, I personally prefer Landscape.

 

[Murph]

YES, YES, YES, bring back the LBB, they were so much more convienent. Also the minimalist covers are an effective statement themselves.

Either restart as book 9, or book 1, second edition.

 

[Gallowglass]

Gets my vote. In fact, if FFE go the "second" (fifth, surely

) edition route (rather than book 9), they have the opportunity to address some of the cosmetic changes discussed elsewhere in the baseline systems of books 0/-/8 (Electronics Packages etc).

And FFE could make T5 fully generic and publish new OTU material as Campaigns or Supplements. And please bring back the double adventure - I understood the idea (and I was ten!).

All the OTU material could be compatible to T20 (increasing potential sales), plus variant settings could be done as Campaigns (what's happened to the B5 License and how about the Stargate SG-1 license?) which would raise T5's profile and generate sales for FFE...

This looks frighteningly plausible people...

 

[Elliot]

As a practical note, I remember working in a games shop during the reign of the LLB and the boss always complained that they would go missing behind shelves, they were easier to steal and that they were difficult to display.

How about the modified LLB of FFE products?

 

[Crimson Cat]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Elliot:
As a practical note, I remember working in a games shop during the reign of the LLB and the boss always complained that they would go missing behind shelves, they were easier to steal and that they were difficult to display.

How about the modified LLB of FFE products?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I worked in a bookstore and diplaying them would be fairly easy if you get the right type of display stand. Game cards are much easier to steal than LBBs ever were then and the store owners made adjustments to deal with that. I really comes down to attentiveness to detail and placement to stop theft.I would rather have the LBB than the larger books.
The game store by me always had them displayed well and in a way they would not get lost by getting behind anything or theft.

 

[PVernon]

Restarting the LBB series does sound very cool

. I also would buy any and all that were printed.
Peter V.

 

[aramis]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PVernon:
Restarting the LBB series does sound very cool

. I also would buy any and all that were printed.
Peter V.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Leave some for the rest of us

Seriously, though, I'd buy one of each, assuming $10 each. And I like the proposed book 9: Skills and Tasks.

------------------
-aramis
=============================================
Smith & Wesson: The Original Point and Click interface!

 

[Ranger]

This idea really has great marketing potenial. One of the strengths of the original CT concept was its "plug and play" nature. All you really needed were books 1-3. The rest were at each group's discretion. It gave each GM a tremendous amount of flexability. All of that seems to be missing from "modern" RPGs. Combine that with the cost advantage of LBBs, and I think you have a winning idea here.

Rob

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Traveller, if you go to Sparta, tell them you have seen us lying here as the law commands.

 

[Cuparius]

I am very pleased that the Classic Traveller Reprints are available, but I would be overjoyed to see new LBBs and especially a return of the old LBBs. Why, I'd even buy duplicates... :-?

 

[lucasdigital]

This looks like the intoxication of nostalgia!!

LBB's were a statement of economy and industry infancy.

They worked really well because most of their contempories from other game systems looked lurid, with a lot of seriously poor art.

I'm all for minimalist design, with limited but excellent art. A great piece of cover art can really sell a book. It would be a bold but IMHO a misguided move to try and play on the recognition factor of us old farts.

T5 needs to stand strongly on its own as well as bridge between our worlds of yesteryear and our futures.

Fraid my hopes are still on a big black hardback book, though I must admit the landscape format reprints are tres cool.

Mark




------------------
Mark Lucas
Lucas-digital.com

 

[Crimson Cat]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lucasdigital:
This looks like the intoxication of nostalgia!!

LBB's were a statement of economy and industry infancy.

They worked really well because most of their contempories from other game systems looked lurid, with a lot of seriously poor art.

I'm all for minimalist design, with limited but excellent art. A great piece of cover art can really sell a book. It would be a bold but IMHO a misguided move to try and play on the recognition factor of us old farts.

T5 needs to stand strongly on its own as well as bridge between our worlds of yesteryear and our futures.

Fraid my hopes are still on a big black hardback book, though I must admit the landscape format reprints are tres cool.

Mark
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I disagree. The cost of printing these larger books with art is very expensive and that cost is passed to us.I would rather have smaller books with less art that cost less. I mean RPG's we are to use our imaginations, I do not need someone showing me what everything lokks like. But then again I started roleplaying in 1980 when video games did not just show you everything.

One of the reasons so many rpg companies are going belly up is that printing cost for the colorful books does not allow much profit. I get this from two sources. i worked in a print shop for a year and the cost of books(paper) have been steadily going up. My brother works for Pinnacle games and knows how much time and cost goes into producing one of these big hardcover books and how little return there is from their sales unless you can print in very large numbers.
Selling the books is how you market it.

 

[Darium]

I would have to say that currently in the games industry too many companies went belly up by investing in and trying to support games in their product line that were not as popular. Examples; FASA: VOR and Crimson Skies , GDW; Space 1889 and Traveller (the new era) and TSR was in trouble a few years ago with Alterity. Games Workshop learned their lession and "dropped" Gothic and Epic. As for printing; you need art , books without art don't sell well. I think a good balance is needed; clean white pages with easy to read text, some colour highlighted sections (esp. charts and tables), good B/W interior art and finally a colour cover.

 

[Gallowglass]

Marketing is all about brand image, standiong out from the crowd, getting your potential customer to focus on YOUR product for just the few seconds more than means they are intrigued enough to check it out. Then it's up to the product itself.

And in the current RPG market place, the LBB designs are electrifyingly different (The landscape reprints are striking, but have a price tag that lessens the impact). But an LBB with a £8 (for arguments sake) price tag, that I think has the right combination of striking design, and price point. We all be;lieve in the content I think, so it's a question of internal illustration (I would argue minimalist, clean pen and ink style).

A bold visual statement that combines with the essentuial nature of Traveller (a minimalist but elegant system) would be a very strong draw... and does not preclude an updated Traveller Book that makes it look like all the other RPG's on the shelves and essential combines the new LBB's