Milieu-less Traveller

[kafka47]

Marc/Avery

I am sure that you have seen how the battle rages amongst the different milieus for Traveller. Is it possible that we could see that T5 be a milieu-less Traveller more akin to CT? With rules that would cover the breadth of the Imperium campaign ~ from the time of the Ancients to the Heat Death of the Universe?

 

[Gallowglass]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kafka47:
Marc/Avery

I am sure that you have seen how the battle rages amongst the different milieus for Traveller. Is it possible that we could see that T5 be a milieu-less Traveller more akin to CT? With rules that would cover the breadth of the Imperium campaign ~ from the time of the Ancients to the Heat Death of the Universe?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How can T5 be milieu-less, and then cover a whole list of milieu?

Seriously, I'd prefer that T5 went a step further and was completely background free, a truly generic Hard SF system, and included a single solid Traveller Milieu with sketches of some of the others...

But as development proceeds apace on MJD's TNE Sourcebook and T20 nears release, isn't it perhaps time to admit that T5 is dead? MWM has the Traveller reprints, and now T2K and 2300AD to be going on with and with GT, T20 and the CT reprints, plus systemless material, where is the market for T5? Just because a few die hard fans would like to see it doesn't make it financially viable.

Please note here that I am talking about T5 as game and T5 as game+setting. I am NOT talking about T5 as setting only: I think that the TNE "systemless" sourcebook, and BITS scenarios, point the way forward for the OTU and that future looks promising. But as a game, I think T5 is not viable whilst there are also two or three other game systems in print, especially when a number of the writers that might write for T5 are involved with those system.

Time to move foward folks. Lets talk about where we would like the future of the OTU to go beyond TNE (the Far Far Future), lets talk about the interesting iby-ways of cannon for running games in with whatever rule-set you fancy, lets talk about ways a running non-OTU games in CT (for those of us who still like Traveller as a system). But let us shelve discussion about T5 (the game system) until there is some plausible reason to believe it will be viable to publish it...

[This message has been edited by Gallowglass (edited 30 October 2001).]

 

[kafka47]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gallowglass:
How can T5 be milieu-less, and then cover a whole list of milieu?

[This message has been edited by Gallowglass (edited 30 October 2001).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

My idea would be to consolidate the Tech rules, Planet Building exercises, Combat rules under one roof.

Creating a set of rules somewhat akin to FFS 1st edition but extend that to Tech of all levels and all sorts of devices. Similiarly, build an incredibly detailed set of planetbuilding exercises, like a combination World Tamers Handbook, Grand Explorations, World Builders Handbook. Have a comprehensive Starship Construction Manual, a kind of High Guard Plus.

Then once you have all that in place, as a framework. Sit back and let the people like at BITS, T20, SJG and other independents design away. Hopeful without creating too much overlap and redundancy.

Traveller over the last 25 years has developed a very solid set of rules that has carried over throughout all its incarnations. All I am essentially saying is it would be great to see these rules put together as said that they represent the framework for discussion.

That is my main problem with GT, that may many of these rules get thrown out in favor of SJG/GURPS scheme. I sometimes wonder if T20 will do the same. From I have seen from Hunter, it comforts me that he is not about to abandon Traveller.

Perhaps, we could adopt T5 to represent the logo for this change. Creating the framework, could be akin to what D&D is doing with D20. Sadly, due to the lack of recognition of Traveller on the game market, it would not really succeed.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Equipment design and planet design are good things, but FFS is a dog.

I tried to recreate weapons and equipment I know about at TL 5-7, and I could never get closer than about +-50% to what I wanted. That is, if I set out to design a Stutz-Bearcat I could end up with a Ford Model T or something like a '73 Oldsmobile convertable. Or if I tried to design a MAC-10, and what come out might as well be a M3A1 grease gun. I might just ave well picked "SMG-6" and "Automobile-5" from a table. The results were certainly not good enough to be worth the effort, and I have no confidence in the hi-tec creations at all.

Planet design needs to be updated: we know a lot more about planetology than we did twenty years ago. But if it takes more than half-an-hour to create (without mapping) a system it won't fly.

Milieau
The biggest weakness of Traveller has been the way it locks into the Vilani/Solomani universe. I think the House System and FFS would have killed TNE anyway, but the virus nearly killed Traveller.

At least the core rules should have descriptions and examples from not just the imperium but also two other types of universe, say a commerce-driven human universe and a multi-species league.