T5 Support and Supplements

[MJD]

I find myself wondering what the plans might be regarding support for T5.

Mongoose are publishing in the Golden Age OTU, so it seems unlikely that there will be a T5 Spinward Marches book etc. So, is there a plan to publish background? If so, what era and setting might it be?

Or is the plan to just do rules and let folks use the Mongoose setting books.

Idle curiousity made me ask...

 

[DonM]

Everyone involved in T5 knows how I feel about announcing dates, and T5 is still a working draft. But certainly Marc has given thoughts to what support T5 would have, across various milleux. I don't think it's wise to discuss ideas which are simply speculative, and I do NOT want to take him off track from the rules. But there are some hints I can go into.

Marc has put some hints and portents into the existing T5 draft… about the Abyssals, the Hydrogen Societies, the Essaray, and the Barren Worlds. And the Kursae. He has always been fascinated with the Core, the Zhodani Expeditions, and said that he has a scribbled map and notations about “The People Of The Core” dating back to 1982.

He recently circulated a write up (marked "Deadly Secret") which actually explained the Empress Wave coherently, along with the secret reason why the Fifth (and Fourth and Third) Frontier Wars were fought. He also circulated something about the Black Fleets with four equally coherent explanations about what they are. Of course, that means moving the timeline well past the 1248 mark...

You’ve seen the Fantastic Drives in the T5 draft, and now he has complete rewritten them mesh with what we know, and to make them rational extensions of Jump Drive. Imagine where this is going. I think. A series of connected epic adventures that use what we know about Charted Space and then reaches beyond it.

Right now, I want to see the T5 core rules done. But yes, Marc has a vision for the T5 setting and how it would be supported.

 

[mike wightman]

I was always fascinated by the future histories that T4 mentioned way beyond the 3rd Imperium setting - up to and including the heat death of the universe.

Makes me think of Stephen Baxter's Xeelee stories...

or even something like Iain Banks' Culture in the future of the OTU.

(Both of which I've used as inspiration in campaigns.)

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Super-Neato!

/snip/

Marc has put some hints and portents into the existing T5 draft… about the Abyssals, the Hydrogen Societies, the Essaray, and the Barren Worlds. And the Kursae. He has always been fascinated with the Core, the Zhodani Expeditions, and said that he has a scribbled map and notations about “The People Of The Core” dating back to 1982.

He recently circulated a write up (marked "Deadly Secret") which actually explained the Empress Wave coherently, along with the secret reason why the Fifth (and Fourth and Third) Frontier Wars were fought. He also circulated something about the Black Fleets with four equally coherent explanations about what they are. Of course, that means moving the timeline well past the 1248 mark...

You’ve seen the Fantastic Drives in the T5 draft, and now he has complete rewritten them mesh with what we know, and to make them rational extensions of Jump Drive. Imagine where this is going. I think. A series of connected epic adventures that use what we know about Charted Space and then reaches beyond it.

Right now, I want to see the T5 core rules done. But yes, Marc has a vision for the T5 setting and how it would be supported.

And don't think some of us haven't noticed these little bits.

Empress Wave, big yawn. Never got that far so like the Virus it really didn't affect me.

Now the Frontier Wars, I knew there was some hinky stuff involved there. For instance people seem to forget all those formerly Imperial Citizen Psionics fleeing across the Border into the Consulate requesting Political Asylum during the Imperial Psionic Suppressions. Or the fact that Chronor has a buttload of Garden and Breadbasket worlds. Yep that is something I am personally very interested in as being something of Pyschohistorian myself.

Black Fleets are those the infamous Vampire Fleets of the Virus Age?

Oh yeah, salivating much we are...

Thanks Don. Awesome tease.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Animal Encounters? Will there be a supplement, or are they in the basic rules?

 

[MJD]

I recall some statement about sourcebooks 'just waiting to be written' (ie, they haven't been written and therefore don't exist, just like the giant tower that's just waiting to be built in my garden); I was just wondering if there are any concrete plans.

Looks like what there is at present is just a bunch of ideas floating around that Marc and others have been playing with, but nothing resembling a solid plan.

Yeah, I know, the rules need to be finished first. That should take us up to the Heat Death of the Universe anyway.

But anyway, I asked the wrong question. Here's what I wanted to know.... who is going to write these sourcebooks? The list of potential candidates is rather short these days. In fact, pretty much everyone with a recent track record of publishing for Traveller (and who's still in the game) is writing for Mongoose.

What I was idly wondering is, is there a new crop of writers about to appear? Is Marc himself going to write his sourcebooks?

If I were to speculate, I would guess that this has not been really thought about. Which means that if T5 ever appears in a form that is playable as a game, it will be without support for a lengthy period.

IMO, T5 needs a background to support it at the point of launch. Mongoose have pretty much got the 1105 era sewn up; the die-hards might want to use T5 in that setting but that's a small segment of a small niche market. It's not enough to make T5 a success.

If T5 is going to be anything more than a novelty for a small segment of the Traveller fan base, or perhaps a hobby to keep the FFE inner circle amused for a few more years, then it needs support at the point of launch.

Leaving decisions about who will be writing the sourcebooks until after launch is, IMO, a recipe for failure. Decisions need to be made now, not later.

 

[DonM]

That's a business decision, and for now, those aren't public. That's not a cop-out. There are other issues involved, especially with licensees, and so Marc handles those personally.

And, if you are expressing interest in writing, and want to get involved in the T5 effort, please contact Marc directly off-forum.

 

[MJD]

Some time ago I did contact Marc about this. My idea was to use 1248 as the basis for a T5 setting. You (Don) responded that you didn't like the idea. Marc never responded at all.

I wrote off any prospect of involvement with T5 at that point.

 

[Vile]

I don't know if this has already been answered elsewhere, but it looks like T5 will be tied to some incarnation the OTU, is that correct?

 

[DaveChase]

Sounds like to me growing pains of a Game Hobby Industry company.

Marc can't be every where and the people already involved are struggling to keep up with the company's needs besides trying to have a real life.

Just having new management is not (never ever) enough. It needs to look new, feel new and be new or it just the same old s__t over, under new management.

There are a few of us that have been through this before and not just as fan (raises hand).

Nothing more to say here publicly.

Dave Chase

 

[Blue Ghost]

Is that a no on Animal Encounters?

 

[DonM]

Blue Ghost -- what are you asking about Animal Encounters?

 

[robject]

Blue Ghost -- what are you asking about Animal Encounters?

He wants to know if the T5 core rules has animal rules.

"Yes", and "Early Draft" is the best I can do.

 

[DonM]

But much discussed

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Some time ago I did contact Marc about this. My idea was to use 1248 as the basis for a T5 setting.

So, a small segment of a small segment of a small niche market...

 

[Andrew Boulton]

I don't know if this has already been answered elsewhere, but it looks like T5 will be tied to some incarnation the OTU, is that correct?

To the same extent CT and MGT are (probably less so).

 

[MJD]

Not sure what that small segment comment is supposed to mean, unless it's a way of throwing something I said elsewhere back at me for whatever reason. Not sure what you're trying to say there, but it does come over as amore than a bit dismissive.

So yes, I suggested a possible setting... one that offers something from every incarnation of Traveller's history and is open for use in a way that the Golden Age is currently not (ie it's not sewn up by Mongoose). It was also available for reprinting at a moment's notice. Yes, 1248 is a segment of a niche market. So is every era of every possible Traveller setting.

Who knows? Marc might have liked the idea. It might have even succeeded. Or it might have sparked a discussion about the setting Marc would prefer. In the event, Marc never responded in any way, so the point is academic. I gave up trying to get involved with T5 because there's no point in sending off mails into the aether and getting nothing at all back.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Not sure what that small segment comment is supposed to mean, unless it's a way of throwing something I said elsewhere back at me for whatever reason. Not sure what you're trying to say there, but it does come over as amore than a bit dismissive.

You said

Mongoose have pretty much got the 1105 era sewn up; the die-hards might want to use T5 in that setting but that's a small segment of a small niche market. It's not enough to make T5 a success.

I just think more people would use T5-1105 than T5-1248.

Both would be better, maybe, but then you fragment the market.

 

[Blue Ghost]

My two .2 ImpCrs; I think to invigorate new blood into the system it's important to emphasize all venues of T. Give it some sexy graphics, some really cool source material for all periods, and voila! I think most of the core audience right now is still CT oriented, but I also get a sense that's shifting, so it's good for T5 to address all areas and cater to all desires

 

[Gray Lensman]

I just think more people would use T5-1105 than T5-1248.

Both would be better, maybe, but then you fragment the market.

I don't get this one. I know you guys have more experience with this than I however, if their both using T5 how does having two differrent milieus fragment the market.

You could say that the two different published sectors (Spinward Marches and Solomani Rim) for CT were different milieus even if set at the same time period. Did they fragment the market?