What is the point of 5e Traveller

[spank]

OK, first off this is not meant to disparage 5e Traveller.

I was thinking about 5e Traveller, after the funding campaign launched. It occurred to me that it uses neither the core Traveller system — 2d6, nor the Traveller setting. I'm not even sure they are using the Traveller Aliens; Hivers, Aslan, Vargr It's still quite possible it will use alot of the underlaying assumptions, TLs, Jump Drive, Trade and Travel, Etc.

But it seems odd to me that they have chosen to forgo alot of what makes up Traveller. It would have been super simple to work up an 2-3 page overview of the Third Imperium, and a map Border sector like Antares, Empty Quarter or Stars End. As Is I don't see anything to recommended it to an existing Traveller Player. But maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Muad'dib Pendragon]

Disregarding the high-end pledge levels that definitely cater to Traveller grognards, this seems meant for someone less than familiar with Traveller as a potential crossover from D&D 5e, as well as an attempt to grow the Traveller fan base.

 

[spank]

I can understand trying to onboard new people by translating Traveller to a different system. Savage Worlds is quite popular for adapting setting to. But if you're not going to keep the system or the setting? How are these new fans going to get from the new setting to the Traveller we all know?

 

[Rupert]

Ah, this takes me back to the heady days of the 90s, and the announcement of TNE.

 

[mike wightman]

The original Traveller had no setting , that came later. You and your group were meant to explore a universe of your own making, with Traveller providing the tools needed to generate characters, run personal combat, design worlds and subsectors, etc.

Traveller, in the words of MWM himself, was meant to be a set of "generic sci fi" rules. Take the novels, comics, TV shows and movies that you enjoy as inspiration.

T5e will provide character generation, combat resolution , and all the tools to design worlds, encounters, starships etc using familiar Traveller technological tropes.

Mongoose retains the IP for Charted Space, so they need a different setting to provide sample adventures and a campaign, hence CivX. I would imagine you will be encouraged to purchase MgT products for Charted Space, and someone is bound to do conversion rules.

Looking at the current state of the kickstarter on backerkit, $450,000 and 1,342 backers. A good MgT kickstarter is around 1,200.

 

[Takei]

I can understand trying to onboard new people by translating Traveller to a different system. Savage Worlds is quite popular for adapting setting to. But if you're not going to keep the system or the setting? How are these new fans going to get from the new setting to the Traveller we all know?

In all the discussions it sounds like most people are focussing solely on the D&D SRD and assuming the other systems will be new. AFAIK there's nothing stopping WLD from using the Mongoose Traveller 1e SRD (or Cepheus) as their base for star systems, starships and vehicles. If they do that, it opens up a LOT of existing material for groups to use.

Personally, I won't be backing the KS as there's no preview and WLD are a bit too tight-lipped about details like those above. I do however wish them well.

 

[spank]

In all the discussions it sounds like most people are focussing solely on the D&D SRD and assuming the other systems will be new. AFAIK there's nothing stopping WLD from using the Mongoose Traveller 1e SRD (or Cepheus) as their base for star systems, starships and vehicles. If they do that, it opens up a LOT of existing material for groups to use.

Personally, I won't be backing the KS as there's no preview and WLD are a bit too tight-lipped about details like those above. I do however wish them well.

For me the thing keeping me from backing it is the timeline, October 2027? That quite a lengthy development period.

 

[Takei]

For me the thing keeping me from backing it is the timeline, October 2027? That quite a lengthy development period.

It does make me wonder how much has already been done. Luckily I've only been burned a few times with KS, but this one is too much outlay for too much uncertainty. I'll keep an eye on it though.