Right now I'm reading Andre Norton's "Sargasso of Space" in general I really like the stuff from her "Forerunner" universe. There are free traders, family traders,  solo traders star cops and soldiers...
Some of the other titles:
"Plague ship"
"Vodoo Planet"
"Postmarked the Stars"

"The Zero Stone"
"Uncharted Stars"

"moon of three rings"

Anyway there are about twenty of them all together, broken into various subseries, and I couldn't hope to name them all. They are basically boy's books, but there is a strange understated current of subversion that runs through them - especially considering when they were written. The space cops "The Patrol" are generally disliked and avoided at all costs even by law abiding citizens. In The Solar Queen books (of which Sargasso is the first) The black guy (Rip) and the moslem (Ali) are the technical memebrs of the crew whereas white boy Dane handles the cargo. Heinlien (who i really have no use for over all) wrote a couple of books that could have easily folded into theis same universe "Starman Jones" for instance.


yer turn:

I don't read a ton of sci-fi, but E.C. Tubb's Dumarest series has been particularly inspirational lately.  Earl Dumarest is a perfect example of a cool traveller who neither owns nor operates his own ship.

"The eternity artifact" was a good, if Loooong, book to inspire a traveller adventure.

Without giving too much away, it could easily be adapted to traveller, replacing "secrets of the ancients" as a way of explaining the ancient's and their disapearance.

CJ Cherryh's Union-Alliance novels are very Traveller-esque.  Downbelow Station, in particular, is a great read.  I've pretty much stolen the merchanter lifestyle described in these books wholesale for my own campaign.

Oh, and another that y'all probably know about: The Mote in God's Eye, by Niven and Pournelle, contains much that was obviously inspirational to Trav.  The Langston Field is very similar to the Black Globe from High Guard.  While they have no grav plates, much about shipboard life and the overall clunkiness of spacecraft seems to have made it into Trav, as well.

I haven't read any other books set in the CoDominium universe, so I don't know how useful the others are.

Quote from: KenHRCJ Cherryh's Union-Alliance novels are very Traveller-esque.  Downbelow Station, in particular, is a great read.  I've pretty much stolen the merchanter lifestyle described in these books wholesale for my own campaign.

Cherryh's Union-Alliance novels were the major inspiration for my StarCluster, along with Brin and Niven. Cherryh's brilliant socio-economic creation of the Merchanters is perfect for Traveller, though the tech is very different. Most merchanters in Cherryh's 'verse are family, though, born and raised on ship.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceCherryh's Union-Alliance novels were the major inspiration for my StarCluster, along with Brin and Niven. Cherryh's brilliant ocio-economic creation of the Merchanters is perfect for Traveller, though the tech is very different. Most merchanters in Cherryh's 'verse are family, though, born and raised on ship.

-clash

yeah, now that you mention it I can see the Niven influence. SC is very much it's own beast, but it does have similar a feel. Strangley,


I think Nebuleon has a "traveller" kind of feel to it as well.

Quote from: Mcrowyeah, now that you mention it I can see the Niven influence. SC is very much it's own beast, but it does have similar a feel. Strangley,


I think Nebuleon has a "traveller" kind of feel to it as well.

Agreed there, though from a different direction, I think.

-clash

Jack Vance's SF - The Demon Princes, Big Planet, the Alastor Cluster series. The concept of scouts seems to be lifted wholesale from Vance.

Ned

Quote from: Ned the Lonely DonkeyJack Vance's SF - The Demon Princes, Big Planet, the Alastor Cluster series. The concept of scouts seems to be lifted wholesale from Vance.

Ned

Actually, Norton has something very similar as well, they are even called scouts- that said, Jack Vance is an excellent choice- aside from the ones you mention I'd toss in the Araminata Station  books, Night Lamp and Ports of Call the last two of which are specifically about free traders... but really there are are almost too many to list.

Quote from: AosActually, Norton has something very similar as well, they are even called scouts- that said, Jack Vance is an excellent choice- aside from the ones you mention I'd toss in the Araminata Station  books, Night Lamp and Ports of Call the last two of which are specifically about free traders... but really there are are almost too many to list.

It doesn't matter. Just reading Vance is a joy! The descriptions of quirky, ideosyncratic worlds is alone worth the reading.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceIt doesn't matter. Just reading Vance is a joy! The descriptions of quirky, ideosyncratic worlds is alone worth the reading.

-clash

I completely agree- one of my few claims to fame is actually getting a chance to meek Vance back in the 90's. said meeting yielded me a signed 1st ed of "The Dying Earth" and a signed copy of "Nightlamp". All together i own somethimg like 40 Vance books.

Quote from: AosI completely agree- one of my few claims to fame is actually getting a chance to meek Vance back in the 90's. said meeting yielded me a signed 1st ed of "The Dying Earth" and a signed copy of "Nightlamp". All together i own somethimg like 40 Vance books.

Lord I'm going to miss him when he finally goes!

I think I have about forty Vance books too.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceLord I'm going to miss him when he finally goes!

I think I have about forty Vance books too.

-clash

yeah, it will be a sad fucking day.

I've never read any Andre Norton, that's interesting to know. I think Vance's crazy worlds are exactly the sort of thing you could come up with while trying to make sense of a crazy, random UPP. I also own huge bucket loads of Vance, mostly in cheesy, dissolving 70s paperbacks. Good call on Night Lamp and Ports of Call (and Lurulu, of course) - very much in the free-wheeling Traveller mode.

Sure, it'll be a sad day when he goes, but the guy is over 90. He's a had a good wicket and produced stacks of great books, so sadness should be tempered with satisfaction at a long, successful and, by all accounts, happy life.

Ned