Nox, it's the funniest thing. One of the few CotI posters who have Marc's ear says that according to him the schedule stands: June 2007. I just can't believe that, but who knows.

Quote from: WerekoalaYou could easily run Traveller using Spycraft 2.0. In fact, it'd be nice and cinematic-y. They even have some "high tech" gear that fits in well with what 1979-era Traveller thought was "high-tech".

In fact, that's a damn good idea.

No starship rules, of course.

Do you think you could just pull from d20 Future for ships?

Quote from: KenHRI was really surprised when I started researching the game online how many people are into Traveller for the setting alone.  It didn't occur to me to treat the background materials as anything more than an example of how to use what was given to you in the books.  I mean...LBB3 had rules for creating worlds of your own...why not use them?

You need to read this about the Burgess Shale period of Traveller. It explains a little about pre Imperium days of Traveller.

http://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/othroads/burgess.html

Having played through all editions of Traveller from the first LBB in 1980 onwards. IMO the reason what the Imperium == Traveller for so many is because of that wonderful poster size map of the Spinward Marches. Back in the day it was like WOW. It was as good or better than the darlene maps of Greyhawk in the folio. It just looked so cool you wanted to use it.

And the names like the Third Imperium, Sword Worlds, Darrian Confederation, Zhodani Consulate. They just leaped at you like from the old sci-fi stories by Asimov and others.

Rob Conley

Quote from: Mr. AnalyticalEveryone seemingly loves the LBB edition.

What exactly is wrong with the later editions of the game?

I think the LBB nearly perfectly balenced complexity, realism, and expandibility. The world creation system produced reasonable results for gaming, the starship design system was easily juggled, and so on.

I know for starship design the big problem for later design sequences starting with High Guard is the regression problem. There was no simple way of creating a starship because something were modular while other were percentage based. This caused a problem where you had to go back and recalculate things over and over again. Until like the 5th or 10th time you finally found the right compromise for your design.

The advanced world systems of later editions produced more realistic results but realistic results meant a Battlestar Galactica (new series) style cosmos where inhabitant planets were like oasis in  very large desert of stellar systems.

Rob Conley

Quote from: estarYou need to read this about the Burgess Shale period of Traveller. It explains a little about pre Imperium days of Traveller.

http://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/othroads/burgess.html

Burgess Shale, that's a really good metaphor. And the map just blew my mind. What's astounding though is that charted space is actually... tiny. I sort of knew that, but this website, which is like google earth for the Traveller universe, really drives the point home:

//www.travellermap.com

Quote from: Pierce Inverarity....this website, which is like google earth for the Traveller universe, really drives the point home:

//www.travellermap.com

Um. That is the most fucking awesome thing.

Thanks.

CK

Quote from: RedFoxWhat are good examples from this era?  I'm woefully innocent of stuff like that.  I tend to either find hard scifi, really old pulp stuff (like Lensmen) or new Space Opera (Peter F. Hamilton).

The Sci-Fi books by Andre Norton .

Sargasso of Space (Solar Queen)
Plague Ship (Solar Queen)
Voodoo Planet (Solar Queen)
Postmarked the Stars (Solar Queen)
Redline the Stars (Solar Queen)
Derelict for Trade (Solar Queen)
Mind for Trade (Solar Queen)

The Zero Stone (Jern Murdock)
Uncharted Stars (Jern Murdock)

Moon of Three Rings (Free Traders)
Exiles of the Stars (Free Traders)
Flight in Yiktor (Free Traders)
Dare to Go A-Hunting (Free Traders)

Catseye (Dipple)
Judgment on Janus (Dipple)
Night of Masks (Dipple)
Forerunner Foray (Dipple)

The Beast Master (Hosteen Storm)
Lord of Thunder (Hosteen Storm)
Beast Master's Ark (Hosteen Storm)
Beast Master's Circus (Hosteen Storm)
=

Quote from: Thanatos02Do you think you could just pull from d20 Future for ships?

I imagine so. Just keep to the lasers and missiles and whatnot.

Not to derail an informative Traveller thread but I've been wondering about something.  Are the original black box books from the late 70's-early 80's hard to get?  The reason I ask is that an old friend of mine seems very eager for me to give him all my original Traveller books and Snapshot.  I don't remember him ever playing the game so I almost suspect he wants to sell them on Ebay or something.  He is an Ebay fanatic and has ripped me off before.

From this thread it seems like there is a lot of Traveller material available so I'm probably just being paranoid but still......

they're not worth a ton, but you'd get a fair bit for them.  just go take a look.

i wouldn't part with them if i were you.

Thanks Beeber, I couldn't find any of the original books up for sale but I figured they weren't worth all that much.

I'll probably take your advice and hang on to them for sentimental reasons if nothing else.  I never GM'd Traveller but I had a good time playing it back in the day.  I wouldn't mind if I thought he was going to run a game but I just have this nagging doubt....

Quote from: GrimjackI wouldn't mind if I thought he was going to run a game but I just have this nagging doubt....

Maybe you ought to give him a few copies of Book 20: Five Across The Lip.

I mean, if he is tryin' to scam you.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!MegaTraveller is absolutely aces until you try to make spaceships fight.  If you go crazy and want to build one, your flesh pulls back from your skull and wispy, howling ghosts erupt from you ears and I think you die.

Damn, I missed this way back when it was originally posted. This gave me several good laughs today.

Quote from: GrimjackThanks Beeber, I couldn't find any of the original books up for sale but I figured they weren't worth all that much.

I'll probably take your advice and hang on to them for sentimental reasons if nothing else.  I never GM'd Traveller but I had a good time playing it back in the day.  I wouldn't mind if I thought he was going to run a game but I just have this nagging doubt....

 Hang on to them - if for no other reason than I think that guy IS trying to scam you .  Send me a PM or an e-mail, if you stop in the store sometime I'll tell you want your books are realistically worth.

 The thing is - they are still very GOOD reference for those of us that run GURPS:TRAVELLER[/B. When I run my campaign I treat those as just an older, but slightly out-of-date reference for the campaign universe.  Kind of like looking at old NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS  about an area before going there. You know some info will be correct, but much of it will have changed since the original articles and photos were taken.

 As for SNAPSHOT ?  I would LOVE to see that in-person again. Its been years since I saw a copy of that .  Don't want to buy it from you ...just want to look at it again or maybe borrow it to show my players a bit of history ...then hand it back to you .

- Ed C

Y'know, I loved T4.  It was so damn close.  Incredible character generation even if they really needed the risk of death kept in to counterbalance uber old man syndrome.

The combat system handled damage and penetration very well.

the dice system could have worked.  Average probably should've been 3d and the half dice should have been left out though.

The idea of modular ship design that was derived from a fusion fire and steel system was good if poorly executed.

I even like the over all handling of ship to ship.

sigh