Traveller

[Long Hall]

I have been thinking of starting a simm based on the old sci-fi RPG, Traveller. For those not familiar with Traveller, let me just say that Joss Whedon, the creator of Firefly, MUST have played Traveller. Firefly was a lot like a typical Traveller campaign.

I've run Traveller games for over 25 years and have many variants on the standard background and a vast amount of accumulated ideas. I'm just curious if anyone would be interested in something like that.

Traveller games typically revolve around a small group of people taking all sorts of odd jobs (varying depending on the group) such as smuggling, mercenaries, bodyguards, etc. (sounds a lot like Firefly, right?).

Does this idea sound interesting to anyone?

[Lupe]

You would have to 'splain a bit better but I think I have a Bajoran freedom fighter that could be altered a bit to work.

I also have Hope... Hmm, I have Hope, she doesn't have a long Starfleet history, at least not one that can't be altered once you tell me the history of the 'verse they are flying in. And if you can 'splain the ship they are using and what their status is.

[Long Hall]

You are in luck, me boyo. Traveller probably has more information on the web than even Star Trek. Try this out for starters:

http://traveller.wikia.com/wiki/Traveller_Wiki
http://jtas.sjgames.com/ -- The location of my one published work to date
http://www.sjgames.com/traveller/
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpg/series.php?qsSeries=51
http://www.farfuture.net/ -- Run by the game's original designer
http://www.travellerrpg.com/
http://www.downport.com/

Let me know when you've read all of that and I'll give you more. :D JOKING! But you can probably get a good idea what Traveller is about. I can't give you any specifics because I haven't done anything yet except think about it. :P But, if people are interested, I will put together a game.

[Lupe]

I will read those, (I already had the wiki link) and offer you a forum to play it in if you want.

Think of the exposure you will have playing on a board that does double time as a social board. ;)

edit: ok, I read them, very interesting, I have played this sort of, in high school, never knew a name for it, thought we were making up a new game. ROFL

So that I don't spread my poor little head thin, what strain were you thinking of using? GURPS? Mongoose? Classic?

[Long Hall]

I don't know anything about the Mongoose version but classic is the basic background for all of them. GURPS is a split timeline but basically identical to classic. It's just a different game system. I wasn't going to bother with a game system - just run it like a regular simm.

Here is the synopsis: It is approximately 3600 years in our future and the known galaxy is dominated by the Imperium. The Imperium is comprised of about 11,000 worlds and governed by a sort of constitutional feudalism with the Emperor as it's head. The player characters are from various backgrounds and brought together through reasons of their own. They eek out a living on the fringe of Imperial space where the law is sometimes shaky and a person willing to take risks (usually wielding a gun) can earn a living and maybe, if they're lucky, get rich (or, more likely, die trying).

[Lupe]

If you do it, I will give it a go.

Hope Robbins; think of Wesley Crusher, Seamus Harper, and Kaylee Frye all rolled into one.

Engineer who's family had all been for the government military but she is not and there for at loose ends. Not willing to settle down anywhere since her family will be looking for her, or at least watching if she shows up somewhere.

When I have studied the classic 'verse a little more I will make her bio fit it.

[Long Hall]

Sounds pretty cool. I like her already. :D

[einar_90808]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveller_ ... aying_game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveller_(role-playing_game))

I loved playing Traveller in high school many moons ago.

[Long Hall]

Another Traveller player! Woohoo!

[Long Hall]

A few weeks ago I had been talking with someone else about an idea I had for a non-Trek simm. The idea involved a large starship that carried smaller craft. The players could be crew, passengers, merchants (with their own ships to go down to the planets the starship visited to sell their wares), technical experts (doing the same as above to sell their services), etc. Basically a group of space gypsies operating on the frontiers of civilized space.

A few days ago I was thinking about this proposed Traveller game and got to looking at the designs of some ships from my favorite designer. His ships are actually designed for the D20 Future game, but I never let that get in the way of using something I like. :D Anyway, I went to check out his site (http://www.ki-ryn.com) to see if he had anything new and look what I found...

http://ki-ryn.com/Future_Armada/Art/MisFortune_01.jpg

The large ship in the background is almost exactly what I had in mind except it carries cargo containers instead of small craft. Included in the plans is the small ship in front, plus a very small 1-container ship and plans for several containers including a couple that look like RV interiors, a Bounty Hunter module, and even a Field Hospital module.

I'm still interested in running a Traveller game; either something like this or something more traditionally Traveller. But I'm not sure yet if there's enough interest in it. I'm not the best in the world at recruiting players and it's harder to find people to play games like this. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Lupe]

Say the word and I will make you a forum slot and a BoB member, then you can advertise on this board.

I am also trying to point a few people your way. ;)

[Long Hall]

Thank you, Lupe, but I'd host the game on my own site, just like I do the George. I'm not sure if I'd rather use SMS or forums, though. A forum definitely has advantages but so does SMS. I would probably use SMS for the game information pages if nothing else. Then, if I want to use forums for posting, I'd just disable the sms posting option and link to the forums instead.

Although the "Space Gypsies" idea sounds fun, I think I'd stick with the more normal Traveller format, like Firefly. I'll start working on details.

[einar_90808]

this is almost making me want to get another sms install for a Babylon 5 simm ;)

[Long Hall]

:D

Valerie and I love B5. I've often used elements of it for my Traveller games.

[Long Hall]

Just discovered yesterday that huhu has the entire Firefly series online. If you want to get a really good idea of what Traveller is like, watch Firefly on huhu. http://www.hulu.com/firefly

[Lupe]

Nice forum!

Where you going to start with everyone on the ship or were you thinking about each person joining the ship piecemeal

[Long Hall]

Thank you, Lupe.

Well, I was thinking the ship is probably the property of the Captain which we don't have yet. Perhaps he or she is off buying the ship. But in the meantime you are all probably living in a downport (spaceport on the planet surface) hostel and looking for work. How you guys know each other or meet each other is up to you.

You are starting out on Trin (Imperial Subsector Capitol). Trin was one of the earliest settled worlds in the Spinward Marches sector, is very high tech, has extensive shipbuilding facilities, and the laws aren't too oppressive. It's a good place to sign on with one of the more established space-going businesses such as shipping lines and mercenary companies. It is also a good place to buy a ship cheap.

[einar_90808]

what is the Legal rating... I do not want to show off the wrong stuff gangster

[einar_90808]

oh... and I need one of those signature banners :)

[Long Hall]

Here ya go.

http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss343/usskinggeorgev/GMSigBar-Ross.png

[Long Hall]

I've got to say, even after the short time we've been doing Traveller, I'm starting to see the benefits of play-by-forum.

I like the game-specific features of SMS but It really does suck for posting. The George is getting to the point where I can see how using SMS is hampering the game. I'm considering switching the George to PBF after the current mission is over.

Thanks for recommending PBF for the Traveller game, Lupe!

[Lupe]

You know other then the tournaments, Rainmaker FE was the first PBF, and Haven the second PBF I have ever done. Well now that I think about it, the Imperium is a PBF too.

I am seriously thinking of getting vB for this place because they have a mod that lets you post by email, so you could PBeM/PBF in the same game. phpBB is good, but not that good. They don't have that mod in anything but alpha testing right now, only SMF and vB have it as a supported board mod. I don't care for SMF, I don't know why, I just don't care for them.

As for Traveller, I am enjoying it immensely and there is only you and I on there so far. Ross will join in when he gets back, and I am hoping that Dorella and Valery both decide to join.

I have never simmed with you before this, I found out I simmed briefly with Ross, of course I have simmed with Dorella, and have not even met Valery... unless it was under an AKA. ;)

[Long Hall]

The only place you could have simmed with Valerie up to now would be on the George (and I'm fairly certain you aren't a player there) or if you played with us back around 2000.

Valerie is a good writer and very creative. My main problem with her is her technophobia and getting her to log off City of Heroes and post. :P MMOs are great but they don't really stimulate my brain. I enjoy having to think creatively sometimes. :mrgreen: :geek:

[Lupe]

I have read the George's missions of course when I was her TFCO (it was my job) but I never got far enough in to have to join it... also for some reason I was so busy with junk that I didn't get to simm much. But all the same, no I started simming in '04 so I guess I have not simmed with her.

I see we have two new names on the traveller forum, Ross of course and another I don't know. *cross fingers* :D

[Long Hall]

I am seriously thinking of getting vB for this place because they have a mod that lets you post by email, so you could PBeM/PBF in the same game.

Personally, I don't want people to be able to post by email. I want people to visit the forums, participate in the out of character chatter, and be a group of friends instead of just a group of players.