joshuawood
SOC-3
I'm interested in knowing the literary sources that the Traveller game was inspired by. Does anyone know specific authors and titles?
Literary Inspiration For The Traveller Game
- Thread starter joshuawood
- Start date
Frankymole
SOC-12
There's an interview with Marc W Miller in a 1970s "White Dwarf" where he cites some of the relevant authors - Poul Anderson's "Polysotechnic League" novels and the Dominic Flandry series are mentioned, I'm pretty sure. I will try to dig out the relevant issue and post the names!
Shannon Appleline (over at RPG.net/reviews) is doing a series of Traveller-inspired authors and the works that inspired Traveller. But, most of what inspired Traveller was the whole era of Science Fiction from the 1940s & 1950s at the same time as gritty SF films of the 70s. T5 has an extensive bibliography but I don't think there is any one answer.
beowulf2044
SOC-12
The Dumerest Saga by E.C. Tubbs gives the term Traveller, along with Slow and Fast Drug. Jack Vance's T'Chai, Planet of Adventure brought the Scout character. Asimov's Foundation is the 'foundation' of the whole big-ass Imperium setting. A little known work called 'Prisoners of the Sky' was the basis for JTAS #2 adventure and planet setting.
H. Beam Piper's Space Viking is often cited as one of his biggest influences. (Which is available for free here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/20728).
Brian Smaller
SOC-12
Also Dumarest Saga was repsonisble for the starport (called field in the books), star town slums, Blade combat and the whole "patron approaches you" aspect of Traveller.
Appelcline
SOC-9
Here's the link to them all (so far):
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/search-review.phtml?productLine=Traveller:+Fiction
In particular, take a look at Dumarest (as other folks have noted). Dorsai, Envoy to New Worlds, and Space Vikings are the other predecessors I reviewed. I'm waiting for the new paperbacks of the Poul Anderson series ...
ShapeShifter
SOC-13
And what about Vance's Dying Earth? Was that also a Traveller influence, or moreso for AD&D? (It's in my soon-to-read queue.)
joshuawood
SOC-3
Thanks for the replies.
I've just started reading Asimov's novel Foundation. I'm only a little way in and I can see how this book might have influenced the game.
For example I was wondering why I when I rolled dice for the technology level of different worlds that they were often only at 1970's level or earlier; The answer is that most of them were once much more advanced but there has been a dark age and technology has been forgotten on many worlds, just like the dark age predicted by Hari Seldon's psychohistory in the Foundation novel.
The whole aristocracy aspect is there in Foundation too.
I'll have to get hold of some of the other titles. I'll be scouring the 2nd hand bookstores for a while!
I've just started reading Asimov's novel Foundation. I'm only a little way in and I can see how this book might have influenced the game.
For example I was wondering why I when I rolled dice for the technology level of different worlds that they were often only at 1970's level or earlier; The answer is that most of them were once much more advanced but there has been a dark age and technology has been forgotten on many worlds, just like the dark age predicted by Hari Seldon's psychohistory in the Foundation novel.
The whole aristocracy aspect is there in Foundation too.
I'll have to get hold of some of the other titles. I'll be scouring the 2nd hand bookstores for a while!
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
I'm thinking Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" (not the movies of the same name, not even a bit) might have inspired the Imperial Marines a bit too. I know I've used it to colour my TU 
And I think Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" has been cited as well.
And I think Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" has been cited as well.
Frankymole
SOC-12
Here's the quote from Marc in WD23 (Feb 1981):
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-1/1238587/literary-inpsiration.jpg
WD: Do you find any inspiration in SF films, novels, etc? If so, which ones particularly influence you?
MM: You name it, and if it didn’t inspire me, it influenced me.
Off the top of my head, I can mention most of the science fiction series novels, including Poul Anderson’s Dominic Flandry series, E.C.Tubb’s Dumarest series, and Jack Vance’s Demon Prince series. Actually, Star Wars came out after the manuscript for Traveller was finished but I was pleased to see that I could probably do that scenario in Traveller if I wanted.
I can also pick out little things that I think I know where they came from. The inertial tracker came from Robert Heinlein’s Podkayne of Mars; the artificial psionic shield helmet came from Poul Anderson’s Flandry of Terra; the pinnaces came from Niven and Pournell’s The Mote in God’s Eye. And those are just things, not game concepts.
Actually, I have always seen Traveller as a way for science fiction readers to duplicate any particular piece of science fiction. And to allow them to go off in corridors that the story never touched.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-1/1238587/literary-inpsiration.jpg
WD: Do you find any inspiration in SF films, novels, etc? If so, which ones particularly influence you?
MM: You name it, and if it didn’t inspire me, it influenced me.
Off the top of my head, I can mention most of the science fiction series novels, including Poul Anderson’s Dominic Flandry series, E.C.Tubb’s Dumarest series, and Jack Vance’s Demon Prince series. Actually, Star Wars came out after the manuscript for Traveller was finished but I was pleased to see that I could probably do that scenario in Traveller if I wanted.
I can also pick out little things that I think I know where they came from. The inertial tracker came from Robert Heinlein’s Podkayne of Mars; the artificial psionic shield helmet came from Poul Anderson’s Flandry of Terra; the pinnaces came from Niven and Pournell’s The Mote in God’s Eye. And those are just things, not game concepts.
Actually, I have always seen Traveller as a way for science fiction readers to duplicate any particular piece of science fiction. And to allow them to go off in corridors that the story never touched.
Last edited:
Don't forget your local library, too. They can get long out of print books.
I believe some of Andre Norton's books were an influence, such as the Solar Queen series. (I'd be surprised if they weren't)
Appelcline
SOC-9
Yep. Here's the complete list I put together when I started my review series:
"In various interviews (Far Traveller #2, Valkyrie #13, White Dwarf #23), he's credited Poul Anderson's Polesotechnic League books (and the connected Dominic Flandry books), Isaac Asimov's Foundation, Gordon R. Dickson's Childe cycle, Harry Harrison's Deathworld and Stainless Steel Rat books, Robert Heinlein's juveniles, Keith Laumer's Retief stories, E.C. Tubb's Dumarest of Terra, and Jack Vance's Demon Princes series. "
Vance's Demon Princes books are the one that I've read recently but haven't bothered to review as Traveller books. They're beautiful, wonderful books by a master wordsmith, but they have an anti-Traveller feel (to me), if anything, with personal spaceships jumping all around the universe almost instantaneously, and with culture being so lawless "on the rim", as it were.
beowulf2044
SOC-12
And although not listed, I've always felt that A. Bertram Chandler's Grimes series has a good Traveller vibe, both for Navy and Merchant campaigns.
Last edited:
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
Let's not forget that Hammer's Slammers was a major influence on the writing of Book 4 Mercenary.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Hamm...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1252848357&sr=8-1-fkmr0
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Hamm...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1252848357&sr=8-1-fkmr0
Are you sure about that? I did a quick check and Book 4 is copywrite 1978 and Hammer's was first published in 1979. Although DD did write that time travel book about hunting dinosaurs.
R
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer's_Slammers#Original_Novels
