Traveller is based in part in the works of Poul Anderson

[Peter Newman]

I've heard it said often that Poul Anderson's writing style matured and his subject matter became more lurid at the same time. The only things of his I've read have been in anthologies and SCA Songbooks... (The latter credited under Sir Bella of Eastmarch, KSCA, etc...)

What I have read was pretty darned good, but I avoided the Flandry series for some reason.

Traveller fans may want to take a look at 'Hunters of the Sky Cave' [copyright 1959 by Ziff-Davis Publications] a story in which the aliens are somewhat familiar.

"Flandry's first startled thought had been Wolf!... man-sized bipeds, but digitrade, which gave their feet almost the appearance of a dog's walking on its hind legs. The shoulders and arms were very humanoid... The head... was long and narrow for an intelligent animal, with a low forehead... A black-nosed muzzle, not as sharp as a wolf's and yet somehow like it, jutted out of its face. It's lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing bluntly pointed fangs... Short fur covered the entire body, turning to a ruff at the throat."

"Is this a uniform?" asked Flandry....

The pictured Ardazirho wore a sort of kilt, in checkerboard squares of various hues. Flandry winced at some of the combinations: rose next to scarlet, a glaring crimson offensively between two delicate yellows.

"I'm not sure," said the girl. "Either they don't wear uniforms at all, or they have such a variety that we've not made any sense of it."

So - Remind you of any Major Races?

 

[fiat_knox]

"I'm not sure," said the girl. "Either they don't wear uniforms at all, or they have such a variety that we've not made any sense of it."

So - Remind you of any Major Races?

So, Milan Fashion Week survives to reach the stars after all ...

 

[Blue Ghost]

Nevermind.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Judging by certain historical Princesses, the "fate worse than death" is actually being a Princess.

Once they get to be Queens, that's fantastic - Princesses can do whatever the Hell they like with a crown on their heads. But to be a Princess forever, only kept on in case the Heir Apparent should stumble over his own shoelaces and somehow impale himself on his own fingers, unable to marry the man she wants, only the one protocol dictates she should marry for the good of the State ...

As a player, I wouldn't be surprised at all to have my PCs have to rescue the Princess from a brothel, or stumble upon her gyrating about a pole in a strip club. The only problem for the players in extricating her from the club would not be from the bouncers trying to stop them, but from the Princess trying to stop them ...

You can tell I'm a Brit, can't you?

Either that or you're from the South *rim shot*

 

[Whipsnade]

Traveller fans may want to take a look at 'Hunters of the Sky Cave' [copyright 1959 by Ziff-Davis Publications] a story in which the aliens are somewhat familiar.

Peter,

That's EXCELLENT!

I've been putzing around with Traveller for over thirty years and have been reading Anderson for even longer, but this is the first time I've noticed the link you shared with us!

Time to dig out that short story and read it again, I'm thinking.


Regards,
Bill

 

[Enoff]

Flandry is listed in the back of Supplement 1-1001 Characters, pg 44.

Naval Intelligence Officer 9A7BBA Cr-100,000+
Pilot-1, Navigation-1, Brawling-2, Weapons-2, Admin-2, Bribery-2
Dashing and vain, this officer is expert in flattery, physical pain, seduction, and long range strategy. Seeing the far-flung Terran Empire decaying, he has personally committed himself to delaying the Long Night however much he can. Late in His career, he achieved high rank and moved in the social circles of the Imperial Court.

 

[Peter Newman]

Peter,

That's EXCELLENT!
I've been putzing around with Traveller for over thirty years and have been reading Anderson for even longer, but this is the first time I've noticed the link you shared with us!
Time to dig out that short story and read it again, I'm thinking.
Regards, Bill

It's in 'Agent of the Terran Empire' - 1980, Ace - with a nice Michael Whelan cover of Flandry with a sword and a woman in a dress on his arm. The cover shows Flandry holding the sword in his left hand but it's been a while since I read all the stories so I don't remember if he's canonically a southpaw.

First appearance was in the June 1959 Amazing Stories and was reprinted in 1959 by Ace as 'We Claim These Stars' (not that I've seen those versions, but that's what the Acknowledgements in the Ace edition say). It's a fairly early Flandry so I assume it will be reprinted in the Flandry book that started this thread.

Apparently the reason that the aliens have such poor fashion sense is that their planet orbits a Type A star. To their UV biased red-blind vision the different red shades in the kilt are all black.

 

[Enoff]

Reading "Hunters of the Sky Cave"

Trying to trace the villain Aycharaych through the stories.

Was Psionics added to Traveller because of him?

 

[aramis]

Was Psionics added to Traveller because of him?

In part? Maybe.

Primarily? Probably not.

Star Wars had obvious Psionics, and several other authors on the reading list also have some stories with psionics. Niven has several.

 

[BillDowns]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread.

I have been re-reading Starwolf by Ed Hamilton (Leigh Brackett's husband). It is actually 3 short novels dating from 1967 to 1968 reprinted in one volume. Those would fit well as Traveller adventures.

The Varnans, or Starwolves, don't really bear much resemblance to Vargr, and the tech is somewhat different. But they could convert wihout much difficulty.

 

[Enoff]

Well I now started on "Circus of Hells"

I am sort of glad I didn't discover these when I was younger.
I have a stack of Poul Anderson books on my desk now.

 

[MacTrom]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread.

I have been re-reading Starwolf by Ed Hamilton (Leigh Brackett's husband). It is actually 3 short novels dating from 1967 to 1968 reprinted in one volume. Those would fit well as Traveller adventures.

The Varnans, or Starwolves, don't really bear much resemblance to Vargr, and the tech is somewhat different. But they could convert wihout much difficulty.

These were actually my version of the Vargr in MTU back when I first started in '77.

 

[Enoff]

Found a copy of Flandry's last adventure "A Stone in Heaven"

Be fun to pick out all the descriptions of technology in these books

 

[beowulf2044]

Anderson was great at planet building and alien creation, but his technology was fairly pedestrian: Blasters, Stunners, Space Armour, Grav Belt; whatever was needed for the plot.

 

[Enoff]

I don't know, when you put together his justification for faster than light drive the dialog I think is interesting.

 

[beowulf2044]

Granted, in as far as I recall his use of terms such as 'pseudo-velocity' and the rules of FTL travel. But then again, I recall the Lensmen's inertialess drives had a decently consistent set of rules as well.

 

[Enoff]

Been reading "A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows" great story so far!

Aycharaych is an interesting villian, be easy to replace him with a Zhodani with same intent and powers