Help with literary foundation for CT

[Sci-Fi Neophyte]

Greetings Classic Traveller fans,

I need your help, at least from those familiar with the fiction CT was based upon.

I want to develop a better understanding of the sci-fi fiction that inspired some or all of the rules and systems in CT.

I’ve heard various names and book series bantered around the internet on multiple websites. H.B. Piper was one of those names that seemed to come up consistently. Many references were to his Space Viking book, which I purchased and read. I then decided to read more of Piper’s works (staying within his Terro-Human series of novels and short stories).

I’m wrapping up these readings and will soon(ish) be prepared to dive a bit further into the original sci-fi works that inspired original/classic Traveller.

With these things said, where would you suggest I go from here, please? I’m hoping to get a lot of feedback and see an obvious pattern that will help better inform my understanding of CT, its systems, and rules, not to mention all the great inspiration it may give me for future tabletop play.

Many thanks and have a great day. Cheers!

 

[Ekofisk]

The last few pages in 1001 Characters and Citizens of the Imperium contain lists of notable science fiction characters. Some of these are sources for Traveller inspiration; others may be less so.

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, Slippery Jim DiGriz by Harry Harrison, Sgt. Major Calvin by Jerry Pournelle, Physician Conway from the Sector General Series by James White, Jame Retief by Keith Laumer, Harcourt Fenton Mudd from TOS Star Trek, Simok Artrap from "The Stars Like Dust" by Issac Asimov, John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Kimball Kinnison from E. E. Doc Smith's Lensman series, Jason DinAlt from Harry Harrison's Deathworld, Earl Dumarest form the Dumarest Saga by E. C. Tubb, Beowulf Shaeffer from Larry Niven, Dominic Flandry by Poul Andersen, Kirth Girsen from "The Killing Machine" by Jack Vance, Gully Foyle from Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination", and Anthony Villiers from "Starwell" by Alexei Panshin.

I could also suggest almost anything by Heinlein or Andre Norton, Joe Haldeman, and the early works of A. E. Van Vogt.
Toss in Poul Anderson's Nicholas Van Rijn, too.

 

[mike wightman]

Read the Dumarest novels by EC Tubb, they are perhaps the biggest single influence.

Air/rafts, mesh armour, free traders, jump drive, drugs, low berth and low lottery, psionics, and a load more

Next up is Azimov's Foundation, the original trilogy.

An Imperium about to collapse, psionics etc.

 

[Spinward Scout]

I always thought Andre Norton's Sargasso of Space was an influence, but I don't hear about it associated with Traveller. But also her Star Rangers would fit well with Traveller.

 

[Bartleby]

Dumarest Dumarest Dumarest. Not the Imperium, but the core rules. Planets with different technologies, slow-fast time drugs, psionics, High and Low Passage.

 

[infojunky]

I always thought Andre Norton's Sargasso of Space was an influence, but I don't hear about it associated with Traveller. But also her Star Rangers would fit well with Traveller.

Yep, that too.

Traveller is a mash of a bunch of Golden-Age SF.

Blish is another one.

I have mentioned before there was a Bookstore and a Gamestore on my way to the bus stop when Traveller came out, The gamester gave me a set of SF rules, and the Bookstore SF section gave me source material.

 

[Condottiere]

You could say it's layered by era/decade.

Th last gasp would be a more cynical approach by the Seventies, as well as military science fiction.

Early rugged individualism, which works in a novel, to a more party approach, which might be the unspoken fantasy influence.

 

[spank]

Read the Dumarest novels by EC Tubb, they are perhaps the biggest single influence.

Air/rafts, mesh armour, free traders, jump drive, drugs, low berth and low lottery, psionics, and a load more

Next up is Azimov's Foundation, the original trilogy.

An Imperium about to collapse, psionics etc.

I love the Cyclan, much more menacing than the Zhodani.
Even if they were benign Mentat types instead of the more menacing shadowy puppet masters/powerbrokers they'd still be loads more interesting.

 

[King Midas]

I always thought Andre Norton's Sargasso of Space was an influence, but I don't hear about it associated with Traveller. But also her Star Rangers would fit well with Traveller.

I shall have to read the Dumarest series sometime. I just find the tension between settled science and new research boring and trite.
Getting back to Andre Norton. She only wrote one science fiction book - there's a name for the type ?Beldegrumen? where the protagonist starts out in a place he doesn't belong, and finds his place in the universe?
A character usually starts in "The Dipple (Displaced Persons Camp - a refugee camp)" gets yanked out of there and has a hair raising adventure, until he finds his place on some oddball world.
Norton introduced Scouts, Free Traders, and Precursors (ancients). She also introduced wildly varying tech levels to planets. Her universe was old, some of the precursors settings were the settings of other of her stories!

 

[Sci-Fi Neophyte]

The last few pages in 1001 Characters and Citizens of the Imperium contain lists of notable science fiction characters. Some of these are sources for Traveller inspiration; others may be less so.

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, Slippery Jim DiGriz by Harry Harrison, Sgt. Major Calvin by Jerry Pournelle, Physician Conway from the Sector General Series by James White, Jame Retief by Keith Laumer, Harcourt Fenton Mudd from TOS Star Trek, Simok Artrap from "The Stars Like Dust" by Issac Asimov, John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Kimball Kinnison from E. E. Doc Smith's Lensman series, Jason DinAlt from Harry Harrison's Deathworld, Earl Dumarest form the Dumarest Saga by E. C. Tubb, Beowulf Shaeffer from Larry Niven, Dominic Flandry by Poul Andersen, Kirth Girsen from "The Killing Machine" by Jack Vance, Gully Foyle from Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination", and Anthony Villiers from "Starwell" by Alexei Panshin.

I could also suggest almost anything by Heinlein or Andre Norton, Joe Haldeman, and the early works of A. E. Van Vogt.
Toss in Poul Anderson's Nicholas Van Rijn, too.

Hello Ekofisk,

Thank you for your many suggestions. It might take me the remainder of my days and a small fortune to follow up on all your recommendations.

You said some of these recommendations might better tie into my original post than others. Could you please expand on this?

If you needed to shorten your suggestions to your Top 10 recommendations that may have most influenced Classic Traveller and its systems, subsystems, rules, and suggestions, which items (novels, novellas, short stories) would you think the most useful for that endeavor?

Many thanks.

 

[Sci-Fi Neophyte]

Read the Dumarest novels by EC Tubb, they are perhaps the biggest single influence.

Air/rafts, mesh armour, free traders, jump drive, drugs, low berth and low lottery, psionics, and a load more

Next up is Azimov's Foundation, the original trilogy.

An Imperium about to collapse, psionics etc.

Greetings Mike,

Thank you for your recommendations. Many have suggested the Dumarest Saga and Foundation trilogy (original).

The Dumarest Saga consists of about 30+ books. Can you shorten that up a bit, please? Even if I cut the list off in the same year CT came out, that is still 17 books by Tubb.

Of those 17 books, which, in your opinion, may have had the most significant impact on the three little black booklets released in 1977, please?

Cheers!

 

[Sci-Fi Neophyte]

Dumarest Dumarest Dumarest. Not the Imperium, but the core rules. Planets with different technologies, slow-fast time drugs, psionics, High and Low Passage.

Greetings Bartleby,

I love that handle, by the way, but I hope it isn’t an homage to Bartleby, the Scrivener (that was a very sad tale).

Nevertheless, the Dumarest Saga by Tubb. I’d ask the same (similar) of you that I asked another above, if you could only pick 10 books of the 33 in the Dumarest series, which would you suggest? Please keep in mind I’m looking for books that may have had the greatest influence on Classic Traveller, especially in its original 1977 form.

Many thanks.

 

[Sci-Fi Neophyte]

Yep, that too.

Traveller is a mash of a bunch of Golden-Age SF.

Blish is another one.

I have mentioned before there was a Bookstore and a Gamestore on my way to the bus stop when Traveller came out, The gamester gave me a set of SF rules, and the Bookstore SF section gave me source material.

Greetings infojunky,

Do you believe the Golden Age of Sci-Fi (‘30s and ‘40s) had a greater influence on Classic Traveller than the New Wave Sci-Fi of the ‘60s and ‘70s?

Cheers!

 

[Sci-Fi Neophyte]

You could say it's layered by era/decade.

Th last gasp would be a more cynical approach by the Seventies, as well as military science fiction.

Early rugged individualism, which works in a novel, to a more party approach, which might be the unspoken fantasy influence.

May I ask you to expand, please? I would appreciate hearing more from you.

 

[Bartleby]

Greetings Bartleby,

I love that handle, by the way, but I hope it isn’t an homage to Bartleby, the Scrivener (that was a very sad tale).

Nevertheless, the Dumarest Saga by Tubb. I’d ask the same (similar) of you that I asked another above, if you could only pick 10 books of the 33 in the Dumarest series, which would you suggest? Please keep in mind I’m looking for books that may have had the greatest influence on Classic Traveller, especially in its original 1977 form.

Many thanks.

I would prefer not to.

OK, to answer your question, I would read them in order as that is what I am doing (I have not read all 33 yet myself). I think I have read the first seven or eight, and while you can read them out of order without ruining the story, there are little details in the background that make sense if you read them in order (at least in this first set I have read). EDIT TO ADD: As far as CT goes I don't think any of them are more or less CT than each other. Certainly reading the first and second will allow you to see some tremendous influence to CT.

 

[Garnfellow]

Getting back to Andre Norton. She only wrote one science fiction book - there's a name for the type ?Beldegrumen? where the protagonist starts out in a place he doesn't belong, and finds his place in the universe?

Actually, she wrote several. Her Solar Queen series was highly influential on the Merchant career in Traveller.

 

[Garnfellow]

Nevertheless, the Dumarest Saga by Tubb. I’d ask the same (similar) of you that I asked another above, if you could only pick 10 books of the 33 in the Dumarest series, which would you suggest? Please keep in mind I’m looking for books that may have had the greatest influence on Classic Traveller, especially in its original 1977 form.

I've only read the first 10 or so but all of them seemed very strongly Traveller. Book 16 (Haven of Darkness) was published in 1977, so only books 1-15 might have influenced CT.

 

[GypsyComet]

Actually, she wrote several. Her Solar Queen series was highly influential on the Merchant career in Traveller.

Norton wrote a decent body of SF-flavored story-telling, but the story was always her priority.

The book that comes to mind from the King Midas' description for me is Android At Arms, but the several books that start in the Dipple are also in that category. By comparison, Storm of Warlock and the Solar Queen books are not *quite* as bad about the "lost in the world and growing into where they are" trope, though that was common in Norton's writing.

Also of note: Zero Stone and Uncharted Stars, and Star Guard and Star Rangers.

Norton gave us one or two lengthy but very loose future histories, less defined that Anderson's *several* or the foretold cycles of Piper.

 

[Sci-Fi Neophyte]

I would prefer not to.

OK, to answer your question, I would read them in order as that is what I am doing (I have not read all 33 yet myself). I think I have read the first seven or eight, and while you can read them out of order without ruining the story, there are little details in the background that make sense if you read them in order (at least in this first set I have read). EDIT TO ADD: As far as CT goes I don't think any of them are more or less CT than each other. Certainly reading the first and second will allow you to see some tremendous influence to CT.

"Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!"

 

[Garnfellow]

I would also suggest grabbing Shannon Appelcline's The Science Fiction In Traveller: A Reader’s Guide to Traveller Role-Playing Fiction. I think it's only ever been released as a Kindle book, but I found it helpful myself.