1970s Ad Copy for Traveller products

[GM Joe]

I was thumbing through issue 12 of the Judges Guild Journal today (December 1978/January 1979) and came across ads for two Traveller booklets: 1001 Characters and Mercenary (both newly published!).

The ad copy is something else! It's easy to forget how much text there was in ads back in 70s and prior.

Here's the ad for 1001 Characters:

NEW!
Game Designers Workshop
203 North Street
Normal, IL 61761

1001 Characters is a complete 48 page booklet of pre-generated Traveller characters intended for use by the referee or gamemaster during the course of Traveller adventures.

How often have you been running a situation, and come upon a non-player character of some importance? Ordinarily, generating that character can take some 5 or 10 minutes, and even then, he may have to be discarded as inappropriate. 1001 Characters offers a solution to the problem, simply because it presents so many different characters. Separate sections cover each of the 6 character service arms, with additional sections covering simple thugs, cops, and soldiers. If the single individual you randomly select is in appropriate, choose another, and still no time is lost.

Each character is listed with characteristics, age, cash, rank, and skills. Each is ready to use immediately.

1001 Characters, for Traveller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.98

In no RPG did I ever stop the session to generate an NPC! And I can just imagine doing that in Traveller. "Oh, dang. I need a Marine and ended up with a dead Scout. One more try!"

That $3.98 booklet would be $13.35 in today's dollars.

Here's the ad for Mercenary (this time, they used italics instead of boldface for product titles):

Mercenary NEW!
Traveller assumes a remote central government possessed of great technological and industrial might, but unable, due to the immense distances and travel times involved, to exert total control at all levels everywhere in this star-spanning realm. On the frontiers, extensive home rule provisions allow planetary populations to choose their own forms of government, and to raise and maintain armed forces for local defense. Conflicting local interests are often settled by force of arms, with Imperial garrisons looking quietly the other way, unable to effectively intervene as a police force in any but the most widespread conflicts and still maintain the defense of the realm. In this environment, the mercenary will thrive.

Mercenary is the first major rule book supplement to Traveller, greatly expanding its potential scope. Mercenary includes expanded career generation tables for the Army and Marines, numerous new skills, and complete rules on joining or forming mercenary contingents, organizing and equipping them, and resolving their missions. Also of interest to even the casual traveller is the complete summary of weapons technology at each successive Tech Level, with numerous additional small arms, support weapons, and even artillery, all integrated into the existing Traveller combat system.

Mercenary is a full sized, 48 page rule booklet, including complete charts, tables and examples. $5.98

Game Designers' Workshop
203 North Street, Normal, Illinois 61761

More material for TRAVELLER

I like that this one emphasizes that the Imperium is remote and not very interested in local matters.

$5.98 would be $20.07 in today's dollars.

 

[creativehum]

[Blurb about Mercenary]
I like that this one emphasizes that the Imperium is remote and not very interested in local matters.

When I read the blurb, It too read it the way you did.

But I also recognized sentences from the blurb from Book 4. I looked at them side-by-side. In the comparison below, bolded sentences are in that version, but not the other.

Blurb
Traveller assumes a remote central government possessed of great technological and industrial might, but unable, due to the immense distances and travel times involved, to exert total control at all levels everywhere in this star-spanning realm. On the frontiers, extensive home rule provisions allow planetary populations to choose their own forms of government, and to raise and maintain armed forces for local defense. Conflicting local interests are often settled by force of arms, with Imperial garrisons looking quietly the other way, unable to effectively intervene as a police force in any but the most widespread conflicts and still maintain the defense of the realm. In this environment, the mercenary will thrive.

Book 4: Mercenary (page 1)
Traveller assumes a remote centralized government (referred to in this volume as the Imperium), possessed of great industrial and technological might, but unable, due to the sheer distances and travel times involved, to exert total control at all levels everywhere within its star-spanning realm. On the frontiers, extensive home rule provisions allow planetary populations to choose their own forms of government, raise and maintain armed forces for local security, pass and enforce laws governing local conduct, and regulate (within limits) commerce, Defense of the frontier is mostly provided by local indigenous forces, stiffened by scattered Imperial naval bases manned by small but extremely sophisticated forces. Conflicting local interests often settle their differences by force of arms, with Imperial forces looking quietly the other way, unable to effectively intervene as a police force in any but the most wide-spread of conflicts without jeopardizing their primary mission of the defense of the realm. Only when local conflicts threaten either the security or the economy of the area do Imperial forces take an active hand, and then it is with speed and overwhelming force.

It is interesting how in the blurb "unable to effectively intervene" packs a lot more punch. In the passage from Book 4 that phrasing is undercut by that last sentence.

In the blurb the remote government assumed in Traveller really seems like it can't be involved much the setting where the PCs roam. In the passage from Book 4 it seems like that don't that often, but certainly can -- and very effectively -- if they want to.

 

[GM Joe]

In the blurb the remote government assumed in Traveller really seems like it can't be involved much the setting where the PCs roam. In the passage from Book 4 it seems like that don't that often, but certainly can -- and very effectively -- if they want to.

Excellent point!

Both passages could be interpreted to mean the same thing, but each lends itself naturally to a different interpretation.

Given the timing, I wonder if this is indicative of the way things were changing for Traveller at the time, or simply an unimportant tightening of the wordcount for an ad.

 

[creativehum]

I wonder if this is indicative of the way things were changing for Traveller at the time, or simply an unimportant tightening of the wordcount for an ad.

My snarky commentary is that the blurb in the ad copy sounds more exciting. Which it should, since it is an ad...

 

[mike wightman]

The most interesting bit about the blurb to me is the lack of the "(referred to in this volume as the Imperium)" addendum that started the introduction of the Third Imperium as a possible setting; although Imperial garrisons are mentioned a couple of sentences later on, the lack of those words offers more scope for my own imagination if that makes any sense at all.

By not even defining the 'remote central government' you are still allowing individual referees with their homebrew universes to include the material as they see fit.

 

[creativehum]

The most interesting bit about the blurb to me is the lack of the "(referred to in this volume as the Imperium)" addendum that started the introduction of the Third Imperium as a possible setting; although Imperial garrisons are mentioned a couple of sentences later on, the lack of those words offers more scope for my own imagination if that makes any sense at all.

By not even defining the 'remote central government' you are still allowing individual referees with their homebrew universes to include the material as they see fit.

I see "referred to in this volume as the Imperium" as a place holder.

As in "for this book we're using this word, but just switch it out with whatever polity/remote government you need."

 

[whartung]

In the blurb the remote government assumed in Traveller really seems like it can't be involved much the setting where the PCs roam. In the passage from Book 4 it seems like that don't that often, but certainly can -- and very effectively -- if they want to.

Cynically, I read the Book 4 passage as more can't be bothered to intervene. It's simply beneath their notice. Whether it's philosophical, jurisdictional, simply economics and policy, is a different question.

 

[creativehum]

Cynically, I read the Book 4 passage as more can't be bothered to intervene. It's simply beneath their notice. Whether it's philosophical, jurisdictional, simply economics and policy, is a different question.

Sure. I'm focusing on the matter of effectiveness, however.

The Book 4 text says, "unable to effectively intervene" -- which is one kind of statement (also found in the blurb). But then closes with the words " it is with speed and overwhelming force" -- which sound effective to me!

 

[GM Joe]

The Book 4 text says, "unable to effectively intervene" -- which is one kind of statement (also found in the blurb). But then closes with the words " it is with speed and overwhelming force" -- which sound effective to me!

It is all sort of squishy (which is fine with me), but I took the clause, "...as a police force in any but the most wide-spread of conflicts without jeopardizing their primary mission of the defense of the realm" to mean that they can't police every single conflict, but will step in when the (presumably larger and rarer) conflicts occur that threaten the economy or security of "the area" (squish!).

How do you see it?

 

[creativehum]

As you say, it's squishy. As far as I can tell, GDW is trying to have it both ways. They know they want an open playground for Referees and Players without a lot of influence from the "remote, centralized government." But the Imperium is beginning to take shape in their heads -- and it is big and influential.

Because it is squishy, whartung can read it as "Can't be bothered to" whereas my reading is, "Still relatively weak in the area and make a firm decision to commit resources as the resources will not be easily replaced and the government is leaving itself open as it moves those resources."

Both readings work. It's a matter of how one choose to read. And it is kind of a tipping point in the development of the OTU.

From the Book 2 Ship Encounter rules (as thoughtfully explicated by aramis) we know that pirates and patrols sail in A and B class starports in almost equal numbers. From Supplement 3 we know the Imperium "does not have the strength nor the power which it once had." (And here we have Proto-Traveller.)

I read those elements and see my reading clearly.

But other people, building off the reach and stretch of power suggested in those words in Book 4, and then growing in Book 5, see an empire so strong it could choose to involve itself in whatever conflicts it wanted, but is so sturdy and busy with its own power it doesn't have the time or concern to get involved. (And here we have what the Imperium was to come.)

For me, I'm all about Proto-Traveller -- or even something weaker for the remote, centralized government than even the Imperium in the Spinward Marches. So I read it as, "Can choose to get involved if defense of the realm is involved, but it is a big deal if it does. But does so with risk."

But everyone read it differently.

 

[atpollard]

Sometimes the hammer is just too big for the job. Hypothetically, an evil Nazi spy (because WW2 politics is allowed) takes an Embassy Secretary hostage. The USS Iowa is in range with it's big Guns, which could certainly deal quickly and decisively with the problem. A small group of French Mercenaries, might still be a better choice because even with all that power, the Iowa really can't respond effectively to the situation.

 

[Condottiere]

That would depend on who's finger is on the button.