(hypothetical) What would you ask Dave Nilsen?

[hunter]

So, Joe Fugate has resurfaced on the MT boards and is currently being bombarded by questions about DGP .

Now imagine - purely hypothetically - that David Nilsen showed up here and was willing to answer questions about TNE. What would you ask him?

(and assume you can only ask serious questions and that you can't fling accusations either)


EDIT: In case anyone's confused, I mean that Joe is on the MT board HERE on CotI.

[This thread was original started by Malenfant, but devolved into what is not the TNE Flame War thread. I have restarted the original thread here. Do not use this thread to gripe about TNE. If you want to do that go to the Flame War thread.]

 

[Malenfant]

Good idea Hunter. Let's start afresh.

I'm gonna salvage the legitimate questions from the other thread and post them here, if that's OK:


From Sigg Oddra:

How would you have resolved the Empress Wave?

What's inside the Black Curtain?

Other than the Hivers, the RC, and the Regency, were there any other islands of civilization?

Were there any plans for a fourth Imperium?

From Kafka47

1. How were the various fan based efforts eg. Children of Earth or Candles Against the Night fit into the scheme of the unfolding universe of the New Era?

2. Is it possible that the Black Curtain would undertake an expansion?

3. Why make the Regency so ommipotent for what in most of Traveller was a Provincial backwater?

4. Did he ever see proofs or outlines of the Brunette novels, if so what was the third one to include?

5. What role did the Guild play in the Wilds beyond the RC Area of Operations? Were they the last vestages of civilization or just a local mafia that grown powerful due to their access to Starships?

6. What became of Lucan? (I know MJD's answer but would be interested in Dave's

7. What about Grandfather and the whole Ancients story arc in TNE? Were the Droyne left finally to grow up?

8. Was there any thought of linking the multiple games that GDW produced into a coherent universe but one with shattered dimensions operating with different assumptions? For example, linking Traveller with Dark Conspiracy or having the French Peace of T2000 result in a Near Earth Campaign for 2300AD?

9. What motivated you as a designer to destroy/explode everything in the Imperial Campaign rather opt for a slower implosion...Hard Times resulting in stagnation aka Wounded Colosses-type scenario.

10. What future products were already sketched out and or near compliation at the time of GDW closure and would he consider bringing them out under the Quicklink banner (after some modification due to MJD's efforts)?

11. What does he think of Traveller today? Is it as dynamic as he would want it or was TNE the only way to energize the Traveller milieu and make it Darker?

From Malenfant:

What do you think of the 1248 material - is that similar to the direction that you would have taken the setting in?

From Hyphen:

1. What had he planned for Avery in 1201? Had he met up with the Empress Wave and found out what it was - maybe even mitigating its effects on the Regency?

2. What story arc was planned for the Droyne? Were they helping Avery to create a psi buffer around the Regency?

3. What did he have planned for when the Regency and RC met?

From Thelor:

1. What other pocket civilisations where out there?

2. Would the Soleean Empire defeat the RC or what was his plans for them both when meeting?

3. What was his plans for the Black curtain?

4. What was his plans for the benign Sandman-type strain viruses?

5. What was the idea and impact on the universe with the Empress wave?

6. A 4th empire? How big? How stable? Location? What about its neighbours?

7. I also want to know how Vargr and Aslan countered firstly Virus and then Imperial fleets.

From Casey:

I would ask DN if he would be interested in writing any more RPG material, in general or for TNE or 1248.

From Daryen

So, to get to the question, why have you not revealed, in any form or forum, what you had intended? Ten years is a long time to hold on to something. Sure, I understand that in the beginning you probably planned on trying to do it in a fashion that would generate at least a little money. But as time passed, didn't it become more and more clear that that goal was becoming unattainable?

So, at this point, why the secrecy? What is gained (for you) by this? Did you just get disgusted with the reactions like those two above and just drop the game? Or do you still harbor hope to make that knowledge profitable somehow?

In summary, why does Dave Nilsen not want anyone to know what Dave Nilsen's vision for TNE is/was?

From Kafka47 again (inquisitive fellow that he is

):

a) Would there be more adventures?

b) What role did the emerging Internet play in design. When I was in Prague, I did subscribe to both the TML & X-boat and found voth listservs to be very hostile to newcomers and in tone to others?

c) Why release something like the Players Forms as a second release...surely, something more flashy would sell the line better?

d) Did you ever consider going back to any era of the Traveller universe and allow for multiple eras of play but using the TNE rules?

e) What was the relationships like in GDW? How were you treated by the Ancients or Old Ones?

f)What were the various story arcs that were not explored in any of the published products that were forthcoming in others.

g) What is all this discussion about "Jedi" in Traveller?

h) Did you ever collect any of the fanzines that were coming out and covering the TNE? Did they shift any of your ideas?

i) Where did you get your ideas and what books/themes inspired you to write TNE?

From Sigg Oddra:

if you could write a Traveller supplement or adventure for T20 what would it be?

That's everything (decent) from the other thread...

 

[Jame]

This is the same question as in the other one, but for me is just as valid. Who's Dave Nilsen?

 

[notagoodusername]

Dave Nilsen was a staff member at GDW and the lead writer on Traveller: The New Era. As you can see from this thread there are varying opinions on his contribution to Traveller.

The whole TNE situation when it was released caused such a flamewar on the TML that the list splintered and a second list was formed for TNE - that is how passionate folks get about it.

Trust me when I say don't get involved in the Nilsen-bashing-defending debate.

Shane

 

[Jame]

"O." Maybe it's a good thing I never new much of Traveller back then...

 

[TheDS]

Have you been lurking anywhere, and for how long?

Have you used alternate names with which to post ideas, like maybe you're actually Aramis?

What was the next Alien Module going to be?

 

[Malenfant]

He's definitely not Aramis.

 

[RainOfSteel]

It’s been asked before, but:

What were are all the original details behind the Empress Wave?

 

[TheDS]

well, yeah, I am pretty sure he's not, but it serves as a good example. Maybe Dave's a really good actor and he's the person we least suspect; some one who publicly flames DN at every opportunity. I know I would never suspect such a person!

(Er... well, maybe not, since I brought the whole thing up.)

 

[Highguard]

It took me much longer to understand "how" Virus worked than I like to admit, and now that I do I wonder why I didn't see it sooner. Anyway: Bravo and all that...

My question would be: Where did such a devistating idea such as Virus come from? What was your inspiration for it?

 

[TheEngineer]

MS Windows

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by Highguard:
My question would be: Where did such a devistating idea such as Virus come from? What was your inspiration for it?

While DN would be able to discuss Virus if he chooses to Frank Chadwick is the originator of the Virus concept AFAIK. The only reference I can currently find is here, though I've seen similar elsewhere.

"From: Frank Chadwick
...
The original work on the virus was begun by me well over two years
ago, was discussed in its early stages with the people from Digest
Group, and was announced publicly in a seminar at GenCon '91. These
things are matters of public record."

Mr. Chadwick is more involved in miniature wargames these days and I don't know if he's on the internet since I don't read forums at sites like Consimworld or TMP.

Casey

 

[Elliot]

Here is a question for Mr Nilsen then:

What freedom did you have in developing TNE and how much was pre-plotted by the more established people at GDW such as Frank Chadwick?

 

[DED]

Originally posted by Shane Mclean:
Trust me when I say don't get involved in the Nilsen-bashing-defending debate.

Shane

I'll second that.

My question? What was your favorite Depeche Mode album?

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by DED:
My question? What was your favorite Depeche Mode album?

I'm guessing either Black Celebration or Violator.

<Casey exits thread stage right to the tune of Fly on the Windscreen>

 

[Wayne]

Highguard said

Where did such a devistating idea such as Virus come from? What was your inspiration for it?

TheEngineer answered

MS Windows

Thanks, now my monitor is covered with coffee and the boss is looking at me.

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by Casey:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by DED:
My question? What was your favorite Depeche Mode album?

I'm guessing either Black Celebration or Violator.

<Casey exits thread stage right to the tune of Fly on the Windscreen> </font>[/QUOTE]Now now, we don't want to start another flame war based on Depeche Mode albums. DM fans can be quite passionate about that!

 

[aramis]

Why did you take the editorial and game design approach in RSB to democratize the Regency?

Why did you choose a comedic approach for the Ithklur?

Was Aliens of the Rim V2 in the works?

 

[notagoodusername]

Why couldn't you (well, GDW) release the Long Ships before you went under? Arrrrgh! The one I wanted the most....

Shane

 

[Erik Boielle]

+++++Why couldn't you (well, GDW) release the Long Ships before you went under? Arrrrgh! The one I wanted the most....+++++

What was that going to be?