Just as an addendum to both topics (I also like writing, and reading what people have to say about my idiocy
), I think one of the bottom lines about the remoteness of a Traveller movie is not only the history of a past film development, but the core audience doesn't have DnD numbers.
DnD has a history, a much larger core following, and taps into a wider audience that have been socially educated via common myths in Anglo-Saxon mythology and folklore; trolls, elves, brave warriors/knights and so forth. Even other ethnic groups get educated on European myths, and are therefore part of that audience potential for a film.
"Traveller", when first presented was marketed as a GURPS like system for sci-fi. But Marc Miller discovered that we the buyers wanted background material; i.e. hard fiction buildup. That actually pigeon holed Traveller to a niche, in spite of its long history.
You can drive across North America, across Europe, and you'll find people who have heard of swords, knights, armor, dwarves, dragons and so forth. And where you'll find even the same number or more who have heard of the concept of a "starship", you won't find many who know what a Type-S 100dT scout is, or any particulars of the OFFICIAL Traveller setting.
It's also difficult to market a game as a translation to a film not only because of the numbers, but because of the setting. You would have to come up with a compelling story, and then educate the audience on the Imperium. That's actually easy, but again the core audience, the players, aren't enough to justify investing in a film development.
The other problem is the fact that there are many versions, or rather iterations, of the game. Some good, some better than others, each with a list of flaws. If the kinks can be worked out, and the game garner a larger following, then maybe something can be formulated for visual media.
If we look at really sleek sci-fi RPGs, something like "Blue Planet" or "Jovian Chronicles", you'll note that those games are thriving, even though neither has much in the way of adventures. The rules are vetted, the presentation is sleek, but the audience has capped out, or plateaued. Traveller is still evolving, and newer people are coming, but veterans lose interest.
The other problem with a Traveller movie is that because it promises to to present various sci-fi venues, it is its own worst enemy in that there is no sub-genre to nail it down. Is it space opera? Sci-fi high adventure? The sci-fi horror genre?
So, it's numbers, a lack of greater success like its contemporaries, and a kind of "all over the place" feel to the whole game system in general, make the likelihood of pitching a "Traveller" movie to some producer rather unlikely.
Me, I can think of work arounds for all of those aspects and other challenges a Traveller film (or prospects of one) faces.
Traveller borrows heavily from law enforcement, psychiatry, and the model of wealthy do-gooders helping to keep social balance as many do today who travel the globe (ergo "Traveller"). "Star Trek" uses this model, but "Trek" is a known quantity, and "Traveller" is otherwise.
Those are the challenges. Hopefully T5 and Mongoose can even things out, and Traveller will most forward more cohesively, and then, and only then, schmucks like me can realize some dreams.
Thanks for reading.
