Mongoose - traveller returns

[hunter]

I just had a horrible thought. If the current RuneQuest IP owners are going to be publishing Traveller, does that mean that Ducks will soon be joining the Aslan and Vargr?

(Runs to avoid the slings and arrows...)

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!! Duck Dodgers in the 25th and a half Century!!!!!!!!

 

[Berg]

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!! Duck Dodgers in the 25th and a half Century!!!!!!!!

One of my favourite cartoons... I may just have to run this with the little green guy and his incinerator

 

[Pagan priest]

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!! Duck Dodgers in the 25th and a half Century!!!!!!!!

Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's: "24th and a half Century!"

On a more serious note, I do not see this as good news. Once I first saw T20, I felt that it was the best of the Travellers that I had seen. As you mentioned, it will continue for three years, but that's not nearly long enough.

Ah, Dragon and Dungeon foully murdered, and now this... this has not been a very good summer for gaming.

 

[hunter]

Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's: "24th and a half Century!"

Ouch! Ya got me!

On a more serious note, I do not see this as good news. Once I first saw T20, I felt that it was the best of the Travellers that I had seen. As you mentioned, it will continue for three years, but that's not nearly long enough.

Never be sure what the future will or will not bring. :devil:

 

[GypsyComet]

I just had a horrible thought. If the current RuneQuest IP owners are going to be publishing Traveller, does that mean that Ducks will soon be joining the Aslan and Vargr?

(Runs to avoid the slings and arrows...)

The writing credits in Mongoose Runequest aside, Mongoose is not the IP "owner" of either Runequest or Traveller. They license both Glorantha and the Third Imperium from their respective creators.

Marc, having been burned before by overzealous licensees (Ken Whitman, Courtney Solomon, and the train wreck that was Imperium Games), will hopefully keep Mongoose on a short leash. Traveller can do without adventures that were obviously written for Gamma World then search-and-replace edited, or alien races with histories and abilities right out of a Marvel Comic retcon (or worse, ripped off from Jack Chalker), or "like the Ancients, but *better*".

 

[aramis]

I didn't touch SST. I picked up B5 d20 1E just as 2E came out, just to see how they did things. I've got no irons in the fire, tho, for I'd not use either it nor Trav for B5... I'm more likely to adapt something else, or break out the Chameleon Ecclectic Babylon Project.

I have noted with several MRQ books (as PDF) that:
1) They have a typo problem. Not as bad as T4, but close to MT.
2) They have published some REALLY poorly thoguht out elements, with obvious last-minute changes.

And while I am a Traveller fan, describing it as the Holy Grail of the Gaming Industry is a serious misnomer... that would be the Harry Potter license... or the StarWars or Star Trek licenses. Perhaps even Dune.

I'm hopeful. And as I said over there, if they do screw it up, I can at least make a fixed rulebook, and let my players play MY version of Traveller.

 

[hunter]

Marc, having been burned before by overzealous licensees (Ken Whitman, Courtney Solomon, and the train wreck that was Imperium Games), will hopefully keep Mongoose on a short leash.

Frankly this is one of the issues I have brought up with Marc when I heard about this the first time. I think Mongoose will do a much better job, but yeah the legacy of IG still sticks in the back of my mind. If I see it happening I'll be the first trying to say something to Marc about it.

Traveller can do without adventures that were obviously written for Gamma World then search-and-replace edited, or alien races with histories and abilities right out of a Marvel Comic retcon (or worse, ripped off from Jack Chalker), or "like the Ancients, but *better*".

This also concerns me with regard to the OGL/TTL aspects. I am lobbying for some tighter controls on the TTL than say the d20 license. The two are not the same. If WotC were allowing you to put Dungeons and Dragons on the cover they would be the same, but notice that they don't allow you to mention it really at all?

 

[hunter]

I have noted with several MRQ books (as PDF) that:
1) They have a typo problem. Not as bad as T4, but close to MT.
2) They have published some REALLY poorly thoguht out elements, with obvious last-minute changes.

Yeah they have definitely had some editorial issues. It seems to be getting better and they have done a pretty good job at keeping their fans happy.

And while I am a Traveller fan, describing it as the Holy Grail of the Gaming Industry is a serious misnomer... that would be the Harry Potter license... or the StarWars or Star Trek licenses. Perhaps even Dune.

Was it Traveller they were touting as the Holy Grail? I thought it was the other license still yet to be announced.

I'm hopeful. And as I said over there, if they do screw it up, I can at least make a fixed rulebook, and let my players play MY version of Traveller.

I think they'll do pretty well. If not, well licenses aren't forever and you never know what can happen.

 

[Jeff M. Hopper]

This also concerns me with regard to the OGL/TTL aspects. I am lobbying for some tighter controls on the TTL than say the d20 license. The two are not the same.

Good.

All joking aside, there have indeed been some d20 products that shouldn't exist save as examples of what not to publish (and yes, I'm looking at the Book Of Erotic Fantasy and that PDF abortion clinic sourcebook). I'd rather not see deliberately written sensationalist crud attached to Traveller, just so the Third Party can make a sale. It ultimately would cheapen Traveller, like those products have cheapened the d20 license.

 

[Roger Calver]

I agree, how ever the new licenses works there must be a better level of control as to what is released under it.

The "Holy Grail" is not Traveller but something else for the future.

Traveller has a solid core of fans (im not touching on the grognards here), so products by them should be of high quality and good, also with the new OGL it may open up new sci-fi settings for people I would love to see something like Blue Planet back again.

Rog.

 

[Phillip]

Mongoose are desperately trying to break into the miniatures market; witness their recent attempts with Battlefield: Evolution.

I wonder if Mongoose Traveller will include miniatures and a Striker game?

 

[Berg]

I wonder if Mongoose Traveller will include miniatures and a Striker game?

Minatures would be nice

And maybe Striker and FFS as part of the T5 Superset... Hmmm

 

[Spinward Scout]

I wonder, will this finally split Traveller: Design, and Traveller: Setting?

 

[Gallowglacht]

But we could always do this. I like T20 using the New Era setting.

 

[robject]

If the Mongoose "basic" Traveller is as basic as their RuneQuest rules, you'll basically (pardon me) have to get T5 to really play the game. :devil:

The core Mongoose rulebook, as far as I know, is supposed to remind us of The Traveller Book.

 

[robject]

I know half-dice were removed (Bruce and I gave Marc hell about them till he agreed to drop em ). There are a few other changes I am aware of as well. Of course the drafts available on the net are incredibly old and out of date.

And, there is a 2D variant. Mongoose may push for that.

 

[robject]

However I was trying to drive at the idea if there's going to be a consolidation and a return to CT type mechanics and OTU settings then new sectors exist and new ship types exist that can be printed up rather than simply reprints of existing designs meant to fit slight rule changes. I don't know how many more versions of the Type S I can take (as long as its not as longwinded as the Hero stats!) and the Marches is old hat now, more rimward sectors and conflicts with the Aslan would top my favorite choices

Regardless I await with bated breath

Martin

If Mongoose ports their sci-fi systems to Traveller, then there should be an influx of new designs, assuming some degree of portability.

 

[Takei]

And, there is a 2D variant. Mongoose may push for that.

That's interesting to hear as I was wondering how MongTrav (thanks for that one Martin!) and T5 related considering one uses 2d6 and the other uses pools.

 

[Klaus]

The Conan stuff is on the whole damn good. There's a few issues with maps (but that's perrenial with Conan products) and the adventures do tend to take a somewhat misogynistic slant when compared to the source material, but they are certainly lavish products, and they have a good understanding of Hyboria. My only real criticism is the d20 nature of it, but tis certainly better than DnD.

I got the B5 2ed just for a look, and though I wasn't too enamoured with the classes, I thought the skill streamlining to be top notch. Eg, Spot n Listen becomes Perception, Move Silent and Hide become Stealth. I use that now in T20: it always seemed unfair that Recon required 4 skills to simulate when Engineering or Computer just one.

Be interesting to see a Strontium Dog rpg. In fact, back when I was 10, and just about to buy Star Frontiers of a friend, I invented my first rpg based on Strontium Dog...

Just a little worried what it might mean for stuff like SPL and Stellar Reaches....

 

[Valarian]

I've got the B5 2nd edition rules and like them a lot. The only thing I'm not terribly sure about is the complication of all the orders in the vehicle and starship combat. I wouldn't be too distressed if T20 second edition used these rules.