hunter
Ancient - Absent Friend
To the Site Administrator:
I hope I'm sending this to the right person. After years of silence, I note that some misperceptions persist re: some of my involvement in Traveller and I'd like to offer a few simple statements of fact to provide some additional, and hopefully clarifying context to the discussions/speculations. I do not propose that these statements will in any way settle all questions, or illuminate all apparent uncertainties: that would be a gargantuan task, and one which can do no more than dredge up what is rapidly becoming ancient history.
1) IRIS was not made canon by me; it was not some solo fait accompli. It was discussed with Marc and others, and the reasons for its "mainstreaming" were neither ill-considered nor casual. Some of them are alluded to below.
2) A necessary qualification for the prior statement is this linked comment: in 1990, Hard Times (and IRIS et al) was but one of 5 or more sequential projects that I proposed to Marc, and which, in principle, were to be completed over the next 3 years. However, when Marc left, that vision and commitment changed. As is often the case with projects begun under one set of assumptions, or under the auspices of one administration, they did not fit well with the "new direction." Hard Times was therefore, from a conceptual standpoint, an orphan (although some may still opine it to be a "bastard"...): none of the other projects were completed (and no, Diaspora and Vigilante were not two of the others; they were ultimately vastly reduced and rewritten to lead Traveller in its "new direction.")
3) The Virus was not something I envisioned. Marc and I had provisionally charted a different path out of the Rebellion. This informs much of what drove IRIS' evolution as a would-be arbiter of the chaotic Rebellion Aftermath. Hard Times was designed to put things back on track; the complete breakdown was to have been arrested and narrowly averted. The Imperium was to have been ultimately salvaged (albeit in altered form). IRIS would have been revealed as both help and hindrance during that process, and ultimately split itself, as hardliners clashed with what I would term "idealists."
4) Contrary to what many people seem to assume, have heard, or speculated, I was *not* the "Traveller Director" at any time in my relationship with GDW. There are many reasons for this. Marc did make a very enticing offer to me at Origins Baltimore (1990? 1991? I think the former, but I am no longer sure), but I politely declined because, having been a freelancer for many years and in many industries, I saw authority difficulties on the horizon. By which I mean: you can't put an out-of-office freelancer in charge of a product line successfully (not unless there is no geographic locus of "The Home Office"). This is a practical matter of how products and corporations run--and I wasn't about to move out to Bloomington. More importantly, GDW was but one component of my freelance business. I think it safe and fair to say that Marc and I were very like-minded about Traveller, where it was, where it wanted/needed to go. While he was still with GDW, we conferred regularly, and almost always found ourselves on the same page. After his departure, GDW chose to chart new directions, upon which I can offer no reasonable comment: as a freelancer, I was not significantly consulted on those choices nor should I have been. I was asked for my opinion on the TNE system conversion: that was all. Long and the short: any reference to a "Gannon canon" is simply not accurate. I was never an "autonomous head honcho" of Traveller, except in so far as I edited the Traveller content for Challenge for a while. While Marc was at GDW, I put all major issues before him. Once he left, there was a period of time when oversight on the product line was perhaps a little nebulous, but I attribute that to the management leaving the engine running in neutral while they decided which direction they wanted to go in next.
5) The preceding should largely suggest the following: that although the Regency (IRIS) may have been originally test-driven privately before I submitted it to GDW, it was not in any way, shape, or form "transplanted" from any personal utilization into the gaming community at large. In general, I would say that the story and shape of the Regency as it was "canonized" is more notable for the scope and multitude of its differences from my original concept and personal use of it, than it was for any lingering similarities. This is a direct consequence of the narrative role envisioned for it in the post-Rebellion.
6) Contrary to what some people have speculated, I was very familiar with Traveller when I started working with it, and of all my freelance gigs, I felt that it was a world/milieu that was singularly immersive and mature for the RPG industry. I was interested in creating good products that carried forward a world that was, after all, not so much defined by its mechanics, but by its story and the underlying vision. That Hard Times will be remembered by some as the dismantling of Traveller is, I must point out again, a consequence of it being a preempted start in a narrative direction that I had worked out with Marc, and which disappeared with him. If it is a "dark future," I can only respond that GDW had the best combination of RPG and simulation standards in the industry (or so I have always felt). Bear that in mind as I reprise the facts that led up to Hard Times: The Rebellion (which had been created by DGP) was a gargantuan historic event in the Third Imperium and set warfare running across known space like a brushfire. Marc and I spoke about that at some length, and I cannot remember that either of us ever identified any even vaguely realistic or plausible way of simply "talking" our way back out of it. Traveller has always been praised for its balance of verisimillitude and adventure. After 5 years of war waged on an interstellar scale--and with no end in sight--I must respectfully submit that Hard Times is optimistic, not pessimistic. By the time I came on board, it was an established fact that various contenders for the Iridium Throne had used WMDs flagrantly against high-population worlds. What that says about the scope and conduct of the war, and the concommitant suffering of the civilian population, is only so debatable. Marc and I intended Hard Times to set up a scenario in which players would be drawn into the drama of rescuing the worlds and populations (and better ideals) of the Teetering Imperium. Because if you look at Hard Times carefully, what you find is that, at the end, the fighting--at least on the scale that destroyed the Imperium--is over: none of the combatants (except, at rare moments, mad Lucan) can really project power beyond their own spheres any more. Hard Times charted the course of the wild fire of the Rebellion, and then chronicled and establshed how it burnt itself out. It was for the players to write the next chapter of a more hopeful history--and that is what the next four envisioned products would have unfolded.
7) I admit to bemusement as I read folks who critique the physics of One Small Step or other STL/design sequences. I must point out that, in most cases, I was either A) adapting from materials already published as canon (i.e.; most of OSS's thrust agencies were derived directly from COACC or the original Striker Design Sequence), or B) were unavoidable inferences/interpolations that had to be followed if I was not to make that other canonical material look absurd. It has rightly been observed that the ISP/thrust efficiencies of the Traveller fusion rockets are insanely high----but that had been established before I arrived. So when designing plasma rockets, or nuclear PBR thrusters, what is the governing criteria? Pure physical rectitude? Or a proportionally consistent adjustment of the various thrust agency properties, so that the comparison between the contending technologies matches the kind of efficiency variations we would expect? Had the objective of Traveller been to provide a rigorous hard SF simulation of low-tech spaceflight, clearly physics is king. But ultimately, it was an RPG, and it's not so easy to go back and uproot old rules. Nor is that necessarily a wise marketing strategy when the great majority of players just don't care, as long as the system is accurate to within an order of magnitude.
7) I have always felt that the Traveller gaming community--then, since, now--is arguably the most dedicated, inventive, self-sustaining, and involved of any out there. I have always (again: then, since, now) felt extremely privileged to have had a role in it. I am sorry if I have not pleased everyone with every product or plot twist--but then again, it is impossible to please everyone all the time. I do wish to encourage folks to realize, however, that the material that was produced, and the ultimate role it played in the total evolution of Traveller, may not conform to the intent or vision of the creators or editors at the time it was conceived and written. Traveller--for good or for ill--was a bit like the ill-fit stepchild throughout its life, and it may well be that it was very irregularly served by having been farmed out to a variety of "foster parents" along the way. However, I can say this, having at least some personal knowledge of all (and contact with most) of those caretakers along the way: the people who were charged with the production of Traveller genuinely cared about Traveller. Whether their vision matched yours, or led to marketing success or not, are separate issues, but I think it would be inaccurate to assert or suspect that while GDW existed, Traveller was ever entrusted to indifferent hands.
Thank you for the opportunity to share these thoughts.
Best,
Chuck Gannon
I hope I'm sending this to the right person. After years of silence, I note that some misperceptions persist re: some of my involvement in Traveller and I'd like to offer a few simple statements of fact to provide some additional, and hopefully clarifying context to the discussions/speculations. I do not propose that these statements will in any way settle all questions, or illuminate all apparent uncertainties: that would be a gargantuan task, and one which can do no more than dredge up what is rapidly becoming ancient history.
1) IRIS was not made canon by me; it was not some solo fait accompli. It was discussed with Marc and others, and the reasons for its "mainstreaming" were neither ill-considered nor casual. Some of them are alluded to below.
2) A necessary qualification for the prior statement is this linked comment: in 1990, Hard Times (and IRIS et al) was but one of 5 or more sequential projects that I proposed to Marc, and which, in principle, were to be completed over the next 3 years. However, when Marc left, that vision and commitment changed. As is often the case with projects begun under one set of assumptions, or under the auspices of one administration, they did not fit well with the "new direction." Hard Times was therefore, from a conceptual standpoint, an orphan (although some may still opine it to be a "bastard"...): none of the other projects were completed (and no, Diaspora and Vigilante were not two of the others; they were ultimately vastly reduced and rewritten to lead Traveller in its "new direction.")
3) The Virus was not something I envisioned. Marc and I had provisionally charted a different path out of the Rebellion. This informs much of what drove IRIS' evolution as a would-be arbiter of the chaotic Rebellion Aftermath. Hard Times was designed to put things back on track; the complete breakdown was to have been arrested and narrowly averted. The Imperium was to have been ultimately salvaged (albeit in altered form). IRIS would have been revealed as both help and hindrance during that process, and ultimately split itself, as hardliners clashed with what I would term "idealists."
4) Contrary to what many people seem to assume, have heard, or speculated, I was *not* the "Traveller Director" at any time in my relationship with GDW. There are many reasons for this. Marc did make a very enticing offer to me at Origins Baltimore (1990? 1991? I think the former, but I am no longer sure), but I politely declined because, having been a freelancer for many years and in many industries, I saw authority difficulties on the horizon. By which I mean: you can't put an out-of-office freelancer in charge of a product line successfully (not unless there is no geographic locus of "The Home Office"). This is a practical matter of how products and corporations run--and I wasn't about to move out to Bloomington. More importantly, GDW was but one component of my freelance business. I think it safe and fair to say that Marc and I were very like-minded about Traveller, where it was, where it wanted/needed to go. While he was still with GDW, we conferred regularly, and almost always found ourselves on the same page. After his departure, GDW chose to chart new directions, upon which I can offer no reasonable comment: as a freelancer, I was not significantly consulted on those choices nor should I have been. I was asked for my opinion on the TNE system conversion: that was all. Long and the short: any reference to a "Gannon canon" is simply not accurate. I was never an "autonomous head honcho" of Traveller, except in so far as I edited the Traveller content for Challenge for a while. While Marc was at GDW, I put all major issues before him. Once he left, there was a period of time when oversight on the product line was perhaps a little nebulous, but I attribute that to the management leaving the engine running in neutral while they decided which direction they wanted to go in next.
5) The preceding should largely suggest the following: that although the Regency (IRIS) may have been originally test-driven privately before I submitted it to GDW, it was not in any way, shape, or form "transplanted" from any personal utilization into the gaming community at large. In general, I would say that the story and shape of the Regency as it was "canonized" is more notable for the scope and multitude of its differences from my original concept and personal use of it, than it was for any lingering similarities. This is a direct consequence of the narrative role envisioned for it in the post-Rebellion.
6) Contrary to what some people have speculated, I was very familiar with Traveller when I started working with it, and of all my freelance gigs, I felt that it was a world/milieu that was singularly immersive and mature for the RPG industry. I was interested in creating good products that carried forward a world that was, after all, not so much defined by its mechanics, but by its story and the underlying vision. That Hard Times will be remembered by some as the dismantling of Traveller is, I must point out again, a consequence of it being a preempted start in a narrative direction that I had worked out with Marc, and which disappeared with him. If it is a "dark future," I can only respond that GDW had the best combination of RPG and simulation standards in the industry (or so I have always felt). Bear that in mind as I reprise the facts that led up to Hard Times: The Rebellion (which had been created by DGP) was a gargantuan historic event in the Third Imperium and set warfare running across known space like a brushfire. Marc and I spoke about that at some length, and I cannot remember that either of us ever identified any even vaguely realistic or plausible way of simply "talking" our way back out of it. Traveller has always been praised for its balance of verisimillitude and adventure. After 5 years of war waged on an interstellar scale--and with no end in sight--I must respectfully submit that Hard Times is optimistic, not pessimistic. By the time I came on board, it was an established fact that various contenders for the Iridium Throne had used WMDs flagrantly against high-population worlds. What that says about the scope and conduct of the war, and the concommitant suffering of the civilian population, is only so debatable. Marc and I intended Hard Times to set up a scenario in which players would be drawn into the drama of rescuing the worlds and populations (and better ideals) of the Teetering Imperium. Because if you look at Hard Times carefully, what you find is that, at the end, the fighting--at least on the scale that destroyed the Imperium--is over: none of the combatants (except, at rare moments, mad Lucan) can really project power beyond their own spheres any more. Hard Times charted the course of the wild fire of the Rebellion, and then chronicled and establshed how it burnt itself out. It was for the players to write the next chapter of a more hopeful history--and that is what the next four envisioned products would have unfolded.
7) I admit to bemusement as I read folks who critique the physics of One Small Step or other STL/design sequences. I must point out that, in most cases, I was either A) adapting from materials already published as canon (i.e.; most of OSS's thrust agencies were derived directly from COACC or the original Striker Design Sequence), or B) were unavoidable inferences/interpolations that had to be followed if I was not to make that other canonical material look absurd. It has rightly been observed that the ISP/thrust efficiencies of the Traveller fusion rockets are insanely high----but that had been established before I arrived. So when designing plasma rockets, or nuclear PBR thrusters, what is the governing criteria? Pure physical rectitude? Or a proportionally consistent adjustment of the various thrust agency properties, so that the comparison between the contending technologies matches the kind of efficiency variations we would expect? Had the objective of Traveller been to provide a rigorous hard SF simulation of low-tech spaceflight, clearly physics is king. But ultimately, it was an RPG, and it's not so easy to go back and uproot old rules. Nor is that necessarily a wise marketing strategy when the great majority of players just don't care, as long as the system is accurate to within an order of magnitude.
7) I have always felt that the Traveller gaming community--then, since, now--is arguably the most dedicated, inventive, self-sustaining, and involved of any out there. I have always (again: then, since, now) felt extremely privileged to have had a role in it. I am sorry if I have not pleased everyone with every product or plot twist--but then again, it is impossible to please everyone all the time. I do wish to encourage folks to realize, however, that the material that was produced, and the ultimate role it played in the total evolution of Traveller, may not conform to the intent or vision of the creators or editors at the time it was conceived and written. Traveller--for good or for ill--was a bit like the ill-fit stepchild throughout its life, and it may well be that it was very irregularly served by having been farmed out to a variety of "foster parents" along the way. However, I can say this, having at least some personal knowledge of all (and contact with most) of those caretakers along the way: the people who were charged with the production of Traveller genuinely cared about Traveller. Whether their vision matched yours, or led to marketing success or not, are separate issues, but I think it would be inaccurate to assert or suspect that while GDW existed, Traveller was ever entrusted to indifferent hands.
Thank you for the opportunity to share these thoughts.
Best,
Chuck Gannon
