Greetings everyone,
Well, I’m back from vacation and ready to get back into the swing of things.
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Joshua Bell
Many of the points you bring up are precisely the things I’m trying to fix in TBWM. I’ve heard from several people that the characters kind of blur together, and that they’re not all that exciting. Let’s face it, who wants bland Traveller characters?
So, as I’m developing TBWM, I try my dead level best to give each of the characters some “screen time”. Each of them will have obstacles to overcome and something to contribute to the overall story. If they didn’t, then why would they be there in the first place?
Obviously some have more to add to story than others, but as the old saying goes, everyone’s on their own page.
That’s the plan anyway.
As for the in-game/out-game references (and this speaks to Darktalon’s points as well), the in-game TAS made use of UWPS, so I, too, assumed that they were supposed to be a place summary for Travellers…and generally helpful ones at that.
“Tech-Level” was actually the one that used to give me fits, but not so much any more. In TNE there’s such a mishmash of technology floating around that it helps to be able to sort out the relative sophistication of a system by simply saying, “Oh, that’s a TL-13 laser over there by the TL-11 rocket launcher.”
TheDS
You’re right, the game material did say that you needed to have a tacnet code/taccode/callsign/ code name, and that it needed to be exactly two syllables. It also said that there were no duplications allowed within the RCES. Considering the number of personnel in the RCES, that seemed like a lot of paperwork to me.
It’s also something of a stumbling block when writing a story in which just about
every character has one. I will admit it does shorten the name considerably, because you can simply say, “Bonzo did this, or Whiz Bang did that.”
My dislike of it comes when you never know a character’s real name. Maybe it’s just me. Call signs are great when a bunch of RCES people are talking to each other. But what if it’s a family member, spouse, political figure or civilian that’s addressing one of them? It would seem that the tacnet code wouldn't apply then. After all, I don't think Iceman's mom would call him that in regular conversation.
Code-names can be very cool, adding a wonderful flavor and texture to the characters (I have another Traveller story that deals extensively with fighter pilots), but in my opinion there’s no substitute for knowing a character’s true name. Leaving it out completely (again, to me) seems to make the reader’s contact with the character feel very impersonal.
Whether I personally like them or not, they are undeniably part of the setting, so TBWM will make use of them. New characters that you meet will have them. But, let me also say that I won’t list their real names ad nauseam just for the sake of doing it.
Yes, I would love to hear how your own call sign came about. Any stories real or fictional that you’d like to share on the subject are always welcome.
Allen
No offense taken.
You’re absolutely right. There were a bunch of guys that TBWM could have gone to, each of them smart writers that have already established themselves within the Traveller universe and community.
As it turns out, Marc presented it me.
I said in my first post here that I’m an unknown quantity as far as Traveller fiction goes. I hope to change that with TBWM.
After that, we’ll just have to see.
Oh, and I, too, found Gateway to the Stars tedious and boring. There are few interesting moments here and there, but it just didn’t “feel” like Traveller to me. But as bad as it was, I’ve actually read worse. Sheesh!
In closing I should say that a sample chapter of TBWM will be coming your way in the near future. Keep an eye out for it.
Until next time.
Si vales, valeo.
-MC
