Great minds...
I reckon you should mention it to him.
One of my group, who I swap out with for a change of campaign when we need to freshen up, regularly marks passages in books as colour narrative during scenarios.
OTU Only: Third Imperium Inspiration
- Thread starter Supplement Four
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Great minds...
I reckon you should mention it to him.
One of my group, who I swap out with for a change of campaign when we need to freshen up, regularly marks passages in books as colour narrative during scenarios.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Already did - post 31 
RD combat is a lot closer to Traveller.
The reason I bought Reality Dysfunction in the first place was reading the ship combat in the first chapter, I had a similar reason for picking up Consider Phlebas.
RD combat is a lot closer to Traveller.
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
Yes, there is so much I like about the Reality Dysfunction's world. It's truly amazing.
I'd give it a 10/10...that is, until the undead screw up the story. Then, it goes down to a 3/10, or something like that.
The dead coming back to life completely destroys the book, imo.
Though, many people like it. Sigg does (Mike). Plenty of good reviews on Amazon, too.
I'd give it a 10/10...that is, until the undead screw up the story. Then, it goes down to a 3/10, or something like that.
The dead coming back to life completely destroys the book, imo.
Though, many people like it. Sigg does (Mike). Plenty of good reviews on Amazon, too.
Supplement Four
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Has anyone read any of Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic League stories?
If so, opinion and thoughts?
If so, opinion and thoughts?
Supplement Four
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I thought this a really cool idea that Refs might want to incorporate into their Traveller games. It comes from Foundation.
I think it would work best for two worlds close together--one jump, if you can manage it--and longer jumps elsewhere. This kinda isolates the two worlds.
Next, you'll want to pick one of the worlds with a high TL compared to that of the other world. You need a good sized population on the lower tech world.
Then, the higher tech world establishes a religion on the lower tech world. This religion is centered upon technology. The religion need not be wide spread, or even used at the higher TL world.
This also works best if the lower tech world, at first needs something from the higher TL world--some kind of import, to where the lower tech world is dependent a bit on the high TL world to bring in whatever that item is.
Over the generation you wait, the high TL world will do what it can to clandestinely grow the religion on the other world.
...Until there are enough people following the religion to give the higher TL world a certain amount of control over the other world.
How cool is that?
I think it would work best for two worlds close together--one jump, if you can manage it--and longer jumps elsewhere. This kinda isolates the two worlds.
Next, you'll want to pick one of the worlds with a high TL compared to that of the other world. You need a good sized population on the lower tech world.
Then, the higher tech world establishes a religion on the lower tech world. This religion is centered upon technology. The religion need not be wide spread, or even used at the higher TL world.
This also works best if the lower tech world, at first needs something from the higher TL world--some kind of import, to where the lower tech world is dependent a bit on the high TL world to bring in whatever that item is.
Over the generation you wait, the high TL world will do what it can to clandestinely grow the religion on the other world.
...Until there are enough people following the religion to give the higher TL world a certain amount of control over the other world.
How cool is that?
Yes.
And you haven't read them? Mind you there are definitely fiction of their era, but still very enjoyable.
What are you, a Hiver?
That's a lot of work, and could be difficult to hide. When (not if) it was eventually found out on the second world, there'd be all sorts of social grief as some adherents would drop the faith and be angry, others would double down in their beliefs, and no-one would think well of the people on the higher TL world
Supplement Four
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No need to hide it. Just make the religion secretive, if the need arises.
You say this, but, without breaking the no-discussion of real religion rules on this forum, I'll generically say that there are examples of real world religions and cults that have attracted large numbers of followers throughout history.
So, would there be all sorts of social grief? I dunno about that.
EDIT: It does sound very "Hiver" doesn't it.
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
I've read the entire run, as collected some 35 years ago. They are engaging reading as a whole, though less Traveller relevant than the Polesotechnic League/Imperium (aka. Falkayn, van Rijn, and Flandry) stories.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Time to reveal my guilty secret:
the Family d'Alambert series originally by EE doc Smith but actually written by Stephen Goldin.
the Family d'Alambert series originally by EE doc Smith but actually written by Stephen Goldin.
Supplement Four
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Foundation: I'm into the Traders period, now. We've skipped so far ahead in time so that it seems like a different book.
I mentioned that the atmosphere now makes me think of how it was after the Fall of the Rule of Man. But, it also makes me think, "Hey, this is what GDW was going for with TNE," without the Virus, of course.
I mentioned that the atmosphere now makes me think of how it was after the Fall of the Rule of Man. But, it also makes me think, "Hey, this is what GDW was going for with TNE," without the Virus, of course.
ShapeShifter
SOC-13
Pretty much spot-on from what I remember. Couldn't even finish the first Foundation novel. However, I promised myself that I would reread the first and read the two sequels, even if it pains me -- kinda like having to eat my vegetables when I was a wee lad.
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
Ouch. Why? Reading is a pleasure for me. If I don't enjoy reading something, then I just don't read it. There's too much out there that I want to read--that I know I'll never finish before I leave this world.
That said, I'm still very much enjoying Foundation. It's a good read, with lots of interesting ideas. But, I can't say that I'd name it the Best Science Fiction Series Ever, as it has been crowned. Maybe something will happen in the next two books that change my mind.
Didn't it come from the originality of all the concepts at the time? A lot of the ideas may seem a little derivative now, but that's because they were derived from these stories.
It's like looking at an old between-wars aircraft and maybe wondering why people made a fuss about it at the time, but when we delve into what else was out there we start to get an idea.
Supplement Four
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Maybe, but Dune was published in 1965. Foundation was first published in 1951, from short stories published in Astounding Magazine starting in 1942, but it was awarded the Hugo for Best All Time Science Fiction Series in 1966. Dune still captures me like few other books do. In fact, I'm getting ready to read it again. It's been a while. I'll never read Foundation again.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Frank Chadwick is on record as stating that with hindsight he would have preferred the GDW house setting to be during the long night.
Supplement Four
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Wasn't he in charge of TNE? That's basically the TNE setting, sans Virus.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Dave Nilsen was lead on TNE, but Frank had a huge input. Lots of the changes were to undo some of the 'errors' DGP had introduced in their iteration of the Imperium.
A lot of people see TNE as a post apocalyptic setting, personally I have always seen TNE as a setting ripe for exploration, discovery of past glories, rebuilding and rebirth.
A lot of people see TNE as a post apocalyptic setting, personally I have always seen TNE as a setting ripe for exploration, discovery of past glories, rebuilding and rebirth.
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
I like it more now than I ever did. When it first came out, I was put out that they had changed my beloved Traveller universe so much. I was expecting a change like MT.
Supplement Four
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Foundation: Others who said the book was a collection of novellas are correct. I'm on the fifth section, the last section. The novellas are not connected by story or characters--only the theme of the Foundation.
I found the first three stories the best. I wasn't that enthralled with the last one. It seemed to me to be the least connected of the four sections I've read.
As for Traveller, the last two stories are using the term "Trader" in the same way that we use "Traveller" in game. They are a group of special people who live in space, between the stars, while almost all others are ground based on the various worlds.
And, the last section--the last story--is called The Merchant Princes.
The stories were original written in the early 1940's, and published in the 1950's. I can see the ideas in the book, which are commonplace now, be something to behold back then. Sometimes, the language gets to me: for example, Asimov uses "atomics" quite a bit when we would say today, "nuclear". Some of the "high" tech, too, where a character remarks that another character, from a lower tech world, was not aware of a high tech microfiche recorder.
I found the first three stories the best. I wasn't that enthralled with the last one. It seemed to me to be the least connected of the four sections I've read.
As for Traveller, the last two stories are using the term "Trader" in the same way that we use "Traveller" in game. They are a group of special people who live in space, between the stars, while almost all others are ground based on the various worlds.
And, the last section--the last story--is called The Merchant Princes.
The stories were original written in the early 1940's, and published in the 1950's. I can see the ideas in the book, which are commonplace now, be something to behold back then. Sometimes, the language gets to me: for example, Asimov uses "atomics" quite a bit when we would say today, "nuclear". Some of the "high" tech, too, where a character remarks that another character, from a lower tech world, was not aware of a high tech microfiche recorder.
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