Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
This seems to be a recurring theme on the internet so I'll ask the question that it evokes. Why do Transhuman Space fans want to impose the setting on everyone else?
I suppose for the same reason that Traveller is not set in a Galaxy of beautiful but evil Princesses, rocket ships, mud men,This seems to be a recurring theme on the internet so I'll ask the question that it evokes. Why do Transhuman Space fans want to impose the setting on everyone else?
The key word is "fashion".Originally posted by Border Reiver:
Transhuman fans are just reflecting the current fashion for such themes as Vingian Singularity and nanotech. Personally I think there is room for them, just not necessarily in the OTU.
Give the man a gold star. Back to the discussion...In a decade or so, there will be another set of fads.
The question is: how responsive should Traveller be to this phenomenon?
So a certain conservatism is probably wise.
At the chance of sounding self-centered (as your post follwed mineOriginally posted by Jeff M. Hopper:
This seems to be a recurring theme on the internet so I'll ask the question that it evokes. Why do Transhuman Space fans want to impose the setting on everyone else?
Originally posted by Vargas:
As an aside, are grognards limited to CT or can we call adherants of MT that as well, given the length of time since it was published?![]()
I wasn't directing my comment at you, Ptah, just at the genre in general. It comes down to being the latest fad or fashion in science fiction.Originally posted by Ptah:
At the chance of sounding self-centered (as your post follwed mine) I actually have no idea of what Transhuman Space is. My comment about making humans in the likeness of machines was intended to be with reference to one of Frank Herberts sub-threads in Dune. In Dune humanity protected itself from the thinking machines but not itself. In the end it turned people into machines, not in the superficial body-part cyborg sense, but in the sense of spirit. There was the mentat, turning a human into a calculator, the navigators turning themselves into navigation computers, etc. People were made into these things without much choice. The Butlerian Jihad was in part about machines devalueing human life through the application of cold equations to determine who is born and who not. The irony is the Bene Gesserit and other humans picked up where the machines left off.
I say it sounds good to me. A core Traveller along the lines of the LBB with Tech Updates. Market them to both GM and players for a sounder business model IMHO.Originally posted by Jeff M. Hopper:
I'm thinking about the fad or fashion part of Science Fiction and how it could be applied to Traveller.
Assuming that the game has an established longevity that will continue, I would be in favor of "Tech Updates" every five years or so. A "Tech Update" would detail new or fashionable technologies and science that would add new dimensions to the Traveller universe in game terms. These additions would be created as options for inclusion in Unofficial Traveller Universes that gamers use instead of setting-shattering rewrites of the original Official Traveller Universe. If a gamer likes a particular tech or science approach, then they may reference that particular rule addendum and graft it on to their game. One thing that would be a part of each rules addendum would be an analysis essay detailing how the rules would change the Official Traveller Universe so that the gamer who wishes to include it has some knowledge of the impact of the change on their game.
Come to think of it, if this could be done with some imput from businesses like Scientific American, Popular Science, The Discovery Channel, and The SciFi Network - it could not only expand Traveller's potential player base but could be used as a teaching tool for kids (learn physics, trigonometry, and small unit tactics by playing a short Classic Traveller vactor based space combat).
What say you?
Originally posted by Kurega Gikur:
...popular among the polyhedronists who like that sort of thing.
So, LBBs with annual tech "updates"? Sounds a lot like the old Britannica Encyclopedia with its "Annuals". You buy Brittanica, and subscribe to the annuals, and get info on all the cutting edge tech, history, etc. I like that idea!Originally posted by Jeff M. Hopper:
...I would be in favor of "Tech Updates" every five years or so. A "Tech Update" would detail new or fashionable technologies and science that would add new dimensions to the Traveller universe in game terms.