Traveller renaissance

[creativehum]

Wow, we are pathetic.

Why?

 

[Blue Ghost]

a great range of perspectives here. For what it's worth, I bought my Traveller box set in 1978. I've drifted back and forth through many different RPGs, but I always come back to CT. Why? Because it speaks to me. I like the combination of simplicity in mechanical rules and complexity of Starship Design.

As far as any renaissance is concerned. I am of the opinion that gaming, as a hobby (in all forms) is in a revitalized sort of "golden age" and I for one consider myself lucky to and grateful to see my favorite games being talked about once again. But, as then again I typically don't get asked my opinion very often, and that's alright as well. I like playing CT, when I can, and I don't think I'll ever give it up no matter what other changes occur in the product line.

*nodding*

Yeah, like I posted earlier up, I was just floored at the thousands and thousands of people who attended Kublacon last year. I think there was one Traveller demo that was run, which I missed. It might be nice to have been part of the game's revival. Oh well.

 

[aramis]

Is your point of this post to contradict my point? Or to confirm that relative to today there were not many RPGs on the market? Or simply to provide information?

I leave the conclusions to the reader as to whether this supports or refutes your claim.

 

[creativehum]

I leave the conclusions to the reader as to whether this supports or refutes your claim.

So... to be clear:

My claim was that back when Classic Traveller LBBs could be found on racks in a hobby or game store Traveller was a much larger piece of the market share of RPGs than it is today.

You listed several dozen RPGs people might have been playing at that time.

Here is a link to the RPGs that people might be playing today, either in print, or as PDFs, or as older volumes they still play. One will note the list is substantially longer. Thus the number of games Traveller is competing with for attention is substantially larger, especially since, again, many people are playing games from decades ago, or reprints, or PDFs, as well as the stream of new games published every year.

Thus, the odds were better that Traveller would end up getting more attention then than relative to today.

Given the numbers I am pretty sure my claim in inarguable. (Especially since the time period were are talking about ranged from 1977 to 1981. Traveller was not competing with many of the game on the list for each year under discussion since many of them did not exist in some of the years in question.)

I suspect you might be thinking I might be claiming something else given the blunt difference of the numbers involved. But I am not sure. I certainly would love to hear more from you on this so I can understand better what you are saying.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Most players asking me about Traveller have no idea what the '80s were. They bought Mongoose, and that's what they're using. I see a lot of them as future referees. Maybe not all of them Traveller referees, but at least they'll have the basic skills for GMing.

Yeah, the 80s were a unique time because computers were just starting to penetrate homes significantly, and so there was a taste of "high tech" in the air, and scifi films started to take prominence. The two, I think, along with the revolution in music and arts in general, help energize gaming in general, and by definition helped (unintentionally) invigorate Traveller.

And, well, it's not the 80s anymore. I understand that, and I guess I, like the guy in the video that starts this thread, have or had a misperception that the game and fanbase was on the wane. I guess it isn't. Whatever. It did make me wonder why Mongoose forums were active, and this forum saw lots of sporadic activity, when it used to be highly active from 2001 up to 2008 or so. Just me.

*back to the scout ship*

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

And, well, it's not the 80s anymore. I understand that, and I guess I, like the guy in the video that starts this thread, have or had a misperception that the game and fanbase was on the wane. I guess it isn't. Whatever. It did make me wonder why Mongoose forums were active, and this forum saw lots of sporadic activity, when it used to be highly active from 2001 up to 2008 or so. Just me.

BBSs are used less these days. They were more popular before YouTube and Facebook made RPG info more accessible to the phone generation.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Were you born in the '90s or later? Such people have an excuse for not knowing the '80s.

Wow, we are pathetic.

Yes they do. My two examples.

1.There was Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs is famous, being interviewed. Elmer is a big star and walks by these "bums" before is finds Bugs starving on the street.
Not funny to me until I knew how famous Al Jolson and Bing Crosby truly were. And what the chorus boys were about. I was born in the '60s.

2.Munchkin's Innocent Bunny card.
"Roll a die. It becomes That Bunny on a 6"
Only a little funny unless you have seen Monty Python. My son giggled like a loon when he played the card and it turned into That Bunny, because he had seen the movie. My daughter did not. She has seen it since and groans when it shows up. They were born in the 'aughts

 

[Barsanuphius]

Were you born in the '90s or later? Such people have an excuse for not knowing the '80s.

1973, I know the 80's with the greatest president of the late 20th century, Ronald. I remember the end of the cold war, I remember such greats as "Pepsi, the choice of the new generation", the Orwell 1984 Superbowl commercial for APPLE. I owned a Sega Master System, and a Nintendo ES. I road BMX bikes. I pinched rolled my stone washed jeans. I had seen all the Star Trek OTS movies in the theater from the Wraith of Khan forward. I saw ET, Return of the Jedi, Raiders of the Lost Arc, all in the single screen movie house that has sense been torn down. I've worn "Roos" the sneakers with a zipper pocket. I had slap bracelets. I loved Big League Chew.

I was ten years old when my best friend and I thought we were in love with Madonna in her "Lucky Star" video. We were stupid.

I was in a remedial English class in the sixth grade, (Did not need it. Stupid standardized testing result.), while my classmates watched the Space Shuttle Challenger explode on ascent. 1986.

I watched the Smurfs, G.I. Joe and Dungeons and Dragons on Saturday Mornings. or after school. I can recall Conjunction Junction on ABC's Schoolhouse Rock.

Anything else? :coffeesip:

 

[Condottiere]

Madonna had a good run; she and her music are just not relevant anymore, but she's a continuing influence on the current crop of songstresses.

 

[Barsanuphius]

Why?

Because we get excited over the younger Generation may become excellent Game Masters/DM's/or Ref's...it was a sardonic quip.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Well, again, okay, but what are your thoughts on the game's current status as both a game and science fiction property?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Because we get excited over the younger Generation may become excellent Game Masters/DM's/or Ref's...it was a sardonic quip.

I was wondering where you were coming from with your comment. I've never believed in tabletop RPGing belonging only to those that played in the '80s.

 

[creativehum]

I've never believed in tabletop RPGing belonging only to those that played in the '80s.

Who has said such a thing? Who would say such a thing? Has any such thing been said here?

 

[Nihilistic_Impact]

I didn't play tell the 00's, so I'm probably one of the younger folks around here at 29.

Now I have yet to play a game of traveller, hoping to rectify that as my friends have started a new gaming group with the ideas of rotating tuesday games. So far we have once a month for D&D 5e and I would like to add classic traveller to the line up because true sci-fi is something we've not done yet.

As to why I as an individual that never experienced classic traveller first hand would pick it. I suppose it has something to do with how after growing dissatisfied with D&D 3.x and pathfinder I wanted something simpler and fell in love with Lamentations of the Flame Princess. So I had no issue looking back in time to see if I might like something and honestly classic traveller seems to hit my sweet spot for crunchiness.

I do have to give credit to the works of Creativehum for directing me towards the 77 edition for which I happily own a boxset of now, though I did start off with the 0-9 Classic Books and 1-13 Classic Supplements.

Also first post.

 

[kilemall]

I didn't play tell the 00's, so I'm probably one of the younger folks around here at 29.

Now I have yet to play a game of traveller, hoping to rectify that as my friends have started a new gaming group with the ideas of rotating tuesday games. So far we have once a month for D&D 5e and I would like to add classic traveller to the line up because true sci-fi is something we've not done yet.

As to why I as an individual that never experienced classic traveller first hand would pick it. I suppose it has something to do with how after growing dissatisfied with D&D 3.x and pathfinder I wanted something simpler and fell in love with Lamentations of the Flame Princess. So I had no issue looking back in time to see if I might like something and honestly classic traveller seems to hit my sweet spot for crunchiness.

I do have to give credit to the works of Creativehum for directing me towards the 77 edition for which I happily own a boxset of now, though I did start off with the 0-9 Classic Books and 1-13 Classic Supplements.

Also first post.

Well hot diggity! A unicorn!

Welcome to Traveller, for whatever pluses/faults of whatever version the core of the thing IS unique.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

I didn't play tell the 00's, so I'm probably one of the younger folks around here at 29.
...
As to why I as an individual that never experienced classic traveller first hand would pick it. I suppose it has something to do with how after growing dissatisfied with D&D 3.x and pathfinder I wanted something simpler and fell in love with Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

Welcome to the boards.

You are one of the people to listen to...well being younger. As I see it people like you drive the "Renaissance" or the future of pencil and paper games.

Have you played many other games besides D&D, Pathfinder and Lamentstions?

 

[Nihilistic_Impact]

First off, thanks for the warm welcomes.

I can only push forth the renaissance if I can get players on board, other wise I'm just a lone nut. Thankfully I have at least managed to create two new GM's which is good for the hobby over all.

What I have played/run outside of the listed are Call of Cthulhu 5th, Dark Heresy 1st, Dragon Age, Fiasco, Exalted 2nd, Abney Park Airship Pirates, Iron Kingdom 2nd.

So not a very diverse history as D&D has always been king in these parts.

 

[Barsanuphius]

I was wondering where you were coming from with your comment. I've never believed in tabletop RPGing belonging only to those that played in the '80s.

Okay.

I agree that real paper-dice-imagination are the real fun. I can play/ref for hours upon hours with a game that keep everyone involved. :coffeesip:

I've done the video game, and after so much time, depending on the quest, I can easily give up or play in extreme ennui. Even though all is pretty much there, but even when in a co-operative team (MMO),like World of Warcraft, or Star Wars the Old Republic, though fun, just is not the same as six people, a pizza and an RPG. :badger:

 

[Barsanuphius]

First off, thanks for the warm welcomes.

I can only push forth the renaissance if I can get players on board, other wise I'm just a lone nut. Thankfully I have at least managed to create two new GM's which is good for the hobby over all.

What I have played/run outside of the listed are Call of Cthulhu 5th, Dark Heresy 1st, Dragon Age, Fiasco, Exalted 2nd, Abney Park Airship Pirates, Iron Kingdom 2nd.

So not a very diverse history as D&D has always been king in these parts.

Sorry I do not remember if I welcomed you. Let me offer you a cup... :coffeegulp: ...oops

 

[rhialto]

First off, thanks for the warm welcomes.

I can only push forth the renaissance if I can get players on board, other wise I'm just a lone nut. Thankfully I have at least managed to create two new GM's which is good for the hobby over all.

What I have played/run outside of the listed are Call of Cthulhu 5th, Dark Heresy 1st, Dragon Age, Fiasco, Exalted 2nd, Abney Park Airship Pirates, Iron Kingdom 2nd.

So not a very diverse history as D&D has always been king in these parts.

Well, if LotFP is down your alley then CT will probably be so, too. Use the lightweight framework to let your imagination take over, and justify any houserules, gap-filling, patching, etc. however you want.

S4's sig has some nice tools for CT, too.