What do you want from T5?

[Malenfant]

I don't think Traveller's realism is the issue at all (because it's not realistic to start with).

I think the big problem with most versions of Traveller (TNE being the sole exception) is that it's far too huge a canvas and the PCs are far too insignificant - most people want to play heroes who make a difference in RPGs, not average joes. And they really don't want to have to worry about meeting mortgages on ships and keeping track of funds, which is what they have to deal with in real life all the time. You'll notice that no other game puts any importance on that kind of thing.

TNE threw that all away and said "Right, the PCs are helping everyone pick up the pieces and liberating planets and bringing the light of civilisation back to the universe". That screams "heroes that makes a difference" loud and clear, unfortunately that got drowned out by everyone else screaming about how everything had come crashing down.

The problem isn't realism, it's that PCs are too small to be important. That's one difference between Firefly and Traveller - the crew of Serenity in the end *did* turn out to be heroes and major players, they got caught up in events and turned the whole 'Verse upsidedown by the end of the movie. But most Traveller games end up like the standalone eps in Firefly, just hopping from place to place doing the same sort of mundane stuff - and I don't think a lot of people are really turned on by that.

 

[hunter]

Yet both Firefly and Serenity didn't last too long. I think for the same reason Traveller isn't bigger than it is, in comparison to say Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Stargate, etc. They have more elements of the fantastic in them.

I do however agree with your point about 'heroes that make a difference'. That in a way is one of the parts of the 'fantastic' I mean.

Even TNE however, with it's more heroic player characters wasn't in the same league as far as sales go in the RPG market as more fantastical games.

EDIT: As far as realism goes, I refer more to the PCs are just normal folks rather than heroes meme of Traveller, but still Traveller rules wise is a helluva lot closer to realistic than most SF games out there. Particularly when viewed from the period in which it was first created. Not denying that evidence since has shown many flaws in the Worlds systems.

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by hunter:
Yet both Firefly and Serenity didn't last too long.

I don't think anyone is really justified in using that as an argument against those shows, primarily because they weren't actually given the same chance as those other shows. I mean, Bab 5 or Star Trek would probably died after 13 episodes if their networks decided to broadcast everything in the wrong order and screw around with the show like Fox did with Firefly. The series was just never given the chance to reach anything near its full potential. So basically I'd consider Firefly/Serenity to be 'corrupted data' here.

I think it's very likely that if Firefly had got even the most basic support from Fox it would have lasted and eventually become as popular as the big SF names, and Serenity would have been bigger too.

EDIT: Oh, and with TNE I wonder how much of that was down to (a) the screaming of the grognards putting everyone off and (b) the general downturn in the market at the time. I'm not sure the playing field was really all that level back then.

 

[hunter]

Hey I'm not knocking Firefly, I loved it And I know about the screwed up order of the series, but I'm just not sure it would have done a lot better. I wish it would have though.

I will reiterate though that I am with you on the 'heroes that make a difference' meme though. I do think we should and could do more along these lines in Traveller.

 

[Ishmael]

I've already made my opinion known...I'd like to have a refined MT system, but if I am laying down hard cash, I'd want a system that's not same/similar to what I already own. I don't know enough about marketing to have any valid idea of what would be best to attract new players.

 

[Malenfant]

So after 9 days, here's the results after 60 people have voted:

Q1: What game engine would you want to see in T5?

A refined version of an existing Traveller system (e.g. CT/MT hybrid). 78% (47)

A brand new system with conversion notes from other Traveller systems. 13% (8)

A brand new system that is completely separate from other Traveller systems. 0% (0)

I don't want any system included at all. 8% (5)

A definite large majority in favour of a refined existing system here. No interest at all in a new system without conversion notes!

-----------

Q2: What setting would you want to see in T5? (multiple choice)

The standard Golden Age (c. 1100) Known Space/3I OTU setting. 40% (24)

A retro-OTU setting (like T4, set in the past of the OTU). 13% (8)

A future-OTU setting (set in the MT/TNE/1248 era or beyond). 18% (11)

A rebooted OTU (any era) where the inconsistencies etc are fixed. 27% (16)

A variety of OTU settings (i.e. several milieu books set at different eras in the OTU). 48% (29)

A variety of SF settings that use the T5 game engine (the OTU may be one of them) 25% (15)

I don't want any setting included at all. 12% (7)

Since this was multiple choice there's a bigger spread of results here, but the dominant answers are for multiple OTU milieu books, followed hotly by just the "Golden Age" era. A rebooted OTU got a surprising number of votes in favour though.

------------

Q3: How would you use T5?

I'd drop all my house-rules and existing systems for Traveller and use T5 instead! 33% (20)

I'd mine T5 for ideas for my existing Traveller games. 42% (25)

I'd just read T5 and then add it to my RPG collection. 17% (10)

I wouldn't use T5 at all. 8% (5)

A surprising number of people said they'd drop everything for T5, despite not knowing what it'll be like. But more said they'd just mine T5 for ideas.

--------------

Q4: Would you buy T5, and if so how would you decide to buy it?

Yes! I'd buy it regardless of whether I needed it or how good/bad it turned out, just to support MWM. 20% (12)

Yes, I'd buy it because I want another version of Traveller. 13% (8)

Maybe. I'd have to see some reviews and have a look at it first though and then I'd decide. 62% (37)

No. I wouldn't buy it at all. 5% (3)

Fortunately more level heads reign here, as most people would take a look at T5 first before snapping it up. There's still a large proportion of respondents who would just get it blind though.

-------------

Q5: Do you think the Traveller fanbase really needs another version of Traveller?

Yes. 53% (32)
No. 47% (28)

Interesting result - pretty much a 50/50 split here. Obviously this is still a polarising topic.

 

[KrisComet]

My question, does it have to be D20 based, I know that just makes it very flexible, but there are far too many D20 games but I guesss if it is good and not tooo confusing I might buy it, but as of right now, I thing CT/MT were perfect and should not have been stopped, except the combat isn't real enough for me so I created my own system for more realism.

 

[BetterThanLife]

In all fairness, from what I have seen of T5 so far, I am not impressed. If it was actually a serious improvement, perhaps, but the direction it is taking so far, I'll pass.