What does this mean for BITS?

[Tobias]

And also, for other licencees putting out supplemental material? Will it be possible to produce stuff like FASA and DGP did, back in the day, under the "Traveller logo licence"? Or is this new deal basically killing any tie-in materials as soon as the current licences run out?

 

[atpollard]

All Of This Is Just My Opinion

** All of this is just my opinion, I speak for no one but me. **

My best guess would be that everyone involved wants Traveller to grow and prosper. The best way to achieve that is to welcome all the Traveller material anyone wants to produce. In the end, it sounds like people wanting a new Traveller license or to renew an expired license will need to go through Mongoose instead of Marc.

Anyone wanting a license to continue The New Era may have problems getting a license since the goal appears to be to use Mongoose and T5 to create a new and improved version of Classic Traveller to replace CT, MT, TNE and T4. Bits will probably be warmly welcomed.

[As an aside, it seems inconceivable that Mongoose would not want to continue Traveller representations in such popular systems as T20/D20 or Hero (GURPS is already guaranteed a continued presence) if for no other reason than to expand the market for Mongoose published "Adventures", "Atlases" and other Traveller goodies.]

** All of this is just my opinion, I speak for no one but me. **

 

[Allensh]

** All of this is just my opinion, I speak for no one but me. **

My best guess would be that everyone involved wants Traveller to grow and prosper. The best way to achieve that is to welcome all the Traveller material anyone wants to produce. In the end, it sounds like people wanting a new Traveller license or to renew an expired license will need to go through Mongoose instead of Marc.

Anyone wanting a license to continue The New Era may have problems getting a license since the goal appears to be to use Mongoose and T5 to create a new and improved version of Classic Traveller to replace CT, MT, TNE and T4. Bits will probably be warmly welcomed.

[As an aside, it seems inconceivable that Mongoose would not want to continue Traveller representations in such popular systems as T20/D20 or Hero (GURPS is already guaranteed a continued presence) if for no other reason than to expand the market for Mongoose published "Adventures", "Atlases" and other Traveller goodies.]

** All of this is just my opinion, I speak for no one but me. **

The Avenger 1248 material was pretty much system-free, so I don't see why it couldn't continue under a Mongoose license. They going back to base the system on CT, not trashing large sections of the OTU history.

Allen

 

[daryen]

The Avenger 1248 material was pretty much system-free, so I don't see why it couldn't continue under a Mongoose license. They going back to base the system on CT, not trashing large sections of the OTU history.

That is an assumption. We don't know that.

For all we know, Mongoose intends to stick with the 1105 timeframe and, if not de-canonize, at least not support material dealing with anything 1116 or later.

That is not to say they will do that, either. (I, of all people, certainly hope they do not do that!) My point is that either direction is possible, and we flat out don't know what they plan on doing. And we won't know until they come out and announce their plans.

Also, saying Avenger can just get a Mongoose license assumes that will be possible. Mongoose is going to have their own agenda and desires that will come into play. It may be more difficult to get a license from Mongoose than MWM; it may be easier; it may be the same. But we don't know until Mongoose starts providing information on what a "Mongoose Traveller license" is and means.

 

[atpollard]

Anyone wanting a license to continue The New Era may have problems getting a license since the goal appears to be to use Mongoose and T5 to create a new and improved version of Classic Traveller to replace CT, MT, TNE and T4.

A small clarification, when I suggested that it might be hard to get “a license to continue The New Era”, I was referring to the game mechanics and not the official history or setting. I have absolutely no clue what Mongoose plans for the Imperium (but the fact that MJD has a working relationship with Mongoose, does not hurt the chances of the 1248 timeline surviving the Traveller transition to Mongoose).

 

[Anthony]

Okay, this isn't as informative as having BITS post something, but since Ken Burnside is handling printing and distribution of Power Projection in the US, it's probably relevant. Taken from the adastragames forums:

I just got off the phone with Marc Miller.

1) Mongoose was a bit...overzealous in their announcement. Only RPG licenses are going to automatically sunset under this new deal. Marc wants, in the end, for there to be only two Traveller RPG engines. His, and GURPS. This is not a guarantee that ours will be renewed in 2011 (sales will determine that), but it means that our project list for the next 2.5 years is safe.

 

[Tobias]

Thanks for relaying that, Anthony. This is good news.

 

[Kilgs]

Related Question:

I was planning on buying a copy of Universe from BITS in a few weeks. Would this have any effect on it?

 

[Gadrin]

[FONT=arial,helvetica]to be only two Traveller RPG engines. His, and GURPS[/FONT]

what's the overall perception of GURPS on the TML ?

 

[Cyberwere]

what's the overall perception of GURPS on the TML ?

I'm a fan. We convert everything to GURPS. Mostly 3ed. Just haven't got enought people to switch over to 4th ed yet, but we're working on it.

 

[hunter]

what's the overall perception of GURPS on the TML ?

Probably about the same as it is anywhere, mixed. Some love it, some hate it, some have no real opinion.

If you like the GURPS system, you can't beat it. You get GURPS and some seriously great Traveller material.

If you don't like GURPS, get the material anyway. You can pretty much adapt it to any version of Traveller, and it's all top notch.

 

[Dom]

Okay, this isn't as informative as having BITS post something,....

Which we will do so, when we have clarified the position.

BTW We'll be at GenCon UK the end of this month if anyone wants to shoot the breeze on this announcement.

Dom (BITS Webmaster etc)
PS Just realised that we've been publishing Traveller material for 11 years now (!!).

 

[hunter]

PS Just realised that we've been publishing Traveller material for 11 years now (!!).

And doing it well!

 

[Commander Drax]

Does this mean the end of T20 then? If it's true that Marc only wants two Traveller engines in existence namely his (new and unproven one! which by the way is only loosely based on classic traveller) or gurps then where's the future for T20.

I don't know about you guy's but I'm fed up of supporting a traveller line only for it to be abandoned or made bankrupt, such as T4 and TNE respectively

 

[Dom]

Pedantic, I know, but neither of those were abandoned or made bankrupt.

GDW closed up trading in an orderly fashion (exit TNE) and T4 was shut down when Marc pulled the licence. Some major issues with payment to authors etc with T4.

However, I understand the sentiment! Assuming T5 goes down the route that it's shown so far publicly (and your guess is as good as mine), then the system will effectively be interchangeable with T4. The only significant change I'm hoping for is a re-introduction of High Guard as the design sequence as T20 did.

One thing that is worth pointing out is that CT/MT and T4 are pretty much interchangeable from a character perspective (albeit CT characters from the basic system are underskilled in comparision to MT and advanced CT generation). Certainly, they are the systems I tend to write in for BITS, as T20/GT/TNE are all unique and need more attention.

 

[Commander Drax]

I dont mind any of the other systems such as T4, MT, CT, I'll have fun using them all, but like a lot of gamers I want to use a system that's well supported in terms of other product releases and consistency, T20 whilst it's a D20 version of traveller has so far hit all of the right notes, and personally I think we've got a good thing going here, I just don't like the thought of T20 ending it's days and ceasing to be a Traveller line simply because someone in Mongoose doesn't want the competition.

Lets face it QLI with the T20 product has done a hell of lot more for traveller these last few years (thanks largely to the creative talents of MJD when he was still with QLI) than Imperium Games ever did in fact I would go so far as to say that Imperium Games were not only fast buck merchants who didn't care about quality control but practically killed the rpg and alienated it's fan base. Remember that after the IG debacle, no one was publishing anything Traveller untill QLI and then SJ games (with Gurps) came along. Not everyone likes Gurps but most people pick up T20 system pretty readily, also QLI's standard of work and quality control has been quite high. Indeed it is fair to say that QLI kept 'the flame' by reviving interest in traveller and selling Marc Millers classic traveller reprints (and other stuff) enough to fund this latest version of Traveller.

So if all the thanks that QLI get for this is to watch their license expire and not be renewed, I would consider that to be a top of the line kick in the teeth and I for one won't have anything to do with such an unethical business practice and will stop buying Traveller.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Remember that after the IG debacle, no one was publishing anything Traveller untill QLI and then SJ games (with Gurps) came along.

GT predates T20 by several years, and BITS is older than both.

Hunter's licence still has a few years to run.

 

[Commander Drax]

Point Taken, gurps was there first, but as I say, not everyone likes gurps, I don't care that Hunter's licence has a few years to run, what I want to know is that is there going to be a chance that it will be renewed. In other words is there a future for T20

 

[Andrew Boulton]

I don't like GURPS or d20, but the GT and T20 books have plenty of good stuff in them.

 

[aramis]

Point Taken, gurps was there first, but as I say, not everyone likes gurps, I don't care that Hunter's licence has a few years to run, what I want to know is that is there going to be a chance that it will be renewed. In other words is there a future for T20

About three years as T20: the Traveller's Handbook.