What edition was your first encounter with Traveller?

[egor045]

First Traveller edition I encountered: Classic Traveller, the 1977 edition (it would have been 1979 or 1980). I most likely jumped into a game in the games club I was a member of (it was a long time ago ...). It was more or less a pick-up game (no campaign).

I was sufficiently enthused to pick up a copy of the rules and start running games myself. I recently unearthed the set from the depths of a box, They're the 1977 edition, printed under licence by Games Workshop.

I remember being taken by the "not too far into the future" feel of the rules. No blasters, no mile-long starships, no galaxy-spanning empires. I have a vague recollection of trying to come up with a ship design that didn't include internal artificial gravity, as well as trying to map near-Earth star systems despite an utter lack of local star maps (it was 1980 and all I had to work with was a short list of stars I knew were close-ish).In due course I moved on to a Third Imperium campaign, set in the Spinward Marches.

 

[bromdenlong]

I answered the poll with Deluxe Traveller, but I bought the Traveller Book at the same time. At first, I was irked by all the overlapping information, but was soon glad I had both.

I bought them in early 1983 in the Navy base exchange in Orlando, Florida. I had wanted to buy the original '77 edition when I was in junior high, but the 2 friends of mine who played RPGs told me flat out that they wouldn't play it. They were strictly into D&D. I didn't have much money, so I didn't want to buy it just to read it. I wish I had.

The Beowulf SOS drew me in, as did the Traveller Book cover art later. I just wanted to play a sci-fi RPG so badly. Endless dungeon crawling bored me even when I was 13.

 

[AsenRG]

What edition was your first encounter with Traveller?

Mongoose Traveller, 1st Edition.

When did it happen?

When did it come out? Someone on a forum had it, and offered to run a game for us. The game folded, Traveller remained.

What formed the first impression? (The cover? Text within the game? Someone describing the game to you? Playing the game?)

I liked the minimalist approach of the game, which I was used to associate with more pulpy, narrative or narrative-leaning games (like Barbarians of Lemuria). This game was using 2d6 for Hard-ish SF! And it had lifepaths!

What drew you to the game in that first impression? What was that first impression.

I bet I'm not the only one to say "character generation" (which, in this case, lasted longer than the game).

 

[robject]

This is an informative poll. Thank you for posting it.

 

[creativehum]

This is an informative poll. Thank you for posting it.

You're welcome!

 

[Barrel]

CT, the boxed set with the first 3 LBBs, Adventure 0, maybe book 0 too, and that cool Spinward Marches map.

 

[ffilz]

CT, the boxed set with the first 3 LBBs, Adventure 0, maybe book 0 too, and that cool Spinward Marches map.

Deluxe Traveller then...

 

[Barrel]

Deluxe Traveller then...

Yes, that's it.

 

[MR TEK]

LBBs.

Bought the Black box in 78 or 79.

Defiantly pre map of the Imperium....

Don't actually remember what was in the box beyond the books. Box was just large enough to hold the tree LBBs

 

[aramis]

Bought the Black box in 78 or 79.

Defiantly pre map of the Imperium....

Don't actually remember what was in the box beyond the books. Box was just large enough to hold the tree LBBs

A GDW catalogue and 2d6... and maybe a 1p errata sheet.

 

[Thot]

German FanPro edition is missing in that list.

 

[ovka]

Mine was actually a mixture of Deluxe Edition and 1981 B1-3. The guy that had it had the SM map, Imperial Fringe, Books 0-4, Supplements 1-4, 6, 7, & 9 DA 2, and maybe a few other books I'm not remembering in the box for the Deluxe set. He didn't have any of the Starter Set books.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[ovka]

Correction, looking through this thread, it appears there may have been two versions of the Deluxe set. One with B0-3, and one with B0+ the starter set books. I guess mine was the former (plus the add-ons I mentioned).

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[aramis]

Correction, looking through this thread, it appears there may have been two versions of the Deluxe set. One with B0-3, and one with B0+ the starter set books. I guess mine was the former (plus the add-ons I mentioned).

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

The B0-3 version also should have A0.

 

[coliver988]

The B0-3 version also should have A0.

It does. Book 0 is a gold mine of tips (and now I need to re-read it), Adventure 0 is wide open, and I need to re-read that as well. Basically, it is survey the Marches in your Scout ship. Scout bases will pay for fuel but beyond that you are on your own. You get Cr50000 per report, 1 per world.

I'm one of the 8 in the survey with the Deluxe Version (literally ordered straight from GDW). The box is in sad shape, the maps (there were 2: 1 of the Imperium, one of the Marches) have been opened so much the creases are wearing thin (wish they had done the roll up thing but I can't see packaging that). I even like the dice it came with better than the T5 dice (black with red pips - I found 2 more sets over time that matched).

 

[Gray Lensman]

My Birthday, January 1978 CT-77.

I had been playing OD&D for two years. (what was it with three books and a little box ;D)

 

[aramis]

My Birthday, January 1978 CT-77.

I had been playing OD&D for two years. (what was it with three books and a little box ;D)

Little box with 3 books: Men & Magic; Monster's & Treasure; The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures
5 expansion books: Greyhawk; Blackmoor; Eldritch Wizardry; Gods, Demigods, and Heroes; Swords & Spells
And of course, the minis game which is also the intended combat system: Chainmail

 

[Timerover51]

Little box with 3 books: Men & Magic; Monster's & Treasure; The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures
5 expansion books: Greyhawk; Blackmoor; Eldritch Wizardry; Gods, Demigods, and Heroes; Swords & Spells
And of course, the minis game which is also the intended combat system: Chainmail

I still have all of them including the little box. My copy of either Greyhawk or Blackmoor still has hobbits and ents in it, and I think Balrogs. I will have to check that.

 

[Adam Dray]

I still have my copy of Little Wars. Not the reprint; the original from 1913, which I played with Herb and Jere when they were still playtesting it. This is the version that mistakenly referred to Wilhelm III as "King of Russia." We all had a good laugh about that. It also had hobbits, ents, and the balrog in it, as well as the Cthulhu and Melnibonéan mythoi.

 

[aramis]

I still have my copy of Little Wars. Not the reprint; the original from 1913, which I played with Herb and Jere when they were still playtesting it. This is the version that mistakenly referred to Wilhelm III as "King of Russia." We all had a good laugh about that. It also had hobbits, ents, and the balrog in it, as well as the Cthulhu and Melnibonéan mythoi.

Hobbits and Ents wouldn't be named until the 1940's... nor published until after that, so it looks like some segué is quite missing... I assume You mean your D&D copy is the pre-1976....
Either that, or Mr. Wells had a time machine.