Traveller - Conceding that I was Wrong.

I never really bought a lot of the first Mongoose Traveller core books, except that I did. I picked up all the key game rules books and some more. I did some work in the background on the first edition High Guard was issued and Loz Whittaker reached out to me and asked for a review and some support. The initial reaction drive rules and the corrections on the core book for the difference between pulse and beam lasers came from me. However, if you look at that book, you won't find a credit for me, as for some bizarre reason it went in the Scouts book.

When the setting material started to come out, I was reluctant, especially when the initial releases seemed to be going down the route of trying to define every world and not leave spaces to explore between them. Spaces are so important; points of interest with gaps between are a great way to create excitement and interest for a GM to fill out. Detailing too much makes a setting intimidating.

That's something you often don't realise if you've been with a game since the relatively early days. I came to roleplaying in 1983, and to Traveller in 1984. I wanted to come to Traveller earlier than that, but sourcing a copy in the UK proved problematic and took nearly six months and lots of Games Workshop credit notes. I picked up key books but it was MegaTraveller that got me in a position where I was buying everything that came for the line. That followed through with new editions and I gradually filled out the gaps I had on the Classic Edition. 

So I was steeped in 'canon', and quite happy to bring it into TML debates. Ah, the great flamewars of the Traveller Mailing List (that was an email list, not postal); I've a nostalgia for the heady days of the TML, but I don't miss the vitriol that sometimes came out in arguments on what is - ultimately - a game. It may be the great game of my life, my forever game, but it is ultimately that, a game.

However, the weight of that canon is intimidating if you come to a game new, and you often think 'how do I start'. I think that tools like the Traveller Wiki and Traveller Map have made things a bit easier, but the the initial setting material that I saw for the first edition of Mongoose Traveller felt too detailed (and in some cases overwrote material from the past with no real reason except that the authors perhaps hadn't got access to it). So I didn't really buy that much. I used the rules, bought the odd book (for example, the Vargr one when I was writing a scenario in which they featured) but I didn't dive deeper. I felt that I had enough.

I did buy into Mongoose Traveller 2nd Edition when it came out, and was generally happy with it. I wrote a long and detailed comparison of the two editions at the time. Once again, I picked up the core books. But I didn't rush to get get anything else. And then, when the 2022 update came out and had changes, I wasn't impressed. I didn't rush to get anything beyond the core book update because it felt like I was just buying everything again(*). 

I didn't really take on board Matt Sprange's commitment to better quality and usability. So I had my own 'Short Night', a period of perhaps 3 years where Traveller wasn't a huge part of my life. I did pick up some Hostile material for Cepheus, but I wasn't playing or running. Which for me was a big change.

Cycle back to the end of last year, and the Bundle of Holding comes along with a Sectors offering (still available for another two days as I write this). So I pick it up and start skim reading the PDFs to discover that the style has changed. The sector books have spaces to explore (and some of them are very deliberately written to give the chance to explore and define your own setting). The artwork is great, and the layout is clear. There are lovely maps. There are triggers for ideas. This wasn't what I expected. 

The outcome is that I spent the money I was given for Christmas gifts and added some of my own, picking up quite a few of the sector books. These were for sectors of space that either intrigued me or that I've written for in the past. I also picked up two more of the core book updates (High Guard 2022 and the Central Supply Catalogue 2023) so I have the heart of the system ready for use.

I do think my experience at TravCon 2024 also influenced my decision to look again. I arrived later than planned, about 15 mins into Matt Sprange's keynote and I was a bit disquieted by what I heard. Not from Matt, as he was a diplomat and very measured and enthusiastic, but from some of the attendees. The audience are all long-term Traveller Grognards and I felt the questioning was at times aggressive in tone and inappropriate. Strange as the folks there are generally really lovely. Andy tried to manage it, but it was disappointing. Reflecting on that, and having a quick look at Graham's Spinwards Extents book made me more open to looking at what Mongoose are doing with fresh eyes.

So, I need to concede that I was wrong. I'd been running on assumptions about Mongoose's output based on their first edition work, which weren't valid anymore. I'm glad I took the time to look again. I'm sorry that it took me so long to do so. Kudos to Matt and Mongoose for the changes they've made.

I will be running the first Traveller campaign in quite some time this year, and I'm excited about the game once again. If you haven't looked at the new material, I do recommend both the Sectors Bundle and the Traveller 2024 update Bundle as an easy way to see if you like where the game is now and also as a great introduction. There's enough in both of these for years of play.

11 January 2025