Message:Literally, dropped the original black boxed, first edition 1977, Traveller in my office dustbin on Monday. I looked at the books (fondly but critically) after our game Sunday, debating with myself if I wanted to get the ladder and put them back in the crawlspace with my wargames. My back said no.
I could sell them? Twenty bucks, not in very good shape. I misspelled "Telempathy" in my penned-in additions on tech tree. Embarrassing. No, better to clean slate. At that time in my timeline, less is better.
On Monday, Plop.
No second thought on Tuesday, even as I tossed a teabag in the same trash.
Weds I'm watching a show. It stunk. Many times I just tell wife to FFW or turn off. But she has been complaining of late I never give her picks a chance. Her friends (theater folks w/ little taste) recommended whatever the F'ing was on. So I instead picked-up a pen & paper and jotted the outline of a scenario. More I noted, the better it got. Hey, this would be fun to play.
Now what system...
Yes, you guessed it. Why not Traveller?!? I mean straight Traveller. Day one just have everyone make the characters. On day two, if not before, run the scenario. It seemed like I could pull this off. Satisfy the debt I owe to a game that gave me great joy and taught me valuable lessons in how-not to write a role-play game.
Maybe not that bad, Traveller twas. I'm sure we will all agree it will make a fine event. Not a campaign, good gawd no. Just a fine Sci-Fi story with elements of discovery, some intrigue and for once you won't have to worry someone in the party is an imposter. That I promise.
Yet making that promise could be the entire twist. Too cliche (now).
It all started on Altair Seven. We were given a small cargo, about the size of three large cases. Not wide enough to be humans in cold sleep. Not thin enough to be plasma rifles. Unless the guns were layered with rice-crete to shelter them from Xray detectors?
Load your three cargoes and make a map choice: Head first to Planet A, Planet B or Planet C. It's all about someone's first choice. Yes, Traveller will be a fine system. Even with the brawl with the Union Dockworkers taking a whole session in and of itself.
Cross fingers it goes quicker than that with some lucky Moser rolls.
Traveller is back on the table (for now) to start after current campaign of LotR D&D Elves.
Yours,
IronRed
31-Jul-2025