9 An Alternate Traveller Universe: The universe of Traveller is one of the most fully realized game settings ever created. Adventures take place against the back- ground of a vast, star-spanning empire, with a history dating back over a thousand years. Locales can range from a crowded spaceport to a lonely frontier outpost. Characters can be merchant princes, diplomats, soldiers, politicians, criminals . or all of them at once. Political intrigues, trading schemes, mind-wrenching alien enigmas, mercenary raids, wars . almost anything is possible. First published by GDW Game Designers’ Workshop in the summer of 1977, Traveller was one of the first science fiction roleplay- ing games (indeed, it was one of the first RPGs of any sort). Traveller rapidly became the standard against which other SF roleplaying games were judged, and influenced many other designs in many other genres. The game went through several editions over the years, and quite a few changes were incorporated along the way. One of these was the Rebellion, something GDW did to bring conflict and excitement to campaigns that had become dull and mundane. In the 1116th year of the Imperium, Emperor Strephon was assassinated by a rival, and the Third Imperium split into several fac- tions. This change brought excitement to many campaigns, but other players and referees felt that the universe was exciting enough without an empire-wide civil war. It is for these people that an alternate history has been created, where Strephon, the 43rd Emperor of the Third Imperium, lives and the Rebellion never happened. This is not to say, however, that all is well with the universe. A story without conflict is about as interesting as a telephone directory. So, expect things to happen in this universe . changes will occur. The undercurrents and discontents that led to the Rebellion are still unresolved. The vast scope of the Traveller background becomes available to GURPS players and GMs, without the destruction and dislocation caused by the Rebellion. There is, however, a second reason for GURPS Traveller. Many of the original books that detailed the history and background of the Third Imperium are long out of print. Now new players and referees can have access to the same information as twenty-year-long grognard/collectors, and their enjoyment of Traveller can only benefit. - 1 - 9 Understanding The Lorenverse When Classic Traveller transitioned to its new edition -- MegaTraveller -- the timeline of the Traveller universe The GURPS Traveller Titles: Disk 1 Disk 2 also advanced: to the Great Break and its aftermath. The GURPS 3rd Edition Great Break was the beginning of the Rebellion that would GURPS 3e Lite 9 9 ultimately sunder and destroy the Third Imperium. Its many GURPS 4th Edition events: the assassination of Emperor Strephon, the division of the empire into competing factions, the rippling conse- quences expanding out into Charted Space and beyond. Some players did not want their comfortable pre-Rebel- Traveller GURPS Core Rules 9 9 lion universe disrupted; they wanted a continuation of the Alien Races 1 9 previous story lines in a non-chaotic setting. 9 In response, Traveller designer Marc Miller and Steve Alien Races 2 9 Jackson at Steve Jackson Games reached a remarkable Alien Races 3 accommodation: that a new version of Traveller would be Alien Races 4 9 created using the GURPS Generic Universal Role Play- Behind The Claw 9 ing System and the existing Traveller universe back- Far Trader 9 ground, but with an exciting twist: the assassination of First In 9 Strephon and all of its ensuing events did not happen; the Flare Star 9 universe and the timeline in GURPS Traveller continues Ground Forces 9 the previous logical progression. Heroes 1 – Bounty Hunters 9 Steve Jackson Games brought on board Loren Wise- Humaniti 9 man, former editor of the Journal of the Traveller Aid Modular Cutter 9 Society and developer of many Traveller titles when 9 he worked at Game Designers’ Workshop. Under his Nobles 9 guidance, this alternate universe for Traveller ultimately Planetary Survey 1 – Kamsii acquired his name: it became the LorenVerse. The terms Planetary Survey 2 – Denuli 9 became synonymous: GURPS Traveller and the Loren- Planetary Survey 3 – Granicus 9 Verse. Planetary Survey 4 – Glisten 9 Planetary Survey 5 – Tobibak 9 Planetary Survey 6 – Darkmoon 9 Psionics Institutes 9 Rim of Fire 9 Star Mercs 9 9 An Award Winning Game System Starports Starships 9 Sword Worlds 9 The Best of JTAS 1 9 9 Interstellar Wars 9 Interstellar Wars Combat Counters 9 GM’s Screen 9 9 Deck Plan 1 – Beowulf-Class Far Trader 9 The fan and professional game communities have Deck Plan 2 – Modular Cutter 9 recognized the Traveller game system and its de- Deck Plan 3 – Empress Marava Far Trader 9 signers for continued excellence Deck Plan 4 – Assault Cutter 9 (and we include Steve Jackson in our list for his Deck Plan 5 – Sulieman-Class Scout 9 9 creation of the GURPS system). Deck Plan 6 – Dragon-Class SDB - 2 - 9 How GURPS Makes Traveller Different In-house GURPS designers/editors Loren Wiseman How GURPS Traveller Came About and Jon Zeigler have been very successful in keeping the GURPS Traveller (1998-2015) was “created on a hand- information, equipment, characters, style, and atmosphere shake with Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games.” This of GT as close as possible to the original Classic Traveller quote from Marc Miller, the original author of Traveller, and universe. However there are several advantages to playing the owner of the Far Future Enterprises which still publish- GT as opposed to the original Classic Traveller. es the Classic Traveller game system. The game uses the 9 Better Characters. The GURPS point-based system Third Edition GURPS system and takes place in an alter- ensures that all characters in a group will be roughly equal nate timeline in which no Rebellion occurred and the Virus in terms of abilities and skills, and that a player won’t spend was never released. Steve Jackson Games has produced several hours of character creation only to end up with over 30 high-quality supplements for the line, including a useless (or dead) character [yes, in the original game details for all of the major races, many of the minor races, it was possible for your character to die during creation, interstellar trade, expanded world generation, the military through risks taken during his previous career, although in forces of the Third Imperium, and starships. The game is practice most referees would convert these consequences often referred to as “GT”. Loren Wiseman who worked with to a grievous injury and discharge from the service]. While Game Designers’ Workshop in the design and development the dice can sometimes be kind, granting your character a of Traveller is still the GURPS Traveller line manager and long list of usefull skills, at other times a few bad rolls could editor of the online magazine Journal of the Travellers grant you a partially crippled character barely qualified to Aid Society. work the night shift at a mini-mart. Hardly the stuff of valiant adventures. Third Edition and Fourth Edition GURPS 9 Newer Science Fiction. Because Traveller was While GURPS was updated to a streamlined version conceived in the 70’s it strongly resembles science-fiction with the August 2004 release of its Fourth Edition, GURPS from the late 60’s. People who want to play Traveller and Traveller players had to remain content with GURPS Third still keep their game universe more in line with what we Edition. This changed when Steve Jackson Games re- currently picture the future to be like can quite simply add leased (2006) GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars. This equipment to their game world from other GURPS source- newest book not only allows GT players to upgrade to the books. latest Fourth Edition GURPS ruleset, but it also changes 9 More Detail. The GURPS game system is more de- the default setting. tailed than the original Traveller game system. In GURPS Third Edition GT is set in the Third Imperium around you can have a character with above average hearing, or the year 1120 (since the founding of the Imperium). GT: motion sickness. Your character can be color-blind, or be Interstellar Wars will be set almost 2500 years prior to the more tolerant of variable gravity than the average person. founding of the Third Imperium, around the year 2170 A.D. The original Traveller game system just didn’t go into that Men from Earth finally invent a Faster-than-light drive for level of detail. their space ships. They soon make first contact with extra- 9 More Books. Until 1998 the original Traveller books terrestrial aliens (the Vilani), and those aliens are human. had been out of print for over a decade. Also the small size The Interstellar Wars presents a more fluid and dynamic and amount of the books meant there wasn’t as much infor- campaign setting than the static background of the Third mation on the universe as many people would have liked. Imperium. Steve Jackson Games has already printed more Traveller material than Game Designers’ Workshop ever did. More pictures, starship deckplans, and details of the game uni- verse means less work for the referee who otherwise has to make up every single detail himself. Many people who play other versions of Traveller often buy the GURPS Traveller books just for the extra information. 9 Experience. And finally, your character can improve in GURPS Traveller. The original system had no mecha- nism for experience points or gaining levels. So without house rules you were stuck with the character you made without the possibility for improvement.