3 comments about GURPS Traveller: First In (Gurps Traveller).

1. It's nice to finally see the world of traveller back in print, this time in the world of GURPS. 1st In is the sourcebook for the Scouts, one of the more interesting settings for PCs. This book gives the readers a look behind the scenes of the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service as well as an extensive background on its organization and functions of each branch. Several sections of the book also deals with world creation and equipment. It's well written and really gives the reader a feel for being a Scout. The world creation section is rather extensive and like in the original scout book(traveller game) can be pretty daunting for the casual gamer. There is also a culture section for those who wish to flesh out each planet, complete with population, type of government, etc., each with explanations on what it means. All in all, much better than the original Traveller scout book and one of the better supplements for GURPS to be published.



2. I bought this book mainly for the world creation tools. Lots of cool stuff on star and world creation, though it's spread out a bit. Would be nice if there were some pages in the back with all the tables you use for rolling up stuff in one place. The main information on the scout corp. is great! Already gave me a couple of scenario ideas. My only beef with the book is the lack of forms. I'm trying to put together a relational database of Traveller based space/planetary info and it's slow going, having to go through every page to find the type of info that needs to be stored. Working from a paper form with all the fields already defined is much easier. Oh well, I find futzing around with stuff like this more fun than actually playing the game. Go figure.



3. Though I am not a user of the GURPS system, First In is a valuable supplemental resource for the Original Traveller Universe. I use my copy in conjunction with Traveller: Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far Future (Book 1 Characters and Combat), Traveller: Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far Future (Book 3 Worlds and Adventures) and Traveller Book 6: Scouts. It is highly useful for providing the additional level of detail which has become a hallmark of the GURPS Traveller: Science Fiction Adventure in the Far Future (GURPS Traveller) series. Well worth the original $20.95 cover price, and perhaps even a bit more, as this book has now been out of print for many years.

No comments about Traveller Deck Plan 3 Empress Marava.

No comments about Traveller Deck Plan 2 Modular Cutter.

No comments about Traveller 1248 Sourcebook 2 Bearers of the Flame.

1 comments about Traveller 1248 Sourcebook 1 Out of the Darkness.

1. It's been over 10 years since GDW folded, taking its controversial last edition of Traveller out-of-print. Traveller: The New Era took the Rebellion/Imperial Civil War of Megatraveller to Armageddon, and beyond. The New Era was a time of rebuilding interstellar civilization.
   
   The setting was unpopular with many long-time Traveller players, who enjoyed the unchanging Imperium as a backdrop for their campaigns. So it was no surprise that when Traveller saw print post-GDW, the New Era was forgotten. Indeed, two editions were printed in parallel, both avoiding the cataclysmic events of the New Era. Marc Miller's Traveller (4th edition, or "T4") went back in time to the very beginning of the Third Imperium. T4 failed to catch on. The other edition, quite popular and still in print today is GURPS Traveller. This setting literally said "The Rebellion Never Happened," and proceeded with a somewhat tranquil Imperium.
   
   Enough backstory. Fast forward 10 years, and the New Era is now revisited in this new sourcebook. Written by Martin J. Dougherty, with approval by Marc Miller, so Out of the Darkness can be considered "canon." The setting is nearly 50 years after the time period of TNE, and the book fills in the timeline behind it. Out of the Darkness is rules-independent, and can be mated with any Traveller rules set you prefer.
   
   The sourcebook can be examined in three parts:
   
   1. Answering the questions of the Rebellion and the Collapse. This is probably the strongest part of Out of the Darkness. Reading through this section, I couldn't put the book down. What happened to Duke Craig? Margaret? Strephon? The Solomani? You'll find out here. It is a story of last-ditch defenses, and civilization collapsing as multiple waves of Virus wash over them. The Empress Wave, what's behind the Black Curtain, all is told here, and it doesn't disappoint.
   
   2. Events between the time set in GDW's New Era and the current day set in this sourcebook are depicted. I read through this section with vague discomfort, not sure what exactly it was bothering me.
   
   Yes, the Reformation Coalition and the Regency -- both staple settings of GDW's New Era -- get maligned. But the circumstances are plausible enough. Indeed, the Star Vikings' destiny makes more sense here than in GDW's New Era. There GDW wrote them as both idealistic do-gooders, yet reviled by history, a contradiction that never made sense to me. Out of the Darkness deftly explains this difference.
   
   Other political entities -- barely mentioned or unknown in GDW's TNE -- get a full write-up here. As all surviving organizations expand into the Wilds, their contact is long on squabbling, short on cooperation. I suppose it makes sense, but you'd think they'd be exhausted from 100 years of killing and death. Some brave peace agreements are made, but they are fragile.
   
   I think what became mildly annoying were the repeated RISK-style military invasions by all involved. Rather than sensible invade-then-consolidate military campaigns, many were 'push to the very end' drives to the capital worlds, often ending in the complete destruction of one or both sides. To be sure, this occasionally happens in wartime, and would be within the psychology of some of the political players, but it's a standard military strategy for all in Out of the Darkness. Insane pushes and cataclysmic battles make for great drama, but get a little tedious in repetition.
   
   Ironically, little has changed in 50 years. Instead of two entities in isolation -- the Reformation Coalition and the Regency -- in 1248 you have several governments with about roughly the same spread and strength in irregular contact. Most star systems in between are Wilds. The 4th Imperium, introduced here, has renounced expansion and is a minor player, leaving little indication of a bright future for reunification.
   
   Where the original TNE had the Regency as a setting for running "normal" Traveller campaigns, Out of the Darkness seems to lack a traditional background campaign area. I suppose the argument could be made that traditional players have ample in-print support through GURPS, but the exclusion here seems unnecessary.
   
   3. The last part of the sourcebook explains and defines the current setting for play. If you are already familiar with Traveller: TNE, then much is repeated from past publications. Still, it's good to have the information in one place.
   
   Overall, I'm satisfied with Out of the Darkness. The book is clearly self-published in appearance, but binding quality seems OK. I spotted typos every couple of pages, the kind that a spelling checker would miss: "To" instead of "too," etc. I also spotted a formatting error, a column heading that needed to be in a larger font and bolded. The manuscript needed another look with human eyes.
   
   Illustrations ranged from mediocre to good. I would have like to have seen more maps, given the amount of history and military campaigns covered here.
   
   Minor gripes aside, I am pleased with this addition to the New Era. Dougherty is a good writer who knows how to make history vibrant and interesting to read. As well, it is clear that a lot of thought went into the new setting. Well done.
   
   
   Wayne Gralian
   Wayne's World of Books

1 comments about GURPS Traveller: Alien Races 1 : Zhodani, Vargr and Other Races of the Spinward Marches (GURPS Traveller).

1. David Pulver is a marvellous and prolific author, a true credit to the game industry. It therefore comes as no surprise that Alien Races 1 lives up to his usual high standards of excellence. The Zhodani and Vargr are put under the microscope in this tome, examined carefully with a wealth of detail that goes far beyond the original Alien Modules. Homo Zhdotlas is scrutinized in all its psionic glory... the perfect society, carefully regulated by the helping hand of the Thought Police is examined in careful, and one could say objective detail. Utopian or sinister? Its written so well you'll be hard put to decide. The enigmatic, chaotic Vargr are also treated well. Here Pulver carefully explains the personal charisma and pack mentality of the 'Wolves of Space', giving a thorough and very believable overview of why the Vargr "rule" the sprawling, disorganized extents with a patchwork of independent governments, constantly rising and falling. Three other minor races are presented, including the Sheol and Clotho ... and a bonus section on psionics, firming up the Psi rules in GURPS Traveller, rounds off this book.

   What can I say? This is an excellent addition to the GURPS Traveller legacy, and an essential aid to any GM running a game in the Spinward Marches. 5 stars, no question.

No comments about GURPS Traveller: Deck Plan 6 System Defense Boat.

5 comments about Gurps Traveller Interstellar Wars (Gurps Traveller Sci-fi Roleplaying).

1. When I first started to play Traveller 25 years ago, I was really intrigued by its back story, especially the story of the Terran Confederation and its epic struggle against the Vilani Imperium, and I wanted to know more, that was the story I wanted to role-play. Now here it is, and it's really worth the wait.
   GURPS have done an excellant job in creating the world of the Interstellar Wars. This is a book that leads to real role-playing, as the characters struggle to survive and flourish in the background of this epic struggle, and we are following real people, not simply stereotypes. This is especially true for the Vilani. In this book, we see Vilani as real people, with a culture and society that is worth defending against the Terrans, not just simply an evil space empire.
   And the writers have done a wonderful job in creating the world of the Terran Confederation, of a humanity that struggles to live and learn together in the face of the Vilani threat. The nations and peoples of Terra don't always agree with each other, yet we survive. It's not a perfect world, or Golden Age, but the Terran Confederation is also certainly worth fighting for. And what I really apprecaited is that the Confederation is not the United States writ large, but truly a reflection of the diverse nature of humanity and the struggle of the great powers of the 22nd century.
   The mechanics of the game are well done, to create the characters for the various campaigns that are suggested, especially for the worlds of Free Traders. I especially appreciated the starship design protocols.
   So get this book, and take part in history in the making, become a Free Trader and follow in the wake of the good ship "Cutty Sark"!



2. I eagerly awaited this book's release since getting back into GURPS via 4th Edition (too many out-of-print books in 3rd Edition, plus the system did need a couple of fixes). I found that the future history was well-detailed, worthy of most history books. The rest, however, were lacking in some areas:
   
   - Despite the importance of gas giants for refueling, the world-generation rules don't include a check for a gas giant in the system.
   
   - No weapons. The rules default to the ones in the Basic Set, which may work for modern-day weapons but canonical future weapons in Traveller are VERY different.
   
   - The book says it's geared for gamers new to Traveller, but does not mention explicitly that what makes Traveller special is that there's no faster-than-light transmitted signals. It's implied by references to couriers, but most modern-day sci-fi takes hyperlight communications for granted.
   
   - Not much in the way of ground vehicles. Then again the really crunchy tech-books for GURPS in general are still months (or years) off.
   
   I'm still mostly happy with the purchase, but will probably have to wait for future supplements to effectively use it.



3. Overall this is a fine tool. I didn't buy it for the campaign setting material but rather for the other non-campaign specific stuff. Now unfortunately that's only about 1/3 to 1/2 of the book but I knew that going in.
   
   I do have to say though that I think the ease-of-use of GURPS books has gone down as the 'BLING' has gone up. Full color, glossy pages and the like are all nice but leaving out important tables and things like that (or the rules-free GURPS Space book which is all bling and no rules) is a bad direcetion to go.



4. I know it is probably tably taboo to say slighting words against GURPS or traveller in general, but this game is neither GURPS or Traveller. It is just another money maker for the SJ company written by a freelance author who is now the lead writer in the GURPS line of books. First of all, the book has not the expect flexibility of a GURPS game . Neither does it have the simple yet reliable character, spaceship, planetary creation systems that are dealt with in cogent form in the first three books of the original. Worst of all, this version of traveller is not playable without buying four extra, very expensive books (the complete basic set, GURPS Spece, GURPS high-tech, Ultra-tech and the GURPS Traveller book. In addition, forget about using weapons unless they are knives, Poles or sticks as found in the basic set. This book has no weapons stats whatsoever. Steve Jackson games (and WotC) should know better than to produce volumes and volumes of supplement books that could have fit in a single volume. I would recommend that the serious, thinking gamer not buy this at all. Unless you are as rich as an heiress and had have unlimited storage space, this Steve Jackson game is a poor example of the GURPS system and does not deserve to be considered a valid edition of this most popular science fiction game of this kind.



5. 12-15-2007
   
   I've been away from RPGs for a looong time. I played Traveller ('77 era) from about '79 - '82. Recently, I found a group of folks playing the new Star Wars Saga edition. It's not bad, but the lack/imbalance of certain technologies gets a little annoying. But the game got my juices flowing, and I've got a campaign arc in mind. What other Sci-fi RPG can I run?
   
   I happened upon GURPS Ultra-Tech 4th edition. I was very impressed with the clarity and conciseness of the writing. It provides very good guidelines for choosing a sci-fi background, and which of many technologies--and technology "paths"--to incorporate. Then I spot GURPS Traveller Interstellar Wars. Forty bucks for 240 pages? Seemed a little steep. I flipped through. Not bad at all. Since no other reviewer appears to have provided one, here's the TOC:
   
   1. A Dangerous Galaxy...10 page intro to the current time period, Terran Confederation and Vilani Imperium.
   
   2. The Epic Struggle...30 pages of in-depth timeline to the Terran-Vilani conflict, plus ten "biographies" of important people in the setting.
   
   3. Terra...20 pages of: The Home Front, Terran Confederation, Navy, Ground Forces, Merchant Marine, etc.
   
   4. The Imperium...24 pages of same for Vilani.
   
   5. The Known Universe...37 pages of: one sector and 9 subsector maps and star system/planet descriptions, describing and generating your own planets, populations, starports, tech level, trade routes, etc.
   
   6. Characters...24 pages of Point Totals, Advantages/Disadvantages, Skills, Ranks, Wealth, Racial & Occupational Templates, and Jobs. (YES, you also need GURPS 4th Ed Basic set.)
   
   7. Technology...10 pages of Armour & etc, Communications, Computers & etc, Med Gear, Sensors & etc, Survival Gear, and Weapons. NOTE: As another reviewer noted, this book refers to Basic Set pp. 267-281 for Tech Level 9-11 weapons. You need to remember though, that this Traveller time period is waaay earlier than the time periods of the older Traveller games, so slug, gauss and the rare laser weapons make sense here.
   
   8. Starships...almost 20 pages of Component Systems (Drive, Bridge, Sensor, etc) Operations, Trade, Exploration.
   
   9. Starship Design...30 pages of: 15 Steps of Ship Design, Common Ships, including 25 separate ships and 4 deck plans (nicely done.)
   
   10. Starship Combat...10 pages of Sequences and Phases, Charts and Tables. Haven't tried this, so no comments, except that you can download a FREE pdf of starship counters from Jackson Game's e23 website.
   
   11. Campaigns...10 pages of The Default Campaign, Alternative Campaigns, Campaign and Adventure Seeds.
   
   Index...approx. 525 entries.
   
   So, to run my GURPS Traveller campaign, I need the two Basic Set books, and this one (Ultra-Tech NOT required, but nice to have.) At Amazon's normal discount, the three books come to seventy-five bucks. Since this book is not available New from Amazon right now, you may have to pay a ten buck premium for it. Sounds a little stiff, but I reckon I'd need 6-10 of those dinky Traveller 1st edition books to cover what I get here -- and those books were five to six bucks each -- in 1980! I bet that's at least ten bucks each in today's funny money.
   
   So, "try it, you might like it..." And frankly, if nothing compares to 1st edition Traveller for you, then by all means, play 1st edition.
   
   Game On,
   AWAbooks

1 comments about GURPS Traveller Behind the Claw: The Spinward Marches Sourcebook (GURPS Traveller).

1. This module covers the spinward marches sector in detail. This is the region of traveller universe where most adventures were designed for along the almost 30y of the game existance. The sector has been covered twice before. First in a classic traveller module in the usual UWP (universal world profile) database without much detail. Second as an appendix of megatraveller Library data, also in a UWP database. Now SJ games covers them in detail giving a small text for each planet yet allowing many misteries for each game master to develop his own adventures. Also detailed are the major politics between the states and the corporations of the region. The versions differ from each other in world profle and even frontiers, but that is easy to be solved by the Game master. It's an excellent book lacking only a colored map in the old traveller style. This can be done by buying Megatraveller boxed set, which unfortunately is rather rare to find. Hopefully someone at SJ games will read this review and solve this...

2 comments about GURPS Traveller: Starships.

1. I have mixed feelings about this book after reading it.

   At the bare minimum, I wanted Starships to expand on the various tech levels represented in the universe and I am pleased to report that the detail desired in the vehicle design was delivered. Still the rules aren't too bogged down, so designing new ships isn't going to overwhelm, like say designing a scratch vehicle from GURPS Vehicles.

   And as expected with each GURPS Traveller installment, there are a couple more ships outlined and detailed, though the emphasis in Starships seemes to be Martial. But pleasantly detailed are some of the smaller vessels, the Boat, Pinnace, and Shuttles, which would be encountered quite often. The evolution of the top designs is laid out with enough flavor text to please the avid Traveller fan.

   I have only two disappointments with Starships;

   First, some of the assumptions with the Combat rules seem a bit silly, expecially when it comes to guided missiles. This may indeed be an attempt to "balance" combat and make encounters more survivable, but I found most of the new assumptions to be severely limiting and "unrealistic?" Either way the beauty of options are that they are just that; Options!

   Lastly, the author did a terrific job giving the impression that life on a Starship is filled with boredom and tedium. So much routine and ordinary that rolling skill checks are largely unnecessary. This is to be contrasted with GURPS Starports, where a fairly routine and mundane subject was brought to vibrant and unexpected life. Starports suddenly became interesting! Unfortunately, the authors chose to take a romantic subject (starships) and emphasis a boring existence. In short, I expected something more rewarding and was disappointed with the results.

   Now don't get me wrong, you WILL know everything you need to live on a Starship, and the rolls of everyone on board. Just to get too excited with the prospects.

   Still, this is a four star product and if you want the different tech levels for vehicle construction, get this book. In addition there are a LOT more components added to starship design which can add a great deal of flavor to your campaign.




2. This book is helpful in that it not only gives stats for various ships, but also expanded rules for starship design and combat. What I find most interesting, however, are the parts where day to day operation of starships is described.