Key Things To Remember About The Official Or Traditional Setting

The official Traveller universe (OTU) doesn’t have to be used. You can create your own setting. Any
single OTU is a nebulous thing in any case, with as many variations as there gaming groups and
convention sessions!

But in general:

• Faster-than-light travel is possible but only via Jump drive, which always takes about a week
regardless of whether it’s one parsec or six. There is no faster communication, so it takes time to
get to places and it takes time to send messages.

• The Third Imperium is a 10,000+ world (human) empire a thousand years old (although there
are some sourcebooks covering other periods in the future history).

• Because of the limits to communication, the Imperium is run along feudal lines with an Emperor
who cannot control everything immediately, and thus employs nobles of various ranks ruling or
present in domains, sectors, and worlds.

• In general, the Imperium rules the space between the worlds and each world is (usually) allowed
its own form of government.

• There are various alien races surrounding and within the Imperium that can be used as player
characters as well as NPCs. Some are humanoid, some are not. Six are known as ‘major races’
because they invented Jump drive. There are numerous minor races.

• Technological levels vary from world to world, with 16 being top end and the Imperial average
being 10-12, which allows artificial gravity, fusion power, and robots.

• Mental powers called psionics exist in some but not all sophonts, although these powers are
generally shunned by the Imperium. Their neighbours the Zhodani, another human race,
embrace them however.

• Cybernetics and body modifications are not widespread or well developed, although it is
possible they might be included in an adventure.

Know The Rules

You don’t need to know everything, but have a grasp of the basics. Traveller is almost always based on
six-sided dice (Traveller: The New Era and Traveller20 are the exceptions); usually has ‘tasks’ of various
difficulty; and has characters with skills of various levels as well as physical, mental, and social
characteristics – often listed in a six digit string and called a UPP or Universal Personality Profile.

Combat is kept fairly straightforward and can be deadly. Think twice before getting involved in a
firefight. Usually there is a ‘to hit’ die roll, modified by weapon, armour, skill, range, environmental
factors, and so on. Damage is inflicted on characteristics until the character is unconscious or dead.

Worlds are generally described with a six digit string called a UWP or Universal World Profile, but these
have various extensions and are often accompanied by longer descriptive texts depending on the needs
of the adventure or campaign.
Different rule editions vary, so it’s worth being aware of the options detailed in the next tip. Note that
the traditional fantasy game idea of levels doesn’t apply here. You can, if you wish, start with a young
and inexperienced character, but you can also start with an older, more mature character who might
have quite a number of skills. Gender is irrelevant in terms of ability in Traveller.

Traveller is collaborative. Characters attempt to achieve some shared goal together rather than being
competitive. If that’s not the case for an adventure, you should give players fair warning that, perhaps
towards the end of a session say, there might be player-on-player conflict.
Traveller wasn’t quite the first science fiction role-playing game, that honour went to Metamorphosis
Alpha, but it can easily be regarded as the granddaddy of them all with several editions, a vast setting
and material published for it in every year since it first appeared in 1977. Still going strong after nearly
four decades, Marc Miller’s creation continues to let travellers experience “science fiction adventure in
the far future.

If you are a Traveller GM, or thinking of becoming one, here are 10 tips to help you get more enjoyment
from the game.

Look Forward To Great Adventures

One of Traveller’s strengths, and perhaps a reason for its longevity, is it allows all kinds of adventure:
exploration of the unknown, mercantile trading, military combat on the ground or in space, mysteries,
high noble intrigue and much more.
Traveller enables all sorts of characters. It’s possible to play lowly alien garbage collectors or the
Emperor of a vast interstellar polity.

And Traveller’s rules are also flexible. You might like intricate miniatures play, high level dynastic
politicking, or free form role-playing with little recourse to any actual dice rolling.

Because you risk choice overwhelm, start with some idea of what you’re interested in. Make a wishlist
of things you want to do in gameplay. Create a campaign concept to help narrow down ideal character
options. Think about what part of the setting you want to adventure in. And gather preferences from
your players so they can get their itches scratch in the game too.

Death In Character Generation

Let’s get this out of the way early. Even those who know nothing about Traveller have heard one thing:
you can die in character generation. Yes, it’s true. Or at least it was. Only the first rule sets insisted on
this. From the early 1980s onwards an optional rule converted death to injury.

More recent editions have done away with death in character generation altogether – although you
might still be injured. Character generation can be a mini-game in its own right, and is an essential part
of the role-play experience.

Don’t Panic!

Traveller can be used as set of rules for just about any kind of science fiction. But over the years an
official background has developed that some consider to be quintessentially Traveller. Decide if you
want to use this background. If you do, take a deep breath – it’s a vast setting – possibly the largest for
any role-playing game.

It’s Traveller Map big in size and Traveller Integrated Timeline rich in history. The latter currently runs
138 pages and isn’t even complete. And the former is about as close to a Total Perspective Vortex as has
ever been created. Both are labours of love anyone interested in Traveller should find useful.This is
quick star stuff

Merchant 4th Officer Freddy Smith 766984 Age 34

4 terms Cr50,000

Skills: Medical-2, Steward-1, Vacc Suit-2, Navigation-1, Brawling-1

Benefits: Auto Rifle, Low Passage

Service History:

Attempted to enlist in Merchants.

Enlistment accepted.

Commissioned during first term of service as 4th Officer.

Manditory reenlistment for second term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for third term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for fourth term.

Chose not to reenlist after fourth term.

Merchant 4th Officer Freddy Smith 766984 Age 34

4 terms Cr50,000

Skills: Medical-2, Steward-1, Vacc Suit-2, Navigation-1, Brawling-1

Benefits: Auto Rifle, Low Passage

Service History:

Attempted to enlist in Merchants.

Enlistment accepted.

Commissioned during first term of service as 4th Officer.

Manditory reenlistment for second term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for third term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for fourth term.

Chose not to reenlist after fourth term.

Merchant 4th Officer Freddy Smith 766984 Age 34

4 terms Cr50,000

Skills: Medical-2, Steward-1, Vacc Suit-2, Navigation-1, Brawling-1

Benefits: Auto Rifle, Low Passage

Service History:

Attempted to enlist in Merchants.

Enlistment accepted.

Commissioned during first term of service as 4th Officer.

Manditory reenlistment for second term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for third term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for fourth term.

Chose not to reenlist after fourth term.

Merchant 4th Officer Freddy Smith 766984 Age 34

4 terms Cr50,000

Skills: Medical-2, Steward-1, Vacc Suit-2, Navigation-1, Brawling-1

Benefits: Auto Rifle, Low Passage

Service History:

Attempted to enlist in Merchants.

Enlistment accepted.

Commissioned during first term of service as 4th Officer.

Manditory reenlistment for second term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for third term.

Voluntarily reenlisted for fourth term.

Chose not to reenlist after fourth term.