Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site astrovax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!clyde!ihnp4!astrovax!elt From: elt@astrovax.UUCP (Ed Turner) Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Re: Flaws in Traveller Message-ID: <96@astrovax.UUCP> Date: Mon, 31-Oct-83 16:01:19 EST Article-I.D.: astrovax.96 Posted: Mon Oct 31 16:01:19 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 3-Nov-83 06:18:19 EST Organization: Princeton Univ. Astrophysics Lines: 65 In a reply to my note about some flaws in the Traveller standard universe, Steven Maurer stated that he agreed with me, listed 7 complaints of his own, and concluded that the whole Traveller system is no good, hardly worth playing in fact! While I agree with some of Steven's complaints, I definitely do not agree with his overall conclusion; in fact Traveller is my favorite FRP game. The majority of Steven's complaints and all four of my original ones can and should be fixed up by the GM (as Steven readily admits); indeed that was the point of my first article. However, two of his indictments are more general and probably deserve some rebuttal from Traveller loyalists. 1) Steven correctly notes that the Traveller standard universe does not satisfactorily incorporate *all* of the complex technologies which can be extrapolated for an interstellar society many thousands of years beyond ours. >>> Where are the Smart Bullets?, Matter Transference Beams?, Psionic >>> Robotics?, Mutagenic Alterators?, Brain Wipes?, Force Fields?, >>> Alien Technology?, Reliable Deep Freze?, Computer Guided (Amazingly >>> Accurate) Weapons Tracking?, Semi-Intelligent Computers?, Vibro (Lazer) >>> Swords?, Cyborgs?, Probability Manipulators?, Alternate Universes?, >>> etc?, etc, etc. Some of these are hinted at in Traveller, but are >>> never implemented at the current tech levels. This is a failing not only of Traveller but also of science fiction and futurology of all types generally. I would be quite interested if anyone could point out a good science fiction novel which adequately treats a large number of novel technologies such as those mentioned in the quote. Really this is just a failing of human ability to predict or imagine the future; in any absolute sense we are hopeless at it, and the best (even very creative) people can do is to concentrate on one or a few possibilities. Thus, I do not think it fair to blame Traveller for not having come up with a truly plausible and detailed future. Anyone bothered excessively by this probably isn't going to go for any SF FRP game (or fiction?). What Traveller does provide is a plausible and playable world based on a *minimal* technology for an interstellar society. Ideally, this leaves the GM enough time, energy, attention, etc. to explore a *few* other advanced technologies when desired. Alternate (parallel) Universes and Intelligent Computers have played a role in some games I have run. 2) Steven's most severe complaint is that the Traveller universe is to large for a GM to fill in the details with any reasonable amount of work. >>> I have a hard time keeping >>> track of my three continents in the FRP that I run. There is just >>> too much there, for me to fill out the world completely. I cannot >>> imaigine what it would be like if I was running a Traveller universe. >>> Whole worlds are reduced to a set of numbers and digits "A862HG", ... Here again there is a real problem which often crops up in SF literature as well as in Traveller. In fact, any GM must constantly trade off the size and scope of his world against the level of detail with which it is presented; there are advantages to both. Traveller probably tends to push the GM toward the size and scope extreme more than some other game systems, but I do not consider this terribly serious. In some ways it can even be an advantage by giving the GM a more challenging and enjoyable "real time" role while playing. In other words it encourages the GM to create at least the details of the game environment as play proceeds rather than in advance. I have found this less difficult than it sounds (and more fun) if I have the general outlines of the game world and the rules clearly in mind.