List of Traveller books explained

Traveller is an Origins Award winning science fiction role-playing game published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1977. It is a time when interstellar travel has become possible and Humaniti has met other starfaring races. Traveller: 2300 portrayed humans as technologically advanced, but having a level of civilization not very far above the present day. Later publishers introduced additional material along the Official Traveller Universe timeline. In 2008, Mongoose Publishing reintroduced GDW's popular look and indexing feature separating publications into familiar Books, Supplements, and Adventures. Far Future Enterprises (FFE), has republished GDW's Traveller publications.

Classic Traveller

There were four editions of the Classic Traveller rules sets:

Books

Basic Traveller comprised three black digest-sized books (1,2,3) that were not sold separately. The subsequent books presented additional rules on specific subjects, expanding on Traveller's basic concepts. They run 48 to 56 pages and require the basic rules sets. In addition to the core books, six more were published.[1] FFE published all nine as a single volume in 2000. With the digest-sized format and color of the books, they became known as little black books.[1]

Supplements

Supplements provide different types of data, including starships, starsystems, characters, and animals in pre-generated form. Thirteen were published, but Supplement 5 Lightning Class Cruisers was only available as part of the Azhanti High Lightning board game. These were in little black book format.[1] FFE published all thirteen as a single volume in 2000.[3]

Special Supplements

Short presentations on specific topics, originally appearing in the Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society (JTAS). Four were produced.

Additionally, articles were compiled from the Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society in Best of the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society, Volume 1 (1981), Best of the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society, Volume 2 (1982), Best of the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society, Volume 3 (1983), and Best of the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society, Volume 4 (1984).

Adventures

Adventures provided interesting and challenging situations through which more information about the setting would unfold. Fourteen were produced. These were in little black book format.[1] FFE published all foureen as a single volume in 2000.[3]

Double Adventures

These combined two short adventures in a single 48-page book. Eight titles were produced, two in 2001, with one of those only a single adventure. Their tête-bêche format was popularised by the Ace Double sci-fi novels of the 1950s. These were in little black book format.[1] FFE published all eight, plus Special Supplements 1-3, as a single volume in 2001.[3]

Alien Modules

Each introduced a new alien race to players and referees, complete with character generation, history and background, language material, and an adventure. Eight were produced.[4] FFE published all eight in two volumes volume in 2001.[3]

Modules

Modules provided larger adventures and additional materials. Five were produced.[4]

Boardgames

GDW was a boardgame publisher long before it published Traveller, and as a result it published eight Traveller boardgames.[4] FFE published all eight as a single volume in 2000.[3]

Specials

GDW produced a variety of support materials of Traveller.[4]

Fanzines

Traveller: 2300 (2nd edition renamed to 2300 AD)

Sourcebooks

Adventures

(E)-Earth (cyberpunk subgenre)
(K)-Kafer War

MegaTraveller

Digest Group Publications

Traveller: The New Era

T4: Marc Miller's Traveller

GURPS Traveller

Traveller20

Downloadable products

Traveller Hero

Mongoose Traveller

Books

Little Black Books (LBB)

Supplements

Adventures

Third Imperium

Traveller 2300

Traveller5

Books by third party publishers

Ad Astra Products

Baron Publications

FASA

Adventures

Supplements

Gamelords

Adventures

Supplements

Games Workshop

Grenadier

Group One

Adventures

Supplements

Judges Guild

Adventures

Supplements

Marischal Adventures

Paranoia Press

R. Warfield Game Design

Sage Lore Productions

Seeker Gaming Systems

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Appelcline . Shannon . Designers & Dragons. '70-'79 : A history of the roleplaying game industry . 2014 . Evil Hat Productions . Silver Springs, MD, USA . 978-1-61317-075-5. 2nd.
  2. Web site: Traveller . Wayne's Books RPG Reference . Waynes Books . 13 December 2020.
  3. Web site: Guide to Hardcopy Classic Traveller Reprints . www.farfuture.net . Far Future Enterprises . 8 February 2022.
  4. Book: Miller . Marc . Guide to Classic Traveller . 2010 . Far Futures . USA . 1.
  5. Web site: ONeill . John . How Much Adventure Can Fit on One Planet? Find Out in Tarsus: World Beyond the Frontier – Black Gate . www.blackgate.com . 30 June 2022.
  6. Web site: Traveller: The Classic Games, Games 1-6+ . BoardGameGeek . BoardGameGeek LLC . 9 January 2021.
  7. Book: Miller . Marc W. . [MegaTraveller]. Fighting ships of the shattered imperium . 1990 . GDW . Bloomington, IL . 1-55878-050-5.
  8. Web site: The SF Site Featured Review: Marc Miller's Traveller: Gateway to the Stars. www.sfsite.com.
  9. Book: Schick . Lawrence . Heroic worlds : a history and guide to role-playing games . 1991 . Prometheus Books . Buffalo . 0-87975-652-7.