Editing Traveller (role-playing game)

{{Short description|Tabletop science fiction role-playing game}}
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{{Original research|date=July 2018}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2018}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox RPG
|title=Traveller
|subtitle=Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far Future
|image=
|caption=Cover of the original ''Traveller'' boxed set
|designer={{Unbulleted list
|[[Marc Miller (game designer)|Marc Miller]]
|[[Frank Chadwick]]
|[[John Harshman]]
|[[Loren Wiseman]]}}
|publisher={{Unbulleted list
|[[Game Designers' Workshop]] (1977–1996)
|[[Imperium Games]] (1996–1998)
|[[Steve Jackson Games]] (1998–2015)
|QuikLink Interactive (2002–2009)
|ComStar Games (2006–2008)
|[[Mongoose Publishing]] (2008–present)
|Far Future Enterprises (2013–present)
}}
|date={{Unbulleted list
|1977 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Traveller|''original'']])
|1987 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#MegaTraveller|''MegaTraveller'']])
|1993 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Traveller: The New Era|''Traveller: The New Era'']])
|1996 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Marc Miller's Traveller|''Marc Miller's Traveller'']])
|1998 (''[[GURPS Traveller]]'')
|2002 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Traveller20|''Traveller20'']])
|2006 (''[[GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars]]'')
|2006 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Traveller Hero|''Traveller Hero'']])
|2008 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Mongoose Traveller|''Traveller'']] known as ''Mongoose Traveller'')
|2013 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Traveller5|''Traveller5'']])
|2016 ([[Traveller (role-playing game)#Mongoose Traveller 2nd Ed.|''Traveller'']] known as ''Mongoose Traveller'' 2nd edition)
}}
|years=1977–present
|genre={{hlist|Science fiction|[[Space opera]]}}
|system={{hlist|Custom|[[GURPS]]|[[Hero System]]|[[d20 System]]s}}
|web={{Unbulleted list|{{URL|https://www.farfuture.net/}}|{{URL|https://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/}}}}
}}

'''''Traveller''''' is a science fiction [[role-playing game]] first published in 1977 by [[Game Designers' Workshop]]. [[Marc Miller (game designer)|Marc Miller]] designed ''Traveller'' with help from [[Frank Chadwick]], [[John Harshman]], and [[Loren Wiseman]].<ref name="appelcine2011">{{Cite book |last=Appelcline |first=Shannon |title=Designers & Dragons |publisher=Mongoose Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-907702-58-7}}</ref> Editions were published for ''[[GURPS]]'', [[D20 system|d20]], and other role-playing game systems. From its origin and in the currently published systems, the game relied upon six-sided dice for random elements. ''Traveller'' has been featured in a few novels and at least two video games.

''Traveller'' is a tabletop game where characters journey through star systems, engaging in exploration, ground and space battles, and interstellar trading. The game is influenced by various literary works and emphasizes commerce, sociological stratification, and a mix of low and high technology. The setting is centered around the human-dominated Third Imperium, a feudalistic interstellar empire. Despite the focus on humans, the ''Traveller'' universe is cosmopolitan and features various other sophont peoples. The game's history also features the Ancients, a highly advanced race that left behind ruins and artifacts scattered throughout the universe.

''Traveller'' has been published in various editions since 1977. The original version, known as ''Classic Traveller'', was published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW). Throughout the years, the game has evolved, with notable editions including ''MegaTraveller'', ''Traveller: The New Era'', ''Marc Miller's Traveller'', ''GURPS Traveller'', ''Traveller20'', ''Traveller Hero'', ''Mongoose Traveller'', and ''Traveller5''. The current rulesets are ''Traveller5'' and ''Mongoose Traveller 2nd Ed.'', both of which draw from the original ''Traveller'' rules and rely on six-sided dice. Each edition presents different settings, timelines, and mechanics, showcasing the game's adaptability and enduring popularity.

''Traveller'' is highly regarded for its production value, sophisticated character generation system, and consistent rules. It has received positive reviews across various editions, with some critics calling it the best science-fiction RPG. ''Traveller'' has won multiple Origins Awards and was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 1996. While the game has faced some criticism, such as slow character growth and anachronistic weapons, it remains a classic in the role-playing hobby. Some video games and software have been based on the ''Traveller'' universe, including ''The Imperial Data Recovery System'', ''MegaTraveller 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy'', and ''MegaTraveller 2: Quest for the Ancients''.

== Design ==

Traveller is a tabletop role-playing game. Characters journey between star systems, engaging in exploration, ground and space battles, and interstellar trading. One player, the game master or referee, oversees task attempts and guides events as the players explore the setting.

Characters are defined not by the need to increase native skill and ability but by achievements, discoveries, wealth, and so on.

===Influences and inspiration===
Marc Miller lists a number of books that influenced ''Traveller'' and provided its key features:<ref name="appelcline2016">{{Cite book |last=Appelcline |first=Shannon |title=The Science Fiction in Traveller |date=2016 |publisher=Far Future Enterprises |isbn=978-1-55878-049-1 |location=USA }}</ref>{{rp|}}

* ''[[Dorsai]]'', [[Gordon R. Dickson]], 1960
* ''[[Dumarest of Terra]]'' saga, [[Edwin Charles Tubb]], 1967-2008
* ''Envoy to New Worlds'', [[Keith Laumer]], 1963
* ''[[Hammer's Slammers]]'', [[David Drake]], 1979
* ''Retief's Peace'', [[Keith Laumer]], [[William H. Keith]], 2005
* ''[[Space Viking]]'', [[H. Beam Piper]], 1963
* ''The Cosmic Computer'', [[H. Beam Piper]], 1963

===Key features===
Some of these key features include:

* ''Commerce:'' Commerce is the major driving force of civilization.
* ''Human-centric but cosmopolitan:'' The core rules focus on human characters, but there is support for using and playing aliens.
* ''Limited communication:'' There is no [[Faster-than-light communication]] – meaning no [[ansible]], [[Subspace (Star Trek)|subspace radio]], or similar. Communication is limited to the speed of travel. Decisions are made on the local level rather than by a remote authority.
* ''Morals and mortality:'' People remain people and continue to show courage, wisdom, honesty and justice, along with cowardice, deceit, and criminal behavior.
* ''Sociological:'' Interstellar society is socially stratified (high, mid, and low passage; SOC (Social Status) is a primary character attribute). Affairs are often managed by independent nobility, who make use of classic titles such as Baron, Duke and Archduke.

=== Characters ===
''Traveller'' uses a lifepath-style system for [[Character creation|character generation]]. Characters get skills and experience in a mini-game where the player makes career choices determining the character's life up to the point before adventuring begins.

A character can be human, robot, alien, or of a genetically engineered species. A character can be civilian, military, or noble, a young cadet, or a tried-and-true veteran, each with strengths and weaknesses. Death during character generation is possible in some editions, a mechanic that became infamous.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Characters have six primary characteristics, generated by a roll of two six-sided dice. Other characteristics also exist to add nuance to alien characters.

Some characters have extra-sensory perception, telekinesis, telepathy, and other psychic abilities, which are organized and standardized into "psionics".

=== Equipment ===

Equipment emphasizes wilderness exploration, hazardous environments, and combat. As a result, equipment lists are heavy on vehicles, sensor equipment, communicators, rations, [[personal armor]], and weapons.

; Low-technology: Since primitive worlds exist near technological worlds, primitive weapons such as swords, shields, pikes, and bows are included. Characters often have some sort of blade skill for close combat.
; High-technology: Cybernetics and non-sentient robots also show up in equipment lists, as do artifacts from ancient civilizations.
; Hard Sci-fi Flavor: Along with energy weapons, there is also a strong presence of slug-throwing weapons such as rifles and pistols. The prevailing theory is that (usually) the most efficient way to stop someone is with kinetic energy (e.g. bullets).

=== Starships ===
Starships range from small one-person scouts, to giant planetoid colony ships. Design rules balance power, life support, and defenses for consistent ships. GDW published several board games allowing ''Traveller'' space battles to be played out as games in their own right - ''[[Mayday (game)|Mayday]]'', ''Brilliant Lances'' and ''Battle Rider'' for example.

=== Worlds ===
Worlds range from barren planetoid moons to large gas giant worlds, from uncolonized territories to planets with billions of people. The world generation rules produce a random mix of worlds.

== Setting ==
Early in the adventures and supplements, a default setting emerged, based on in-house play tests done for the game. In this setting, the human-dominated Third Imperium is the largest interstellar empire in charted space, a feudalistic union of worlds, where local [[nobility]] operate largely free from oversight and restricted by convention and [[feudalism|feudal]] obligations.

=== Sophonts ===
The setting features descendants of humanity who are collectively called ''Humaniti''. These include the ''Solomani'', humans emigrated from Earth within the last few thousand years, the ''Vilani'', humans transplanted from Earth tens of thousands of years ago by the Ancients (see below) who founded the First Imperium, and the ''Zhodani'', psychic humans ruled by psionically-gifted nobles.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2021/04/25/the-psionic-masters-the-zhodani-in-traveller/ | title=The Psionic Masters: The Zhodani in Traveller – Black Gate | date=26 April 2021 }}</ref>

Despite the thematic dominance of the human race, with most adventures taking place in human space, the ''Traveller'' universe is cosmopolitan and contains many technologically advanced ''sophonts'', a term borrowed from earlier science fiction material.<ref>{{CCBYSASource |sourcepath=https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/181787/where-did-the-term-sophont-originate |sourcearticle=Where did the term "sophont" originate? |author(s)=[https://scifi.stackexchange.com/users/31393/lexible Lexible] at Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange |accessdate=27 August 2018 |publisher=Stack Exchange Network}}</ref> The setting principally concerns itself with six ''major races'' that developed faster-than-light travel independently. In addition to Humaniti, the standard list of major races includes the honor-bound catlike ''Aslan'', the winged lizard-like ''Droyne'', the sixfold-symmetric and manipulative ''Hivers'', the centaur-like militant vegetarian ''K'kree'', and the wolf-hybrid ''Vargr''.

Additional minor races are numerous. An early publication from GDW notes that "The minor races, of which there are hundreds within the area of known space, will be largely left up to individual referees." GDW's quarterly publication, the ''[[Journal of the Travellers Aid Society]]'' designed by Loren K. Wiseman, sketched out about one race per quarter, starting with the Aslan in Issue 7. Taken together with aliens casually mentioned or introduced in separate scenarios or adventures—often arbitrarily—there is therefore no indication that the number of minor races is limited in any sense.

=== Ancients ===
The ''Ancients'' were a major race in the distant past; their ruins dot planets throughout charted space and their artifacts are more technically advanced than those of any existing civilization. For unknown reasons, they transplanted humans from Earth to dozens of worlds, uplifted Terran wolves to create the Vargr and transplanted them to another world,<ref>Alien Module 3: Vargr</ref> and undertook many [[megascale engineering]] projects before destroying their civilization in a catastrophic civil war.<ref>Adventure 12: Secrets of the Ancients</ref>

== Publishing history ==
[[File:Traveller books.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A selection of classic ''Traveller'' rule books and supplements, including the core box set.]]

=== Format ===
{{Main|List of Traveller Books}}
The original gamebooks were black and [[digest-sized]] (known as the "little black books") produced by [[Game Designers' Workshop]] (GDW). The main rules were detailed in three such booklets, sold as a [[boxed set]] while the same format was used for early support material, such as the adventures, supplements and further books. Later supplements and updated versions of the main [[Role-playing game system|game system]] introduced full sized booklets, complete re-writes of the game system and significant changes to the Third Imperium.

=== Editions ===

''Mongoose Traveller 2nd Ed.'' and ''Traveller<sup>5</sup>'' are the current rulesets. Both rely on six-sided dice and both draw from the original ''Traveller'' rules. Nearly all older versions of ''Traveller'' are available in PDF format.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ ''Traveller'' game editions and publishers
|-
! Pub. date
! Game
! Abbrev.
! Primary publisher
|-
|  2022  || Mongoose ''Traveller'' 2nd Ed. Update || {{center|MGT2}}  || Mongoose Publishing
|-
|  2019  || ''Traveller<sup>5.10</sup>''      || {{center|T5}}   || Far Future Enterprises<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|181}}
|-
|  2016  || Mongoose ''Traveller'' 2nd Ed. || {{center|MGT2}}  || Mongoose Publishing
|-
|  2013  || ''Traveller<sup>5.09</sup>''      || {{center|T5}}   || Far Future Enterprises<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|181}}
|-
|  2008  || Mongoose ''Traveller'' 1st Ed. || {{center|MGT}}  || [[Mongoose Publishing]]<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|181}}
|-
|  2006  || ''Traveller Hero''             || {{center|TH}}   || ComStar Games<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|181}}
|-
|  2006  || ''[[GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars]]'' || {{center|GTIW}}   || Steve Jackson Games
|-
|  2002  || ''Traveller<sup>20</sup>''     || {{center|T20}}  || QuikLink Interactive<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|181}}
|-
|  1998  || ''[[GURPS Traveller]]''        || {{center|GT}}   || [[Steve Jackson Games]]<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|181}}
|-
|  1996  || ''Marc Miller's Traveller''    || {{center|T4}}   || [[Imperium Games]]
|-
|  1993  || ''Traveller: The New Era''     || {{center|TNE}}  || Game Designers' Workshop<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|175}}
|-
|  1987  || ''MegaTraveller''              || {{center|MT}}   || Game Designers' Workshop<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|169}}
|-
|  1977  || (Classic) ''Traveller''        || {{center|CT}}   || Game Designers' Workshop<ref name="DD70-79">{{cite book |last1=Appelcline |first1=Shannon |title=Designers & Dragons. '70-'79 : A history of the roleplaying game industry |date=2014 |publisher=Evil Hat Productions |location=Silver Springs, MD, USA |isbn=978-1-61317-075-5|edition=2nd}}</ref>{{rp|158}}
|}

==== Mongoose ''Traveller''====
[[Mongoose Publishing]] published this version both in a traditional format and as an [[open gaming]] [[System Reference Document|SRD]] around which other games may be built.

A second edition was published in 2016 and updated in 2022. It uses a full color production style while resembling the original ''Traveller'' rules in scope.

==== ''Traveller<sup>5</sup>'' ====
A new set of rules made by re-working and integrating concepts from earlier rulesets.

The current version, v5.10, was printed in 2019 as three distinct books: ''Characters and Combat'', ''Starships'', and ''Worlds and Adventures''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Traveller Fifth Edition |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/traveller5/traveller-fifth-edition |website=Kickstarter|date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> This edition uses Uncertain checks in which one of the dice in certain situations is rolled in secret by the [[gamemaster]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackgate.com/2020/05/11/flipping-the-game-uncertain-rolls-in-traveller/|title=Flipping the Game: Uncertain Rolls in Traveller – Black Gate|date=11 May 2020}}</ref>

==== ''Traveller Hero'' ====
A port of the ''Traveller'' setting to the ''[[Hero System]]'', produced under license by Comstar Games in 2006.<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|181}}

==== ''GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars''====
In 2006, Steve Jackson Games released ''[[GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars]]'' (''GTISW'', sometimes ''GTIW'') for the 4th edition of [[GURPS]] from 2004. The timeline was rolled back to 2170, which is several millennia earlier than the usual ''Traveller'' setting, to the early days of Earth's presence in space at the time when Earth first started to send out interstellar ships to include the period just after the Third Interstellar War between the Terran Confederation (Earth) and the gigantic ''Ziru Sirka Empire (Vland)''.

==== ''Traveller<sup>20</sup>''  ====
Published by QuickLink Interactive (QLI) in 2002, this version uses the [[d20 System]] as its base and is set at the time of the Solomani Rim War around Imperial year 990, about a century before the era depicted in the original game. The preferred setting is the ''Gateway Domain'' region of the Imperium. After the company's license to the ''Traveller'' brand and setting lapsed, the purely mechanical elements of this game were republished as the generic ''SciFi20'' system.

==== ''GURPS Traveller'' ====
{{Main|GURPS Traveller}}
Designed by Loren K. Wiseman and published in 1998, ''GURPS Traveller'' uses the third edition of the ''[[GURPS]]'' system and takes place in an alternate timeline in which no Rebellion occurred and Virus was never released.

==== ''Marc Miller's Traveller'' ====
T4 is set in the early days of the Third Imperium (''Milieu 0''), with the small, newly formed empire surrounded by regressed or barbaric worlds.

==== ''Traveller: The New Era'' ====
''[[Traveller: The New Era]]'' is set in the former territory of the Third Imperium after interstellar government and society had largely collapsed. ''TNE'' introduced ''Virus'', a silicon-chip life form that infected and took over computers. The game mechanics used GDW's house system, derived from ''[[Twilight: 2000]], 2nd Ed''.<ref name="WW37">{{Cite magazine |last=O'Brien |first=Brennan |date=July–August 1993|title=Capsule Reviews |magazine= [[White Wolf Magazine]] |number=37 |pages=77–78 |url=https://imgur.com/a/MNARd7S}}</ref>

==== ''MegaTraveller'' ====
The game was set during a rebellion which shattered the Imperium. Supplements and magazines produced during this era detailed the progression of the rebellion from the initial assassination of the Emperor in 1116 to the collapse of large-scale interstellar trade in roughly 1124 (the beginning of the supplement ''[[Hard Times (Traveller)|Hard Times]]'').

==== ''Traveller'' ====
The original version was designed and published by GDW in 1977. The core rules originally came as a box set of three black digest-sized books, and were later compiled into a single volume rulebook. This edition is also sometimes called by the [[retronym]] ''Classic Traveller''.

==Reception==
In the April–May 1978 edition of ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' (Issue #6), [[Don Turnbull (game designer)|Don Turnbull]] gave a strong recommendation for the new game, saying, "Altogether, what is here is very satisfactory and much of it is stimulating. The presentation is exemplary, the detail impressive, the treatment exacting and the inventiveness inspired."<ref name="WD6">{{Cite journal |last=Turnbull |first=Don |author-link=Don Turnbull (game designer) |date=April–May 1978 |title=Traveller |journal=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] |publisher=[[Games Workshop]] |issue=6 |pages=16–18}}</ref>

In Issue 29 of the British wargaming magazine ''[[Perfidious Albion (magazine)|Perfidious Albion]]'', Charles Vasey commented, "The game depends a lot on the players and especially on the referee. You really have to think it all out and provisions must be made to prevent too large a reward. It is probably better fitted for a long campaign or a [[play by mail|PBM]]."<ref name=pa>{{cite magazine|last1=Vasey|first1=Charles| date= July 1978|title= Traveller|magazine=[[Perfidious Albion (magazine)|Perfidious Albion]]| issue=29|pages=8-9}}</ref>

In the September 1978 edition of ''Dragon'' (Issue 18), Tony Watson complimented the game on the high production value of its components, saying, "Physically, ''Traveller'' is first class, a tradition with Game Designer's Workshop. The box lid and covers of the three booklets are done in a simple but highly effective combination of red and white lettering on a black background. The interior layout and printing is also of the best quality; the printing is an entirely professional job." Watson liked that experience points were not emphasized in gameplay: "It is refreshing to see that the adventures and color of the game's play is reward enough and the players are not channeling their energy into the rather silly chase of ethereal experience points. Too often, this chase becomes more important than actual play itself!" He concluded with a strong recommendation, saying, "''Traveller'' is a unique SF game and probably the best of the role-playing variety. It offers a colorful but consistent future for players to adventure in."<ref name="dragon18">{{Cite journal |last=Watson |first=Tony |date=September 1978 |title=Reviews |journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] |publisher=[[TSR (company)|TSR, Inc.]] |issue=18 |pages=8}}</ref>

In the inaugural edition of ''[[Ares (magazine)|Ares]]'' (March 1980), [[David J. Ritchie|David Ritchie]] was enthusiastic about ''Traveller'', giving it an above average rating of 8 out of 9 and commenting, "This game starts off where ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' left off, but, if there is any justice, will end up being more popular than that venerable relic. For one thing, the ''Traveller'' rules are fairly consistent (moreso than is usual for such games)."<ref name="Ares">{{Cite journal |last=Ritchie |first=David |author-link=David J. Ritchie |date=March 1980 |title=A Galaxy of Games |journal=[[Ares (magazine)|Ares Magazine]] |publisher=Simulations Publications, Inc. |issue=1 |page=30}}</ref>

In the May–June 1980 edition of ''[[The Space Gamer]]'' (Issue No. 28), Forrest Johnson gave a good review, saying, "''Traveller'' is the best game of its type, recommended for the sophisticated science fiction gamer."<ref name="SG1">{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Forrest |date=May–June 1980 |title=Capsule Reviews |journal=[[The Space Gamer]] |publisher=[[Steve Jackson Games]] |issue=28 |pages=28}}</ref>

In the November 1980 edition of ''Ares'' (Issue #5), [[Eric Goldberg (game designer)|Eric Goldberg]] called ''Traveller'' "a most impressive achievement from a design standpoint... This mark of distinction is the main reason why I consider ''Traveller'' the finest commercially available role-playing game." Goldberg didn't consider it perfect, criticizing the game's lack of imaginary vision of technology of the future. Although he liked the "sophisticated and elegant" character generation system, he felt that "All too often, a player will have to spend an entire afternoon rolling dice before he gains a reasonable character." Goldberg concluded with a positive recommendation: "If you have at least a casual interest in science fiction and role-playing, you should definitely invest in a copy of ''Traveller''"<ref name="ares">{{Cite journal |last=Goldberg |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Goldberg (game designer) |date=November 1980 |title=Games |journal=[[Ares (magazine)|Ares]] |publisher=[[Simulations Publications, Inc.]] |issue=5 |pages=35–36}}</ref>

In the 1980 book ''[[The Complete Book of Wargames]]'', game designer [[Jon Freeman (game designer)|Jon Freeman]] commented, "''Traveller'' is the only serious attempt to provide a really comprehensive set of role-playing rules for science fiction: interstellar travel, exploration, trade, combat at all levels, and so on." Freeman warned potential players, "Considering the territory it seeks to cover, ''Traveller'' is necessarily complex, and it presumes on the part of the potential referee considerable familiarity with other role-playing games and the literature of science fiction." Freeman gave this game an Overall Evaluation of "Good", concluding, "For experienced players wishing a truly open-ended, science fiction, role-playing campaign, there is no real alternative."<ref name=cbw>{{cite book| last = Freeman| first = Jon| author-link = Jon Freeman (game designer)| title = The Complete Book of Wargames| publisher = Simon & Schuster| date = 1980| location = New York| pages = 281}}</ref>

In the October–November 1981 edition of ''White Dwarf'', Andy Slack reviewed the ''Deluxe Traveller Edition'', a compilation of the three original rules booklets, plus ''Book 0 - An Introduction to Traveller'', and an adventure, "The Imperial Fringe". Slack thought this edition was better laid out, and "typos have been rectified." Because he believed that this edition was not substantially different than the original set, he only rated this edition a 4 out of 10 for experienced players who already owned the original rule booklets; but for new players, he rated it a perfect 10 out of 10.<ref name="wd27">{{Cite journal |last=Slack |first=Andy |date=October–November 1981 |title=Open Box |journal=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] |publisher=[[Games Workshop]] |issue=27 |pages=11}}</ref>

In the inaugural edition of ''[[Games International]]'' (October 1988), Jake Thornton  gave ''MegaTraveller'' an above-average rating of 4 out of 5, saying, "Although there are some typos and omissions, overall, ''MegaTraveller'' is a success. If you like your SF on a grand, starspanning scale [...] then ''MegaTraveller'' is the system for you."<ref name="gi">{{Cite magazine |last=Thornton |first=Jake |date=October 1988 |title=Role Games |issue=1 |pages=42–44 |journal=[[Games International]]}}</ref>

In his 1990 book ''[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]]'', game critic [[Rick Swan]] called this science fiction role-playing game "the standard by which all others are measured ... a brilliant design of remarkable scope ... and a milestone in the hobby." Swan felt this game's popularity stemmed from two reasons: "First, many of the ''Traveller'' concepts are so inventive and revolutionary that they continue to ripple through the RPG industry ... Second, the sheer volume of ''Traveller'' material ... ensures that the game will continue to attract attention." Swan concluded by giving the game his top rating of 4 out of 4.<ref name=swan>{{cite book | last =Swan  | first =Rick | author-link=Rick Swan |title =[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]] | publisher =St. Martin's Press | date =1990 | location =New York | pages =221–223}}</ref>

Chris W. McCubbin reviewed ''Traveller: The New Era'' for ''[[Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]]'' #2 (July/Aug. 1993) and concluded that, despite some complaints he had about the new version, "''Traveller''{{'s}} still around and that's good. I hope it always will be."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Traveller: The New Era |url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=373 |website=sjgames.com}}</ref>

In the August 1997 edition of ''Dragon'' (Issue 238), [[Rick Swan]] reviewed the fourth edition of ''Traveller'', and called it "a masterful effort... the best science-fiction RPG I've ever played." On the downside, Swan thought that "The inclusion of anachronistic weapons like swords and crossbows can turn combat into a bad episode of ''[[Star Trek]]''." He also pointed out that character growth in the game is very slow: "PCs acquire new skills and abilities about as fast as a tree trunk acquires new growth rings." He also wanted to see more setting information. But he concluded that the fourth edition of ''Traveller'' was close to perfect, giving it a top rating of 6 out of 6 and saying, "Time-tested and buffed to a sheen, ''Traveller'' will endure as long there's enough plastic to manufacture six-sided dice."<ref name="dragon238">{{Cite journal |last=Swan |first=Rick |author-link=Rick Swan |date=August 1997 |title=Roleplaying Reviews |journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] |publisher=[[TSR (company)|TSR, Inc.]] |issue=238 |pages=108–109}}</ref>

In a 1996 reader poll by ''Arcane'' magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time, ''Traveller'' (as either ''Traveller'', ''MegaTraveller'', or ''Traveller: The New Era'') was ranked 3rd. The magazine's editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Although originally intended as a generic science fiction system, ''Traveller'' quickly became linked with the Imperium campaign background developed by GDW... This background offers a great degree of freedom for individual referees to run campaigns of their own devising, while providing enough basic groundwork to build from, and has proved to be immensely successful. Everything from political intrigue to action-packed mercenary actions, trading or scientific exploration is possible, and a lot more besides.... ''Traveller'' [is] one of the true classics of the roleplaying hobby".<ref name="Arcane14">{{Cite journal |last=Pettengale |first=Paul |date=Christmas 1996 |title=Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996 |journal=Arcane |issue=14 |pages=25–35}}</ref>

Scott Taylor for ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'' in 2013 rated ''Traveller'' as #2 in the top ten role-playing games of all time, saying "Packaged in a plain black jacket with some simple bars of color, there is nothing inherently fancy about Traveller, and yet it has remained a viable source of entertainment to gamers through ten editions and six gaming companies that have controlled its license."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2013/06/10/art-of-the-genre-the-top-10-role-playing-games-of-all-time/ | title=Art of the Genre: The Top 10 Role-Playing Games of All-Time – Black Gate | date=10 June 2013 }}</ref>

In a review of the Mongoose version of ''Traveller'' in ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'', M Harold Page compared it to what came before and said "The new ''Mongoose Traveller Core Rule Book'' is a worthy successor to this tradition."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2017/04/06/modular-the-new-mongoose-traveller-1-first-impressions/ | title=Modular: The New Mongoose Traveller #1 — First Impressions – Black Gate | date=6 April 2017 }}</ref>

In his 2023 book ''Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground'', RPG historian Stu Horvath noted, "''Traveller'' is the first RPG that feels like a distinct game, free of ''[[D&D]]''{{'}}s direct influence on its design ... The original ''Traveller'' still stands as one of the most significant traditional sci-fi RPGs, thanks in part, to its proximity to the dawn of the hobby, but also to both its scope and the crisp simplicity of its systems. Any game since that involves complex technology ... builds on a foundation established by ''Traveller''."<ref name=mahg>{{cite book| last = Horvath| first = Stu| title = Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground| publisher = MIT Press| date = 2023| location = Cambridge, Massachusetts| pages = 16–20| isbn =9780262048224 }}</ref>

==Awards==
''Traveller: The New Era'' won the 1993 Origins Award for ''Best Roleplaying Rules''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Origins Award Winners (1993) |url=http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1993/list-of-winners |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307115244/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1993/list-of-winners <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=7 March 2008 |access-date=24 March 2008 |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design}}</ref>

''Traveller: The New Era'' won the 1994 Origins Award for ''Best Roleplaying Rules''.<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|176}}

In 1996, ''Traveller'' was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Origins Award Winners (1996) |url=http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1996/list-of-winners |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221022725/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1996/list-of-winners |archive-date=21 December 2007 |access-date=2 November 2007 |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design}}</ref>

== In other media ==
=== Software ===
''The Imperial Data Recovery System'' is a computer program published by [[FASA]] in 1981 as a play aid to speed up bookkeeping for ''Traveller'', and assist with game aspects such as sector maps, records of characters and ships, and in-game encounters. John M. Morrison reviewed ''The Imperial Data Recovery System'' in ''The Space Gamer'' No. 50.<ref name="SG2">{{Cite journal |last=Morrison |first=John M. |date=April 1982 |title=Capsule Reviews |journal=[[The Space Gamer]] |publisher=[[Steve Jackson Games]] |issue=50 |pages=34–35}}</ref> Morrison commented that "I would seriously recommend that FASA take this off the market and re-write it from the ground up. There's definitely room for a ''Traveller'' aid program on the market, but not this one."<ref name="SG2" />

GDW licensee [[Paragon Software Corporation|Paragon]] produced two video games based on the ''Traveller'' universe:
* ''[[MegaTraveller 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy]]'' (1990) for [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], and [[MS-DOS]]
* ''[[MegaTraveller 2: Quest for the Ancients]]'' (1991) for Amiga and MS-DOS<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|173}}

TravellerMap is an interactive map detailing the primary setting for Traveller. While it was originally fan-made, it has been made canon by reference,<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Great Rift Book 1: The Great Rift |publisher=[[Mongoose Publishing]] |pages=4}}</ref> which reference states that what appears in real life on that site is what appears in-universe to users of a certain widely used stellar navigational tool.

===  Novels ===
Several novels have been specifically set in the various ''Traveller'' universes:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Traveller game novels
|-
! #
! Year
! Title
! Series
! Author
! Reference and ISBN
! Notes
|-
| 1.
| 1993
| "Again, Oytritsyu'aby"
| n/a
| [[Charles E. Gannon]]
| n/a
| [[Novella#Novelette|Novelette]]
|-
| 2.
| 1993
| "Count or Country"
| n/a
| Charles E. Gannon
| n/a
| Novelette
|-
| 3.
| 1993
| "The Trap of Triton"
| n/a
| Gary A. Kalin
| n/a
| Novelette
|-
| 5.
| 1995
| ''Death of Wisdom''<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|180}}
| Book 1 of 3
| Paul Brunette
| {{ISBN|978-1-55878-181-8}}
|
|-
| 6.
| 1995
| ''To Dream of Chaos''
| Book 2 of 3
| Paul Brunette
| {{ISBN|978-1-55878-184-9}}
|
|-
| 7.
| 1998
| ''Gateway to the Stars''
| n/a
| [[Pierce Askegren]]
| {{ISBN|978-0-671-01188-8}}
|
|-
| 8.
| 2005
| ''The Force of Destiny''
| n/a
| Dale Kemper
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Traveller - Force of Destiny |url=http://www.travellerbibliography.org/cargonaut/force.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606175103/http://www.travellerbibliography.org/cargonaut/force.html |archive-date=6 June 2013 |access-date=23 August 2014 |publisher=Travellerbibliography.org}}</ref>
|
|-
| 9.
| 2004
| ''Diaspora Phoenix''
| n/a
| Martin J. Dougherty
| n/a
|
|-
| 10.
| 2006
| ''Tales of the New Era 1: Yesterday's Hero''
| n/a
| Martin J. Dougherty
| n/a
|
|-
| 11.
| 2010
| ''The Backwards Mask''
| Book 3 of 3
| Paul Brunette
|<ref name="Waynesbooks.com">{{Cite web |title=Traveller Fiction - Wayne's Books RPG Reference |url=http://www.waynesbooks.com/TravellerFiction.html |access-date=23 August 2014 |publisher=Waynesbooks.com}}</ref>
|
|-
| 12.
| 2011
| ''The Backwards Mask'' (Alternative)
| Book 3 of 3
| Matthew Carson
|<ref name="Waynesbooks.com" /><ref name="The Sector M">{{Cite web |title=The Sector M | publisher=Amazon.com |url=https://www.amazon.com/Matt-Carson/e/B076F6JMD9/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 |access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref>
|
|-
| 13.
| 2012
| ''A Long Way Home: Tales of Congressional Space''
| n/a
| Terrance McInnes
| n/a
|
|-
| 14.
| 2014
| ''Shadow of the Storm''
| n/a
| Martin J. Dougherty
| {{ISBN|978-1-55878-034-7}}
|
|-
| 15.
| 2014
| ''Fate of the Kinunir''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2013/08/17/step-into-the-traveller-universe-with-fate-of-the-kinunir/ | title=Step into the Traveller Universe with Fate of the Kinunir – Black Gate | date=17 August 2013 }}</ref>
| n/a
| Robert E. Vardeman
| {{ISBN|978-1-55878-029-3}}
|
|-
| 16.
| 2015
| ''Agent of the Imperium''
| n/a
| Marc W. Miller
| {{ISBN|978-1-55878-037-8}}
|
|}

* Gregory P. Lee's ''The Laughing Lip''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Gregory P. |title=All Shall Go to Wrack: Book 1 of The Laughing Lip |date=6 March 2011 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1-4565-9090-1}}</ref> series acknowledges the influence of ''Traveller'' in the development of the three novels published to date. Lee also wrote the ''[[Gamelords]]'' supplement ''[[Lee's Guide to Interstellar Adventure]]'' in the early 1980s.
* [[Jefferson P. Swycaffer]] has written several novels<ref name="DD70-79"/>{{rp|180}} set in the "Concordat" fictional universe he originally developed for his ''Traveller'' campaign.
* There are two different Backwards Mask books in the ''Death of Wisdom'' trilogy. The manuscript by the original author (''Brunette'') was lost until shortly after the replacement manuscript (by Carson) was published. The original was then published for those who wanted it, and Carson's serves as an alternate end to the trilogy.

=== Periodicals ===
Gaming magazine ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' ran a [[comic strip]] called ''The Travellers'' by [[Mark Harrison (artist)|Mark Harrison]] from 1983 to 1986. The strip spoofed ''Traveller'' and other space opera settings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 February 2008 |title=RPGNet RPG Gaming Index: White Dwarf articles |url=http://index.rpg.net/display-article.phtml?articleid=4148 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116170804/http://index.rpg.net/display-article.phtml?articleid=4148 |archive-date=16 January 2009 |access-date=12 February 2008}}</ref>

The Traveller newsletter [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?keyword=imperiallines Imperiallines] was created to showcase Traveller5 features. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Imperiallines|url=https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?keyword=imperiallines|access-date=30 January 2025}}</ref>

The Traveller fanzine [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?keyword=xboat%20eaglestone Xboat] was created and printed for Kickstarter fans in 2019. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Xboat Fanzine|url=https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?keyword=xboat%20eaglestone|access-date=30 January 2025}}</ref>

=== Music ===
The concept album [[Traveller (Slough Feg album)|''Traveller'']] by heavy metal band [[Slough Feg|The Lord Weird Slough Feg]] is based on the game.

== Related role-playing games ==

=== ''Traveller: 2300'' or ''2300 AD''===
{{Main|2300 AD}}

Originally published by GDW as an updated replacement for ''Traveller''{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}, eschewing classic [[space opera]] to take inspiration from the grittier contemporary [[hard science fiction]] media of the 1980s. The first edition was named ''Traveller: 2300'', which incited both confusion and criticism since the game carried over neither the rules nor setting of its namesake. The second edition was renamed ''2300 AD'', and added some [[cyberpunk]] rules and adventures. It is presented as a future extrapolation of the speculative [[World War III]] of GDW's popular military role-playing game ''Twilight: 2000''. In the ''2300 AD'' setting, interstellar travel is relatively new, Earth is still divided into nation-states, and the most powerful nations are competitively exploring and colonizing the fifty light-year sphere of surrounding space. Mongoose Publishing released a sourcebook for the setting in 2012 that adapted it to their version of the ''Traveller'' rules.

== Cultural impact ==

Computer programs have been created to model and predict starship combat using ''Traveller'' rules. The most famous case involved [[Douglas Lenat]] applying his ''[[Eurisko]]'' heuristic learning program to the scenario in the ''Traveller'' adventure ''[[Traveller Adventure 5: Trillion Credit Squadron|Trillion Credit Squadron]]'', which contains rules for resolving large space battles statistically. Eurisko exploited corner-case features and built unusual fleets that won the 1981 and 1982 championships. The sponsor stated that if Lenat entered and won the next year they would stop the sponsorship, so Lenat stopped attending.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=George |year=1984 |title=Eurisko, The Computer with a Mind Of Its Own |url=http://aliciapatterson.org/stories/eurisko-computer-mind-its-own |journal=The APF Reporter |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=The Alicia Patterson Foundation |volume=7 |issue=4 |access-date=16 July 2011 |archive-date=22 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022200614/http://aliciapatterson.org/stories/eurisko-computer-mind-its-own |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Striker (miniatures game)]]

== References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Chadwick |first=Frank |title=[[Traveller Book 4: Mercenary]] |date=1978 |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |ref=none |author-link=Frank Chadwick}}
* {{Cite book |last=Collinson |first=Timothy |title=The Traveller Periodical Bibliography |date=2000 |publisher=British Isles Traveller Support |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Collinson |first=Timothy |title=The Traveller Bibliography, 3rd edition |date=2017 |publisher=British Isles Traveller Support |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Fugate |first1=Joe D. Sr |title=[[Traveller Book 8: Robots]] |last2=Brown |first2=Timothy B. |date=1986 |publisher=[[Game Designers' Workshop]] |isbn=978-0-943580-10-4 |ref=none |author-link=Joe Fugate |author-link2=Timothy Brown (game designer)}}
* {{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Marc W |title=[[Traveller Book 6: Scouts]] |date=1983 |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |ref=none |author-link=Marc W. Miller}}
* {{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Marc W |title=[[Rebellion Sourcebook]] |date=1988 |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |isbn=978-0-943580-63-0 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Marc W |title=[[Traveller Book 7: Merchant Prince]] |last2=J. Andrew Keith |date=1985 |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |ref=none |author-link2=J. Andrew Keith}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Marc W |title=[[Traveller Adventure 12: Secret of the Ancients]] |last2=Loren Wiseman |date=1984 |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |ref=none |author-link2=Loren Wiseman}}
* {{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Marc William |title=[[Traveller Book 5: High Guard]] |date=1980 |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |others=revised by Marc William Miller, Frank Chadwick and [[John Harshman]] |ref=none |author-link=Marc W. Miller |orig-year=1979}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Slack |first=Andy |date=February 1983 |title=An Introduction to Traveller Part III: Scenarios |journal=White Dwarf |publisher=Games Workshop |issue=38 |pages=10–11 |issn=0265-8712 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Slack |first=Andy |date=March 1983 |title=An Introduction to Traveller Part IV: Scenarios |journal=White Dwarf |publisher=Games Workshop |issue=39 |pages=18–19 |issn=0265-8712 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Lester |url=https://archive.org/details/milieu0t4marcmil00smit |title=Milieu 0 |date=1996 |publisher=Imperium Games |isbn=978-1-57828-124-4 |ref=none |author-link=Lester W. Smith |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |title=Traveller Book 1: Characters and Combat |date=1977a |publisher=[[Game Designers' Workshop]] |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |title=Traveller Book 2: Starships |date=1977b |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |title=Traveller Book 3: Worlds and Adventures |date=1977c |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wiseman |first=Loren K. |title=Traveller Book 0: An Introduction To |date=1981 |publisher=Game Designers' Workshop |ref=none |author-link=Loren Wiseman}}

== External links ==
* {{isfdb series|36564}}
* [http://www.farfuture.net/ Far Future Enterprises]
* [http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/traveller/ ''GURPS Traveller'']
* [https://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/new-traveller.html ''Mongoose Traveller'']
* [http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Main_Page ''Traveller'' wiki]
* [https://travellermap.com/ ''TravellerMap'']: (a map of the official setting)

{{RPG systems}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Traveller (Role-Playing Game)}}
[[Category:John Harshman games]]
[[Category:Origins Award winners]]
[[Category:Role-playing game systems]]
[[Category:Role-playing games introduced in 1977]]
[[Category:Space opera role-playing games]]
[[Category:Tabletop games]]
[[Category:Traveller (role-playing game)]]