------------------------------

Bundle: 559
Archive-Message-Number: 7032
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 94 19:41:22 CST
From: [-- REDACTED --] (David Johnson)
Subject: TNE Background 4

Gentlesophonts:

Saturday's postings answered some questions for me and provides an opportunity
to move on to details of the TNE background.

"Susan M. Shock" [-- REDACTED --] (Allen?) speaking of *Path
of Tears* writes:
 
>    One of the reasons that people may have had trouble seeing the adventure
> potential in the Reformation Coalition setting is that precious little hard
> info on it. The PATH OF TEARS sourcebook should solve some of this (except for
> those who won't listen anyway...) and provides some very real and useful
> adventure ideas. It also corrects some of the major misconceptions that some
> have expressed about the Star Vikings (and, I'm happy to say, supports my view
> of the RCES as an Exploratory service).

Okay, so the Space Vikings are from the Reformation Coalition (RCES?)?  And
this is different from the Regency?
 

kspangler[-- REDACTED --] (???) writes (quoting me replying to Lionheart \|/ in
TML Msg 7003):

> {Even
> if, ultimately, the idea of `good' viral mutations is just another
> gimmick like Ancients technology - and not much of a basis for an entire
> campaign.}
> I am putting together a compaign, based on the above info paragraph.

Great!  But I suggest you and Lionheart \|/ get together and find a way
to protect your idea or you might just find it turning up in a TNE sourcebook
some day soon.

> {But I'm a consumer and
> I've got my own interests - *and I'd like to buy some new Traveller
> products*!  But I'm not going to buy anything they throw at me and so
> far this is all TNE seems.  Is there anyone out there who would buy TNE
> *for the background* (not the rules) if some sort of comparably priced
> `Frontier Sourcebook' was on the shelf next to it?  If so, tell us why.
> And if you wouldn't buy TNE over this `Sourcebook' but you bought
> it because that's all there is, do you drive a Yugo?  :-)}
> My opinions on the above comments..
> 1) you don't have to buy it.

Right.  And I haven't, but I'd like to have some more Traveller material
if it's an improvement over CT/MT.

> 2)Yes, I bought TNE because of the background.If they had another frontier
> source book right next to it. I still would buy it; because when I run a game
> I want the basic Background and rules in one book.

Okay, you bought it because you liked the convenience of the new rules and
the new background in one handy book.  If the `CT/MT Frontier Sourcebook'
had had the new rules too would you still have bought TNE?  Remember, I'm
not asking about the House System rules.  What is there about that TNE
background, if anything, that is better than background for a CT/MT
frontier campaign?

The `mutated tech' idea mentioned above is one such idea but then even that
could have been accomplished in an expansion of the frontier of the CT/MT
setting.  The Virus could have evolved outside of the Imperium and have been
an approaching menace - like the Borg were in Star Trek - you'd get the
`mutated goodies' without having to destroy the Imperium.  Nevertheless,
IMHO, there's a small spark of hope for TNE in this idea.

> 3) Are you suggesting that anyone driving yugo is consider mentally
> incompetant? Or anyone who bought TNE ignorant...
> 4) You opened this current line by asking our respective views on either
> aspect of traveller.Nothing wrong with expressing one's own opinion. But to
> tear apart each opinion that comes in, That is not so polite.
>  To the rest of this mailing and the above author I apologize for this long
> post. 

I sent a separate post on these points.  Again, I apologize if you or anyone
else was offended.
 

[-- REDACTED --] (Ron Dawson) writes:
  
> While the referee was free to be as creative as they wished in creating a
> "frontier", there wasn't really one presented.  That I think is the
> difference. 
> TNE turned everything in known space into a lawless frontier except for a
> few
> pockets, some large.

It seems clear then that TNE answers a call for a `frontier' setting,
that's great; but in doing so it also asks those of use who adventured in the
CT/MT background to abandon most of what's been developed for that setting.
That's asking a lot especially because one can also discover that `frontier'
setting in the CT/MT campaign with some extra effort (whether supported by
GDW or not).  So, again, I pose the question: what's the improvement offered
by TNE over the CT/MT background?  Do you see that in this context the fact
that TNE is merely `different' isn't good enough?  Unless each of us has an
unlimited supply of funds, the TNE setting ought to be an improvement over
the CT/MT setting.

> I also like the possibility of
> developing some very different cultures and worlds within the old territory of
> the imperium.

Okay, here's a good point to move on from.  What sort of different cultures?
And what's the advantage of developing these new cultures within regions of
the Old Imperium?  Remember though, they'll only have 70 years to diverge
from Imperial culture.  There will still be folks alive who remember Strephon,
not many, but a few.

> But we do have the TNE setting, and it's too late to change that official
> history.

Don't give up hope!  Remember `New Coke'!  :-)  Then again, does anyone know
where the guy/gal who came up with `New Coke' ended up?  It couldn't have
been GDW, could it?  :-)
  
> I really want to know what the black curtain is and what happened
> to all the players in the Rebellion.

Me too!  And I'll bet that's enough to get a lot of folks to buy TNE whether
they think it's better or not.  (Maybe that `New Coke' gal/guy wasn't so
dumb after all - she/he was just in the wrong industry!)
 
> Perhaps GDW could be kind enough to support the TNE rules in all eras?
> I think
> that a lot of the older fans might like that.
> With a timeline stretching over so many
> years, it would be a shame to let all the older history and potential for
> adventure to be unsupported.

Nice idea but it won't happen.  Development and production costs for each
era (market segment) would have to be spread over a smaller customer base.
That's h**l for profits.
 
> [-- REDACTED --] (David Johnson) writes:
>  
> >There could have been *Imperial* Core Expeditions (possibly in cooperation
> >with the Zhos? Or maybe a `core race'?), as well as Spin, Trail and Rim
> >Expeditions.  
>  
> In cooperation with the Zhos?  Not officially for sure!

Don't be so sure.  Have you seen the latest design for Space Station
*Freedom*?  It's some US/European/Japanese modules attached to the orbiting
Russian *Mir* space station.  The Space Program was born in Cold War
competition and now cooperation is all that's keeping it from the budget
cutter's axe on both sides.
  
> Ummm.. the only car in town still remains a good argument. The only car in
> town
> may be a yugo, but in many ways it is better than the old imperial chevy which
> has been stuck on blocks and was slowly rusting from within.

You're confirming my suspicions that much of the `support' for TNE comes
from the cold, hard fact that that's all there is if you're interested in
Traveller.  That's fine, but it's not for me.  Do we concede that this is
the only real advantage (it's a big one, I agree) of TNE over CT/MT from
a background point-of-view?  Remember, a `Frontier Sourcebook' could have
overhauled that `old imperial chevy' into a shiny hot rod - but it would
have been more difficult to sell the `new' House rules to everyone that way.
 
> Heh.  That's one of the biggest mysteries in the TNE.  Pick up a copy of
> TNE or
> Survival Margin and look at the maps.  In the most recent map is a big area
> around where core is which is a big black splotch through which no information
> passes.  There are also the rumours of vampire fleets around the edge of this
> curtain.  What is behind the curtain?  Lucan?  A virus-based AI empire?  A
> huge
> vampire fleet that thinks it is Lucan?  The books are rather vague about it so
> far.

Another good way to hook `old timers' whether TNE is any good or not, right?
  
> (4) Greater freedom within imperial space to develop worlds, cultures,
> empires.

I really don't understand the attraction of doing this sort of thing in
Imperial space.  A lot of folks are saying this.  What's the deal?  Yes,
with TNE, GDW is now *supporting* frontier adventuring more but this would
also have been the case with a CT/MT frontier sourcebook.  So, isn't this
just another case of TNE being the only choice available rather than any
sort of improvement?

You want an interesting frontier?  How about a Virus that spreads through the
Solomani Party apparatus (biological or computer), leaving destruction in it's
wake.  The Imperium manages to fend it off, all the excitment of TNE exists in
the Solomani Sphere (which hadn't been developed so nothing has to go in the
trash) and you kill off those neo-Nazis and `liberate' Terra all at the same
time!

> I personally find it fascinating to think of
> how societies would rebuild from this disaster.

Okay, even I'm getting tired of reading me.  Let's move on to these new
societies.  What sorts of things are folks doing?  Are you adventuring in
pocket empires?  Exploring, or pillaging, with the Star Vikings?  Expanding
the Quarantine Line of the Regency?

Peace,

David Johnson
Houston, Texas, USA

------------------------------