[ Rant ] A Minor Rant, Actually ...

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I play a game called "Traveller". It's a science-fiction role-playing game set in a region of space called the "Third Imperium", about 3500 years from today. There are several sets of rules, each compatible with the others (with minor adjustments here and there). It is played with dice, paper, pencils, and (sometimes) miniature figures.

The basic theme is "Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far Future". Aside from the canonical history, the rules are flexible enough to allow games to be set in the universes of Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Firefly/Serenity, and many other popular science-fiction milieux.

I can't find players.

Twenty-five years ago, I could easily round up 4 to 6 people to come to my house, order pizza, play Traveller, and generally have a good time for a few hours every-other week or so. Now, if I say "let's play a game", people are most likely to expect a PS3, a Gamecube, or some other console twitch system. No one wants to play the old table-top RPGs any more, or if they do, they're too obsessed with which rules are more important than others to actually enjoy the gaming experience.

I have made the rounds of the gaming stores, hobby shops and bookstores. I have posted "Want Ads" in each of these places and on several "Meet-Up" websites. No response.

Traveller has been my "Special Interest" since the early 1980s. I have just about every rulebook and adventure ever published. I know the differences between a Treecat and a Tree Kraken, an FGMP and a PGMP, a Far Trader and a Fat Trader, and can roll up an adventure "on the fly" when the players decide to walk off the edges of the map just to see what's out there.

But players ... what good is all of this without players? Maybe it's time for me to send the books to the pulp recyclers and take up watching televised sports instead ... (blech) ...

Anyway, end of rant. Thank you for your patience.

I'm sorry to hear that. Twenty-odd years ago, I'd often while away an afternoon with a role-playing book by Steve Jackson et al.

The skill it takes to conduct a group RPG, like Dungeons and Dragons, and to keep the story going, and bring it to life - it's wonderful. I remember being particularly enchanted by a skilled storyteller once, and what a wonderful evening it was for everyone, trying to defuse magical spell balls that were made as real as we allowed them to be.

It's not something I'm involved in at all these days, but there's something special about imagining a story, rather than have all the work done for you by PS3, Xbox etc.

Don't take it to the recyclers.

Perhaps you could branch out?

If you are interested in "deep" RPG experiences, then World of Darkness is probably the most dedicated contemporary franchise.

It is also heavily dependant upon story telling, and its 9 attribute concept makes DnD look like something out of a Kindergarden.

I'm no longer into fantasy, horror, or 'supernatural' type games ever since they became bigger than most individuals could manage - AD&D was fun until the 3rd edition started piling on the rules, classes and feats, for example.

Traveller is simple to set up and play: 6 stats, no "hit points", and you roll 8+ on 2d6 to hit or to succeed with a task (6-sided dice are all you'd ever need). Your character starts out as a veteran from the Army, Navy, Marines, Merchants, Scouts or Other, and with experience, skills, cash and gear already in possession (sometimes even a starship).

There is no magic, and there are no supernatural beings or events, so no ghosts, gods, demons, or other unexplainable phenomena. The only 'handwaves' are FTL travel (but no FTL radio), portable energy weapons, semi-sentient robots, gravity control and maybe psionics (if the referee allows - I usually don't). The science is consistent and predictable - even the variations granted by dice rolls are defined and understandable.

What Traveller has that other games don't is reliance on player interaction - your character is not just a set of stats and dice modifiers. Instead, he or she has a history, which may be exploited by the referee to introduce or advance an adventure plot. "Rule-Players" quickly learn that Traveller's lack of convolution makes for a straight-forward set of rules that can not be easily twisted to any one character's advantage - there is no Min-Maxing or Munchkin Play, and book-lawyers rarely know more than any decent referee.

In the original or "Classic" ruleset, there were only three books - "Characters & Combat", "Starships" and "Worlds & Adventures". For years, these were all that were ever needed to enjoy the game. 5 more books were added over the span of a decade, and all of these books could be carried in one hand painlessly, measuring 5.5" by 8.5" and having only about 50 pages each.

Modern-day RPGs seem to have enough 'core' material to take up 2 or 3 milk crates, and finding that one, obscure rule to cover a specific situation can take longer than the traditional 5 minutes, not to mention the heavy financial outlay to cover the costs of such an extensive library.

I don't know enough about he game to know if this is possible... but can you create a modified version of the game that can be played in an online forum? You might be able to find players here.

Traveller is easily run in a Play-By-PM format, if the following conditions are met:

1. A 'locked' and 'sticky' thread that only the Referee (and the mods) can post in. Each post after the first includes a description of the players' actions and whether or not those actions were successful.

2. An open thread to allow for commentary on in-game activity. The usual website rules apply.

3. A regular turn cycle - 24 hours to one week - for actual play.

4. Each player runs only his or her character, and leaves the results of character actions up to the referee.

As for actual play, (1) the referee posts a description of what the characters perceive in their immediate surroundings. Then (2) the players are free to ask questions for more details and discuss the situation among themselves before deciding what their characters will do. Finally, (3) each player PMs his or her character's actions to the referee before the deadline. Within 24 hours after the deadline, the process begins again when (1) the referee posts an updated description ... et cetera ...

The hard part has been attracting and keeping players that: (a) understand the science-fiction genre; (b) understand the difference between science-fiction and fantasy; (c) understand role-playing games in general; (d) are willing to learn the Traveller game system; and (e) will cooperate with the other players and the referee.

The easy part is coming up with an opening scenario...

Sounds cool! If you get this started, let me know.

Apologies for the necro-bump.

The last post in this thread was 14 months ago, and the situation has become no better.

Although I was wondering if WP 2.0 might be capable of accommodating the conditions from the sixth post of this thread. Specifically, a closed thread in which the referee of an RPG could post a summary of the players' actions, while the players communicate their moves with each other and the referee through PMs.

Is this possible?