List of Traveller books

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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.

Contents

Classic Traveller

There were four editions of the Classic Traveller rules sets: [1]

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. [2] : 158  [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. [2] : 162 

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. [1] These were in little black book format. [2] : 162  FFE published all thirteen as a single volume in 2000. [4]

Special Supplements

Short presentations on specific topics, originally appearing in the Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society (JTAS). Four were produced. [1]

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. [1] These were in little black book format. [2] : 162  FFE published all foureen as a single volume in 2000. [4]

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. [1] Their tête-bêche format was popularised by the Ace Double sci-fi novels of the 1950s. These were in little black book format. [2] : 162  FFE published all eight, plus Special Supplements 1-3, as a single volume in 2001. [4]

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. [1] FFE published all eight in two volumes volume in 2001. [4]

Modules

Modules provided larger adventures and additional materials. Five were produced. [1]

Boardgames

GDW was a boardgame publisher long before it published Traveller, and as a result it published eight Traveller boardgames. [1] FFE published all eight as a single volume in 2000. [4]

Specials

GDW produced a variety of support materials of Traveller. [1]

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

Related Research Articles

<i>Journal of the Travellers Aid Society</i> Science-fiction role-playing magazine

Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society is a role-playing game magazine devoted to Traveller, commonly abbreviated JTAS.

Traveller is a science fiction role-playing game first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop. Marc Miller designed Traveller with help from Frank Chadwick, John Harshman, and Loren Wiseman. Editions were published for GURPS, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Miller (game designer)</span> American game designer (born 1947)

Marc William Miller is a wargame and role-playing game designer and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Chadwick</span> American game designer and author

Frank Chadwick is an American game designer and New York Times best selling author. He has designed hundreds of games, his most notable being the role-playing games En Garde!, Space: 1889 and Twilight 2000, and the wargame series Europa and The Third World War, as well as creating Traveller with Marc Miller. He has won multiple awards for his work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loren Wiseman</span> American role-playing game designer

Loren Keith Wiseman was an American wargame and role-playing game designer, game developer and editor.

<i>GURPS Traveller</i> Tabletop role-playing game

GURPS Traveller is a set of table-top role-playing game books by Steve Jackson Games, designed to allow game play in the Third Imperium science-fiction setting from the original Traveller using the GURPS rule system. Loren Wiseman wrote the core book for GURPS Traveller and served as line editor.

<i>Azhanti High Lightning</i> Board wargame published in 1980

Azhanti High Lightning is a science-fiction wargame, designed by Frank Chadwick and Marc W. Miller, illustrated by Paul R. Banner, Charmaine Geist, Richard Hentz, and Richard Flory, and published by Game Designers Workshop (GDW) in 1980. The title is the name of the large military starship that provides the setting for close-action combat between individuals on board. Azhanti High Lightning is the fourth Traveller boardgame published by GDW. It was republished in 2004 as part of Far Future Enterprises's (FFE) Traveller: The Classic Games, Games 1-6+. Originally Supplement 5: Lightning Class Cruisers was only available as part of this game, it was republished in 2000 as part of FFE's Traveller Supplements volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Andrew Keith</span> American game designer

John Andrew Keith was an American author and games developer.

John Harshman is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.

<i>Traveller Book 0: An Introduction to Traveller</i> Science-fiction role-playing game supplement

Traveller Book 0: An Introduction to Traveller is a tabletop role-playing game supplement, written by Loren K. Wiseman for Traveller, and published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1981. The 32-page book acts as an introduction to Traveller, and is designed to be read by those who are new to the hobby of role-playing generally, and particularly to Traveller.

<i>Traveller Supplement 11: Library Data</i> (N-Z) Science-fiction role-playing game supplement

Traveller Supplement 11: Library Data (N-Z) is a tabletop role-playing game supplement, published by Game Designers' Workshop.

<i>Traveller Alien Module 1: Aslan</i> 1984 Science-fiction role-playing game supplement

Traveller Alien Module 1: Aslan is a 1984 role-playing game supplement for Traveller, Written by J. Andrew Keith, John Harshman, and Marc W. Miller, cover by David Deitrick, and published by Game Designers' Workshop. Part of the classic Traveller Alien Modules series.

<i>The Traveller Adventure</i> Tabletop role-playing game

The Traveller Adventure is a campaign of linked adventures published by Game Designers' Workshop in 1983 for the science fiction tabletop role-playing game Traveller, and a companion volume for The Traveller Book.

<i>BeltStrike: Riches and Danger in the Bowman Belt</i> Science-fiction role-playing game supplement

BeltStrike: Riches and Danger in the Bowman Belt is a 1984 tabletop role-playing game adventure, written by J. Andrew Keith, with a cover by David Deitrick for Traveller published by Game Designers' Workshop. One of the classic Traveller Modules series.

<i>Traveller Alien Module 3: Vargr</i> Science-fiction role-playing game supplement

Traveller Alien Module 3: Vargr is a 1984 tabletop role-playing game supplement, written by J. Andrew Keith, John Harshman, and Marc W. Miller for Traveller published by Game Designers' Workshop. Part of the classic Traveller Alien Modules series.

<i>Traveller Supplement 8: Library Data</i> (A-M) Science-fiction role-playing game supplement

Traveller Supplement 8: Library Data (A-M) is a 1981 tabletop role-playing game supplement written by Frank Chadwick, John Harshman, Marc W. Miller, and Loren K. Wiseman for Traveller published by Game Designers' Workshop. Thirteen Traveller supplements were published. A single collected volume was published by Far Future Enterprises in 2000.

<i>Traveller Alien Module 8: Darrians</i> Science-fiction role-playing game supplement


Traveller Alien Module 8: Darrians is a Science-fiction tabletop roleplaying game supplement, written by Marc Miller, Robert Parker, Nancy Parker and Matt Renner, and a cover by David Dietrick. Published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1987 as a 40-page bookfor the science fiction role-playing game Traveller. It was the eighth supplement dealing with various alien races found in the Traveller universe, and part of the classic Traveller Alien Modules series. A revised edition Alien Module 3: Darrians, by Pete Nash was published in 2010 by Mongoose Publishing.

<i>Traveller Alien Module 6: Solomani</i> Science-fiction role-playing game

Traveller Alien Module 6: Solomani is a supplement published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1986 for the science fiction role-playing game Traveller.

<i>Alien Realms</i> Science-fiction role-playing game

Alien Realms is an anthology of adventures published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1983 for the science fiction role-playing game Traveller.

<i>Traveller Alien Module 7: Hivers</i> Science-fiction role-playing game

Traveller Alien Module 7: Hivers is a supplement published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1986 for the science fiction role-playing game Traveller.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Miller, Marc (2010). Guide to Classic Traveller (1 ed.). USA: Far Futures.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Appelcline, Shannon (2014). Designers & Dragons. '70-'79 : A history of the roleplaying game industry (2nd ed.). Silver Springs, MD, USA: Evil Hat Productions. ISBN   978-1-61317-075-5.
  3. ↑ "Traveller". Wayne's Books RPG Reference. Waynes Books. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Guide to Hardcopy Classic Traveller Reprints" (PDF). www.farfuture.net. Far Future Enterprises. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic worlds : a history and guide to role-playing games. Buffalo: Prometheus Books. ISBN   0-87975-652-7.
  6. ↑ ONeill, John. "How Much Adventure Can Fit on One Planet? Find Out in Tarsus: World Beyond the Frontier – Black Gate". www.blackgate.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "Traveller: The Classic Games, Games 1-6+". BoardGameGeek. BoardGameGeek LLC. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Miller, Marc W. (1990). [MegaTraveller]. Fighting ships of the shattered imperium. Bloomington, IL: GDW. ISBN   1-55878-050-5.
  9. ↑ "The SF Site Featured Review: Marc Miller's Traveller: Gateway to the Stars". www.sfsite.com.
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