The Inside Scoop on Gaming

DISCLAIMER: This review is for those of you who have never played, looked at, considered or even thought about a Science Fiction RPG called Traveller. Those of you who are already players, old vets of the Imperium or have more than a passing interest, you do not need to read this review, there's nothing here you don't already know.

I have been gaming longer than I care, or can even remember. I have always heard about this science fiction game with the little black books, no boxed sets and no hard cover volumes.

"What kinda game is that?" I said.

It's a game I would've loved!

It all started when I was browsing through the GURPS section at my local hobby store. GURPS Traveller jumped out at me with it's stark black cover.

"Hey, I remember seeing this game... from years ago." I said (to myself -of course).

Now, I am fully aware of the T4 line of products, I was just never interested in it.

After leafing through the pages of GURPS Traveller, I was sold.

And so was the book.

I rushed home and dove into this volume!

In typical GURPS fashion it has all the chapters laid out in the mandatory form (Background, Characters, Equipment, Conversions, etc.).

I was really impressed by the art in here! Hats off to those people!

If you play GURPS with any seriousness, get this book.

If you are a completionist, you've already bought it.

If you already play another science fiction rpg, check out GURPS Traveller anyway. It's great source material for almost any game system.

If you've never looked into Traveller, do so NOW, with GURPS Traveller.

One feature that I especially liked was the character section. The character Templates really make it easy to get up and running with your Traveller game. These are the same type of Templates that are found within the GURPS Wizards book. They work like a charm in Traveller format. The equipment and supplies section is really informative and well done. Notes and conversions are made for other versions of Traveller. This one GURPS book is supported by twenty years of supplements!

The Starship section gives several ship stats, designs and floor-plans. There are even a few ground vehicles thrown in for good measure.

The following sections blew me away! Not only do you get a detailed setting, stellar map, ships, character templates, equipment and conversions, but they even threw in rules for Modular Spaceship design and Space Combat! Not bad, eh?

The background of Traveller is very detailed and yet wide open enough for any type of campaign. There are several aliens included with this book, and there are more to follow. There are wars aplenty, political strife, oppression and espionage. Everything needed to make a game exciting.

There is going to be a hard cover of this sourcebook, and you may need it. You'll most likely wear out this soft cover book in a matter of weeks from repeated readings.

There are several new source books planned for the GURPS Traveller line. That is not usually the case with the GURPS line, most books are usually stand alone supplements. So that is a pleasant surprise. If you really like the GURPS version of Traveller, then SJ Games will keep your addiction fed.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

GURPS Traveller
Author: Loren K. Wiseman Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Cost: $22.95 Page count: 178 pages ISBN: 1-55634-349-3 Capsule Review by John Snyder on 10/05/98. Genre tags: Science_fiction Far_Future	DISCLAIMER: This review is for those of you who have never played, looked at, considered or even thought about a Science Fiction RPG called Traveller. Those of you who are already players, old vets of the Imperium or have more than a passing interest, you do not need to read this review, there's nothing here you don't already know. I have been gaming longer than I care, or can even remember. I have always heard about this science fiction game with the little black books, no boxed sets and no hard cover volumes. "What kinda game is that?" I said. It's a game I would've loved! It all started when I was browsing through the GURPS section at my local hobby store. GURPS Traveller jumped out at me with it's stark black cover. "Hey, I remember seeing this game... from years ago." I said (to myself -of course). Now, I am fully aware of the T4 line of products, I was just never interested in it. After leafing through the pages of GURPS Traveller, I was sold. And so was the book. I rushed home and dove into this volume! In typical GURPS fashion it has all the chapters laid out in the mandatory form (Background, Characters, Equipment, Conversions, etc.). I was really impressed by the art in here! Hats off to those people! If you play GURPS with any seriousness, get this book. If you are a completionist, you've already bought it. If you already play another science fiction rpg, check out GURPS Traveller anyway. It's great source material for almost any game system. If you've never looked into Traveller, do so NOW, with GURPS Traveller. One feature that I especially liked was the character section. The character Templates really make it easy to get up and running with your Traveller game. These are the same type of Templates that are found within the GURPS Wizards book. They work like a charm in Traveller format. The equipment and supplies section is really informative and well done. Notes and conversions are made for other versions of Traveller. This one GURPS book is supported by twenty years of supplements! The Starship section gives several ship stats, designs and floor-plans. There are even a few ground vehicles thrown in for good measure. The following sections blew me away! Not only do you get a detailed setting, stellar map, ships, character templates, equipment and conversions, but they even threw in rules for Modular Spaceship design and Space Combat! Not bad, eh? The background of Traveller is very detailed and yet wide open enough for any type of campaign. There are several aliens included with this book, and there are more to follow. There are wars aplenty, political strife, oppression and espionage. Everything needed to make a game exciting. There is going to be a hard cover of this sourcebook, and you may need it. You'll most likely wear out this soft cover book in a matter of weeks from repeated readings. There are several new source books planned for the GURPS Traveller line. That is not usually the case with the GURPS line, most books are usually stand alone supplements. So that is a pleasant surprise. If you really like the GURPS version of Traveller, then SJ Games will keep your addiction fed. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)