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Let me say at the onset, I do recognize wading through all those versions of Traveller sourcebooks, consolidating, purging and creating a new vibe is daunting task. Nevertheless surely all writers that write under the tag line – Third Imperium must really do to reflect back to the what has been written for the Official/Original Traveller Universe. Don’t get me wrong, this Mongoose supplement does not stray very far from what has been written before but the tone it imparts is different. Whereas, previous products left you in a state of confusion – just what is a Starport? Is it an airport?? Port city akin to what visits on a cruise?? Loading area?? Or just big berthing station? Mongoose settles this question once and for (or at least until their license expires or T5 comes along).
Therefore, it is only logical that the book begins with a short discussion Starport Classification Codes that have been knocking around since Classic Traveller. These helped the Referee a little but left much to the imagination and the discretion of the individual Referee. This Mongoose supplement seeks to redefine Starports in their essence, Starports are akin the commercial City-States of the Renaissance – a venerable archipelago of trading locales that weave the Imperium together. This puts the Starport, as the pre-eminent Imperial institution on the planetary surface (or in High Orbit above it or both) of the worlds of the Imperium. Before a single grognard/canonista can cry that the Imperium merely rules the space between the worlds – it is not true. Starports were always assumed to be Imperial territory – all this does is change the scale – from a measly outpost or airport to a city-sized urban confabulation (which does not include the Startown). The supplement then proceeds to introduce lots of new and interesting rules such as salvaging for scrap from a scrap yard to what one might expect to pay for different repair jobs.
Next up are Starport Encounters, a section which is venerable mixed bag whose tropes range from the routine to those an elicit nature (even going so far as providing a nice excuse for those Referees of a more prudish nature citing that some sources may be excellent sources of information, even if the players do not avail of themselves of said services). Bravo to Mongoose, for keeping the game clean yet does revealing that there can be a dark underbelly to Traveller. These encounters are far from comprehensive rather it is to give the Referee a flavour in which to populate their own Starports. I was really impressed by this chapter and while most of the tropes are quite familiar, it was nice to see them all in one place. So these encounters are best viewed as seeds either for adventures or red herrings for these are at best sketches that help the Referee populate her/his Starports.
Next up, we have a Starport Construction unit, while it does provide all the costs and assembly components for the most avid of builders.** However, it could be that these rules are going also find form in the upcoming Dynasty (i.e. those players who wish to become Empire Builders) sourcebook. I tended to use this chapter as a checklist for the different components of a Starport. Scattered throughout are interesting rules/scenario ideas to make the text less dry and fun to read, even, if you are not building Starports.
Lastly, there are sample Starports which combine a description of the Starport along with adventure seeds and seedlings. None of these amount to a full-fledged adventure but it does help flesh out some of the drier parts of what went before it. The adventure seeds are firmly planted in the OTU which a welcome change (and an expectation as this is marketed under the Third Imperium line) from many of the previous Mongoose books which are nominally Third Imperium. The seeds vary but they do definitely have a soft Space Opera-y*** feel to them, just not MTU, to be sure but I would have no problem adapting them to meet my Harder SF. This section could really benefit from some art but sadly none was commissioned.
Also, another drawback are the examples of Starports while drawn from the Third Imperium do not really jive with what has previously been written about the Third Imperium (including the mood set up by the supplement) – take for instance, the Starport that is essentially a huge mobile harvester or a Starport that serves a “hunting lodge”…very much a staple of Science Fiction but a pretty wicked idea for Traveller. Good ideas are littered throughout and maybe as I said in need of some modification by the Referee to adjust it to their Traveller Universe or just what the good doctor has long argued for a shake up of the Official Traveller Universe (again this ain’t your granddaddy’s Traveller). Also, problematic is that the locations of the Starports are not clearly indicated in all cases, nor, their classification code. True, it would be listed on the world code but why would I want to look that information up in another book?
We do have some new ships along with their deck plans. The ships look nice and are functional but I would have thought more Search & Recovery ships or loading/unloading vehicles would be more in order. Or even that the product is hot on the heels of Robot, sample Starport robots would be in order either simple spherical observational drones to massive robotic stevedores but all this is left to the Referee’s imagination.
What are the drawbacks of this product?
There are a few, but they are glaring. First, as part of their Third Imperium line, it implies that that it is part of the OTU yet there are scant references to Starports outside of the Imperium proper. We have already had three Alien Modules and Sector Guides that include non-Imperial polities therefore a reconnect back to those modules would have been welcome and therefore some discussion of Starports in these alien societies is needed. And, it could lay down the foundation for future alien supplements by highlighting some of the differences rather deferring this discussion to S&P.
Next up, there the omission of the SPA as a Career path not a terrible thing, as one could use the standard template for Bureaucrat but as all other versions of Traveller highlighted this as a separate career, I was surprised at its omission. For one never knows when someone might want to play a career bureaucrat from the SPA… However, the text implied a discussion of a SPA career path and when no such section appeared; it registered more of a surprise than serious shortcoming.
There was some discussion of Startown (those areas outside the Starport’s Externality line) but no real rules…hopefully these interesting and colourful places will get a supplement of their own.
As it stands now, these issues will have to be addressed in an S&P article…not a bad thing, but when I buy a supplement, I expect it to be complete or nearly complete. So, it is yet another sign of haste and poor editing prior to publication that should have should have spelled out these expectations. Speaking of editing, the text was scattered…rules that should have be logically paired together were often found in radically different section. These sound like nitpicking but the editing issue makes it sometimes difficult to read forcing the reader to read the whole book again to put it all together and makes it hard to find rules. Also, associated with editing is glaring typos such as, to give but one example amongst quite a few, in one of the Starport description, it first states the name of the world is Mewey then a few paragraphs later, it states it as Dewey then reverts back to Mewey. I realize that this is the result of a spellchecker but the author should have been aware of this prior to submitting the proof and editors at Mongoose should catch these little but important things. Notwithstanding, there are fewer errors than some of the other books that I have seen out there. Just with the name of Traveller comes a certain expectation and editing errors like these damage reputation of the brand.
Lastly, the product is bereft almost entirely of art. As art, not only makes text easier to read but also serves to inspire. So, it was very surprising at the lack of art in this book giving the book an almost dry flavour. Now, this is not an argument for art for art’s sake but RPG supplements that need to inspire ought to have a healthy dose of art. And, I can think of no better place to inspire a sense of wonder than a Starport. So its omission is a strange thing, begging the question: “why did Mongoose do it?” Surely, there are artists who have mastered the sense of wonder and grit that would have easily commissioned to fill the pages of this volume. If not, even the Starport art in the T5 CD ROM is better than having no art at all. Ok, I am exaggerating a bit it does boast a fantastic cover and deck plan-y things at the back of the book. Notwithstanding, Mongoose, more art should not be a frill but part of the execution of a Traveller product – without sounding too much like a pain in the arts.
Therefore, I came with great expectations for this product? Was I satisfied? I would say the product is well worth its price, if you own none of the Traveller products dealing with Starports (especially, Cargonaut’s Lost Keith Supplement on Starports or Keith’s article for MT in Far and Away) – this is a solid product that does break some new ground for Traveller (as one has to remember Mongoose ain’t your Granddaddy’s Traveller). If you are a completist, as many Traveller players are…then you will find gems amidst the rough in this supplement.
So without hesitation, I would give this one 5 out of 5 stars for Substance, as the parts that it covered are doing really well and do add to any Mongoose Traveller game.
Unfortunately, if were not for the slipshod editing that should have paired more rules together, done more for the non-Imperium Starports and the general lack of art, Style is reduced to 3 out of 5. Had Mongoose paid more attention to these areas, then easily, I would have awarded them 5 out of 5.
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**Traveller does seem to attract solitary players and Referees who like to build things called gearheads. To be honest, these rules are at best, guidelines for me who prefers a more fly-by-the-seat of your pants approach…so I have no idea if the formulae add up or how they look in a spreadsheet but the rules are there and they are solid – I can happily report.
***Very much akin to what T20 was doing in their Traveller’s Aide series. I am not sure if this intentional shift toward Space Opera or just the author’s own preferences. Hopefully, future authors will take note of the rules and make Harder SF scenarios which I have always used Starports as the Casablanca or BJ and the Bear pit stops in Spaaace.
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