March 25, 2019

HSG63: Traveller: A Space Opera RPG

56 minutes

In this episode, we are joined by Patrick Kanouse, a sci-fi and mystery novel author, who happens to be a huge fan of Traveller RPG. As one of the first and certainly the most popular space opera RPGs Traveller is one of the classic mainstays of the role-playing industry. Patrick helps us unpack some of the primary themes of Traveller and break down the various editions of the game.

We chat about the big draws for the system. Like the iconic character creation process that's a risk vs reward system that can lead to PC death before the game even begins. We also chat about how insanely flexible the system is from a technology perspective which leads to some cool discussions around some of the most popular Sci-Fi shows out there today and their possible origins (spoiler: we're pretty sure those creators played Traveller).

We also take a swing at talking about Traveller's impact on the industry. Certain rules of traveller have made it into so many other games like our big favorites: Cyberpunk and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.

Some helpful links:

Traveller Map

Wiki

Freelance Traveller

Subreddit

Game Forums

Far Future Games

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