Funksaw Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Traveller obviously did not take into account the effects of advance medicine and bioengineering either. Otherwise characters would not start to age at 30-something. I don't know. I still love the game, but I feel it is already beginning to be terribly obsolescent. It is obviously a product of the late 70's and early 80's - before computers/communications and genetics showed their enormous potential. It definitely needs an extensive background overhaul... or maybe it's time for a change to a sort of "interstellar Transhuman Space"? Nah. If Serenity can do without tons of genetic modifications and cyborgs and nanites, so can Traveller. I think the big problem with Traveller is not that it's aged so much as, in Sci-Fi, we have great programs like Serenity and Babalon 5 and Farscape playing up, for most episodes, highly specialized themes (Survival and Self-Sufficiency; Realpolitik and Man's Limited Significance In the Universe; Culture Shock and Alienation) that when we're presented with a highly detailed setting without those highly specialized themes, it can seem dated in comparison. For example, Star Trek TNG now seems dated not just because somehow TV writers suddenly learned to write sometime around 1997 (just a smidge too late for the Doctor Who TV Movie, I'm afraid) but also because the theme changes from week to week and the setting is just a backdrop. So when Traveller presents a setting without a particular -theme- it's going to feel horribly dated. This also creates a problem when pitching Traveller to potential players; The one Traveller game suffered because - well, because I was in Grad School, but more than that, they were playing it like Flash Gorden when I wanted it to be more like Serenity. Now I make sure all the players are cool on -theme- because I honestly believe that -theme- is more important than -genre.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funksaw Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement They're selling lazer printers (monochrome, admittedly) for about $125 these days. The only reason why people don't get the lazer printers, I think, is because people simply don't know any better. There are three things that make a lazer printer a better value for me: Better print quality, faster printing, and you save the money in ink cartridges for only mild use in the first 3 months. I reccomend the HP Lazerjet 1020 - small, compact and cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSgeekHero Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement I have a couple of questions. 1. Any general time frame for release of the main book? 2. If a print book, would it be available only at comstar's site or have many points-of-sale? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement My friends and I started playing Traveller after Star Wars came out and that was the flavor we were hoping for. When my first PC died during the creation process, we knew there were some bugs to work out. Once I had a character survive, he was below average in a number of stats and armed with a weapon that statted out like a WW2 M1 carbine, and lacked either sufficient skills, cash, or influence to get hired. That is when I realized how much a character generation system like Hero would add to increasing game enjoyment. Who wants to play an average Joe in a role playing game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement This also creates a problem when pitching Traveller to potential players; The one Traveller game suffered because - well' date=' because I was in Grad School, but more than that, they were playing it like Flash Gorden when I wanted it to be more like Serenity. Now I make sure all the players are cool on -theme- because I honestly believe that -theme- is more important than -genre.-[/quote'] Well, I would say the difference between Serenity and Buck Rogers is as much about style and attitude as it is thematic. And to be fair, it's not that TNG didn't have themes: utopian future, reason trumps passion, technology can (eventually) solve all our problems, etc. They just weren't always handled in a consistant and believable fashion. But having said that, I totally agree with you about the importance of theme in RPGs. Theme gets a bad rap sometimes, I think, because some people confuse it with having a "moral" to preach, or see it as a license to railroad. But handled well, theme can serve as the spine that holds a campaign together. As far as Traveller not having a theme, I think that's an interesting point. Certainly I've played in some Traveller campaigns that had themes, but that was generally something the GM inserted into the setting. OTOH, is leaving theme up to the GM really a bad thing? One of the advantages of the Traveller setting is that it's big enough to tell a lot of different types of stories. If you limit a setting to a particular theme, does that limit the "universality" of the universe? Has Traveller stayed popular for all these years in spite of it's lack of a theme, or (partly) because of it? As a related question: Do Terran Empire or Alien Wars have themes? Should they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Who wants to play an average Joe in a role playing game? Quite a lot of people, actually - witness the popularity of Call of Cthulu and similar games. It's not my preferred beverage, but playing the "normal" person who overcomes extraordinary odds, etc. can be very rewarding. It's a different sort of wish fulfilment than you get playing supers, but still enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silbeg Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Printer + $30 worth of ink = hard copy that still needs to be bound Someone needs to get a cheap laser printer... I love my samung ML-1740, a printer that practically costs less than its new toner cartridge. I just buy refills (on eBay) for about $5-10 a fill... and get 2500 pages (or more) out of each. Cheap by any accounting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Someone needs to get a cheap laser printer... I love my samung ML-1740, a printer that practically costs less than its new toner cartridge. I just buy refills (on eBay) for about $5-10 a fill... and get 2500 pages (or more) out of each. Cheap by any accounting! Wow, that is what I would call economical! I use a inkjet, and get about 450 pages per ink cartridge. I do want to make it clear that while all of the Traveller Hero products will have a pdf option, many will also be available in print. Just wanted to clarify... William ComStar http://www.comstar-games.com PS: I know that most of us are voting for Hero Games for Fans Choice: Best Publisher. But, please remember that you can put another company as an alternate choice.... and ComStar happens to be nominated too... you know... in case anyone was considering voting for a second company too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwolf Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement If you don't have a laser a reasonal option is www.printfu.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement I have heard that printfu is very expensive. Perhaps we can try to find an option for providing a cheaper print option for people. William Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaRagno Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!! I "found" Hero sys couple of year ago and realized it was golden genius. I've done Trav off+on more than 8 years. Best background + ideas ever. Put 'em together and WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!! This goes on TEGLOWSTGTWIHTT The Ever Growing List Of Web Sites To Go To When I Have The Time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Very good to hear... I hope you like what the Traveller Hero Group comes up with...:) William Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starblaze Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement LOL! Lexmark has some pretty vile ink pricing. I once picked up a Lexmark printer as part of a PC package for free. I ran out of color ink, since my wife and I were just getting used to the whole color thing (I'm a B&W laser fan from waybackinnaday. When I went to look for ink, I was stunned at the price. It was actually cheaper for me (after rebates) to buy a new printer and get the included free ink than to buy the Lexmark ink. That made me realize that I never, and I do mean never, want to use an inkjet of any sort as a primary printer. It was when my printer broke down that I found out that it is often cheaper to just go and buy and new printer than actually have one fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Did I miss it? Is it done? Oh, please; pardon my drooling..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaRagno Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Did I miss it? Is it done? Oh, please; pardon my drooling..... "There," she said, giving the duke a washcloth, "that should take care of the drool." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Many thanks; I was in danger of looking foolish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaRagno Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Many thanks; I was in danger of looking foolish. Not foolish, just moist around the chin, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erkenfresh Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement It was when my printer broke down that I found out that it is often cheaper to just go and buy and new printer than actually have one fixed. And this is why Lexmark's business model is broken. But, they still pay me, so I can't complain. Err, I quoted the wrong guy, I meant to quote the guy who said a new printer was cheaper than a cartridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P. Inverarity Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement I have heard that printfu is very expensive. Perhaps we can try to find an option for providing a cheaper print option for people. William You may want to check this out: http://www.lulu.com/ I have no experience with it (or connection to it) myself, but I do know that several designers at the Forge use it. You may want to check out their small-press help page as well as their publishing forum: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/resources/index.php?category=9 http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?board=12.0 Best of luck. I have to say that the idea of Traveller Hero gets me more excited these days than T5. Can't wait for your next announcement... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement If Traveller HERO doesn't pan out, will you be reposting your PDF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale A. Ward Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Regarding the cost of using PrintFu... I went to the site and requested a quote on a 300-page job. The total... $16 Chicken feed, if you ask me... and I'm not a rich man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement So when will Taveller Hero be out for purchace??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eodin Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement We are currently adding good stuff in the Starship Construction chapter and several other chapters. Our goal is to make this good, rather than crank something out as fast as possible. The original hope was to have it ready for GenCon, but "life issues" have slowed down my part in the group effort. Once the completed manuscript has been reviewed and approved by Marc Miller and HERO, ComStar can provide the official release date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Our goal is to make this good' date=' rather than crank something out as fast as possible.[/quote'] Kudos to you all for that. I've waited this long, I suppose I can wait a little longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Kudos to you all for that. I've waited this long' date=' I suppose I can wait a [i']little[/i] longer. Uhm... FireFly/Serenity Fan Are yah??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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