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58-405: The Birthright Campaign Setting contains three books, a gamemaster's screen , two maps, over 100 cards to use for resolving large battles, and 12 reference cards, all of which are in full color. The set includes a new combat system for large fantasy army battles, where cards represent regiments and a position sheet indicate which side is holding the line and which is on the flank. The set includes

116-426: A GM's screen , is a gaming accessory, usually made out of either cardboard or card stock , and is used by the gamemaster to hide all the relevant data related to a tabletop role-playing game session from the players in order to not spoil the plot of the story. It also hides any dice rolls made by the gamemaster that players should not see. In addition, screens often have essential tables and information printed on

174-511: A "Gamemaster's Screen" for Star Trek: The Role Playing Game — possibly the first commercial use of the term "gamemaster's screen". Since then, many companies have produced gamemaster's screens for their particular games. The appearance of the gamemaster's screen elicited various responses from critics. In the October-November 1977 edition of White Dwarf (Issue #3), Don Turnbull reviewed The Judge's Shield and found it

232-488: A 1996 reader poll by Arcane magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time, Traveller (as either Traveller , MegaTraveller , or Traveller: The New Era ) was ranked 3rd. The magazine's editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Although originally intended as a generic science fiction system, Traveller quickly became linked with the Imperium campaign background developed by GDW... This background offers

290-402: A 4 out of 10 for experienced players who already owned the original rule booklets; but for new players, he rated it a perfect 10 out of 10. In the inaugural edition of Games International (October 1988), Jake Thornton gave MegaTraveller an above-average rating of 4 out of 5, saying, "Although there are some typos and omissions, overall, MegaTraveller is a success. If you like your SF on

348-500: A bad episode of Star Trek ." He also pointed out that character growth in the game is very slow: "PCs acquire new skills and abilities about as fast as a tree trunk acquires new growth rings." He also wanted to see more setting information. But he concluded that the fourth edition of Traveller was close to perfect, giving it a top rating of 6 out of 6 and saying, "Time-tested and buffed to a sheen, Traveller will endure as long there's enough plastic to manufacture six-sided dice." In

406-446: A design standpoint... This mark of distinction is the main reason why I consider Traveller the finest commercially available role-playing game." Goldberg didn't consider it perfect, criticizing the game's lack of imaginary vision of technology of the future. Although he liked the "sophisticated and elegant" character generation system, he felt that "All too often, a player will have to spend an entire afternoon rolling dice before he gains

464-660: A genetically engineered species. A character can be civilian, military, or noble, a young cadet, or a tried-and-true veteran, each with strengths and weaknesses. Death during character generation is possible in some editions, a mechanic that became infamous. Characters have six primary characteristics, generated by a roll of two six-sided dice. Other characteristics also exist to add nuance to alien characters. Some characters have extra-sensory perception, telekinesis, telepathy, and other psychic abilities, which are organized and standardized into "psionics". Equipment emphasizes wilderness exploration, hazardous environments, and combat. As

522-414: A grand, starspanning scale [...] then MegaTraveller is the system for you." In his 1990 book The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games , game critic Rick Swan called this science fiction role-playing game "the standard by which all others are measured ... a brilliant design of remarkable scope ... and a milestone in the hobby." Swan felt this game's popularity stemmed from two reasons: "First, many of

580-471: A great degree of freedom for individual referees to run campaigns of their own devising, while providing enough basic groundwork to build from, and has proved to be immensely successful. Everything from political intrigue to action-packed mercenary actions, trading or scientific exploration is possible, and a lot more besides.... Traveller [is] one of the true classics of the roleplaying hobby". Scott Taylor for Black Gate in 2013 rated Traveller as #2 in

638-556: A horizontal (landscape) orientation. This design allowed the gamemaster to peer over the lower middle section more easily. The Judge's Shield had tables on both sides of the screen, with information relevant to the players on their side, and information for the gamemaster on the other side. Information included "Attack matrices with minus armor classes, saving throws, weapons' strikes & damages, weapon priority, phantasmal forces, encounters, experience points & levels, monster compendium of statistics." The Judge's Shield proved to be

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696-415: A new take on power gaming : "The trick in power gaming is to make the players feel the responsibilities that accompany great power, but to keep it fun. And that's where Birthright comes in. Other games have tried to do fantasy roleplaying on a kingdom-wide scale; Birthright is the first to succeed." He felt that the setting was a "fairly typical high fantasy world (though not without its twists)", but that

754-400: A number of books that influenced Traveller and provided its key features: Some of these key features include: Traveller uses a lifepath-style system for character generation . Characters get skills and experience in a mini-game where the player makes career choices determining the character's life up to the point before adventuring begins. A character can be human, robot, alien, or of

812-428: A popular item, and less than a year after it was introduced, it had become Judges Guild's second best-selling product. In 1979, Judges Guild also produced a gamemaster screen for Game Designers' Workshop 's science fiction role-playing game Traveller . This consisted of four pieces of 8.5" x 11" green cardstock, designed to be taped together to form a four-panel screen. Once again, tables and information relevant to

870-492: A random mix of worlds. Early in the adventures and supplements, a default setting emerged, based on in-house play tests done for the game. In this setting, the human-dominated Third Imperium is the largest interstellar empire in charted space, a feudalistic union of worlds, where local nobility operate largely free from oversight and restricted by convention and feudal obligations. The setting features descendants of humanity who are collectively called Humaniti . These include

928-545: A reasonable character." Goldberg concluded with a positive recommendation: "If you have at least a casual interest in science fiction and role-playing, you should definitely invest in a copy of Traveller " In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman commented, " Traveller is the only serious attempt to provide a really comprehensive set of role-playing rules for science fiction: interstellar travel, exploration, trade, combat at all levels, and so on." Freeman warned potential players, "Considering

986-566: A rebellion which shattered the Imperium. Supplements and magazines produced during this era detailed the progression of the rebellion from the initial assassination of the Emperor in 1116 to the collapse of large-scale interstellar trade in roughly 1124 (the beginning of the supplement Hard Times ). Set in the former territory of the Third Imperium after interstellar government and society had largely collapsed. TNE introduced Virus ,

1044-628: A result, equipment lists are heavy on vehicles, sensor equipment, communicators, rations, personal armor , and weapons. Starships range from small one-person scouts, to giant planetoid colony ships. Design rules balance power, life support, and defenses for consistent ships. GDW published several board games allowing Traveller space battles to be played out as games in their own right - Mayday , Brilliant Lances and Battle Rider for example. Worlds range from barren planetoid moons to large gas giant worlds, from uncolonized territories to planets with billions of people. The world generation rules produce

1102-545: A silicon-chip life form that infected and took over computers. The game mechanics used GDW's house system, derived from Twilight: 2000 , 2nd Ed . T4 is set in the early days of the Third Imperium ( Milieu 0 ), with the small, newly formed empire surrounded by regressed or barbaric worlds. Designed by Loren K. Wiseman and published in 1998, GURPS Traveller uses the third edition of the GURPS system and takes place in an alternate timeline in which no Rebellion occurred and Virus

1160-659: A sourcebook outlining domains and key characters in the region of Anuire. Anuire is influenced by medieval England and France. The Birthright Campaign Setting was designed by Rich Baker and Colin McComb . The Birthright Campaign Setting set won the Origins Award for New Role-Playing Supplement in 1995. Scott Haring reviewed the Birthright Campaign Setting for Pyramid #16 (November/December 1995). Haring thought that Birthright presented

1218-438: A strong recommendation, saying, " Traveller is a unique SF game and probably the best of the role-playing variety. It offers a colorful but consistent future for players to adventure in." In the inaugural edition of Ares (March 1980), David Ritchie was enthusiastic about Traveller , giving it an above average rating of 8 out of 9 and commenting, "This game starts off where Dungeons & Dragons left off, but, if there

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1276-518: A very useful tool, saying, "These panels contain virtually all the information needed for DM and players during a game, and moreover are much more durable than the Ready Ref Sheets . Unless you have made up your own, an essential for any serious DM." In the UK magazine Imagine , Jez Keen called the tables printed on TSR's Dungeon Master's Screen more useful and accessible than those found in

1334-418: Is a tabletop role-playing game. Characters journey between star systems, engaging in exploration, ground and space battles, and interstellar trading. One player, the game master or referee, oversees task attempts and guides events as the players explore the setting. Characters are defined not by the need to increase native skill and ability but by achievements, discoveries, wealth, and so on. Marc Miller lists

1392-460: Is a worthy successor to this tradition." In his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground , RPG historian Stu Horvath noted, " Traveller is the first RPG that feels like a distinct game, free of D&D ' s direct influence on its design ... The original Traveller still stands as one of the most significant traditional sci-fi RPGs, thanks in part, to its proximity to the dawn of

1450-431: Is also of the best quality; the printing is an entirely professional job." Watson liked that experience points were not emphasized in gameplay: "It is refreshing to see that the adventures and color of the game's play is reward enough and the players are not channeling their energy into the rather silly chase of ethereal experience points. Too often, this chase becomes more important than actual play itself!" He concluded with

1508-676: Is any justice, will end up being more popular than that venerable relic. For one thing, the Traveller rules are fairly consistent (moreso than is usual for such games)." In the May–June 1980 edition of The Space Gamer (Issue No. 28), Forrest Johnson gave a good review, saying, " Traveller is the best game of its type, recommended for the sophisticated science fiction gamer." In the November 1980 edition of Ares (Issue #5), Eric Goldberg called Traveller "a most impressive achievement from

1566-426: Is cosmopolitan and contains many technologically advanced sophonts , a term borrowed from earlier science fiction material. The setting principally concerns itself with six major races that developed faster-than-light travel independently. In addition to Humaniti, the standard list of major races includes the honor-bound catlike Aslan , the winged lizard-like Droyne , the sixfold-symmetric and manipulative Hivers ,

1624-466: Is influenced by various literary works and emphasizes commerce, sociological stratification, and a mix of low and high technology. The setting is centered around the human-dominated Third Imperium, a feudalistic interstellar empire. Despite the focus on humans, the Traveller universe is cosmopolitan and features various races, including major races like Aslan, Droyne, Hivers, K'kree, and Vargr, as well as numerous minor races. The game's history also features

1682-538: The Dungeon Masters Guide rulebook. By 1992, Rick Swan opined that buying the ubiquitous gamemaster's screen had become a waste of money: "Consisting of a few cardboard panels and a handful of tables copied directly from the rule books, referee screens are arguably the worst buy in gaming. Anybody with a photocopier, a pair of scissors, and a bottle of glue can put together a customized screen in an hour or two, so there’s little incentive to spring for

1740-533: The Dungeon Masters Screen garnered a Gamer's Choice award that year. The use of artwork on the player's side became the industry standard from that point on. Other game companies quickly followed suit. In 1980, Flying Buffalo created a "Project Director's Screen" for the science fiction role-playing game The Morrow Project ; in 1981, Metagaming released its " Fantasy Masters' Screen " for The Fantasy Trip ; and in 1983, FASA published

1798-694: The Solomani , humans emigrated from Earth within the last few thousand years, the Vilani , humans transplanted from Earth tens of thousands of years ago by the Ancients (see below) who founded the First Imperium, and the Zhodani , psychic humans ruled by psionically-gifted nobles. Despite the thematic dominance of the human race, with most adventures taking place in human space, the Traveller universe

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1856-490: The Traveller concepts are so inventive and revolutionary that they continue to ripple through the RPG industry ... Second, the sheer volume of Traveller material ... ensures that the game will continue to attract attention." Swan concluded by giving the game his top rating of 4 out of 4. Chris W. McCubbin reviewed Traveller: The New Era for Pyramid #2 (July/Aug. 1993) and concluded that, despite some complaints he had about

1914-608: The Ancients, a highly advanced race that left behind ruins and artifacts scattered throughout the universe. Traveller has been published in various editions since 1977. The original version, known as Classic Traveller , was published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW). Throughout the years, the game has evolved, with notable editions including MegaTraveller , Traveller: The New Era , Marc Miller's Traveller , GURPS Traveller , Traveller20 , Traveller Hero , Mongoose Traveller , and Traveller5 . The current rulesets are Traveller5 and Mongoose Traveller 2nd Ed. , both of which draw from

1972-635: The Aslan in Issue 7. Taken together with aliens casually mentioned or introduced in separate scenarios or adventures—often arbitrarily—there is therefore no indication that the number of minor races is limited in any sense. The Ancients were a major race in the distant past; their ruins dot planets throughout charted space and their artifacts are more technically advanced than those of any existing civilization. For unknown reasons, they transplanted humans from Earth to dozens of worlds, uplifted Terran wolves to create

2030-578: The October–November 1981 edition of White Dwarf , Andy Slack reviewed the Deluxe Traveller Edition , a compilation of the three original rules booklets, plus Book 0 - An Introduction to Traveller , and an adventure, "The Imperial Fringe". Slack thought this edition was better laid out, and "typos have been rectified." Because he believed that this edition was not substantially different than the original set, he only rated this edition

2088-463: The September 1978 edition of Dragon (Issue 18), Tony Watson complimented the game on the high production value of its components, saying, "Physically, Traveller is first class, a tradition with Game Designer's Workshop. The box lid and covers of the three booklets are done in a simple but highly effective combination of red and white lettering on a black background. The interior layout and printing

2146-532: The TSR product included two ready-made screens: a two-panel 17" x 11" screen, and a three-panel 25.5" x 11" screen. And while, like the Judges Guilds screens, the gamemaster's side of the screen was covered in tables and information, TSR designed the player's side to be purely decorative, with art by Dave Trampier . (A second printing later the same year featured art by Errol Otus ). The first edition version of

2204-455: The Vargr and transplanted them to another world, and undertook many megascale engineering projects before destroying their civilization in a catastrophic civil war. The original gamebooks were black and digest-sized (known as the "little black books") produced by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW). The main rules were detailed in three such booklets, sold as a boxed set while the same format

2262-448: The authorized version unless you’re a compulsive collector or just plain lazy." Traveller (role-playing game) 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

2320-570: The centaur-like militant vegetarian K'kree , and the wolf-hybrid Vargr . Additional minor races are numerous. An early publication from GDW notes that "The minor races, of which there are hundreds within the area of known space, will be largely left up to individual referees." GDW's quarterly publication, the Journal of the Travellers Aid Society designed by Loren K. Wiseman, sketched out about one race per quarter, starting with

2378-534: The concept of bloodlines made for an important difference. He felt that the domain turns keep things moving in the game, making the Birthright world more realistic. Haring concluded that the set was "an outstanding addition to the AD&;D line" and its take on power gaming "will have you taking a second look at the concept. Highly recommended." Gamemaster%27s screen A gamemaster's screen , also called

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2436-416: The concept of bloodlines, magical powers gained from a family line which tie them a domain, and in which strong bloodlines produce natural leaders; these powerful characters have the awnsheghlien as powerful foes, champions coming from the world's evil bloodlines. Also described are "domain turns", three month periods of time for a domain during which background events occur. The campaign was later recognised as

2494-403: The current rulesets. Both rely on six-sided dice and both draw from the original Traveller rules. The original version was designed and published by GDW in 1977. The core rules originally came as a box set of three black digest-sized books, and were later compiled into a single volume rulebook. This edition is also sometimes called by the retronym Classic Traveller . The game was set during

2552-428: 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. Traveller is a tabletop game where characters journey through star systems, engaging in exploration, ground and space battles, and interstellar trading. Players assume various roles, such as humans, robots, aliens, or genetically engineered species. The game

2610-451: The dice in certain situations is rolled in secret by the gamemaster . In the April–May 1978 edition of White Dwarf (Issue #6), Don Turnbull gave a strong recommendation for the new game, saying, "Altogether, what is here is very satisfactory and much of it is stimulating. The presentation is exemplary, the detail impressive, the treatment exacting and the inventiveness inspired." In

2668-524: The first setting to support player characters as rulers, providing players with a game based on "diplomacy, politics, trade, construction and (of course) war". The three books are the Rule Book which includes character creation and the rules for running domain-level play, the Atlas of Cerilia which is overview of the history and geography of the game setting continent of Cerilia, and Ruins of Empire which

2726-413: The generic SciFi20 system. In 2006, Steve Jackson Games released GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars ( GTISW , sometimes GTIW ) for the 4th edition of GURPS from 2004. The timeline was rolled back to 2170, which is several millennia earlier than the usual Traveller setting, to the early days of Earth's presence in space at the time when Earth first started to send out interstellar ships to include

2784-454: The inside for the gamemaster to easily reference during play. The first commercial gamemaster's screen was the Judge's Shield , produced by Judges Guild in 1977 for use with Dungeons & Dragons . This featured three pieces of 8.5" x 11" cardstock designed to be taped together to form a three-panel screen, the two outer pieces in a vertical (portrait) orientation, and the middle piece in

2842-459: The new version, " Traveller' s still around and that's good. I hope it always will be." In the August 1997 edition of Dragon (Issue 238), Rick Swan reviewed the fourth edition of Traveller , and called it "a masterful effort... the best science-fiction RPG I've ever played." On the downside, Swan thought that "The inclusion of anachronistic weapons like swords and crossbows can turn combat into

2900-475: The original Traveller rules and rely on six-sided dice. Each edition presents different settings, timelines, and mechanics, showcasing the game's adaptability and enduring popularity. Traveller is highly regarded for its production value, sophisticated character generation system, and consistent rules. It has received positive reviews across various editions, with some critics calling it the best science-fiction RPG. Traveller has won multiple Origins Awards and

2958-615: The period just after the Third Interstellar War between the Terran Confederation (Earth) and the gigantic Ziru Sirka Empire (Vland) . A port of the Traveller setting to the Hero System , produced under license by Comstar Games in 2006. Mongoose Publishing published this version both in a traditional format and as an open gaming SRD around which other games may be built. A second edition

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3016-552: The players and the gamemaster were printed on their respective sides. Seeing the commercial success of these accessories, TSR, Inc. published the Dungeon Masters Screen in 1979 for their new Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. This product differed from the two Judges Guild screens in several ways. While the Judges Guild screens came as separate pieces of cardstock that had to be taped together,

3074-414: The territory it seeks to cover, Traveller is necessarily complex, and it presumes on the part of the potential referee considerable familiarity with other role-playing games and the literature of science fiction." Freeman gave this game an Overall Evaluation of "Good", concluding, "For experienced players wishing a truly open-ended, science fiction, role-playing campaign, there is no real alternative." In

3132-600: The top ten role-playing games of all time, saying "Packaged in a plain black jacket with some simple bars of color, there is nothing inherently fancy about Traveller, and yet it has remained a viable source of entertainment to gamers through ten editions and six gaming companies that have controlled its license." In a review of the Mongoose version of Traveller in Black Gate , M Harold Page compared it to what came before and said "The new Mongoose Traveller Core Rule Book

3190-482: Was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 1996. While the game has faced some criticism, such as slow character growth and anachronistic weapons, it remains a classic in the role-playing hobby. Some video games and software have been based on the Traveller universe, including The Imperial Data Recovery System , MegaTraveller 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy , and MegaTraveller 2: Quest for the Ancients . Traveller

3248-590: Was never released. Published by QuickLink Interactive (QLI) in 2002, this version uses the d20 System as its base and is set at the time of the Solomani Rim War around Imperial year 990, about a century before the era depicted in the original game. The preferred setting is the Gateway Domain region of the Imperium. After the company's license to the Traveller brand and setting lapsed, the purely mechanical elements of this game were republished as

3306-420: Was published in 2016 and updated in 2022. It uses a full color production style while resembling the original Traveller rules in scope. A new set of rules made by re-working and integrating concepts from earlier rulesets. The current version, v5.10, was printed in 2019 as three distinct books: Characters and Combat , Starships , and Worlds and Adventures . This edition uses Uncertain checks in which one of

3364-451: Was used for early support material, such as the adventures, supplements and further books. Later supplements and updated versions of the main game system introduced full sized booklets, complete re-writes of the game system and significant changes to the Third Imperium. Though nearly all older versions of Traveller are available in PDF format, Traveller and Mongoose Traveller 2nd Ed. are

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