GURPS Traveller By Steve Jackson Games

[@MrfnordTim]

GURPS Traveller had the most amazing magazine ad leading up to its launch: white text on a black background saying, "Hang in there, Beowulf. Help is on the way." Given the state of Traveller at the time, that was pretty much a direct statement to the fandom.

[@page121tabletoproleplaying4]

Well put. I remember that add and couldn't wait for the product.

[@iugoeswest]

GURPS!!

[@darthbrooks4933]

Best rpg system there is

[@neilfrier3754]

When Martin and I got hired by Gurps to help write for the line I think our driving force was to give players back the classic era.

[@page121tabletoproleplaying4]

Hooray to you guys!

[@MrfnordTim]

On the difference between GURPS and Champions, you said it yourself: GURPS was *designed* as a universal system. Champions was designed as a superhero system and *became* a universal system.

[@page121tabletoproleplaying4]

I agree completely

[@Leverquin]

i own Gurps TRaveller, GURPS Star Mercs and GURPS Far tRaders. haven't read it yet, haven't play it. but i am planing to

[@Leverquin]

more GURPS

[@SHONNER]

I used to have that book. Then I got the 2nd Edition of it.

[@Leverquin]

what is lbbs classic traveller? first traveller?

[@Roger_Stenning]

I like the "Lorenverse" setting (continuing the 3I universe), not the system. I run MT + "Lorenverse" :)

[@page121tabletoproleplaying4]

I run either T20 or Classic Traveller rules in this setting.

[@ViridianGames]

The issue with GURPS, in my opinion, is that it's designed to model reality. Which makes it a poor choice for high fantasy, superheroes, cyberpunk, etc. Also, the basic set makes it difficult for GMs to pick out just the rules they need to run the game they want to run. It's really a "make your own RPG" toolkit than an RPG itself.

[@page121tabletoproleplaying4]

Well said. Maybe that's why I didn't care much for the system.

[@hhale]

GURPS: Traveller was exploitive fan service. The target audience was the people were part of the Cult of the Little Black Books (people who liked to urinate all over anything MT or TNE and refused to pry open their wallets even if it meant that it helped keep GDW's doors open), collectors who would buy anything that had a Traveller logo on it, and SJG fans who heard of Traveller, like sci-fi RPG game play, and didn't get around to buying Traveller while GDW was a thing. That statement in no way insults people who bought some or all of it (save for the CLBB crowd), present company included, as I bought both the Spinward Marches and Solomani Rim supplements for the world info. It certainly isn't an insult to Loren Wiseman (RIP) who at the time was out of the industry as I understand it. Steve Jackson Games saw a market for product, they tapped it. Money was made, people were employed for a time. Kudos. But I would be lying if I said that back in 1998 I didn't see it as an something of an insult to everyone who came along for the ride through the Rebellion and New eras. "Not only did that not happen, but this happened instead". Too Bobby Ewing stepping out of the shower. There was also the small matter of their version of the Vegans (a Solomani Rim based minor race) being a little too similar to the version that I had written for Children of Earth and published through Traveller Chronicle, but that wasn't a fight I cared to engage in back when their version of the Solomani Rim supplement was first published and I certainly don't want to fight about it now years later. I only note it because it didn't help my butthurt over the GT storyline. These days the GT material is considered "non-canon" and is out of print. The books were well edited, well illustrated, and made of good materials--as you'd expect any SJG books to be. Something to pick up on the cheap if you can as a source of background material for a campaign.

[@wade616]

GURPS provides a dozen of books directly toward Traveller. They can be used for any game including systems of other games systems. GURPS is incredible.