Versions of Traveller

'Traveller' was published in various editions. Some games tied directly into the RPG system, others were more loosely based on systems from the Traveller Universe. Traveller was orginally designed as a generic science fiction RPG system (one of if not the first), and the original setting was just one the designers favoured out of the various settings which were available. While referees were encouraged to use the parts they wanted and change what they did not like, the wealth of background material made the Classic Traveller setting ubiquitous.

Major Versions

Each of the versions of Traveller used a slightly different setting from the traveller universe. Classic Traveller takes place during the Third Imperium, Megatraveller during the Rebellion. The New Era takes place after a computer Virus ended the rebellion period, during a time of exploration/reconstruction. GURPS Traveller takes place in an alternate timeline where events from MegaTraveller and The New Era never occurred. Traveller 4, Traveller 5 and Other versions of Traveller take place in the early days of the Third Imperium.

Some of the various versions are related to one another in terms of rules. Classic Traveller, MegaTraveller, T4, T5 and Mongoose Traveller use a similar rule system, with MegaTraveller being the most "variant" of the group. TNE uses the second edition Twilight rules system,2300AD uses a variation of the first edition Twilight rules, T20 is based on the D20 license game system, and obviously, the GURPS versions and Hero versions use GURPS and HERO System respectively.

While characters can usually move from related system to system with little or no effort, other creations such as ship designs may or may not, though deck plans (often loosely based on the underlying ship designs) are often used across versions.

Classic Traveller, Traveller or CT

1977-1986 Original Rules. Set in the years 1100-1116 Imperial, around the time of the Fifth Frontier War.

There were a number or supplements based on Classic Traveller - notably Merchant Princes, High Guard, and Mercenary which extended the character generation system (and unfortunately created more powerful characters than were available in the core rules), as well as adding to the core rules. A later GDW product, Striker added very detailed ground combat and mercenary unit rules as well as detailed vehicle design rules which in parts became incorporated into the core rules for future editions.

A number of other (none GDW) companies created popular supplements as well, including Judges Guild, and Paranoia Press (Scouts and Assassins, Merchants and Merchandise).

MegaTraveller or MT

1986-1991 Task-based system. Set in the years 1116-1124 Imperial, during the time of the Rebellion. This was published as a boxed set, covering the core rules, a setting encyclopedia, and rules covering what was previously expansion material (such as character generation options similar to High Guard and Mercenary).

Traveller: The New Era or TNE

1992-1995 Twilight2000 rules. Set after the year 1200 Imperial, post Virus timeline.

Marc Miller's Traveller or T4

1996-1998 Set just after Year Zero, in the early days of the Third Imperium.

GURPS Traveller or GT

1998-2004 GURPS 3rd Edition Rules. Set in the years 1116-1124 Imperial, in an alternate timeline which differs principally in that the Rebellion of 1116 never happened.

Traveller 20 or T20

2002- D20 Rules. Set around the year 1000 Imperial, about 100 years before Classic Traveller.

GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars or GT:ISW

2006- GURPS 4th Edition Rules. Set in 2170 A.D., almost 3500 years before CT, in the time of the Nth Interstellar wars.

Traveller: The New Era: 1248

2006- A rules system free update to The New Era, including the founding of the Fourth Imperium.

Traveller⁵ aka T5

2008 - An updated version of Traveller 4th, published as a CD-ROM/PDF collection. This will mostly be Rules, with little background material.

Traveller Hero aka TH

2006- A version of Traveller using the Hero Games Star Hero rules and covering several previous milieus including Milieu 0, the T20 milieu 1000, and the New Era.

Mongoose Traveller aka MGT

2008- A new set of rules, updating and streamlining the Classic Traveller rules. The setting is largely not covered in the core rules book, however supplements, set in 1105 and centered largely on the Spinward Marches are available. The core rules are available as open content.

Previews of the core rules are now available on the Mongoose Publishing Website, as a downloadable PDF file.

Mongoose have adopted the Traveller rules as their house rules system and have published several sci-fi games which use these core rules: Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog and Hammer's Slammers.

In general Mongoose Traveller has adopted a policy of using the original LBB rules and expanding upon them somewhat, using previously published (with some modification) and/or new rules. The system seems to work quite well although much of the detail in the world generation rules has been discarded, either for the sake of simplicity or space requirements. One hopes that a future book along the lines of the World Builders Handbook will be published.

Currently Mongoose have published the following:

Core Books:

Core Rulebook

An Introduction to Traveller

Character Pack

Adventures Books:

Adventure 01: Belt Strike

Adventure 02: Prison Planet

Campaign 01: Secrets of the Ancients

Campaign 02: The Pirates of Drinax

Referee's Screen

Character Generation Books:

Book 01: Mercenary

Book 02: High Guard

Book 03: Scout

Book 04: Psion

Book 05: Agent

Book 06: Scoundrel

Book 07: Merchant Prince

Book 08: Dilettante

Book 09: Robot

Supplement Books:

Supplement 01: 760 Patrons (1st and 2nd editions)

Supplement 02: Traders and Gunboats

Supplement 03: Fighting Ships

Supplement 04: Central Supply Catalogue

Supplement 05: Civilian Vehicles

Supplement 06: Military Vehicles

Supplement 07: 1001 Characters

Supplement 08: Cybernetics

Supplement 09: Campaign Guide

Supplement 10: Merchants and Cruisers

Supplement 11: Animal Encounters (1st and 2nd editions)

Supplement 12: Dynasty

Traveller Compendium 01: Compilation of Traveller Articles from Signs & Portents.

Traveller Compendium 02: Compilation of Traveller Articles from Signs & Portents.

The Vehicle Handbook: Combined Supplements 5 and 6 with vehicles from the Alien Modules included.

The Third Imperium Books:

Alien Module 01: Aslan

Alien Module 02: Vargr

Alien Module 03: Darrians

Alien Module 04: Zhodani

Alien Module 05: Solomani Currently available for Pre-Order.

Aramis: The Traveller Adventure

Crowded Hours: Collection of adventures set in the Spinward Marches

Deneb Sector: Currently available for Pre-Order.

Reft Sector

Sector Fleet

Solomani Rim Currently available for Pre-Order

Spinward Encounters

Spinward Marches Map Pack

Starports

Sword Worlds

The Gvurrdon Map Pack

The Spinward Marches

Tripwire: An Adventure or Mini Campaign

Trojan Reaches Map Pack

Little Black Books:

Traveller: Pocket Edition

LBB 01: Mercenary

LBB 02: High Guard

LBB 03: Scout

LBB 04: Psion

LBB 05: Agent

LBB 06: Scoundrel

LBB 07: Merchant Prince

LBB 08: Dilettante

LBB 09: Library Data

Other Books with Comstar Games:

Golden Age Starships Compilation

Project Steel

Traveller: 2300 / 2300 AD / 2320 AD

Originially published as Traveller 2300, this harder science-fiction RPG is set 300 years after the Third World War from GDW's Twilight:2000 game system and uses a variation of the first-edition Twilight:2000 ruleset.

GDW later changed the name of the game to 2300AD to avoid confusion with the Traveller RPG.

The two major components of the 2300AD ruleset were the originial boxed set, and the tactical space combat/starship construction system Star Cruiser.

Unlike the Traveller game itself(Traveller: The New Era, in particular), 2300AD was not converted to the second-edition Twilight:2000 ruleset, before GDW closed its doors in 1996. However, the stutterwarp and other core 2300AD technologies were covered extensively in the TNE edition of Fire, Fusion, and Steel(FF&S), the Traveller technical architecture, so one can only assume GDW intended for the TNE ruleset to be used along with the information given in FF&S for campaigns set in the 2300AD era.

Recently, QuickLink Interactive released the 2320AD supplement for their T20 rules system. This version of the game modified the timeline in that a less devastating Twilight War took place, and the timeline is advanced by 20 years.