Sunday SciFi: Traveller
The classic SciFi RPG is Traveller. Originally released in 1977 by GDW (Games Designer Workshop) and written by Marc Miller.
It consisted of three little black books:
1. Characters and Combat
2. Starships
3. Worlds and Adventures
That’s it and it was all you needed to get started. Define your character, how to get to other planets, and what you find once you get there.
Oh there was more, GDW published additional rule books, adventures, and other supplements, including two reworkings of the rule set. Those were MegaTraveller and Traveller: The New Era.
Steve Jackson Games put out a licensed version for their GURPS rules, and Mongoose Publishing is producing books with that LBB (Little Black Book) feel.
I’ve enjoyed Traveller for a lot of years, and it has a very rich and detailed game history that you can use or ignore as you desire.
Another Edition of Dungeons and Dragons is in the works
Here is the executive summary. The 4th Edition rules were a bad business decision and resulted in decrease in market share.
This new edition is supposed to be a return to their “roots” in a effort to win back their core fan base.
For more details, try Ace’s take on the Forbes story.
HT to Mr. Reynolds, and oh BTW, there have been several Traveller movies. Namely Serenity and Dark Star.
Marc Miller and Loren Wiseman never made a dime off those however.