The big issue, of course, is the traditional barrier to newcomers entering the hobby. I started role-playing in the early 1980s when the role-playing hobby was entering the zenith of its popularity. At that time, there were several factors that made the hobby very attractive to me. First, I was fascinated by the concept of playing a game that was essentially a regulated and cerebral form of my favorite activity as a child: playing make-believe. The second factor that attracted me to role-playing, once I became exposed to it, was its arcane terminology. If one could refer to a creature’s AC and HD, or cite a spell’s requirements for somatic components, or mention alignment or level, it made one feel clever. I was suddenly no longer just a miserable adolescent misfit, but an enlightened member of a secret brotherhood privy to obscure knowledge. It was satisfying to know a code that was incomprehensible to others.

As much as I initially enjoyed that aspect of the hobby, I must confess that its existence delayed my enjoyment of it. Before I knew what role-playing was, my brother had begged our parents to buy him the Monster Manual because he liked the pictures. For my brother in particular, this book was a dream come true: page after page of illustrations of one exotic creature after another. We could understand most of the descriptions, of course, but the list of statistics beneath each heading was a mystery indeed. I would read them with no comprehension at all of AC: 6 or Treasure Type: D or Damage: 2-12. What on earth? These things mean nothing whatsoever to an ordinary person.

After I had started playing Dungeons & Dragons, I would see articles about Traveller in White Dwarf and puzzle over streams of numbers that accompanied character names, such as 759C6B. Although I consider the hexadecimalization of character attributes interesting now, at the time it was nothing but a deterrent even to investigating the possibility of playing Traveller, especially since it was only available in shrinkwrapped little black books and box sets at the time, thus preventing any elucidation.

For a subculture in search of self-identification and the presentation of an aura of high intellect and obscure knowledge, gamer jargon seemed to serve a purpose. In reality, it further isolated gamers from the mainstream, made them objects of ridicule, made it more difficult to comprehend for newcomers who might wish to learn more about role-playing, and generally served no useful purpose.

I think the new wave of role-playing games ought to embrace an aesthetic and moral principle long promoted by the Fudge role-playing game: Make things easily understandable in plain language. Where jargon cannot be eliminated, minimize it. The emphasis, after all, ought to be role-playing, not drafting legal documents. Deliberate obfuscation in gaming only hinders the hobby.

It seems Mongoose will be the central producer of all new Traveller material, including a new version of the Traveller role-playing game, whereas Far Future Enterprises will continue with its planned release of Traveller5, or T5, the “fabled fifth edition” of Traveller, which will serve as the “superset of the Mongoose Traveller rules, providing detailed coverage of rules, concepts, and history not available elsewhere.” All of the Mongoose and Far Future material will be cross-compatible.

Where does this put GURPS Traveller by Steve Jackson Games? Read the Daily Illuminator entry: The New Face of Traveller

I was a bit stunned by the news, but it probably bodes well for Traveller. Mongoose generally has excellent production values. They have already announced work on a Strontium Dog role-playing game that will be compatible with the new Traveller rules — if they would only do the same for another 2000 A.D. title, Judge Dredd (which they previously and unwisely released in d20 form), I would be pleased indeed.

Traveller is a science fiction role-playing game that was first published in 1977 by GDW, and which is soon to be released in its fifth edition by Far Future Enterprises.

Long live the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service!