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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book $14.99 $10.00
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Xavier M. Z. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/15/2023 11:39:22

One of the best single book RPGs ever compiled. A toolbox to let your imagination loose—create characters with life stories, worlds, subsectors, starships... Alright, maybe the task resolution or the combat are not streamlined, but these are easy fixes. It was the concept that was, and still is, revolutionary: procedural creation, fractal universes, the stars our destination.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 05/05/2022 12:21:19

Updated 5/5/2022

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/05/review-traveller-book-1982.html

This was MY Traveller. In 1982 I could not get enough Science Fiction. All the books I read were sci-fi, I was eagerly anticipating the third Star Wars movie that we had heard was called "Revenge of the Jedi" and video games were all the rage. When I saw this book in the Mail Order Hobby Shop catalog (or maybe it was Games Plus) I thought I had to try it out. In my recollections, I had ordered both Traveller and Pacesetter Chill at this time, but logically with my paper route money at the time I am sure I only got one at a time.

It came in the mail, it was summer I recall, likely near my birthday, and I jumped right in.

It was not what I expected.

By this point, I had been playing D&D for nearly three years, and in earnest (every weekend) for the last two. There were no classes here, no levels, just skills. It was a shift, but it was a lot of fun. I recall I had more fun making planetary systems than characters really. I even wrote some BASIC programs for the TRS-80 to do some of the math.

Sadly like those cassette tapes I stored my BASIC programs on, my Traveller book was lost to the sands of time. I can't even really recall what happened to it. Sad because today it goes for so much on eBay!

Thankfully for me, and everyone else, you can get the PDF and Print on Demand (POD) of the book from DriveThruRPG. I grabbed it as soon as the PDF was out. I wish I had gotten the original POD though. The newer PDF and POD has been replaced with a far better scan, but the cover is the Black and Red of the earlier Traveller books and not the "blue book" I came to know.

Much like Holmes' Basic D&D "Blue Book" combined the Original D&D "Little Brown Books" and other material into a single volume, this Traveller "Blue Book" combined the three "Little Black Books" into a single volume with new material. This new material included Book 0 "An Introduction to Traveller," some of "Double Adventure 1," and more material.

The Traveller Book (1982)

160 pages, PDF (Hardcover PoD; original softcover) Color cover art, black & white interior art with red accents.

The Traveller Book was published in 1982 and was the follow-up to the highly successful Traveller boxed set. Since the boxed set printing and reprints there had been a number of well-received supplements, in particular, Supplement 0 An Introduction to Traveller, DA1 Double Adventure (Shadows), Book 04 Mercenary, and Book 05 High Guard. These made up what I largely felt was the core of Classic Traveller (or Original Traveller as I thought of it then). Much like how D&D combined their Original game with many supplements to make Holmes' Basic D&D (and later AD&D) these materials were re-edited and re-combined into a new book/game. This became the Traveller Book.

At the time nearly everyone claimed it was not just a step up in terms of learning Traveller, it was an advanced leap in playing Traveller.

The Traveller Book contains everything from the Little Black Books of the Classic Traveller boxed set as well as new introductory material from Book 0.

You can read my review of the Classic Traveller boxed set here, https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/05/review-classic-basic-traveller.html. Today I want to talk about what makes this book new and special.

For starters, there is a lot of text here that is familiar, but not exactly the same. The editors took some time to clean up the text and make things a lot clearer. Additionally, there is more art; both of the decorative sort (Captain Alexander Jamison now has a ponytail) and of the help sort (images of weapons and starships).

Among other improvements in text, there are also plenty of redesigned tables and charts. While the LBBs had charm they did not have a lot of space formatted for digest-size (5½" x 8½"). The Traveller book is a full-sized 8½" x 11". At the time people even commented that it was a proper sized RPG now to go with the likes of AD&D.

The sections on worlds and encounters are also expanded. Animals in particular get more text and even more examples. Trade and Commerce also get more text. My Classic Traveller boxed set had very little on this. This is closer to the 1980s reprint. The one the new Facsimile Edition is based on. It also looks like the Psionics section is more detailed.

There is a "new" (new to anyone coming from the boxed set) section on the Referee's Guide to Adventuring. Since this is really pre-Traveller as a system AND a setting, there is some good advice here on running any sort of Sci-Fi/Space Adventure game. There are hints of Star Trek, Star Wars and lots and lots of Classic "Hard" Sci-Fi like you would see from Clarke or Asimov. But it is also none of the things entirely. I did say "Pre-" but in reality, Traveller was building its universe right before our eyes. Again, much like D&D did.

Also reprinted here is the adventure Shadows from Double Adventure 01.

The last section, The Traveller's Guide to the Universe introduces us to The Imperium. This is the important setting for Traveller and what sets it apart from other Sci-Fi RPGs. The history, both in-game and real-world, of the Imperium is impressive and much like that of Dune, Star Wars, or Star Trek, absolutely daunting. I will admit I read this section many, many times and wondered what would fiction set in any period of this history be like? Back in 1981-2 I did not have much other than this book, some friends that had played (but were not looking for new players), and a growing case of what I call "Traveller Envy". Today there are wikis and blogs and entire websites devoted to Traveller and the Imperium. My cup is full, running over and there are still more cups on the table waiting for me to pick them up.

Recommendations

For ANYONE who is interested in the Classic Traveller, I would say get this book first before looking into the vast catalog of older Classic Traveller books. There is so much out there and I am going to only scratch the surface this month. In fact "The Traveller Series" in this book (page 159) covers everything published to this point and where they all fit in. Including all the board games. I am going to need to spend some time talking about those as well.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Thomas P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/19/2021 19:03:48

Reprint of a (slightly) expanded version of the original three little books.

I always thought the "little books" version of the game was a bit spoiled by the introduction in slow dribbles of Mercenary and then High Guard. Characters generated from the original three books soon looked so underpowered and feeble in comparison that they became irrelevant and it quickly became "Mercs in Space" as a game.

This goes back to the prospect of evenly powered characters in all of the career streams and brings good balance back.

I'm a huge fan - this is still very very playable and a lot of fun.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by David F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/07/2021 13:46:19

I've been a fan of Little Black Book Traveller for over 40 years now. And the Traveller Book cleans everything up and puts it all in one handy package.

The PDF is searchable, which is very handy in a rule set whose organization cound charitable be descibed as eccentric.

I ordered the hardcover. Including delivery, it came to about $37 Canadian. That's good vale for a beloved rule set.

Shipping was pleasantly quick, and the book was very well packaged. Unfortunately, a couple of pages near the centre were fused together, and separating them would mean ruining a good part of the text on those pages.

When I informed Drivethru Customer Service about the issue, they very promptly got back to me. After getting a little more info from me, they are sending me a new copy.

I am absolutely thrilled with the quality of customer service that Drivethru provides. Between it and the excellent book, 5 stars hardly seems adequate.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by David H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/10/2020 05:29:11

A fantastic trip down memory lane for all of us who started RPG Sci Fi with THE great game, probably one of the precursors to this style



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Luke F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/04/2019 01:08:35

I used to have an original Traveller Book at one time. That was over 25 years ago. I am very happy with the reprint book. I would recommend this to any Classic Traveller Player and Referee.

Overall I love the quality of this book. Makes you want to start playing as soon as you open it up.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Richard L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/09/2019 09:51:36

This is more a review of the Print on Demand service than the actual game as the game is well known. The book took a month to arrive but the quality of the product is outstanding. Very sturdy and the pages have the same quality and feel as the old 1st Ed. AD&D books from long ago.

The print quality is clear and as mentioned by other reviewers in regards to the illustrations, the space scenes are slightly darker than the pdf with most stars washed out and the red is slightly different but it doesn't detract from it at all.

If you missed out all those years ago on getting this book when it was first printed, I highly recommend this version.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Robin C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/15/2019 18:33:52

The contents of this book are well known because this work was first published in 1982 (if not search online for reviews). With respect to the printed version, the binding and print quality of this new hardback are top notch. Strong binding and heavy covers ensure a long potential life. In any format, highly recommended as an introduction to the foundations of Traveller. For aficianados of sci fi role playing the book is a work of art because the rules and design are coherent and whole. A classic that all serious role playing game players especially referees should have in their library.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Ian F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/14/2018 07:23:29

Though I began roleplaying in 1986, I had never heard of Traveller until recently.

More's the pity, in my opinon, for this game would have been an absolute hit in my group. Characters are simple to create, but the process is enjoyable. When I read this book, I think "I could run Dune in this." Or "Star Wars". Or "Star Trek, especially TOS". I could run less known sci-fi series, or make my own out of whole cloth and then easily stitch the game onto it. The true advantage of this system is that it has a toolkit underlying the assumed setting that allows you to hack it to other purpose easily, or you can default to the assumed setting for a game "ready to go" out of the box.

The .pdf is of decent quality. The POD is a good book, hardcover with black and white art (the occasional picture has a red feature as well). As profiled by another reviewer, some of the space scenes loose their sharpness, but the book is otherwise very readable. I also enjoy that you get a complete, playable game that is about 160 pages.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/13/2017 05:22:33

There are plenty of reviews that could tell you why this RPG is great so instead I'll talk about the print-on-demand hardcover format that I got. It took a month for it to arrive, though that might be because of the quantity of orders around christmas. The book itself arrived without any damages, in perfect condition. The text is clearly readable everywhere with the only quality downgrade being with some of the images, specifically the ones depicting space scenes. The main objects, ships, people ect are clear, it's the background starfield what's missing details. The occasional red colored images are a bit darker than what's in the PDF version, though it's not something you'd realise without comparing them side by side.

All in all I can't not recommend this option for those of you who'd want to get this classic game in book form.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Andrew C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/12/2015 01:11:39

This is a review for the PDF, the scan is of high quality as good as you could hope for really. However the PDF has no watermarks which make it difficult to quickly navigate. There is really no excuse for not bookmarking digital products. I hope that this is fixed in a future update.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Rory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/10/2014 06:05:17

Some of the ideas and technology within the book has dated, and it could do with more character options to match the variety of later versions. However, all this said, as an example of concise efficacy and innovation, the game remains a true classic.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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CT-TTB-The Traveller Book
Publisher: Far Future Enterprises - Traveller
by Jason C. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 05/14/2010 13:00:52

This is a reprint of the 1982 classic, "The Traveller Book" by Marc Miller. It had been years since I read it, but there are a lot of reasons this is a real classic.

The introductory material is very strong. It lays out a clear picture of what the referee and players are to do. It paints a picture of player-driven campaigns and a responsive GM whose most important role is to listen to the players and aim the campaign events at their interests.

The next section is on character creation, and details the famously interesting Traveller lifepath system (including "rolling for survival" in dangerous lifepath steps). This system has been praised by so many before me that anything I say about it is probably superfluous. It really is evocative and fun to see how your character's experiences help them develop. It provokes the imagination. It makes you want to make another character right away. It is clearly explained, laid out and easy to use. It is everything a background generation system should be. The section concludes with an example and, much overlooked in many games, a section on how to fill out the character sheet. This is something many games overlook, but which has survived in White Wolf and Wizards of the Coast products for good reason - the character sheet is your physical artifact of the character generation process and is really your chief connection to the process when you're actually playing the game.

Next is the combat system, with highly detailed weapons lists and ranges. A combat procedure checklist is included. After combat comes a space travel and economics system, which is highly mathematical and detailed. (Yes, a square root is involved for the calculation of travel times.)

A ship design system is next, which is highly tied in with the amount of debt the characters start in. The hilariously anachronistic computer system is still interesting to see what we thought computers of the far future would be like in 1982.

Other systems included are: space combat, alien animals, encounter creation (including patrons and rumors), and psionics. There's a fully developed set of adventure hooks set in a subsector of space, and two fully developed adventures based around exploring a strange pyramid and getting an exit visa. Both are interesting and exciting.

There's a brief overview of the setting of Traveller (though you may correctly surmise from the above that the game is meant to be highly customized for different groups). One interesting thing Traveller does is that instead of having players ask "what's in the ship's computer about this", there's actually a Library printout of what's in the ship's computer, and they can just leaf through and find it "in character".

This book contains everything you need to play one of the greatest science fiction RPGs of all time.

This presentation is just a scan of the 1982 book, with no copy/paste capability. Although there are bookmarks, for some reason they're just each of the pages' graphic file name. The table of contents, though of course non-hyperlinked, is very effective. Because of the crudeness of the presentation, I'm reviewer tilting down one star, but the sheer breadth of the material presented here along with its well-deserved place in the hobby means that I'm giving it very high marks and recommending it to everyone.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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