What's a Campaign?

Before returning to Boot Hill and its section on campaigns, I wanted to share a few paragraphs from The Traveller Adventure that seem relevant to this larger discussion. At the very start of the book, in its introduction, we find this:

The Traveller Adventure is a vehicle to transport you and your friends on a journey into the far future. Together as Traveller players you will experience a small part of the vast, star-sprawling Imperium, its societies, cultures, and technology. Contained in these pages is an intricate and varied Traveller campaign [italics mine], a complete set of adventures which provides a slowly unfolding drama to explore, investigate, and conquer.

Take note of the use of the word "campaign" above, which is taken as a synonym for "a complete set of adventures."

This adventure is intended for use by a group of from 3 to 8 players. Fewer than three players will probably not provide enough variety and group interaction to make the game as much fun as it should be. More than eight players will present the referee with problems in control and may make it difficult for all players to participate fully. It is not necessary for all players to show up at every game session. Those who are absent will miss some of the fun, but the other players can be depended upon to manage the characters belonging to anyone not there for the evening.

Whereas the first paragraph used "campaign" as a synonym for a "set of adventures," the second one talks about "this adventure" in the singular. This makes me wonder if perhaps the author(s) were, either intentionally or unintentionally, conflating the words "adventure(s)," "campaign," and even "session." The other notable thing here is that the text suggests The Traveller Adventure is best played with no fewer than three players and no more than eight. This is, more or less, in keeping with Book 1 of the original 1977 edition that suggests that optimum "game size" is between three and ten players.

This campaign can span a great amount of time. Dedication and nightly Traveller sessions can probably finish the events in this book off in a little more than week, but a better course is to spend the time to enjoy the events and their ramifications. One of the enjoyable parts of Traveller is thinking about what is going on and then making plans in the intervals between game sessions. This campaign can be played in about six weeks of conveniently space sessions. Take the time to enjoy it.

Once again, we see the word "campaign" being used to describe the contents of The Traveller Adventure. Why? Book 1 describes a Traveller campaign thusly:

While the scenario is like a science fiction novel, the campaign is like a continuing S-F series, as the same characters continue to act together through a variety of situations.

Using this definition, The Traveller Adventure could indeed be called a campaign, but I must confess I find this usage idiosyncratic. However, as I've noted before, the meaning of "campaign" shifted over time and probably continues to do so. The Traveller Adventure appeared in 1983, nearly a decade after the inauguration of the hobby, so it's perhaps not that surprising that we might see such a shift in its text. Even so, I find myself wondering if there's more going on here.