My Traveller: 2300 (Part I)

In my discussions of GDW’s other science fiction roleplaying game, 2300AD, I’ve often mentioned that, when it was initially released under the title Traveller: 2300, I mistakenly believed the game to be a prequel to Traveller – a look into the prehistory of the Third Imperium setting. I assumed that the game presented events set in the year 2300 of Traveller’s own timeline, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become the interstellar empire familiar to long-time fans. I was wrong, of course. Traveller: 2300 was its own thing entirely, unconnected to the Traveller universe despite the branding.

That said, once I got past my initial confusion, I found Traveller: 2300 to be genuinely interesting in its own right. Over the years, I’ve had a great deal of fun playing it (and hope to do so again someday). Clearly, though, I wasn’t the only person to make this mistaken connection between the two games. That’s likely why GDW eventually changed the title to 2300AD, first truncating it simply to 2300 and then settling on the now-familiar title. As far as I can recall, only one or two products were ever released with the original Traveller: 2300 logo before the title change clarified matters.

I bring this up because, toward the end of last month, a reader left a comment on a post I’d written about Traveller: 2300, suggesting that I write a piece about what I’d do if I were to design a genuine Traveller prequel. As others were quick to point out, such a prequel already exists: Marc Miller’s Traveller, released in 1996 and now commonly referred to by fans as T4. This edition is set at the dawn of the Third Imperium – Year 0 – when Cleon Zhunastu, an industrialist turned statesman, oversees the transformation of the Sylean Federation into the Third Imperium, the third great human empire to dominate Charted Space.

The concept behind T4 is a strong one. The early days of the Third Imperium are fertile ground for adventure and intrigue. There’s plenty to do, as Cleon and his allies attempt to reestablish interstellar governance after nearly 1800 years of disunity and fragmentation following the Long Night. Unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired. T4 was plagued by a host of problems – poor editing, confusing mechanics, and books riddled with errata. Even many long-time Traveller enthusiasts found it frustrating and it never quite caught on. I was initially quite enthusiastic myself, but my excitement faded rapidly with the publication of the first few disorganized and unevenly written supplements.

Returning to my earlier confusion about Traveller: 2300, what I had expected – incorrectly – was a game set during the early centuries of Traveller’s own timeline, specifically after the invention of the jump drive by humans on Earth (later known as the Solomani) in the early 22nd century. According to the game’s canonical history, these early Terrans launched exploratory missions to nearby stars, only to discover that many had already been claimed by a powerful and ancient interstellar polity: the Ziru Sirka, or Grand Empire of Stars, ruled by the Vilani, humans of an entirely separate origin.

Inevitably, relations between the upstart Terran Confederation and the ossified Vilani empire soured, culminating in a series of protracted conflicts collectively known as the Interstellar Wars. Over the course of two centuries, the Terrans slowly but inexorably dismantled the Vilani imperium, a period detailed in GDW’s Imperium board wargame. This era of history is ripe with potential, filled with exploration, diplomacy, war, and cultural clashes – a veritable golden age for adventure.

If the name "Interstellar Wars" sounds familiar, that’s likely because Steve Jackson Games released a book by that title in 2006 as part of its GURPS Traveller line. GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars is a commendable book, well-researched and engaging in many respects. However, I’ve always felt it was held back somewhat by being tied to the GURPS system. While I have great respect for GURPS as a universal roleplaying system (and even contributed to several of its Traveller-related products), I don’t believe it’s a particularly natural fit for the kind of game Traveller is at heart. Regardless, Interstellar Wars focuses specifically on the period from 2113, when the first war between Terrans and Vilani began, to 2302, when the final conflict ended in the Vilani surrender. That puts only the very tail end of that timeline within the range I had mistakenly imagined Traveller: 2300 would cover. So, while GURPS Interstellar Wars is admirable in many respects, it doesn’t quite align with the vision I had in mind.

And what was that vision? What sort of Traveller prequel would I create if given the chance? That is the subject for Part II, which will appear tomorrow.