Marc Miller's copy of Traveller, original in shrink, sold for $5500

[darjr]

At the Gameholecon auction Marc Miller's original copy of Traveller, still in shrink, sold for $5500!

 

[Celebrim]

That's the sort of thing that I would expect to end up in Museum of Play in Rochester NY. There aren't many RPG documents more important to gaming than that one.

 

[darjr]

That's the sort of thing that I would expect to end up in Museum of Play in Rochester NY. There aren't many RPG documents more important to gaming than that one.

I wonder if there is an open copy already there? I’ll need to check.

 

[payn]

Thats it!?

 

[darjr]

Thats it!?

It’s not the OD&D wood grain.

 

[overgeeked]

That's nuts. Still the best version of Traveller.

 

[pemerton]

That's nuts. Still the best version of Traveller.

I think starting skill levels are just a bit too low.

 

[jdrakeh]

I think starting skill levels are just a bit too low.

It's not perfect, but it's still better edited and put together in one core set (or book) than any subsequent edition, perhaps exempting Mongoose Traveller 2e. IMO, of course.

 

[overgeeked]

It's not perfect, but it's still better edited and put together in one core set (or book) than any subsequent edition, perhaps exempting Mongoose Traveller 2e. IMO, of course.

For me it's mostly the move from an open system to a closed system that makes the later editions less fun.

This section only appeared in the original 1977 edition and quickly vanished thereafter.

"Skills and the Referee: It is impossible for any table of information to cover all aspects of every potential situation, and the above listing is by no means complete in its coverage of the effects of skills. This is where the referee becomes an important part of the game process. The above listing of skills and game effects must necessarily be taken as a guide, and followed, altered, or ignored as the actual situation dictates.

In some game situations, actual die roll results must be concealed from the players, at times allowing them to misconstrue the reasons for their success or failure. In other situations, the referee may feel it necessary to create his own throws and DMs to govern action, and may or may not make such information generally available to the players.

In order to be consistent (and a consistent universe makes the game both fun and interesting), the referee has a responsibility to record the throws and DMs he creates, and to note (perhaps by penciling in) any throws he alters from those given in these books."

A small game with a few rules covering the absolute basics, then telling the referee to make up what they need to in order to cover the universe of shenanigans the PCs will get up to. That's the stuff right there.

 

[jdrakeh]

For me it's mostly the move from an open system to a closed system that makes the later editions less fun.

This section only appeared in the original 1977 edition and quickly vanished thereafter.

"Skills and the Referee: It is impossible for any table of information to cover all aspects of every potential situation, and the above listing is by no means complete in its coverage of the effects of skills. This is where the referee becomes an important part of the game process. The above listing of skills and game effects must necessarily be taken as a guide, and followed, altered, or ignored as the actual situation dictates.

In some game situations, actual die roll results must be concealed from the players, at times allowing them to misconstrue the reasons for their success or failure. In other situations, the referee may feel it necessary to create his own throws and DMs to govern action, and may or may not make such information generally available to the players.

In order to be consistent (and a consistent universe makes the game both fun and interesting), the referee has a responsibility to record the throws and DMs he creates, and to note (perhaps by penciling in) any throws he alters from those given in these books."

A small game with a few rules covering the absolute basics, then telling the referee to make up what they need to in order to cover the universe of shenanigans the PCs will get up to. That's the stuff right there.

This didn't last long. A much more structured skill system was offered up very early on in, IIRC, an issue of Challenge (possibly JTAS). That said, what did in later editions for me was the near total lack of editing/proofreading. Something that still irks me to this day in many modern games (Catalyst Game Labs, I'm looking at you). I do have a soft spot for 2300 AD, though, because it uncannily predicted some modern tech (commercial high Earth orbit space flights) and near future tech that is currently being researched today (e.g. the space elevator).