Did Marc Miller sell Traveller to Mongoose?

[overgeeked]

I saw a comment over on a sci-fi Facebook group indicating this has already happened.

Anyone have any info?

 

[jdrakeh]

I haven't seen anything about this in official Traveller news channels.

 

[Rabulias]

Over on Mongoose's site they have some discussion. Looks like more tomorrow:

What's up with Traveller IP

It just hit my email inbox... If you wouldn't mind a cut and paste, I'm sure we'd all love to read it.

forum.mongoosepublishing.com

Edited to add: It does not sound like he has sold it, but has set up a succession plan.

 

[Rabulias]

Copied from
https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/whats-up-with-traveller-ip.124918/post-980607

Some years ago, fellow game designer Greg Stafford died, and I was impressed that his company announced almost immediately that he had a succession plan in place, and that his legacy and his designs would live on.

His example was an inspiration to me, and I resolved to emulate him. It would be a terrible loss if Traveller were encumbered, or somehow restricted in its outreach to present and future fans.

With that in mind, I have worked to make Traveller an asset to science-fiction role-players... with our user-friendly Fair Use policies, with the Travellers’ Aid Society programs, with the Cepheus editions of Traveller, and with Mongoose as a primary publisher of their edition of Traveller.

Over the past several years, I have turned over more and more responsibilities to Mongoose, and I have collaborated actively with them as they work to realize the Traveller dream. Earlier this year I passed full ownership of Traveller to Mongoose in order to secure its future.

With that in mind, I point out that, following the example of Greg Stafford, I have a succession plan in place: day-to-day decisions about the Traveller game system are already being made by Mongoose Publishing (with my co-operation and approval), and if anything should happen to me, they would carry on with my full knowledge and blessing.

That doesn’t stop me from speaking my mind: expressing opinions about Traveller, writing stories and lore, and even revealing secrets about the universe.

But Traveller is in good hands, now, and far into the far future.

And I thank you for your (continuing) support for Traveller.

Marc

 

[Nikosandros]

Over on Mongoose's site they have some discussion. Looks like more tomorrow:

What's up with Traveller IP

It just hit my email inbox... If you wouldn't mind a cut and paste, I'm sure we'd all love to read it.

forum.mongoosepublishing.com

Edited to add: It does not sound like he has sold it, but has set up a succession plan.

"Pass full ownership" sounds like not owning it anymore.

 

[darjr]

@Morrus

 

[overgeeked]

"Pass full ownership" sounds like not owning it anymore.

Yeah. That’s a weird way to put it. If Mongoose has full ownership of the IP, unless there are some wild stipulations that Marc has control until he passes, then it’s completely out of his hands.

 

[Nikosandros]

Yeah. That’s a weird way to put it. If Mongoose has full ownership of the IP, unless there are some wild stipulations that Marc has control until he passes, then it’s completely out of his hands.

Maybe he has some kind of usufruct? I don't even know if that possible with IP.

 

[Staffan]

Sounds like he's in an Ed Greenwood situation (although having owned the IP himself for considerably longer): doesn't own the thing but still a good source of lore and stuff.

 

[dragoner]

I saw a comment over on a sci-fi Facebook group indicating this has already happened.

Anyone have any info?

View attachment 378016

Indeed, that is me. A lot of us have known it for a while, there just was not an official statement until recently. Likely the deal was struck at gencon last year iirc.