Other Original RPGers out there?

spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
I started in September 1975 with Dungeons and Dragons, still have the Little Brown Books, supplements and other materials I bought back in late 75 though the next couple of years.

Started playing Traveller, the first widely successful SF role playing game, in early 1978, still have my Little Black Books and a bunch of other materials I got back then. Traveller is the one I've played the most over the years.

It is also the game (one of its design features) where your character can die during the creation process. You roll stats on 2 6-sided dice (D&D is 3 D6). Then you pick a service that best fits your stats, making rolls for enlistment, commissioning & promotions (where appropriate), special duties, survival and then re-enlistment. All characters start at age 18, terms of service are 4 years. The character gains skills of varying type. There are no experience levels as in many other games. The motivators are more skill driven, economic and social.

Have materials from most of the follow on editions of both. In fact, participated in the Kickstarters over the past few years that helped Marc Miller come out with a 5th edition of Traveller, then and improved edit into a set of 3 Big Black Books.

Also have the Steve Jackson Microgames (including The Fantasy Trip series of materials), Chivalry & Sorcery, Tunnels & Trolls, Twilight 2000 and several others in the household archive. Never got into the Vampire, Steampunk or other Dystopian RPGs.

Even got paid to be a game master for a couple of years before I got married.
 

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
:howdy:


1978 I got the Boxed Set for Christmas and the DM's Guide ...

then I discovered Gamma World when I purchased this in 1979.

146716


Later I discovered Star Frontiers and a whole host of other RPG's ... Post Apocalypse being my favorite - Fallout on the Mac was great in 1994

Today I have a folder on a hard drive that is 286 GB and has PDF's from most Game Systems in the past 40 yrs

146718


WotC has made available most 5E stuff Digital [ for a price ]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/
 
Last edited:

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
In fact, participated in the Kickstarters over the past few years that helped Marc Miller come out with a 5th edition of Traveller, then and improved edit into a set of 3 Big Black Books.


Marc is semi active in several of the Facebook Traveller Groups as is James Ward in Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha
 

spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
Marc is semi active in several of the Facebook Traveller Groups as is James Ward in Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha
When Marc read of my pancreatic cancer diagnosis, he sent me a get-well package, including an autographed map of the Spinward Marches and 2 certificates of titles within the Imperial Nobility for a long time NPC I'd had as a Patron in my campaign.

I had also supported his Kickstarter for the "Agent of the Imperium" novel.
 

spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
I'm also acquainted with Charles Gannon, who used to write Traveller materials back when, and has had some good success writing SF novels and short stories. I helped with a Kickstarter on an anthology that his traditional publishers turned down. Other authors writing stories in his Terran Republic setting.

For that, I was Tuckerized into a character in his "Marque of Caine" novel. I'm an AI character in a full immersion simulation in which the main character is constrained to participate.
 

spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
I'm also acquainted with Charles Gannon, who used to write Traveller materials back when, and has had some good success writing SF novels and short stories. I helped with a Kickstarter on an anthology that his traditional publishers turned down. Other authors writing stories in his Terran Republic setting.

For that, I was Tuckerized into a character in his "Marque of Caine" novel. I'm an AI character in a full immersion simulation in which the main character is constrained to participate.
Just heard from Charles, "Uncle Pip" will be a character in the next novel.
 

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
For that, I was Tuckerized into a character in his "Marque of Caine" novel. I'm an AI character in a full immersion simulation in which the main character is constrained to participate.


Nice I have gotten myself in a couple of video games from kick starter or Alpha Supporter
 

spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
Decided to give my Traveller materials a thorough sort.
I have rules and supplements for 10 versions.
  1. original Traveller (aka the Little Black Books or Classic Traveller)
  2. MegaTraveller (improved and added mechanics)
  3. Traveller: The New Era (post-Imperium/AI virus disruption)
  4. Traveller 4 (the Imperium did not end alternate timeline, also a LOT of new mechanics)
  5. Traveller 5 (1st printing was The BIG Black Book, weighs over 6 pounds, 2nd is the Big Black Books, 3 like Classic, again changes to the mechanics, very dense, 2nd printing breaks things out better)
  6. Mongoose Traveller (an edition licensed by Marc Miller to an English game designer, their house rules interpretation lays out the processes in as easy a way to understand as Classic with those supplements)
  7. GURPS Traveller (mechanics adapted to the Steve Jackson Games' Generic Universal Role Playing System)
  8. Traveller D20 (licensed to Wizards of the Coast, mechanics adapted to their d20 house rules. I have their core D&D d20 version, also)
  9. Traveller 2300 (based around the house rules also used in Twilight 2000, at the beginning of Earth getting out of the solar system)
  10. Traveller Configurable Card Game (think Magic the Gathering, but the cards contain much more info and are set for SF, not Fantasy)
That last I just got and it will take a bit to decipher.

The version I still use the most is Classic, but do fold in elements of Mega, T4 and Mongoose.
Been solo play since the move here to SoMD, was hoping to get a game set up at High Tide Games, but COVID hit.
The counter guy there was unfamiliar with Traveller and he seemed interested.
 
Top