Some thoughts on the Traveller Core Beta

On Friday Mongoose Publishing released the beta playtest documents for their upcoming Traveller Core Rulebook. What sets this playtest apart from others we’ve seen in the past is the fact that you have to pay $20 for the playtest documents. At the end of the playtest you get a $20 coupon for the final PDF. I can understand the reasoning behind Mongoose’s decision, but I also understand why a lot of gamers are not too excited to have to pay for a beta. Since I am pretty sure I’ll get the final PDF as soon as it’s out, paying $20 in advance is no biggie for me.

Overall I applaud Mongoose for trying something new with the ageing Traveller system. Mongoose’s Traveller variant has been a streamlined version of the original rules from the “Little Black Books”. The new core rules not only streamlined the rules, but also tried to bring the look of the books to the 21st century. And while Traveller 5th Edition from Far Future Enterprises is probably the most complex edition of Traveller, the new Mongoose Traveller will be the easiest.

While the basic task resolution system pretty much stays the same, they borrowed an idea from D&D 5th Edition which totally removes the need for dice modifiers. There are now boon and bane dice which work like D&D’s advantage and disadvantage. While some of the old-school fans of the game might be dismayed by such a change, I wholeheartedly applaud it. You know my stance on rules-light games.

I believe that Mongoose is really trying to make the needed changes in order to get more people interested in this franchise. For the majority of current gamers, Traveller is just not cool enough. The universe is based on Scifi from the 60s and 70s and the rules were designed in the late 70s. About 40 years later some changes are definitely needed to reach an audience beyond the old Traveller grognards.

From what I’ve seen so far, they might actually succeed with their attempt. The layout of the playtest document is awesome, the new isometric deckplans are very sweet, and the rules changes I’ve seen so far are pretty well thought out. Luckily my Traveller GM shares this viewpoint, so we might give the new rules a try in the coming weeks. I have to admit I am very excited! These are great times for any Traveller fan.

And if you don’t like what Mongoose is doing, you can still rely on older edition, which are available from the Far Future Enterprises website.