Traveller Inspirations

Scott (2G) Kellogg claims that three of Traveller's aliens are drawn from
  the works of Poul Anderson - the Vargr, Virushi, and Ael Yael.  I've read
  very little Anderson, let alone those stories, so I can't confirm or deny.
  But I *have* read a lot of Larry Niven, another name on the source list,
  and I've always felt that another three species were inspired by him.

One thing to note is that none of these three is a direct copy:  there are
  a lot of differences.  But there are also similarities.

Pierson's Puppeteers, the cowardly, social herbivore with a very *alien*
  body structure (two heads, brain in the body, two front legs and a single
  back one) and a talent for grand/subtle manipulation, were split up among
  the Hivers and the K'Kree.  The Centaurs got the diet, the attitudes,
  the gregariousness (and the approach to building starships, to some
  extent) and the mostly-quadruped body, while the Hivers got what I think
  is the better part of the deal, the talent to shamelessly manipulate
  interstellar societies for their own ends.  Also the odd number of limbs
  and all that.

Any feline race tends to be written alike, so maybe the Aslan aren't *really*
  like the Kzin.  For one thing, in an interesting reversal, the females are
  not only sentient but sometimes more 'civilized' than the warrior males.
  Also, although the Ftierle came to blows with Humans in the past, they
  don't seem to show the same headlong 'scream-and-leap' agression-over-
  strategy that was the Kzinti trademark.  The evidence here is inconclusive.


If anyone can find better sources, let me know.

- -------------------------
Kelly St.Clair (Daydreamer)
[email removed]

> What were the original inspirations for Traveller?

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned 'Dumarent of Terra' by E.C. Tubb.

As a boy, our hero stows away on a Far Trader's ship. The old captain
has a soft spot and (instead of spacing him) takes him under his wing.
Many years later the captain dies. Dumarest is God-knows where in the
multi-cultural galaxy and decides to return to Earth, to which everyone
replies "Earth? Mythical Earth?  You're joking, right?"

He travels from from planet to planet in Low Passage (occasionally
High), and frequently must rely on his knowledge of Blade Combat to
survive.

Every book leads us to a new an strange world, with Dumarest trying to
find passage to the next world on his journey to Mythical Earth. Many
of the planets/cultures he encounters could be described in UWP codes
trivially.

Nearly every book of the 50? 60? could be a Traveller adventure
setting.  A number of the terms and situations are directly reproduced
in the Traveller rules.  Coincidence? You decide...

- --
Bob Simpson [email removed]
[address removed]
[phone removed]

Bon-vivant, man-about-town, tech writer for hire.

E.C. Tubb's Dumarest of Terra series was THE original inspiration
for the original three-book, black-boxed Traveller game. Lots and
lots of the detail in those first three books came from the Dumarest
series, including the concept of a "traveller", an adventurer who
made his way from planet to planet, looking for enough credits to
buy passage off planet on the next free trader.

Traveller borrowed directly high, middle, and low passage, slow drug,
fast drug, mesh armor, free traders, subsidized traders, psionics (and
it's underground status), and all kinds of other details, using the
exact names and descriptions given in the Dumarest books. I first read
the Dumarest books after I'd had Traveller for some years, and I thought
I was reading a rather blatent, uncredited ripoff of the Traveller rules
and concepts.

As Traveller developed, it picked up other detail from other sources.
Poul Anderson has already been mentioned as the inspiration for many
of the alien races that developed later (although GDW did change the
names and some detail. I suppose someone had had them look up the definition
of "plagery" by then ;^) ).

Steve Deemer
[email removed]

>Scott (2G) Kellogg claims that three of Traveller's aliens are drawn from
>  the works of Poul Anderson - the Vargr, Virushi, and Ael Yael.  I've read
>  very little Anderson, let alone those stories, so I can't confirm or deny.

   I have always thought that Poul Anderson had (has?) an influnce on
Traveller.

>  But I *have* read a lot of Larry Niven, another name on the source list,
>  and I've always felt that another three species were inspired by him.
>
>Any feline race tends to be written alike, so maybe the Aslan aren't *really*
>  like the Kzin.

   I have never thought that the Aslan where realy "redesigned" Kzin.
However I would like to see (Maybe help with) a write up of the Kzin in
Travller terms. Another race I would like to see would be Poul Anderson's
Mersians (sp?).

>I don't like the limited TL ranges (compared to MEGATRAVELLER). No more
>TL 17+ stuff like desintegrators or repulsors.

Personally I never like any of the stuff above TL 16 and never used such in
my games, But each to his own.

>I suppose someone had had them look up the definition of "plagery" by
>then ;^) ).
 ( In an elderly porfessor like voice)
   No, no my boy, alway be sure to call it 'research'.  :-)
//
// [email removed]
//  You keep using that word.
//  I do not think it means what you think it means
//                           - Inigo Montoya

Ed Sharpe writes:
>>  But I *have* read a lot of Larry Niven, another name on the source list,
>>  and I've always felt that another three species were inspired by him.
>>
>>Any feline race tends to be written alike, so maybe the Aslan aren't *really*
>>  like the Kzin.
>
>   I have never thought that the Aslan where realy "redesigned" Kzin.
>However I would like to see (Maybe help with) a write up of the Kzin in
>Travller terms. Another race I would like to see would be Poul Anderson's
>Mersians (sp?).
>

I don't see how the Aslan could be re-designed Kzin, seeing as how the Aslan
females are the ones in charge of most of the society, and Kzinti females
aren't even sentient.

- --
Robert Watkins
[email removed]
************ It wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive. ***********