> 3D Traveller sounds like fun, and I'd like to work on a universe using
> it. However, anything related even remotely to astrography would
> need to be reworked in its entireity. As such, it's unlikely to be
> Classic Traveller + 3D.
>
> Jack Dietz // [email removed]
Wholehearted agreement from this corner. While being a proponent of
"3D Traveller", I'll be the first to admit that the very term is
somewhat of a misnomer. Because once you add that third dimension, not
only do you have to re-write the maps from scratch, but with them, most
of the setting and background (as a lot of it is based on those funky
2D maps) and much of the starship travel (and possibly construction)
rules (which is also based on 2D astrography). In short, Traveller 3D
would be a supreme headache and an unprecedented pain. And in the end,
so much of the game would have been re-worked, that you'd be more than
stretching the truth to call it Traveller.
Nonetheless, for those who have the time and the gumption, this idea
of "Traveller 3D" can be a lot of fun. But whatever the level of
sophistication, the initial "coolness" will only go so far. There's
a lot of work involved, after all, work that could be better spent
thinking about plot, and characterization, and all those "other things"
(i.e. the mainstays of whatever makes roleplaying games so much fun).
My suspension-of-disbelief would be about the same in either case
(2D or 3D). I think it comes down to the personal preference of the
GM. All said, for most people out there, 3D probably isn't worth the
headache that it entails (if you want to do it right). But for those
of us who have already broken with the published Traveller setting
(and rules to some extent), the jump to 3D, while still being a headache,
may not be all that huge a headache. And it is one certain way to
differentiate a game. "Wow, you have a 3D universe? Cool."
Just make sure that when that initial "coolness" wears off, the rest of
the game is still fun and is (hopefully) enhanced by the 3D-astrography
rather than being drowned by it.
_ /| Jim Vassilakos
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