Freelance
Traveller
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The articles listed and linked above are also linked in their appropriate sections of our website.
From the Editor
Ideas are where you find them. That sounds prima facia obvious, but what it doesn’t say – and what needs to be acknowledged – is that to find them, sometimes you have to look for them. The question is where: While you can be inspired by anything, it’s not really an “automatic” (or “automagic”?) process; not everything will be a source of inspiration. And not every idea is necessarily going to fit into any particular context.
The context that I’m thinking of is, naturally, Traveller. As I write this, a major news story unfolding is the hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius. It didn’t take me long to scribble down some notes to follow up on for possible future material for Freelance Traveller. But news isn’t the only source of ideas; I’ve found Traveller material in lifestyle features, travel features, science/technology features, literature of all sorts (though admittedly mostly in speculative fiction), and even advertising.
Ultimately, though, it doesn’t matter where you find inspiration, only that you did – and that you do something with it afterward, like write it into an adventure, story, or something else you can use in your Traveller.
Also as I write this, word has come that the crowdfunding for Traveller 5e for the fifth edition of the Wizards of the Coast RPG system, has met its goals, including many “stretch” goals. Freelance Traveller will cover this version on the same terms as other versions of Traveller; since it is being released with its own “CivX” setting, we will cover that setting and the stock Third Imperium setting used with the Traveller 5e system, and if someone chooses to “port” CivX material to other covered Traveller systems, we are willing to print such material. As with any other Traveller material, the level of coverage will (obviously) depend on submissions to Freelance Traveller. We do note, however, that we will not allow Traveller 5e and CivX to push “traditional” Traveller material out of Freelance Traveller; our remit is to cover all of Traveller.
As usual, we can always use more material, for all sections. Long articles with lots of depth are always good reading, and fill the magazine well; shorter articles have their place as well, as they can be used to fill in the awkwardly-sized gaps. Freelance Traveller will take them all, happily, and if you have several articles that make for a possible series, those will be welcomed as well. The important thing is that you write and that you send what you write to us. Thank you in advance for anything you choose to send us.
Finally, the “Recent Releases” box on page 60 of every issue lists what we’ve been made aware of through the “Follow Your Favorites” feature from DriveThruRPG. While they are almost certainly the biggest source for PDF publications for Traveller, we’re pretty certain that they’re not the only ones – so if you know about any other sources whose material isn’t on DTRPG, let us know, and we’ll see about following them as well.