You thought Virus was bad?

[gridlore]

I am this close to unsubscribing from the Traveller Mailing List and sending my Traveller books to starving gamers in China.

Let's be clear: I have an encyclopedic knowledge of Traveller; especially about the Third Imperium setting. There is a mass of information written by dozens of writers at numerous companies over the past three decades. Some of it is contradictory, some has been overwritten by later products. We refer to this mass as canon. There are some things that have defined Traveller from the beginning: interstellar jumps take 168 hours +/-10%, The longest possible controlled jump is 6 parsecs. Those have been in every rule set (all six of them.) Also important is that the speed of information is the speed of travel.

Playing with the setting is a long-established tradition. We even have an acronym for it: IMTU "In My Traveller Universe." If your version of the setting differs from the official one, using this tag warns people that things are different. But changing the basic assumptions of the game will bring comment.

In response, folks like me have been called "strutting peacocks" and compared to screaming chimps.

Screw them.

Comments

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

I was real tempted to jump in (on?) that first post and flame, but...

It's the usual petulance from people who don't know and don't want to learn.

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

The old guard is called that for a reason. You defend the fandom, the community, the canon from fly-by-night tourists who just want to make a mark, who don't care about anything other than themselves.

The old guard dies out through various means. The only way to keep the guard numbers at a level where they can perform their function is by training members in good standing to become the newbies of the old guard. Neophytes, who will someday bear the standard when the veterans must pass it into other hands.

On the other hand, there's a reason Roman soldiers were allowed to retire from the Legions to till the land in peace with their families.

Yannow, I've been thinking...

[fearsclave.livejournal.com]

Back in the early days on Vland, before the shugillis really started getting their act together?

The only readily-available, easily-digestible-by-humans source of protein must have been... Vilanis! Soylent Green is Vilanis!

*ducks, runs, hides*

[caraig.livejournal.com]

I resubbed to the new TML but haven't been keeping up on it. I saw a few posts that were starting to get heated regarding what canon was and I kind of passed it over. I'm kinda glad I did. =/

[taschoene.livejournal.com]

Speaking of TML, where the heck is it hosted these days? I was considering resubscribing recently and could not find any working links to it (http://tml.travellercentral.com and http://lists.travellercentral.com give 404 errors)

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

There's reasons I avoid the TML. The flamewars are one of them. The constant efforts by some very vocal people to totally change the setting so it matches their current 'fav' TV series (and never mind about continuity, because they don't like the Traveller system anyway) is another.

What caused me to leave a decade ago was one member going way over the line and no one else telling him to either stick to Traveller or bugger off.

I was dealing with a heartrending situation at school -- something I desperately needed to leave at work -- and the last thing I needed to read was some inadequate loser fantasizing about underage girls. My sanity wouldn't handle dealing with shit like that in my off time was well as at school, and as TMLers were encouraging him to stay I decided to leave. I haven't regretted it. Traveller is a fun hobby, but when Cat Piss Man (http://www.savantmag.com/16/retail16.html) joins a social group I feel no obligation to put up with him. :-/

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

Isn't that funny? I was about ready to unsubscribe because I'm on the other side. I just don't see the crime in leaving out a truth everyone knew already (to wit, that a given suggestion requires one to break the rules).

Of course unsubscribing is just a formality anyway. I can just let the messages pile up on gmail.

[freetrav.livejournal.com]

I can't say I disagree with you - or some of the other commenters - about the current climate, but I don't know that I'd go so far as unsubscribing and/or quitting Traveller entirely. This too shall pass, much as other ... warm ... periods have, previously. So, I'm going to ask two things of you now: first, take a deep breath and remember that it's only a game, and that every community has its rough spots. Second, have a rosequoll, (http://gridlore.livejournal.com/profile)gridlore (http://gridlore.livejournal.com)

[hasturcubed.livejournal.com]

If you don't mind a question from a lurker...is this the usual flaming over conflicting views of the Traveller universe (and lack of subject header etiquette), or is this about an official change, ala Virus? I haven't kept up with T5 for awhile.

[kengr]

Neither. Someone was posting about the rights people had under the Imperium. Some other people pointed out that he seemed to be transplanting current ideas of "human rights" into the far future.

Then some folks pointed out items in official background stuff that contradicted his. view.

He (or others on his side, I was only paying casual attention) then proceeded to claim that those were minor, or not really canon, and so on.

At some point "you're an idiot if you think that" type comments started flowing.

Alas, I contributed to part of it by challenging someone on some very off the wall comments. (I try not to respond to this person because he doesn't debate, he just makes statements that contain worlds semi-related to what you said and then says that's what you said and argues against *that*)

I've quit responding to him after wasting entirely too many hours trying to reason with him.

I *really* need a better killfile equivalent for my mailer...

[jackwalker.livejournal.com]

Eh. When I was the Traveller Line Editor at SJG I barely read the TML. The day I quit that job I unsubscribed and haven't looked back since. I don't miss it.

In fact, I don't do mailing lists at all any more. Does wonders for my sanity - and my ability to enjoy hobbies.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

If you need a giggle you can always check out http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/archive.asp?nextform=viewcomic&id=1214

Meet Spaceman Splat.

[kshandra]

:D Doug and I both read dorktowerfeed and muskrat_john's journal directly; I was practically howling when I saw this strip.

[fusijui.livejournal.com]

Can't screw 'em if you're gone. And besides, what value there is in the TML is in the old guard (such as yrself.; unsubbing is kinda like cutting off its nose to spite its face, IMO.

I don't get the weird personal emails from the Homeland Freedom and Morals Cabal faction any more, but delete 95% of the posts unread and find 75% of the ones I do read not very interesting after all, and still think it's worth staying subscribed.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

I just ignore any content I am not interested in.

For fun I will try to start a thread on a subject I am interested in.

Just noticed its the 25th Anniversary of the FFW by the way.

[shadowcat48li.livejournal.com]

I still sub to the TML, but delete most of it, theres some useful stuff, but the signal to noise ratio is way to high... I'm not sure if I count as old guard or new... I started playing traveller in the fall of 78, I started playing boardgames in 6th grade, and a friend told me about this cool place where they made and played games downtown above the post office, this was GDW. so I wandered in and talked to a couple of folks, and ended up playing Drang Nach Osten, and other boardgames. a bit later I read the Dragons Review of the lbb set of traveller, and promptly stopped down to get a copy, I also met Dave Sering from Judges Guild that day, and we ended up roadtripping an hour to get assorted D&D stuff. Traveller is still my favorite RPG, with Champions/Hero running a close second. and now I've gotten the chance to help write the book that will merge Traveller and Hero together... and I am really proud to add my own bit of traveller history. I will just ignore the BS and delete what I dont care for, but I intend to keep the flame alive.

I will defend Traveller to its dying day, no matter what variation people play, toss canon out the airlock, its still Traveller

[pompe.livejournal.com]

The attitude of some people, both canon purists and rabid recreationists on the TML and the flood of noise (or low content if not real noise) scared me off the list quickly long ago. Endless threads became fist-fights over minutiae and it didn't help some people seemed to have far too much spare time to devote to insulting others or simply overwhelm the lists with their personal hot-button topics.

Leave it and share your knowledge somewhere else, like on this journal. There's no point in staying in a place where you are being insulted.

[silverstorm2013.livejournal.com]

Just because I’m a HUGE drama queen and don’t play traveler can someone tell me what’s the argument about?

Also please try to remember that arguing on the internet is like being in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you’re still retarded.

[kengr]

see my post several replies up...

[murbin.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I skipped over most of it. It cut into valuable Halo time.

I have to admit I tended to side with the Canon defenders for what I did read. I'm a TML Old Fart myself. Folks like Doug and Leonard have built up a vast amount of credibility with me on the subject matter over the years.