Customer Reviews

GURPS Traveller: First In

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It's nice to finally see the world of traveller back in print, this time in the world of GURPS. 1st In is the sourcebook for the Scouts, one of the more interesting settings for PCs. This book gives the readers a look behind the scenes of the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service as well as an extensive background on its organization and functions of each branch. Several sections of the book also deals with world creation and equipment. It's well written and really gives the reader a feel for being a Scout. The world creation section is rather extensive and like in the original scout book(traveller game) can be pretty daunting for the casual gamer. There is also a culture section for those who wish to flesh out each planet, complete with population, type of government, etc., each with explanations on what it means. All in all, much better than the original Traveller scout book and one of the better supplements for GURPS to be published.

I bought this book mainly for the world creation tools. Lots of cool stuff on star and world creation, though it's spread out a bit. Would be nice if there were some pages in the back with all the tables you use for rolling up stuff in one place. The main information on the scout corp. is great! Already gave me a couple of scenario ideas. My only beef with the book is the lack of forms. I'm trying to put together a relational database of Traveller based space/planetary info and it's slow going, having to go through every page to find the type of info that needs to be stored. Working from a paper form with all the fields already defined is much easier. Oh well, I find futzing around with stuff like this more fun than actually playing the game. Go figure.

Though I am not a user of the GURPS system, First In is a valuable supplemental resource for the Original Traveller Universe. I use my copy in conjunction with Traveller: Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far Future (Book 1 Characters and Combat), Traveller: Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far Future (Book 3 Worlds and Adventures) and Traveller Book 6: Scouts. It is highly useful for providing the additional level of detail which has become a hallmark of the GURPS Traveller: Science Fiction Adventure in the Far Future (GURPS Traveller) series. Well worth the original $20.95 cover price, and perhaps even a bit more, as this book has now been out of print for many years.

One of the most enjoyed settings in the Traveller Universe is as members of the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service. This has the RPG advantage of having room for small parties, individual initiative, and adventure far away from the vast bureaucracy. The IISS is one of the most prestigious institutions of the Third Imperium. It is an organization for seeking information in half explored lands and making contact with strange peoples. To make a comparison it has resemblances to NASA on the one hand and to the Indian Political Service of the British Empire(as described in Peter Hopkirk's Central Asian histories) on the other hand. The IISS not only seeks scientific data but plays a part in intelligence, diplomacy, warfare, law enforcement, and even postal delivery(a function given to it at the end of the disastrous civil wars hundreds of years ago to keep information in a source apart from any potential warlord). But it's main function is gaining information. In this process it explores and reexplores worlds, sometimes going long distances into uncharted space, sometimes simply doing a review. The Scout Service also acts as a "big brother" to the weaker citizens of the Imperium, protecting indigenous peoples from exploitation.

The book gives a description of the organization of the IISS, and the Starships and other equipment it takes into the field. It also describes various specialties in the scouts and gives character templates for them. And it gives entertaining sidestories as a bonus. Finally, like most Gurps volumes it gives several sample campaigns and adventure suggestions.

Much of the book is devoted to world-building. In these sections you learn how to chart worlds from their discovery to the in-depth study of their culture and biology.

First In is an interesting and useful volume for those who wish to join the scouts and see the frontiers of the Imperium.