
[Q] Do you intend to upgrade the program further?

[A] Probably, but I'm not too sure how quickly I'll get to it.
If I can get lots of world descriptions from people to add to
this monster, then I'll be happy to incorporate those and put out
a new version of the program every couple months. It could be a
fantastic resource for sharing campaign fodder. However, if
interest seems to taper off, I'll probably move on to my next
project.

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[Q] Which is??

[A] I'm currently working on a brand new Science Fiction RPG
with a group of folks on the net, and we want to make our game
available as freeware. I realize we aren't the first or only
people working on such a project, but if you think you might be
interested, we have a small mailing list of sorts operating, and
we're always looking for new people. We even have a modest
archive set up on the web. Inquire for more info, or check out my
homepage.

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[Q] Why not, instead, make a Windows version of Galactic and
then sell it? If you go commercial, more people would be able to
get access to it (Traveller players who aren't on the Internet,
for instance).

[A] First of all, it would be a big pain in the a**. I've learned
enough Visual Basic, that I could probably take a run at it, but
we're talking about doing everything pretty much from scratch. It
would be time-consuming. Secondly, I'm not all that eager to make
money off this project. My worry is that if I start playing that
game, it'll end up being about money and not about fun, and that
would be really irritating for me. Besides, you have more freedom
to do your own development when there's nobody looking over your
shoulder, dictating how the final product should look and feel.
   Having said that, I would be all too happy to see somebody
like Imperium Games stuff the program into some atlas booklet
(granted, it's not quite good enough yet, but one can always
dream). My only stipulation would be that it remain Public Domain
and that the code be right there so that anyone can tweak it to
their liking. Of course, the authors of the various world
write-ups would have to consent to this also, but I can't imagine
anybody saying no so long as Imperium Games remains respectful of
the TML and the fanzines, and so far they've been pretty good
about this, so I can't complain.
   Nonetheless, after the whole incident w/ TSR, I've become very
leery of RPG publishers in general. Even though Imperium Games
seems to have a bunch of great people who are really into the
hobby, I can't help but think that TSR was once very much the
same way. It was only when they got successful that they began
stepping on the little guy, shutting down FTP sites and making
the audacious claim that anything compatible with their game
system is legally derivative and, hence, under their authority to
control and/or cancel its distribution. My sense is that GDW was
starting to slip down this very same path before they folded, and
as for IG... I think they are currently on the right path, but I
think only time will be the judge as to whether or not they stay
there.
   In short, my goal in this project is to encourage individual
gamers to create, detail, and share their own campaign settings
rather than subsist solely on professional (i.e. for-profit)
material. Hopefully that goal doesn't conflict with IG's goal of
putting Traveller back at the forefront of the SF-RPG genre. And
as for commercializing this program, while I'd like to see it get
distributed far and wide, I have no intention of making any money
off it, and for the sake of the game itself, I think the program
should stay right where it belongs... in the public domain.

