
From: sdollar@goodnet.com (Stuart L. Dollar)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Imperium Games FAQ
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 16:45:52 GMT

Imperium Games FAQ:

PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION 

Q.  What is a FAQ?

A.  FAQ is short for "Frequently Asked Questions."  Thus, a FAQ is a
list of frequently asked questions on a particular subject, along with
answers to those questions.


Q.  What is the purpose of this FAQ?

A.  The Imperium Games FAQ has been created in order to provide a
single source of answers for questions regarding Imperium Games,
Inc.'s product schedules, Traveller rules clarifications, and general
information relating to Imperium Games' product line.


Q.  How accurate is this FAQ?

A.  As accurate as it can be, given that humans are involved at every 
step of the process.  Sometimes there is a miscommunication or 
misunderstanding that results in inaccurate information.  Other times,
items in this FAQ (such as release dates) get changed after the FAQ is
presented online.
    While every effort is made to ensure that the information
contained herein is accurate at the time of presentation, mistakes
will happen from time to time.  Please keep that in mind, and be
forgiving of the representative who posts the information. :)


Q.  Where can I find the latest copy of this FAQ?

A.  Peter Miller (no relation to Marc) maintains an excellent 
Traveller-related web-site at
(http://www.dragonfire.net/~pm/traveller/) and the latest version of
this FAQ can always be found there.


Q.  Who or what is Imperium Games?

A.  Imperium Games, Inc. (IG) is the company which publishes the
Traveller role-playing game.  The staff of IG includes:  Ken Whitman,
Lester Smith, Greg Porter, Don Perrin, Ashe Marler, Matt Machtan, and
Timothy Brown.


Q.  Who is Marc Miller?

A.  Marc Miller is the man who invented the Traveller role-playing
game, and who holds the trademark for the Traveller name, as well as
the copyrights to products published by Game Designers' Workshop (the
company which published Traveller from 1977 through February, 1996).
His company is FarFuture Enterprises (FFE).  Marc continues to be
involved with the Traveller game, by advising IG and posting
frequently to the Traveller Mailing List (TML), among other ways.  


PART II: Communicating With Other Traveller Enthusiasts 

Q.  Are there any web sites with information about Traveller?

A.  Information about Traveller can be obtained from the Imperium
Games Web Site (http://www.imperiumgames.com), which also contains
many links to other sites of interest to Traveller enthusiasts. 


Q.  Are there any IRC channels that are Traveller-related?

A.  Yes.  Use any undernet.org server (i.e.,
atlanta.ga.us.undernet.org, saltlake.ut.us.undernet.org,
chicago.il.us.undernet.org, or london.uk.eu.undernet.org), and join
#traveller.  It's not an official channel yet (not enough users), but
you will find at least a few fellow Traveller enthusiasts there most
evenings (US time).  
    Get in touch with your Internet Service Provider if you need 
information on using IRC.


Q.  How do I get more information about the TML (Traveller Mailing
List)?

A.  James Dempsey runs a superlative TML web-site
(http://www.spirit.com.au/~jamesd).  Go there for information on the
TML, including how to join the mailing list.


Q.  Who do I contact if I need an official answer to a
Traveller-related question?

A.  If you have questions about general Traveller information,
including release dates, rules interpretations, questions about this
FAQ, errata notes, and so on, you may post them to either the
Traveller Mailing List or the rec.games.frp.misc newsgroup.  This is
the preferred method, as it allows others to see the question and
subsequent answer, thus avoiding duplication.
    However, you may have reason to e-mail one of the IG
representatives directly.  The official IG representatives are:
Joseph E. Walsh (ransom@iconnect.net), Stuart L. Dollar
(sdollar@goodnet.com), and Guy "Wildstar" Garnett (wildstar@qrc.com).
Their responsibilities, in general, are as follows:
    Joe Walsh handles overall coordination, and has specific 
responsibility for questions posted on the TML and/or authored by TML 
participants.
    Stu Dollar handles all questions posted to the useNET newsgroup 
rec.games.frp.misc and/or authored by participants of that newsgroup.
    Guy Garnett handles issues related to the various ship/craft
design systems used in the Traveller game, star travel as presented in
the Traveller game, and other such technical questions.
    If you are unsure who to contact, just send the question to the
TML or rec.games.frp.misc, and you can be sure you will get an answer
from the appropriate person.
    Please keep in mind that we reserve the right to re-post any 
questions, whether sent to the TML, useNET, or to one of the private 
email addresses.  This is generally only done if it is deemed that an 
answer to the question will benefit the whole group.  In short,
though, no such communications should be considered private.
    Finally, if you have questions that are business-related (i.e.,
you want to get a License to publish Traveller items or a Letter of 
Permission, you want to check on your specific order, or you want to 
place an order), contact Imperium Games.  They can be contacted at:
       Imperium Games, Inc.
       P.O. Box 481
       Lake Geneva, WI 53147
       Phone: 1-414-249-9430
       Fax: 1-414-249-9456
       Web Site:  http://www.imperiumgames.com


Q.  Where do you get your Official Answers?

A.  Some answers come from our own knowledge of the Traveller game, 
while others come from the folks at Imperium Games.


PART III: PRODUCT RELEASE INFORMATION 

Q.  When will [insert product here] be shipped?

A.  The correct schedule for products to be shipped (that is, when
they will begin to be shipped to dealers and those who ordered
directly through IG) as of the date of this FAQ is:

        Starships                       November 15
        JTAS                            November 15
        Citizens of the Imperium        November 15
        Aliens Archive                  November 15
        Central Supply Catalog          December 1
        Milieu 0                        December 15
        First Survey                    December 15


Q.  When is my T4 hardback going to arrive? 

A.  It depends.
All Orders:  The hardbacks were shipped in approximately the same 
sequence in which orders were received.  As of October 25, all the 
hardbacks should be either in the mail or at their destinations.  IG 
wants to express their sincere thanks for the great patience everyone 
has shown in waiting for their orders to be filled.

U.S. Orders:  Some were shipped via Priority Mail, while others were 
shipped via 4th Class Mail, depending on the date on which the order
was placed.  For details of when your specific order was shipped,
please call or write to Imperium Games.

Foreign Orders:  Foreign orders will take longer to arrive than orders
shipped to the continental U.S. 


Q.  Why is it taking so long to get my T4 hardback?

A.  IG was overwhelmed with orders for the hardback, and were caught 
somewhat unprepared.  They have only one person available to do the 
shipping (including printing labels, packaging the goods, etc.).  
    IG plans to improve their shipping process for future product 
shipments. 


Q.  How many copies of T4 have sold as of October 22, 1996?

A.  Approximately, the totals are:
       Hard Covers:   2,800
       Soft Covers:   5,000


Q.  When will an error-corrected version of Traveller be available?

A.  That's hard to say.  The real answer is, as soon as the current  
print run of traveller sells out.  IG produced one print run, and
immediately sold out.  They were still in the process of determining
all the error corrections that would be necessary in order to make
the "version 1.1" edition, so they had another print run done with the
same plates (and, therefore, the same errors).  Once that second print
run sells out, IG will be able to have new plates made (without the
errors), get a print run done, and get the books on the shelves.
    So, reasonably, one could conjecture that IG might have the error-
corrected version of T4 out sometime during the first or second
quarter of 1997, depending on how well T4 sells during Christmas.


PART IV: SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT IG PRODUCTS 

Q.  What is going to be changed about Traveller history?

A.  In one sense, nothing.  The official word is, everything that was 
official Traveller history before, will remain Traveller history in
T4.  However, there is a caveat:  history is always written by the
victors.  So, what you know to be true now, may not in fact turn out
to be true in the final analysis.  


Q.  What is the scope of the upcoming Central Supply Catalog (CSC) 
supplement?

A.  The CSC will have a huge amount of equipment, as well as a very
robust small craft design system.  CSC's focus is on equipment
available in Milieu 0.


Q.  What about equipment for subsequent Milieux?

A.  New equipment will be published for subsequent Milieux when each 
Milieu book is published.  At this point, it is unknown whether that
will take the form of a section of each Milieu book, a separate
CSC-type book, or be some combination depending on the Milieu in
question.


Q.  What changes will be made in subsequent printings of Marc Miller's
Traveller (T4, the main Traveller rule book)? 

A.  The next printing of T4 will simply have errata notes in the back
of the book.  The printing after that will be version 1.1, and will
have all the noted errors corrected (but will have the same artwork).


Q.  I really don't like [insert a rule from T4 here] . . .

A.  If you don't like something about any IG product, feel free to
change it!  The folks at IG realize they aren't gods, and are
therefore unable to create the perfect system for everyone.  Their
philosophy is that they are producing _guidelines_, not laws carved in
stone.  And, if you do create new rules, please share them online!
(See below for copyright information related to this subject.)


Q.  My local game store doesn't carry Traveller products.  (Or, "There
aren't any Traveller players in my area.")

A.  Ask the owner of your friendly local game store if you can run a 
demo of the Traveller game.  If s/he will let you do so, some ideas 
for what to do include:
        1)  Run through some _extremely simple_ scenarios with 
            prospective customers.  These might be simply hitting
            a target - give them a character, a situation, a little
            build up, and a number to roll.  Act out the consequences.
        2)  Get a few members of your gaming group together, and play
            at the store, if they'll allow it and have an area where
            customers can stop by and watch you play.
        3)  Your own ideas
        The point is, demand drives supply.  If you would like to see
a supply of Traveller products at your local game store, help to
create the demand and let the game store owner know that demand
exists.  If you can stir up enough demand among the gaming community
in your area, the game store owner will almost certainly begin
carrying lots of Traveller products.
        Plus, you you may end up making some new gaming friends! :)


Q.  What is Imperium Games doing to improve the quality of their
products?

A.  The first edition of T4 did not meet the standard of quality that 
Imperium Games wants its products to maintain.  This was primarily due
to the time constraint they were working under; there just wasn't
enough time available to do the job as well as they wanted to.  To
combat this problem, IG has off-loaded its business functions onto its
parent organization (Sweet Pea Entertainment), and has asked Joe
Walsh, Stuart Dollar, and Guy "Wildstar" Garnett to assist with
customer relations on the Internet.  This frees up Imperium Games to
focus more fully on producing quality products in a timely manner.


PART V: COPYRIGHT POLICY INFORMATION 

Q.  What is IG's copyright policy in regards to original works posted
to the Traveller Mailing List, WWW sites, and/or Usenet?

A.  Just include "Traveller is a Registered Trademark of FarFuture 
Enterprises" in the document, and IG will be fine with it, so long as 
you don't sell you work (or make money off of it in any way) - see 
below.
    Imperium Games and FarFuture Enterprises _encourage_ fans to
create their own rules variants, equipment, settings, etc.  They
further encourage those who create such new aspects of the Traveller
universe to freely share their work.  The game can only be improved by
such fan interaction.


Q.  If I make an original work for Traveller, who owns it?

A.  You do (you may want to include a copyright notice in your
document, thus explicitly stating you ownership of your own work).
But, you cannot make money from your work without doing one of the
following:
    1)  Getting a Letter of Permission (call or write to IG for
details)
    2)  Becoming a Licensee (call or write to IG for details)
    3)  Having a Licensee publish your work (call or write IG for
details)
    Also, if you are making your work available on a a given site 
(WWW, FTP, Telnet, etc.), you may want to include a notice that the 
material may be removed at any time without notice.  That way, if you 
decide to publish your work, you will be able to take it out of public
access (if you so desire), without surprising anyone who expects it to
remain there.


Q.  Is there any way around all of this stuff?

A.  Yes.  Don't mention Traveller in your article, and don't pull 
material from any Traveller product.  Say it is an article for use
with science fiction RPG's, and keep it generic.


Q.  Can IG or FFE publish my original Traveller work without my
permission?

A.  No.  They cannot take your original work and publish it without
first getting your permission.



Q.  What is the policy regarding copying previously published works by
Game Designers' Workshop to the internet (or elsewhere)?

A.  You have to get written permission from Marc Miller 
(FarFuture@aol.com) in order to legally do so.  He holds all the 
copyrights on all such material.
_________________________________________________________________________
This completes the Imperium Games FAQ . . . for now!

Stuart L. Dollar                         sdollar@goodnet.com
Official USENet Spokesperson for Imperium Games
------------------------------------------------------------
"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God."  -Thomas Jefferson

