Overview

History: 1991-1993

The story of Imperial Lines begins with HIWG, a fan organization founded in 1987 to help to determine the future history of the Third Imperium during the chaotic period of the Rebellion that was heralded by the release of MegaTraveller (1987). Though HIWG was fundamentally focused on research and scholarship, an ever-increasing array of fanzines were crucial to the discussion and distribution of the scholarly articles being produced. One such fanzine was Tiffany Star (1987-1992), the first flagship for HIWG, edited by Mike Mikesh and in its later days laid out by John Meyers; another was the Terra Traveller Times (1987-1995), founded by Mark Gelinas as a general Traveller newsletter, but later accepted into the HIWG fold. They would be the direct predecessors to Imperial Lines.

GDW had worked with the HIWG since the fan organization's foundation. Beginning with the Rebellion Sourcebook (1988), GDW would occasionally incorporate HIWG content into published products. However, as the MegaTraveller era proceeded GDW (and licensor DGP) became more interested in not just scholarly articles but polished content intended for publication. HIWG members such as Mike Mikesh, Mark Gelinas, and others thus began to produce articles for GDW's Challenge magazine and to contribute to products.

In August 1991, Gelinas announced that HIWG would be producing a quarterly MegaTraveller newsletter for GDW. Gelinas would be chief editor, Mikesh contributions editor, and Meyers associate editor. This was to be one of a trio of GDW newsletters, with Twilight: 2000 (1984) supported by "Eternal Soldier" and Harpoon (1981, 1987) by "SitRep".

Imperial Lines wasn't intended to compete with GDW's Challenge magazine (1986-1995), which at the time included 2-4 Traveller features each issues, most of them adventure-focused. Instead, Imperial Lines would feature material more specifically oriented toward MegaTraveller, not the general science-fiction audience, including deckplans, equipment, and other material that Gelinas felt was "Classic Journal", referring to GDW's defunct Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society (1979-1985). Mikesh opined that the newsletter could also include "orphaned" material from HIWG, since increasingly the organization was being pressured to publish or have their material perish.

Unfortunately, Imperial Lines debuted at a very tempestuous time in Traveller's history. Before the first issue even appeared, Marc Miller had left GDW, and the company had decided to reboot MegaTraveller as Traveller: The New Era (1993), using a new game system and (effectively) a new background. Gelinas and the others decided to persevere with the newsletter, believing that it could act as a "bridge" to help Traveller fans move from MegaTraveller to Traveller: The New Era. Unfortunately, GDW would prove less able to actually pubish what they produced.

The first issue was delayed, not appearing until sometime in 1992. Its most notable content was a look at the Foreven Sector which Mikesh and Miller had decided in the previous year to set aside as a "private reserve" for referees: GDW planned to outline it in this first issue of Imperial Lines and then afterward leave it alone, so that referees could create their own details for the sector without fear of contradiction.

The other content of particular note in Imperial Lines #1 was a new "Lee's Guide" adventure seed. This was an adventure-seed format created by Gregory P. Lee for Lee's Guide to Interstellar Adventure, Volume 1 (1982), the first Traveller release from Classic licensee Gamelords. However, Lee had been left behind by Gamelords after they secured the services of the Keith Brothers, and so no further "Lee's Guides" had been produced ... until Imperial Lines, a decade later. Lee would produce five new Guides for the five issues of Imperial Lines, which would be about half-a-book worth of new material.

The second issue of Imperial Lines surprisingly supported Solomani & Aslan (1991), a major product from GDW's biggest licensee, DGP. That support of DGP was intended to continue with the third issue highlighting Vilani & Vargr (1990), and the fourth issue acting as a companion to "Zhodani & Droyne" (which it turns out would never be completed, because DGP was also leaving Traveller behind).

Unfortunately, GDW was facing their own Hard Times, which was one of the reasons for Miller's departure, and one of the reasons they were revamping Traveller to use their own house system. Though Imperial Lines #1 had originally been intended to go out to all HIWG members, it never did due to the cost. Similarly, issues #3 & #4 were delayed due to mailing costs, and eventually combined into a single issue.

Imperial Lines #1 (1992) and #2 were definitely distributed. The first issue was bundled with the Traveller folio adventure Assignment Vigilante (1992), and both were mailed to subscribers as well. It's not clear if Imperial Lines #3/4 (1993?) ever went out. Imperial Lines #5 was fully laid out, but never finalized. (The extant copy is complete but has a few editorial notes for revision.) Traveller: TNE support was to begin with issue #6, which was where the Hubworlds was originally going to be published (before it made its way into the TNE rulebook), but GDW's ability to support the 'zine had already come to an end.

Two decades later, Far Future Enterprises resurrected the idea of an official Traveller newsletter with a new version of Imperiallines, which focused on Traveller5 (2013). It continued the numbering of the original, including the unpublished issue(s), which means it kicked off with Imperiallines #6 (2014). Despite the shared name, it was a different magazine in every way, and so is considered a v2 for the purpose of these indices.

Theme Issues

The themes of the Imperial Lines issues were announced in various issues of Tiffany Star and AAB Proceedings, but are not listed in the actual issues.

1. No Theme
2. Solomani & Aslan
3. Vilani & Vargr
4. Zhodani & Psionics
5. Space Encounters & Hard Times

Though issues #3 and #4 were combined, the two original issues are still obvious from their thematic content.

Obtaining the Magazines

The first two issues of Imperial Lines are available on the MegaTraveller CD-ROM from Far Future Enterprises. The other three issues, which also contain MegaTraveller content, are currently not available, but Far Future Enterprises did not have copies of all the issues until recently.

This index is © Copyright 2022-2023 by Shannon Appelcline. It is released under a cc-by-4.0 license, allowing reuse with attribution.

Main Index

🎞️ Adventures: Misc

🎞️️ Adventures: Geographic, Imperium, Domain of Vland¹

1. The Domain of Vland dates back to the Ziru Sirka and is the home of the Vlani. It includes Corridor Sector, Dagudashaag Sector, Gushemege Sector, and Vland Sector, and also administers Reft Sector.

🌱️️️ Adventures: Seeds, Misc

1. Originally published in KFAN UZANGOU #1 (1992)

🗞️️️ Adventures: Seeds, Lee's Guide

1. Lee's Guides are a style of adventure seed originated in LEE'S GUIDE TO INTERSTELLAR ADVENTURE, VOLUME 1 (Gamelords, 1983). They're an alternative to Amber Zones. Each one provides background elements and adventure possibilities and offers potential locations in both the Spinward Marches and the Solomani Rim, the two locales for adventure when LEE'S GUIDE debuted.

💡 Advice

🛸 Aliens: Humaniti

1. Information on the Vilani from the author of the Vilani section of THE MEGATRAVELLER ALIEN VOLUME 1: VILANI & VARGR (DGP, 1990).

🛸 Aliens: Major Races

🐾 Animals & Plants

📚 Background: Misc

🌌 Background: Geographic, Imperium Outskirts¹

1. The Imperium Outskirts are places lying near the Third Imperium and not claimed by another entity.

🌌 Background: Geographic, Imperium, Domain of Sol¹

1. The Domain of Sol, formerly the Domain of Diaspora, contains the Solomani Sphere. It includes the Alpha Crucis Sector, the Diaspora Sector, the Old Expanses, and the Solomani Rim, and also administers the Hinterworlds and the Magyar Sector.

🌌 Background: Geographic, Imperium, Domain of Vland¹

1. The Domain of Vland dates back to the Ziru Sirka and is the home of the Vlani. It includes Corridor Sector, Dagudashaag Sector, Gushemege Sector, and Vland Sector, and also administers Reft Sector.

⌛ Background: Historic

🛠️ Equipment: Misc

⚔️ Equipment: Combat

🚀 Equipment: Transport

⬆️ Meta

Covers