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Starship Traveller

 Starship Traveller
type
TVTItem
 Starship Traveller
label
Starship Traveller
 Starship Traveller
page
StarshipTraveller
 Starship Traveller
comment
Starship Traveller is the 4th entry of the Fighting Fantasy series of Gamebooks written by Steve Jackson, but the first entry of the franchise set in the Sci-Fi genre.Taking place in the distant future, the space-faring vessel, Starship Traveller, has been sucked into a black hole and flung into a parallel universe. You, the hero of the story, are the captain of the Traveller, and it is your duty to navigate and explore planets and faraway worlds to find a way back to your rightful universe.Forfeiting the traditional Sword and Sorcery gameplay methods seen in the previous three gamebooks, Starship Traveller introduces new mechanics in gameplay, such as Phaser combat, Spaceship Battles, and a crew mechanic where you and your officers and guards fights as a team along your side.Although a bit of an oddball, being the first of its type, Starship Traveller still manages to be a moderate success, spawning a series of sci-fi based spin-offs in Fighting Fantasy gamebooks including Space Assassin, Star Strider, The Rings of Kether and several others.Will the Traveller and her crew find their way back to Earth? Or will her crew be doomed to roam the other universe... forever?
 Starship Traveller
fetched
2023-09-20T20:22:04Z
 Starship Traveller
parsed
2023-09-20T20:22:04Z
 Starship Traveller
processingComment
Dropped link to ANewHope: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Starship Traveller
processingComment
Dropped link to StarTrek: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Starship Traveller
processingComment
Dropped link to ThePlague: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Starship Traveller
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Starship Traveller / int_1049848f
type
Aliens Speaking English
 Starship Traveller / int_1049848f
comment
Aliens Speaking English: Averted, the only reason you can understand any alien speech is due to your Universal Translator Device.
 Starship Traveller / int_1049848f
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-1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_1049848f
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_1049848f
 Starship Traveller / int_177a6464
type
Genre Shift
 Starship Traveller / int_177a6464
comment
Genre Shift: After three books in a medieval fantasy setting, comes this inter-dimensional space adventure.
 Starship Traveller / int_177a6464
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_177a6464
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_177a6464
 Starship Traveller / int_1bd4c0bf
type
Unwinnable by Design
 Starship Traveller / int_1bd4c0bf
comment
Unwinnable by Design: To win in the end, you must find the correct sector number and stardate. If you don't find them or find the wrong ones, you'll lose.
 Starship Traveller / int_1bd4c0bf
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1.0
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_1bd4c0bf
 Starship Traveller / int_1c9537cd
type
The Main Characters Do Everything
 Starship Traveller / int_1c9537cd
comment
The Main Characters Do Everything: You, the captain, always come along on exploration missions.
 Starship Traveller / int_1c9537cd
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1.0
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_1c9537cd
 Starship Traveller / int_1e8681db
type
Noble Bird of Prey
 Starship Traveller / int_1e8681db
comment
Noble Bird of Prey: Eagles are considered sacred in Ganzigate culture. If you unleash an eagle on a hostile Ganzigate, he will surrender on the spot rather than risk harming the eagle.
 Starship Traveller / int_1e8681db
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_1e8681db
 Starship Traveller / int_2af7961
type
Faster-Than-Light Travel
 Starship Traveller / int_2af7961
comment
Faster-Than-Light Travel: A given considering the setting.
 Starship Traveller / int_2af7961
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_2af7961
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_2af7961
 Starship Traveller / int_33179374
type
Deity of Human Origin
 Starship Traveller / int_33179374
comment
Deity of Human Origin: The "Rain God" worshiped by the citizens of Planet Cliba turns out to be a human scientist who used his invention to change an entire planet.
 Starship Traveller / int_33179374
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_33179374
 Starship Traveller / int_3441859b
type
Rank Scales with Asskicking
 Starship Traveller / int_3441859b
comment
Rank Scales with Asskicking: The non-security officers suffer a Skill penalty in combat. All of them except you, the captain.
 Starship Traveller / int_3441859b
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_3441859b
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Starship Traveller / int_3441859b
 Starship Traveller / int_420c50b7
type
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
 Starship Traveller / int_420c50b7
comment
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: There's one planet taken over by androids whom have enslaved the local population. And you too, if you're not careful.
 Starship Traveller / int_420c50b7
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1.0
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_420c50b7
 Starship Traveller / int_4f4372e9
type
Early-Installment Weirdness
 Starship Traveller / int_4f4372e9
comment
Early-Installment Weirdness: As the first sci-fi based Fighting Fantasy adventure (as well as being a very early entry in the series overall), it has some. Despite being a gamebook set in the wideness of outer space, it's a relatively short adventure at only 340 sections. (There are also three extra sections to cover the extra combat rules.) Combat sequences are scarce, with barely any huge battles unlike later sci-fi based gamebooks, and laser gun battles are treated with extreme realism (getting shot by phasers renders the victim knocked out or instantly killed; later books like Space Assassin or The Rings of Kether would have lasers doing larger damage to STAMINA, but not usually fatal). The "Luck" statistic doesn't work like in any other book in the series, being a static number where how to be successful is different in each instance (sometimes high, sometimes low). And not coming up all that much anyway besides.
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1.0
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_4f4372e9
 Starship Traveller / int_515189ab
type
Single-Biome Planet
 Starship Traveller / int_515189ab
comment
Single-Biome Planet: A few planets you visit are these.
 Starship Traveller / int_515189ab
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_515189ab
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_515189ab
 Starship Traveller / int_51bf74d6
type
Power Crystal
 Starship Traveller / int_51bf74d6
comment
Power Crystal: Dilibrium Crystals can be mined naturally and used as nuclear fuel. You need to find a massive supply of these when your ship suffers from power failure.
 Starship Traveller / int_51bf74d6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_51bf74d6
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_51bf74d6
 Starship Traveller / int_53e1f74c
type
Asteroid Thicket
 Starship Traveller / int_53e1f74c
comment
Asteroid Thicket: Your ship gets assailed by one at some point, and you risk suffering severe damage with each asteroid strike.
 Starship Traveller / int_53e1f74c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_53e1f74c
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_53e1f74c
 Starship Traveller / int_56855fa3
type
Casual Interstellar Travel
 Starship Traveller / int_56855fa3
comment
Casual Interstellar Travel: Visiting planets is as easy as beaming yourself and your crew down, and having remaining crew of the ship stay aboard on standby.
 Starship Traveller / int_56855fa3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_56855fa3
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_56855fa3
 Starship Traveller / int_5a2c2468
type
Teleportation Misfire
 Starship Traveller / int_5a2c2468
comment
Teleportation Misfire: Happens a few times.
 Starship Traveller / int_5a2c2468
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_5a2c2468
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_5a2c2468
 Starship Traveller / int_5d753b19
type
The Smurfette Principle
 Starship Traveller / int_5d753b19
comment
The Smurfette Principle: Your medical officer is the only member of your crew that is specified to be a woman. At one point in the adventure you have an option to add a female alien to the crew.
 Starship Traveller / int_5d753b19
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_5d753b19
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Starship Traveller / int_5d753b19
 Starship Traveller / int_61f6c46e
type
Standard Starship Scuffle
 Starship Traveller / int_61f6c46e
comment
Standard Starship Scuffle: It's called Ship-to-Ship Combat, not to be confused with the YMMV item of the same name.
 Starship Traveller / int_61f6c46e
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_61f6c46e
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Starship Traveller / int_61f6c46e
 Starship Traveller / int_643618e5
type
Replacement Goldfish
 Starship Traveller / int_643618e5
comment
Replacement Goldfish: If you lose any of your officers, you'll get a replacement trainee who has a lower SKILL stat and is strictly forbidden from leaving the ship for space exploration.
 Starship Traveller / int_643618e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_643618e5
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
hasFeature
Starship Traveller / int_643618e5
 Starship Traveller / int_67f26dcc
type
Planet of Hats
 Starship Traveller / int_67f26dcc
comment
Planet of Hats: Some of the planets are these, like the planet of Dar-Villains, for example.
 Starship Traveller / int_67f26dcc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_67f26dcc
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_67f26dcc
 Starship Traveller / int_83364794
type
Asteroid Miners
 Starship Traveller / int_83364794
comment
Asteroid Miners: You can direct a few of your crew to search for resources on asteroids. Be warned though, you might lose a few crew from a stray meteorite.
 Starship Traveller / int_83364794
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_83364794
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_83364794
 Starship Traveller / int_8390cdf1
type
Contamination Situation
 Starship Traveller / int_8390cdf1
comment
Contamination Situation: Happens in one scene where a plague outburst happens on the Traveller.
 Starship Traveller / int_8390cdf1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_8390cdf1
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_8390cdf1
 Starship Traveller / int_8879db82
type
Badass Crew
 Starship Traveller / int_8879db82
comment
Badass Crew: You and your team of officers.
 Starship Traveller / int_8879db82
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_8879db82
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_8879db82
 Starship Traveller / int_8bb55271
type
Hazmat Suit
 Starship Traveller / int_8bb55271
comment
Hazmat Suit: EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) Suits are used whenever there's a gas leak on the Traveller.
 Starship Traveller / int_8bb55271
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_8bb55271
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_8bb55271
 Starship Traveller / int_8c1ad82f
type
Proud Warrior Race Guy
 Starship Traveller / int_8c1ad82f
comment
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Ganzigates falls under these.
 Starship Traveller / int_8c1ad82f
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_8c1ad82f
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Starship Traveller / int_8c1ad82f
 Starship Traveller / int_961c30e5
type
Teleportation
 Starship Traveller / int_961c30e5
comment
Teleportation: This is how you descend yourself and your crew into planets.
 Starship Traveller / int_961c30e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_961c30e5
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_961c30e5
 Starship Traveller / int_9de3b377
type
Unrealistic Black Hole
 Starship Traveller / int_9de3b377
comment
Unrealistic Black Hole: Getting sucked into one in the first page kickstarts your adventure. It’s also how you return to your home dimension if you find the correct one.
 Starship Traveller / int_9de3b377
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_9de3b377
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_9de3b377
 Starship Traveller / int_a04eb363
type
Lizard Folk
 Starship Traveller / int_a04eb363
comment
Lizard Folk: The Ganzigates are a reptilian race you may encounter a few times.
 Starship Traveller / int_a04eb363
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_a04eb363
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_a04eb363
 Starship Traveller / int_a1c00d73
type
Capture and Replicate
 Starship Traveller / int_a1c00d73
comment
Capture and Replicate: In one of the bad endings you end up getting captured and used to create an identical clone of yourself. It then takes over your position as Captain and orders your entire crew to leave, leaving you stranded on an alien planet...
 Starship Traveller / int_a1c00d73
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1.0
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1.0
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Starship Traveller / int_a1c00d73
 Starship Traveller / int_a414c3f0
type
One-Hit Kill
 Starship Traveller / int_a414c3f0
comment
One-Hit Kill: A single hit with a hand held phaser will instantly stun or kill you or (almost) any opponent, regardless of your or their Stamina score. The book even explicitly warns you about getting into phaser fights due to this.
 Starship Traveller / int_a414c3f0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_a414c3f0
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_a414c3f0
 Starship Traveller / int_b1346878
type
Fate Worse than Death
 Starship Traveller / int_b1346878
comment
Fate Worse than Death: Losing power or fuel while in hyperspeed, and having the Traveller trapped in the darkness of outer space... FOREVER.
 Starship Traveller / int_b1346878
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_b1346878
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_b1346878
 Starship Traveller / int_b3545acd
type
Ghost Extras
 Starship Traveller / int_b3545acd
comment
Ghost Extras: One possible plot event reveals the ship has a lot of people (and a cat) on board that never get involved in any other part of the story.
 Starship Traveller / int_b3545acd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_b3545acd
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Starship Traveller / int_b3545acd
 Starship Traveller / int_b58b4e3c
type
Too Dumb to Live
 Starship Traveller / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: In one of the bad endings, you and your crew beam down onto a planet completely covered in water without any kind of watercraft and drown on the spot. On another expedition, one of your crewmen has the bright idea to drink from a stream on an unknown planet — after your scanner has already indicated that there's something strange about the water.
 Starship Traveller / int_b58b4e3c
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_b58b4e3c
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_b58b4e3c
 Starship Traveller / int_bf487e2b
type
Translator Microbes
 Starship Traveller / int_bf487e2b
comment
Translator Microbes: You have one of these, which allows you to communicate with aliens.
 Starship Traveller / int_bf487e2b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_bf487e2b
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_bf487e2b
 Starship Traveller / int_bf5b6abf
type
Cyber Cyclops
 Starship Traveller / int_bf5b6abf
comment
Cyber Cyclops: The Manslayer Robot in both incarnations is a one-eyed machine.
 Starship Traveller / int_bf5b6abf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_bf5b6abf
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1.0
 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_bf5b6abf
 Starship Traveller / int_c09dbbbb
type
Weaksauce Weakness
 Starship Traveller / int_c09dbbbb
comment
Weaksauce Weakness: The androids which enslaved an entire planet can be disabled instantly if you set your communicator to jamming frequency, turning them into immobile statues.
 Starship Traveller / int_c09dbbbb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_c09dbbbb
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 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_c09dbbbb
 Starship Traveller / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Starship Traveller / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: The Humongous Mecha Manslayer Robot on the front cover is present in the early 2000s reprint as well. The one on the reprinted version kind of resembles a Cylon Centurion. There's a scene in an alien bar which is lifted from A New Hope. Speaking of which, the uniforms of your security staff and crewmen as seen on multiple illustrations resembles attire of Rebel Alliance officers, particularly the helmets. The book takes a lot of inspiration from Star Trek, from the design of the starship itself to phaser weapons that have a stun and kill setting to starships being fuelled with "Dilibrium" crystals. Some plot elements are directly lifted from various Original Series episodes, and the book's dedication page even contains the phrase "live long and prosper". The Dar-Villian race is named after Peter Darvill-Evans, who would later write three Fighting Fantasy books of his own.
 Starship Traveller / int_c75df49a
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_c75df49a
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Starship Traveller / int_c75df49a
 Starship Traveller / int_d4d98674
type
We Cannot Go On Without You
 Starship Traveller / int_d4d98674
comment
We Cannot Go On Without You: Every other officer can be replaced if they get killed, but if the captain (that is, you) dies it's game over.
 Starship Traveller / int_d4d98674
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1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_d4d98674
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Starship Traveller / int_d4d98674
 Starship Traveller / int_d83f3588
type
Depending on the Artist
 Starship Traveller / int_d83f3588
comment
Depending on the Artist: The Manslayer Robot is a lot bigger and bulkier in the redrawn cover.
 Starship Traveller / int_d83f3588
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_d83f3588
featureConfidence
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Starship Traveller / int_d83f3588
 Starship Traveller / int_d99d9918
type
The Captain
 Starship Traveller / int_d99d9918
comment
The Captain: You play this role, with all the usual associated tropes.
 Starship Traveller / int_d99d9918
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_d99d9918
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Starship Traveller / int_d99d9918
 Starship Traveller / int_dda99fa8
type
Despair Event Horizon
 Starship Traveller / int_dda99fa8
comment
Despair Event Horizon: If you don't find both a black hole sector number and stardate, the ship will just wander through space aimlessly (with some of the crew being Driven to Suicide) and finally fling itself at the first black hole they find out of desperation (which will naturally destroy them).
 Starship Traveller / int_dda99fa8
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Starship Traveller / int_dda99fa8
 Starship Traveller / int_e0aed924
type
No Antagonist
 Starship Traveller / int_e0aed924
comment
No Antagonist: Unusually for the series there is no one Big Bad for the book. The Traveller has been marooned in unexplored space via natural causes and while you certainly can encounter belligerent aliens or machines no one is speciffically trying to prevent you returning home.
 Starship Traveller / int_e0aed924
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_e0aed924
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 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_e0aed924
 Starship Traveller / int_e24de818
type
Cool, Clear Water
 Starship Traveller / int_e24de818
comment
Cool, Clear Water: One of your crew takes a drink from a stream on an unidentified planet, and ends up becoming Brainwashed and Crazy later on.
 Starship Traveller / int_e24de818
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_e24de818
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 Starship Traveller
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Starship Traveller / int_e24de818
 Starship Traveller / int_e6f18344
type
Humongous Mecha
 Starship Traveller / int_e6f18344
comment
The Humongous Mecha Manslayer Robot on the front cover is present in the early 2000s reprint as well. The one on the reprinted version kind of resembles a Cylon Centurion.
 Starship Traveller / int_e6f18344
featureApplicability
1.0
 Starship Traveller / int_e6f18344
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Starship Traveller / int_e6f18344
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ItemName
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Starship Traveller

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Starship Traveller
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Asteroid Thicket / int_1fd45264
 Starship Traveller
hasFeature
Bar Full of Aliens / int_1fd45264
 Starship Traveller
hasFeature
Gamebooks / int_1fd45264
 Starship Traveller
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One-Hit Kill / int_1fd45264
 Starship Traveller
hasFeature
Space Opera / int_1fd45264
 Starship Traveller
hasFeature
We Will Use Lasers in the Future / int_1fd45264