Freelance Traveller

Far Trader #1

reviewed by Tim Tow

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2024 issue.

Far Trader #1. Chris Griffen, Xavier Bernard (art), Mauro Sorghienti (cover)
Markosia Enterprises, Ltd. https://www.markosia.com/
36pp., softcover or electronic (PDF or ePub)
US$9.99/UK£7.86(S), US$4.99/UK£3.93(E)

“009-1106 Mayday! Mayday! We are under attack! Main drive is gone! Please help… this is the Far Trader Slowhand….Mayday!”

Far Trader #1 starts with a bang and puts you right into the action. The Far Trader Slowhand is about to be boarded by unknown forces. The action is tense and just as the boarders are on the verge of breaching the bridge, the story flashes back to several days before and introduces the crew of the Slowhand. Some common Traveller tropes establish the characters such as the honorable Aslan, the part-time gunner, full-time steward crew member, the introverted ship’s engineer, and the ship’s captain with a past.

The cover art is by Mauro Sorghienti, who has done other cover artwork for Traveller, created a dramatic picture of the Slowhand under attack. The cover was so good and in line with the quality of Mongoose’s full color covers that it convinced me to purchase Far Trader #1. I purchased it thinking it was a zine like JTAS and was surprised it was a comic book. There is some RPG content at the end of the book containing six pages of background, deck plans and a full color ship illustration along with the UPP of one character, and stats for a couple of weapons and a vehicle. The game content is comparable to what would in a JTAS article and you get the bonus of an illustrated story.

The action shifts back to the present and this issue ends on a cliffhanger as the pirates breach the bridge and confront our heroes. Xavier Bernard is the interior artist, who also has done art work for other Mongoose Traveller publications. His interior art is excellent for the ships, he interior artwork is which are very precise to Traveller specs. The sentients vary from excellent for the Asian and Vargr characters to a bit overly exaggerated some of the humans. Overall the art doesn’t detract from the storyline.

The characters and the situation are laid out in a way that does provide multiple potential adventure seeds beyond the main story. The core plot is the about the down-and-out Far Trader Slowhand’s Captain and its shareholding crew members needing to make money to stay ahead of the bank. They are forced to take a chartered cargo and accompanying passengers to the backwaters of the Aramis subsector. Jumping in to refuel at the local gas giant, they discover sabotage and an enemy ship waiting and are disabled and being boarded.

Far Trader #1, the first issue of a Traveller comic book was published in September, 2023 and just released its second issue on April 26, 2024. Issue #1 was intriguing enough for me to want to know more about the characters and from the preview of Far Trader #2, we know that we’re going to get more of the captain’s mysterious background clarified. If you’re looking for a good take on Traveller and want some adventure seed inspiration and some Traveller game content, I suggest you check out Far Trader #1, available from www.drivethruhcomics.com or from www.mongoosepublishing.com.