he Traveller Web Portal is a tremendous fan-built source for Traveller, one of the oldest—if not the oldest—science-fiction role-playing games. Originally published in 1977, the game has seen more than a half-dozen editions, including a GURPS-compatible one published by Steve Jackson Games and a new d20-based edition called "Traveller T20." The Web site covers them all as it serves as a gateway for all things Traveller-related.
The portal flagship site, "Traveller Downport," is broken up into sections for each edition, although the majority of its content supports the original release. In addition to "Downport," the portal hosts a hodgepodge of Traveller-related Web sites. The "Bureau of Aggregate Reference Data" section gives encyclopedia-like write-ups about aspects of the Traveller universe, while "Heaven & Earth" offers a Windows-based program for generating new worlds for the game. There're also gems like "The Chronicles of Ted D. Flask," a fan-created radio play that's available for download.
As a portal, the site also offers links to other prominent Traveller sites on the Web, such as the webzines Freelance Traveller and Traveller's Aid Society, as well as the Traveller Mailing List, an e-mail-based discussion group for the game.
— Ken Newquist
Site of the Week—September 30, 2002
iction becomes reality at The Questarian, a site that recreates the fanaticism highlighted and gently mocked in Galaxy Quest with an enthusiastically faithfully homage to the movie.
The site crisscrosses the line between being a creation of the imaginary fans of the imaginary series, and being made by real fans of the actual movie. For example, the "Episodes" section provides summaries of the nonexistent TV show, and the site's "Blueprints" section, while not offering the 3-D rotating cutaways featured in the film, does have a handful of computer-rendered plans for ships seen in Galaxy Quest.
Bridging the line between real and imagined is the "Altered Reality" section, which presents loyal Questarians with a look at magazine and book covers that could have been, had Galaxy Quest been a real show. It includes a TV Guide cover, "The Science of Galaxy Quest" and Tommy Webber's biography. Back in the real world, the "Galaxy Quest Data Bank" offers rumors about possible sequels, screenplays, storyboards and even movie collectibles. There are also a fair amount of links to movie-related web sites.
Inspired by the fake fan page put together to support the movie's theatrical release, The Questarian's stated goal is to outlast the official Web site. It's already done that, showing that the movie's real-world fans are just as devoted as its imaginary ones.
— Ken Newquist
Site of the Week—September 23, 2002
or fans who consider the art show a high point of any SF convention, ASFA's official site offers a banquet for the eyes and imagination. All members of this artists' association have space on the ASFA site to showcase their work, and the resulting Internet gallery is packed with mind-blowing SF and fantasy images. In some cases, the artists have taken time to write about a work's inspiration: the story they were illustrating, or the general idea behind a particular creative impulse. These mini-tours of the artistic process are almost as compelling as the pictures they accompany.
Visitors unfamiliar with ASFA can, naturally, learn all about the association's structure, membership perks and services at their site. Along with working to protect artists' rights as publishing continues to be changed by electronic media, ASFA publishes a quarterly bulletin that includes convention listings, information about the state of the field and articles specifically geared to helping newcomers break in. Another big goal is in keeping the membership connected, and to that end, the site offers discussion forums on copyright issues, community news, SF and fantasy Web sites of interest and similar topics.
ASFA also hosts the Chesley Awards, and the artworks gathered in the Chesley section of the site reflect the pinnacle of speculative illustration. Showcasing pictures by household names like Michael Whelan, Frank Kelly Freas and Kinuko Y. Craft, this site showcases the elasticity and creativity of SF artists, all the while taking visitors on one astounding visual journey after another.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Back to the top.
