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The licensing checklist starts by deciding whether the Traveller 2e fan aid is free, TAS commercial content, or a generic compatibility project. Checked May 25, 2026: Mongoose's Traveller Licensing page is the first stop before posting or selling fan-made Traveller 2e material.
The simple version:
If it is free, small, and non-commercial, read the Fair Use Policy section first. That is the lane for many table aids, spreadsheets, and downloadable modules that are not being sold.
If it is commercial and uses the current Mongoose Traveller rules or Charted Space material, read the TAS Programme section before building the product page, cover, art plan, or credits.
If it is a generic Traveller-compatible work in your own setting, look at the Traveller Compatibility Licence path instead of assuming Charted Space is available.
The practical checklist:
1. Write down whether the aid is free or paid.
2. Write down whether it uses Charted Space names, places, organisations, trade dress, or logos.
3. Remove anything copied from Mongoose art or book layout unless the programme you are using explicitly permits it.
4. Link back to official tools or downloads when a table only needs a form, map, or worksheet.
For this group, the most useful fan-made content is probably not a full book first. Start with one clean artifact: a subsector prep sheet, a patron worksheet, a route pack, a ship-job tracker, or a character-lifepath audit sheet. The smaller the artifact, the easier it is to keep useful, legal, and table-tested.
The online-session checklist starts with the active Foundry package, its source repo, one Traveller Map route, and only the Mongoose downloads players will touch. Checked May 25, 2026: the package page describes a Mongoose Traveller 2e system with support for Traveller, NPC, creature, spacecraft, vehicle, and world sheets.
The source repository is here:
For a small crew, I would set expectations this way:
Use Foundry for repeatable structure: character sheets, NPC sheets, world records, attack rolls, and the campaign objects you actually touch every session.
Use Traveller Map outside the VTT until you know the campaign needs deeper integration:
The map is faster for route thinking, jump range conversation, and "what is nearby?" questions. Foundry is better once the party has committed to a scene, ship problem, contact, or world record.
One caution: do not confuse a VTT system with a content library. The package page describes system support and notes the current content limits. That is healthy. It keeps the table from assuming every book, equipment entry, and campaign handout has appeared automatically.
My minimum prep bundle would be: one Traveller Map route link, one world sheet, one ship or vehicle sheet if it matters this session, and only the official Mongoose downloads that players will need to write on.
Character sheet checklist: use Mark Munson's Mongoose 2nd Edition generator as an audit aid, then copy the keeper onto a current official Mongoose 2022 character sheet. Checked May 25, 2026: the Traveller Character Generator page links to the Mongoose 2nd Edition tool.
The best use case is not "press a button and accept the Traveller." The best use case is speed plus auditability.
For player characters, still let the table see the lifepath:
1. Roll or choose the term structure together.
2. Use the generator as a second pass to catch bookkeeping mistakes.
3. Copy the final character to a current Mongoose sheet from the official downloads page.
That keeps the important Traveller moments in the room: failed survival rolls, strange career turns, unexpected contacts, debt, benefits, and the argument over whether the group actually needs another gunner.
For Referees, the generator is stronger as an NPC and backup-character tool. Generate three candidates, keep the one with the clearest table problem, and rewrite the rest into contacts, patrons, rivals, or crew applicants. A Traveller who looks imperfect on paper is often more useful than one optimized for a fight.
Practical check before play: read the character aloud as a job history, not as stats. If the group cannot hear why this person would take shipboard work, fix that before adding another skill package.
The route worksheet starts with Traveller Map, Traveller Worlds, and Mongoose's free downloads before any Mongoose Traveller 2e patron gets written. Checked May 25, 2026: this is a table-use stack, not a replacement for the Mongoose Traveller 2e books.
Start with Mongoose's Traveller Tools page:
That page matters because it is not just a random link dump. Mongoose points players and Referees toward tools that are already useful around Charted Space play, including Traveller Map and Traveller Worlds.
For a session, I would use the fan tools in this order:
1. Pick the route in Traveller Map.
Do this before writing the patron. Jump distance, fuel assumptions, red or amber zones, border pressure, and the shape of nearby alternatives are all better adventure constraints than another generic job offer.
2. Open the destination in Traveller Worlds.
Use the generator to turn the world data into landing-site texture: weather, terrain, a map cue, and one local inconvenience. Do not let the generator write the whole session. The Referee's job is still to decide what matters when the crew arrives.
3. Pull only the official forms you need from Mongoose's free downloads.
The useful fan-made layer is the handoff between those sources: a route note, a world brief, one cargo or patron pressure, and a clean sheet for the thing players will actually touch. If the handout does not change a decision at the table, leave it out.