Point Allocation

[ArcaneFlash]

The standard PAS (Point Allocation System) seems a little light. For those of you who use it, what number of points do you use and how many per term?

--AF

[McPerth]

The table on page 40 of the Core book (not LBB) gives you how many points you'd have according to the terms of service.

Anyway I don't use to like the points systems, as they use to give 'twins' once the player has found a character he/she likes.

And about the MGT point system in particular, I find it incongruent with other Traveller versions (mostly CT and MT, the ones I know the most) in that the more terms you've spent in your career (up to 4), the higher stats you'll have. A character with one term and using the minimum points in stats (equally shared), will have all of them 6-7, a character spending 4 terms, also using the minimum and equally shared among them, will have all his sats 7-8. Of course he may have higher stats. And a character with 7 terms in the career, is likely to have either quite high stats or quite high skills (or both), while in the clasical version (dice rolled), a character with 7 terms will have his/her stats quite reduced, making you wonder if the extra skills are worth it.

[CosmicGamer]

Originally Posted by McPerth

a character with 7 terms will have his/her stats quite reduced, making you wonder if the extra skills are worth it.

I don't recall anything in the MGT point buy rules specifically saying that you ignore aging, nor that you specifically need to roll for aging. So if for some reason you allowed the advanced number of terms and points, you could still implement the standard aging rules.

[McPerth]

Originally Posted by CosmicGamer

I don't recall anything in the MGT point buy rules specifically saying that you ignore aging, nor that you specifically need to roll for aging. So if for some reason you allowed the advanced number of terms and points, you could still implement the standard aging rules.

That is a matter of interpretation, but I see the point based method as not needing any die roll, so without the aging rolls. Of course, forcing them on this method too will make it more coherent with the traditional system.

[CosmicGamer]

Originally Posted by McPerth

I see the point based method as not needing any die roll.

How would you handle benefits?

[McPerth]

Originally Posted by CosmicGamer

How would you handle benefits?

Touché !

I was about to say that the benefits are after the CharGen proper, when the character is already done, but as you can raise some stats (and even skills, if you receive multiple benefits), that wouldn't hold on. I have to concede here, some rolls are needed, and aging may be among them.

[Icosahedron]

Benefit rolls are specifically mentioned in the PA rules. Aging isn't, but I tend to use it.

The last paragraph states:
"The number of points available varies depending on how powerful the Referee intends the characters to be."
This suggests that the points per term is a suggestion, to be modified up or down as the Referee prefers (goes without saying, IMO, but some folks seem to require permission to ad lib).
Having said that, I've found the rules as written to be reasonable - but then I'm a CTer and these were designed to be CTish...