Revising the expanded CharGen System

[Golan2072]

For a time, I prefered a revised "basic" approach to CT CharGen; I still do, as far as NPCs and short-term-play PCs are concerned, as my system gives varied and well-rounded characters with little effort.

However, my experience with generating a detailed PC for a play-by-post Traveller campaign has made me fall in love with the Expanded (in that case, AM6) CharGen system as a PC-creation tool. And why is that? Because the detailed account of what the character did every year serves as a very sound foundation for an interesting and detailed personal history, as befitting a PC in a long-term campaign.

The problem with CT Expanded chargen is that it was written over a whole decade or so, with the system evolving as time went on; so compatability between the systems (for example, LBB4 doesn't have pre-enlistment, LBBs 5-7 do) and between skill sets is shaky at best. Furthermore, my consolidated skill system would probably contain several skills that do not exist in some or even all of the existing systems. And, last but not least, alot of careers (from Belters to Colonists) only have basic CharGen systems.

What I was thinking about is a slow and careful consolidation, revision and expansion of the Expanded CharGen systems, starting with consolidating the pre-enlistment options, going through a few skill adjustments (especially adding cascade skills) on the existing tables and then moving on to the real task - building the new careers for the character types that lack Expanded systems.

[Golan2072]

For a time, I prefered a revised "basic" approach to CT CharGen; I still do, as far as NPCs and short-term-play PCs are concerned, as my system gives varied and well-rounded characters with little effort.

However, my experience with generating a detailed PC for a play-by-post Traveller campaign has made me fall in love with the Expanded (in that case, AM6) CharGen system as a PC-creation tool. And why is that? Because the detailed account of what the character did every year serves as a very sound foundation for an interesting and detailed personal history, as befitting a PC in a long-term campaign.

The problem with CT Expanded chargen is that it was written over a whole decade or so, with the system evolving as time went on; so compatability between the systems (for example, LBB4 doesn't have pre-enlistment, LBBs 5-7 do) and between skill sets is shaky at best. Furthermore, my consolidated skill system would probably contain several skills that do not exist in some or even all of the existing systems. And, last but not least, alot of careers (from Belters to Colonists) only have basic CharGen systems.

What I was thinking about is a slow and careful consolidation, revision and expansion of the Expanded CharGen systems, starting with consolidating the pre-enlistment options, going through a few skill adjustments (especially adding cascade skills) on the existing tables and then moving on to the real task - building the new careers for the character types that lack Expanded systems.

[mike wightman]

I sort of mix basic and expanded to quite good effect.

I use basic plus the MT derived special duty and rule of four, but for additional background it is often useful to roll for the yearly assignments from the expanded generation.

I don't resolve them at all, I just roll to find out what happened.

For example, I may roll for one year in the Navy, using the basic survival, commission, and promotion rolls, add a special duty roll, and then roll four times on the High Guard assignment table just to find out how the term was spent.

[mike wightman]

I sort of mix basic and expanded to quite good effect.

I use basic plus the MT derived special duty and rule of four, but for additional background it is often useful to roll for the yearly assignments from the expanded generation.

I don't resolve them at all, I just roll to find out what happened.

For example, I may roll for one year in the Navy, using the basic survival, commission, and promotion rolls, add a special duty roll, and then roll four times on the High Guard assignment table just to find out how the term was spent.

[Golan2072]

I'm already making use of a "special duty" roll in my revised basic system; what I'm after is not a greater number of skills (my revised basic system already gives an LBB4/LBB5-equivalent number of skills), but more details around which a detailed personal history for a long-term-campaign PC could be spun.

[Golan2072]

I'm already making use of a "special duty" roll in my revised basic system; what I'm after is not a greater number of skills (my revised basic system already gives an LBB4/LBB5-equivalent number of skills), but more details around which a detailed personal history for a long-term-campaign PC could be spun.

[mike wightman]

Would MegaTraveller not be a better starting point then?
It already has the skill cascades added to basic character generation.

[mike wightman]

Would MegaTraveller not be a better starting point then?
It already has the skill cascades added to basic character generation.

[Fritz_Brown]

2-4601, I think Sigg's suggestion is what you are talking about for the most part. You use your basic chargen, but add the rolls for how that was accomplished from the advanced chargen.

Of course, you would still have to come up with something for the other careers in CT....

[Fritz_Brown]

2-4601, I think Sigg's suggestion is what you are talking about for the most part. You use your basic chargen, but add the rolls for how that was accomplished from the advanced chargen.

Of course, you would still have to come up with something for the other careers in CT....