CT Only: Another rules ambiguity

[Badenov]

That works out well for players, who don't have to "waste" an earned skill level on Steward when it could be better used as Pilot or Gun Combat or, well, anything else.

Not so well for people coming at the rules, decades later, trying to make something "realistic" out of the rule set. (See also, the FASA deck plans for the Patrol Cruiser...)

Fortunately, Steward-0 is acceptable (despite LBB5 stating that the default level for all skills is 2 on military ships). So it's an additional duty on military vessels, and somehow the naval personnel who do it teach themselves up to Steward-2 without a formal instruction system or any documentation on their records.
/shrug/

I would completely believe that senior Navy cooks still have skill 0 in cooking. In RL anyhow. In Traveller, who knows?

 

[Grav_Moped]

I would completely believe that senior Navy cooks still have skill 0 in cooking. In RL anyhow. In Traveller, who knows?

If your records show that you have a high Steward skill, you're assiged to be the cook. This is why nobody has it in their records.

If you complain about the food, you get volun-told to be the cook next time.

("...It's good, though!")

 

[kilemall]

I would view that more as a matter of Carousing (being a good host who presides over the meal) rather than a matter of Steward (being a good cook who prepares everything to be eaten/drunk personally and then does the serving as the wait staff).

The way I think of it, the Steward is the one who "produces" the banquet/dinner ... while the one who is Carousing "directs" the banquet/dinner in terms of persuasion, making connections with people and doing the whole socializing to advantage thing so as to get the most out of the occasion.

They already have Carousing and I altered Liaison to Persuade. I did leave Carousing as a separate social skill since it is a different technique.

It is in that extra table so not many would have it. Advanced Service INT 8+ is for skills that a career has some use for but not many specialize in them.

 

[Badenov]

If your records show that you have a high Steward skill, you're assiged to be the cook. This is why nobody has it in their records.

If you complain about the food, you get volun-told to be the cook next time.

("...It's good, though!")

And now I am reminded of the Moose Turd Pie story. (Not Traveller adjacent, alas,

for anyone unfamiliar.) The story, and practice, might do for small crews and unregulated vessels, like yout typical Traveller free trader.

Sadly, my Navy didn't work that way. The Chief Mess Specialist had the job no matter how hard you complained. And spaghetti for lunch every single time the crew was required to wear our white uniforms. (Although I was shocked when a reasonable suggestion I put in the Supply Officer's suggestion box got applied the next day!)

 

[Grav_Moped]

And now I am reminded of the Moose Turd Pie story.

You caught the reference!

 

[Black Vulmea]

Steward skill is unavailable to navy character generation.

Steward-0 for ratings in the Crew branch seems eminently reasonable.

In fact, I'm implementing that going forward.

 

[whartung]

Steward-0 for ratings in the Crew branch seems eminently reasonable.

Two ways to look at that.

You could give it to everyone, or, you could give it to those that are assigned as aids to commanders on ships. Doesn't have to be a long term, 4 year, post, but at the same time, it's unlikely every crew member would make that kind of rotation.

Random crew characters don't really "specialize" (not in a rules sense), as in "I have an E6 rating with 6 years in engineering". But, you could add a 7+ roll on any specific term that they get selected as an aid, and end up with Steward-0 or 1 in lieu of a roll on normal skill table (just once, once they're assigned as an aid, they likely won't happen again). Just that "rotate the crew through out the ship" kind of routine things.

 

[Black Vulmea]

The Crew branch is the "other duties as assigned" branch. The support crew on IN ships will come from a mix of Crew and Technical branch ratings, just Crew in the subsector and planetary navies; this seems very likely in shore duty assignments as well. Assuming they pick up Steward-0 as routine doesn't stretch the bounds of plausibility at all to me.

 

[mike wightman]

Every character has steward 0 if the referee wants them to:

"Level-0 indicates an orientation to the skill by an experienced person*; it should not be taken as a stepping stone to level-1. Skills appropriate
for level-0 are: air/raft, ATV, forward observer, steward, vacc suit, and weapons."

* the wording of this suggests that level 0 skills are picked up as part of your prior career at the same time as the skills you gain actual levels in, if they make sense for your career.

 

[Black Vulmea]

Every character has steward 0 if the referee wants them to:

"Level-0 indicates an orientation to the skill by an experienced person*; it should not be taken as a stepping stone to level-1. Skills appropriate
for level-0 are: air/raft, ATV, forward observer, steward, vacc suit, and weapons."

* the wording of this suggests that level 0 skills are picked up as part of your prior career at the same time as the skills you gain actual levels in, if they make sense for your career.

Exactly so, and this provides a useful justification for it - I'd say the same could apply to enlisted ranks in Book 4 Army Support branch as well.

Are they as skilled and knowledgeable as a merchant with experience aboard a Tukera longliner? Not remotely. But they can manage cycling laundry for a company through the fresher and setting the officers' mess table for dinner with a modicum of efficiency.