At odds with a character's tech level...

[Supplement Four]

Here's something neat. I love reading little 'ole things like this.

I've been looking through the 90+ Traveller articles that were published in White Dwarf magazine back in the day, and I stumble across this...




Tech Level Modifier

Consider that characters have TL's equal to their homeworlds (a GM my change a Traveller's TL to that of his starship if the character spends most of his time aboard his starship and not on his homeworld).

What happens when they deal with tech far removed from what they know?

For example, let's say a character from a TL 8 world with Computer-2 needs to work on a busted CPU aboard a TL 14 starship.

How do you handle that?

Neat suggestion from WD: Divide the difference of he two tech levels by the character's skill level. Use that as a modifer.

{(TL - Character's TL) / Skill} = modifier

In our example, the modifer would be: -3 DM

14 - 8 = 6

6 / 2 = 3

The TL 8 character would use a -3DM (in effect a -1 DM because he get's +2 for his Computer-2 skill) when attempting to repair the computer on the TL 14 starship.

The throw would be: 2D +2 -3 for target or better.

2D -1 for target or better.




I think that's a pretty slick little mechanic (which is why I share it with you here...in case you want to incoporate it into your games).




Here's something else for ya....

Understanding Higher Tech

If a character examines higher tech, he might be able to "figure it out". Exactly what (if successful) he figures out is up to the GM. But, this is a nice little mechanic to use during a game.

If a character studies a device of higher tech for a while (time decided by GM), then allow the character a check to see if he "figured it out".

Use the same modifier as described above (difference of TL divided by appropriate skill level).

If what the character is trying to "figure out" is of a TL higher than the character's, roll: 3D +mod for INT or less.

If what the character is trying to "figure out" is of a TL lower than the character's, roll: 3D -mod for EDU or less.

Example: Characters have found an Ancient site on a world. The character used in the example above is one of them (TL 8, Computer-2).

There is a large stone block with scratches on it, pierced with holes. It looks like it might be some type of machinery encased in stone.

The GM knows it's an Ancient computer interface, but the players and character's don't know this.

Our example character stuides the block for a few minutes, and the GM decides to give him a check (unless the player actually guesses what the thing does--always role play before you roll play).

The GM knows the Ancient computer is TL20. The modifier for the check would be: -6DM.

20 - 8 = 12

12 / 2 = 6

Since this piece of tech is higher than the character's TL, we roll 3D +6 for INT or less.

If successful on the check, the GM will tell the player what his character is looking at (or, better yet, describe it so keenly that even a monkey could figure out it is a computer interface by your description).

Couple 'o neat little rules, eh?

I thought so.

-S4

 

[Supplement Four]

Here's something neat. I love reading little 'ole things like this.

I've been looking through the 90+ Traveller articles that were published in White Dwarf magazine back in the day, and I stumble across this...




Tech Level Modifier

Consider that characters have TL's equal to their homeworlds (a GM my change a Traveller's TL to that of his starship if the character spends most of his time aboard his starship and not on his homeworld).

What happens when they deal with tech far removed from what they know?

For example, let's say a character from a TL 8 world with Computer-2 needs to work on a busted CPU aboard a TL 14 starship.

How do you handle that?

Neat suggestion from WD: Divide the difference of he two tech levels by the character's skill level. Use that as a modifer.

{(TL - Character's TL) / Skill} = modifier

In our example, the modifer would be: -3 DM

14 - 8 = 6

6 / 2 = 3

The TL 8 character would use a -3DM (in effect a -1 DM because he get's +2 for his Computer-2 skill) when attempting to repair the computer on the TL 14 starship.

The throw would be: 2D +2 -3 for target or better.

2D -1 for target or better.




I think that's a pretty slick little mechanic (which is why I share it with you here...in case you want to incoporate it into your games).




Here's something else for ya....

Understanding Higher Tech

If a character examines higher tech, he might be able to "figure it out". Exactly what (if successful) he figures out is up to the GM. But, this is a nice little mechanic to use during a game.

If a character studies a device of higher tech for a while (time decided by GM), then allow the character a check to see if he "figured it out".

Use the same modifier as described above (difference of TL divided by appropriate skill level).

If what the character is trying to "figure out" is of a TL higher than the character's, roll: 3D +mod for INT or less.

If what the character is trying to "figure out" is of a TL lower than the character's, roll: 3D -mod for EDU or less.

Example: Characters have found an Ancient site on a world. The character used in the example above is one of them (TL 8, Computer-2).

There is a large stone block with scratches on it, pierced with holes. It looks like it might be some type of machinery encased in stone.

The GM knows it's an Ancient computer interface, but the players and character's don't know this.

Our example character stuides the block for a few minutes, and the GM decides to give him a check (unless the player actually guesses what the thing does--always role play before you roll play).

The GM knows the Ancient computer is TL20. The modifier for the check would be: -6DM.

20 - 8 = 12

12 / 2 = 6

Since this piece of tech is higher than the character's TL, we roll 3D +6 for INT or less.

If successful on the check, the GM will tell the player what his character is looking at (or, better yet, describe it so keenly that even a monkey could figure out it is a computer interface by your description).

Couple 'o neat little rules, eh?

I thought so.

-S4

 

[Icosahedron]

I use something I call Personal TL.
If your character is from a TL9 homeworld, but spends a few years in the Marines aboard a TL13 starship, chances are he'll learn a trick or two and his personal TL will increase a couple of levels.

 

[Icosahedron]

I use something I call Personal TL.
If your character is from a TL9 homeworld, but spends a few years in the Marines aboard a TL13 starship, chances are he'll learn a trick or two and his personal TL will increase a couple of levels.

 

[Supplement Four]

I know what you mean. I've got a character in my campaign from Pysadi, a TL 4 world. We reasoned that this character was a child of one of the Class C starport's workers and grew up around that facility (TL 8).

But, as soon as the character turned 18, he joined the merchants, spending the last 12 years on a TL 13 Tramp freighter.

Kinda hard to come up with a hard-n-fast rule for this character's "tech".

Then, over the 12 years (during chargen), the character became a doctor (Med-3).

Now, I had already generated another player's character, who was the Captain of the vessel, who's homeworld was of a higher TL (Aramis, at TL 13)....and the Captain was a Medical-4 via chargen.

So, we figured that the Captain had trained the character from Pysadi over those 12 years to be a doctor, making good use of all those weeks spend in Jump Space.

But...how do you give a TL to the character from Pysadi?

Homeworld: TL 4

Childhood up through age 18: TL 8.

Adult professional career: TL 13.

I ended up splitting skills between TL 8 and TL 13, depending on when the character learned the skill.

If the character learned a skill through a pre-enlistment option and didn't improve it during his career, the skill stayed at TL 8 of his homeworld.

If the character learned a skill through his career, or if he improved a background skill/pre-enlistment skill via his career, then that skill's TL was TL 13.

Because of this character, I ended up just jotting down the TL of each skill rather than giving a character an overall TL rating. You can see the blanks next to the skills in the character sheet in my sig.

Another character in the campaign is a scientist from Vanejen (TL 5). But, since many of the skills the character leanred via 16 years as a scientist have to be above TL 5 (He learned Ship's Boat and Engineering, for example), we reasoned that this character was a scientist of Research Station Gamma on Vanejen--originally a native, college educated (at TL 5 of his homeworld), politically connected (SOC 10), and connected his way into "working with the Imperials" at the research station during his life.

This character has split TL's too. Some are at TL 5, and some at a higher TL (because it didn't make sense to make all his skills TL 5).

We just had to make his background story "fit" the skills he learned.

 

[Supplement Four]

I know what you mean. I've got a character in my campaign from Pysadi, a TL 4 world. We reasoned that this character was a child of one of the Class C starport's workers and grew up around that facility (TL 8).

But, as soon as the character turned 18, he joined the merchants, spending the last 12 years on a TL 13 Tramp freighter.

Kinda hard to come up with a hard-n-fast rule for this character's "tech".

Then, over the 12 years (during chargen), the character became a doctor (Med-3).

Now, I had already generated another player's character, who was the Captain of the vessel, who's homeworld was of a higher TL (Aramis, at TL 13)....and the Captain was a Medical-4 via chargen.

So, we figured that the Captain had trained the character from Pysadi over those 12 years to be a doctor, making good use of all those weeks spend in Jump Space.

But...how do you give a TL to the character from Pysadi?

Homeworld: TL 4

Childhood up through age 18: TL 8.

Adult professional career: TL 13.

I ended up splitting skills between TL 8 and TL 13, depending on when the character learned the skill.

If the character learned a skill through a pre-enlistment option and didn't improve it during his career, the skill stayed at TL 8 of his homeworld.

If the character learned a skill through his career, or if he improved a background skill/pre-enlistment skill via his career, then that skill's TL was TL 13.

Because of this character, I ended up just jotting down the TL of each skill rather than giving a character an overall TL rating. You can see the blanks next to the skills in the character sheet in my sig.

Another character in the campaign is a scientist from Vanejen (TL 5). But, since many of the skills the character leanred via 16 years as a scientist have to be above TL 5 (He learned Ship's Boat and Engineering, for example), we reasoned that this character was a scientist of Research Station Gamma on Vanejen--originally a native, college educated (at TL 5 of his homeworld), politically connected (SOC 10), and connected his way into "working with the Imperials" at the research station during his life.

This character has split TL's too. Some are at TL 5, and some at a higher TL (because it didn't make sense to make all his skills TL 5).

We just had to make his background story "fit" the skills he learned.

 

[kaladorn]

Using homeworld tech assumptions for any character in an interstellar career seems dubious to me. Especially the further in you are. Maybe I only got my level of skill X on my homeworld, but what is to say I didn't check out the 'tech updates' as I worked my way through 20 years in a high tech job aboard an Imperial fighting vessel? Dodgy. Hard to come up with hard and fast rules.

Note, just for S4 who loves to think CT has it all (*grin*), MT had this kind of tech modifier built right in from the ground up. Tech levels were grouped into categories (Industrial, Low Stellar, High Stellar, etc) and a disparity of a category was (if my recollection is correct) worth a one difficulty level shift in a skill (4 points in CT).

But it too suffered from the same issue of assuming that a homeworld tech level somehow translated to a tech level across your chargen. That's pretty weak.

 

[kaladorn]

Using homeworld tech assumptions for any character in an interstellar career seems dubious to me. Especially the further in you are. Maybe I only got my level of skill X on my homeworld, but what is to say I didn't check out the 'tech updates' as I worked my way through 20 years in a high tech job aboard an Imperial fighting vessel? Dodgy. Hard to come up with hard and fast rules.

Note, just for S4 who loves to think CT has it all (*grin*), MT had this kind of tech modifier built right in from the ground up. Tech levels were grouped into categories (Industrial, Low Stellar, High Stellar, etc) and a disparity of a category was (if my recollection is correct) worth a one difficulty level shift in a skill (4 points in CT).

But it too suffered from the same issue of assuming that a homeworld tech level somehow translated to a tech level across your chargen. That's pretty weak.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
Using homeworld tech assumptions for any character in an interstellar career seems dubious to me.

It seems to me that you're considering the Traveller universe to be more "interstellar cosmopolitan" than it is.

Consider: Traveling to another world is akin to spending a week on a shrimp boat, and the trip costs you $8,000 bucks per person.

Compounding the issue is the fact that, even for that $8,000 bucks and week's time spent, your range is limited...to only 1-3 worlds close to your own.

Because of the high cost associated with traveling elsewhere, the vast majority of beings in the Traveller universe never leave their homeworlds. They stay put where they were born.

And, of the people who do leave their homeworlds, a majority of that group of beings will have only done it one to a few times in their lives.

The people who regularly ride the spacelanes make up an almost separate social class in the Imperium. These people are called travellers.

Typically, these people are crewers on spaceborne vessels for the merchant companies, or they are members of the Imperium's military (as the original character classes in Book 1 support).

My point here being: That the Traveller universe isn't like Star Wars or Star Trek or many of the interstellar socieities we see in movies and books. Most people in the Traveller universe don't travel. Uncle John doesn't jump into the family starship and zip over to see Aunt Elda--unless it's a one-time pilgrimage he has to make during his life time.

Jumping from star to star is expensive and time consuming, and so, because of this, a very real barrier is presented that hinders the spread of technology and culture from world to world.

Therefore, it's extremely plausible, in the Traveller universe, to have a high tech society right next door to a low-tech world (a single parsec away) and not have much of that higher tech spill over to the lower tech world.

Yes, there will be some influence between worlds because of interstellar trade, and the travellers who do exist, but this sharing of technology and culture and even language is not as open as one might expect when considering a traditional SciFi interstellar background.

What does this mean for Traveller characters?

It means that the skills they learn, and the technology they are exposed to, will be limited to that of their homeworld--the exception being for those people (those travellers) who spend a lot of time (years) off their homeworld (maybe on a starship...maybe based on another world for the Imperial military...).

Which is how I've tried to "tech" the characters in my campaign.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
Using homeworld tech assumptions for any character in an interstellar career seems dubious to me.

It seems to me that you're considering the Traveller universe to be more "interstellar cosmopolitan" than it is.

Consider: Traveling to another world is akin to spending a week on a shrimp boat, and the trip costs you $8,000 bucks per person.

Compounding the issue is the fact that, even for that $8,000 bucks and week's time spent, your range is limited...to only 1-3 worlds close to your own.

Because of the high cost associated with traveling elsewhere, the vast majority of beings in the Traveller universe never leave their homeworlds. They stay put where they were born.

And, of the people who do leave their homeworlds, a majority of that group of beings will have only done it one to a few times in their lives.

The people who regularly ride the spacelanes make up an almost separate social class in the Imperium. These people are called travellers.

Typically, these people are crewers on spaceborne vessels for the merchant companies, or they are members of the Imperium's military (as the original character classes in Book 1 support).

My point here being: That the Traveller universe isn't like Star Wars or Star Trek or many of the interstellar socieities we see in movies and books. Most people in the Traveller universe don't travel. Uncle John doesn't jump into the family starship and zip over to see Aunt Elda--unless it's a one-time pilgrimage he has to make during his life time.

Jumping from star to star is expensive and time consuming, and so, because of this, a very real barrier is presented that hinders the spread of technology and culture from world to world.

Therefore, it's extremely plausible, in the Traveller universe, to have a high tech society right next door to a low-tech world (a single parsec away) and not have much of that higher tech spill over to the lower tech world.

Yes, there will be some influence between worlds because of interstellar trade, and the travellers who do exist, but this sharing of technology and culture and even language is not as open as one might expect when considering a traditional SciFi interstellar background.

What does this mean for Traveller characters?

It means that the skills they learn, and the technology they are exposed to, will be limited to that of their homeworld--the exception being for those people (those travellers) who spend a lot of time (years) off their homeworld (maybe on a starship...maybe based on another world for the Imperial military...).

Which is how I've tried to "tech" the characters in my campaign.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
Maybe I only got my level of skill X on my homeworld, but what is to say I didn't check out the 'tech updates' as I worked my way through 20 years in a high tech job aboard an Imperial fighting vessel?

Which is why I would increase the character's skill TL if a skill learned from a pre-enlistment option (Background Skill, College, previous career, whatever..) was increased later in his career at a higher TL.

I stated this above--with the character from Pysadi.

His homeworld (Pysadi) is TL 4, but I made the character's background skills at TL 8 (the minimum TL for a Class C starport), reasoning that the character grew up around the starport in a TL 8 enviornment rather than with the much lower local tech of the natives.

Then, at 18, he shipped out with a tramp freighter (enlisted in the merchant career), and any skills that he had previously (TL 8) that were improved during chargen (during his career) were increased in tech also (from TL 8 to TL 13...that of the starship).

So, if this character picked up Engineering-0 as a background skill from his homeworld of Pysadi, living in the Class C starport, that skill was TL 8.

But, if the character later joined the merchants, served on a TL 13 starship, and increased that skill (Engineering-1), I also changed the TL to TL 13.

Which, in effect, is what you're saying above.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
Maybe I only got my level of skill X on my homeworld, but what is to say I didn't check out the 'tech updates' as I worked my way through 20 years in a high tech job aboard an Imperial fighting vessel?

Which is why I would increase the character's skill TL if a skill learned from a pre-enlistment option (Background Skill, College, previous career, whatever..) was increased later in his career at a higher TL.

I stated this above--with the character from Pysadi.

His homeworld (Pysadi) is TL 4, but I made the character's background skills at TL 8 (the minimum TL for a Class C starport), reasoning that the character grew up around the starport in a TL 8 enviornment rather than with the much lower local tech of the natives.

Then, at 18, he shipped out with a tramp freighter (enlisted in the merchant career), and any skills that he had previously (TL 8) that were improved during chargen (during his career) were increased in tech also (from TL 8 to TL 13...that of the starship).

So, if this character picked up Engineering-0 as a background skill from his homeworld of Pysadi, living in the Class C starport, that skill was TL 8.

But, if the character later joined the merchants, served on a TL 13 starship, and increased that skill (Engineering-1), I also changed the TL to TL 13.

Which, in effect, is what you're saying above.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
Note, just for S4 who loves to think CT has it all (*grin*), MT had this kind of tech modifier built right in from the ground up. Tech levels were grouped into categories (Industrial, Low Stellar, High Stellar, etc) and a disparity of a category was (if my recollection is correct) worth a one difficulty level shift in a skill (4 points in CT).

I can't resist

.

Man, I wish I could find the source. I think it was in an old DGP CT mag (Travellers' Digest), but I'll have to look to quote it for you...

...but, yeah, that concept of grouping TL's like that did first see print as a CT concept. DGP brought it with them when they were writing MT.

Like I said, I couldn't resist!

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
Note, just for S4 who loves to think CT has it all (*grin*), MT had this kind of tech modifier built right in from the ground up. Tech levels were grouped into categories (Industrial, Low Stellar, High Stellar, etc) and a disparity of a category was (if my recollection is correct) worth a one difficulty level shift in a skill (4 points in CT).

I can't resist

.

Man, I wish I could find the source. I think it was in an old DGP CT mag (Travellers' Digest), but I'll have to look to quote it for you...

...but, yeah, that concept of grouping TL's like that did first see print as a CT concept. DGP brought it with them when they were writing MT.

Like I said, I couldn't resist!

 

[Ishmael]

something that dawned on me once about different levels of tech

higher tech equipment is often easier to USE
but higher tech equipment is also harder to REPAIR

just compare driving a model T to a brand new camry.
Camry is easier to drive...but a model T can be fixed without much more than basic hand tools.
I can remember days when you could pull an engine and rebuild it and tune it in a driveway and practically a lunchbox for a tool box.
hi-tech cars need diagnostic computers and specialised tools...very few home mechanics can or will bother them....its easier to adjust point gap and dwell or metering jets than to reprogram and new car's computer system.

so maybe the dm's should go easy when USING higher tech gear but harder when FIXING high tech gear
and vice versa. ( ever see a comp user raised on GUI's stare shell shocked at a console's blinking cursur?)

to some extent, I think it also has to do with weapons...anyone can shoot a good modern rifle and expect to hit a target once shown how to aim.....now give that same person a wheellock and tell him to load and fire it consistantly.

 

[Ishmael]

something that dawned on me once about different levels of tech

higher tech equipment is often easier to USE
but higher tech equipment is also harder to REPAIR

just compare driving a model T to a brand new camry.
Camry is easier to drive...but a model T can be fixed without much more than basic hand tools.
I can remember days when you could pull an engine and rebuild it and tune it in a driveway and practically a lunchbox for a tool box.
hi-tech cars need diagnostic computers and specialised tools...very few home mechanics can or will bother them....its easier to adjust point gap and dwell or metering jets than to reprogram and new car's computer system.

so maybe the dm's should go easy when USING higher tech gear but harder when FIXING high tech gear
and vice versa. ( ever see a comp user raised on GUI's stare shell shocked at a console's blinking cursur?)

to some extent, I think it also has to do with weapons...anyone can shoot a good modern rifle and expect to hit a target once shown how to aim.....now give that same person a wheellock and tell him to load and fire it consistantly.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Ishmael James:
higher tech equipment is often easier to USE
but higher tech equipment is also harder to REPAIR

Very good point. Mental note to remember that.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Ishmael James:
higher tech equipment is often easier to USE
but higher tech equipment is also harder to REPAIR

Very good point. Mental note to remember that.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Ishmael James:
so maybe the dm's should go easy when USING higher tech gear but harder when FIXING high tech gear
and vice versa.

You make valid points. The systems above are flexible in that the GM can adjust based on his view of the situation.

So, it's up to the GM to remember what you've said here.

In figuring a DM for a higher tech item, maybe a GM might divide by 3 when the character is trying to use the higher tech and divide by 2 when the item needs to be repaired...or, whatever the GM thinks is appropriate.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Ishmael James:
so maybe the dm's should go easy when USING higher tech gear but harder when FIXING high tech gear
and vice versa.

You make valid points. The systems above are flexible in that the GM can adjust based on his view of the situation.

So, it's up to the GM to remember what you've said here.

In figuring a DM for a higher tech item, maybe a GM might divide by 3 when the character is trying to use the higher tech and divide by 2 when the item needs to be repaired...or, whatever the GM thinks is appropriate.