Book 6 & 7 Scout & Merchant Prince characters

[ddamant]

I have noticed that books 6 and 7 seem to be more generous with skills than books 4 and 5. Specifically characters get extra skills for each promotion (military folks do not) and the special training assignment gives potentially a lot of skills to a character (assuming he rolls well).

Personally I like the advanced gen system. However there must be some way of toning down the generous skill allocation for books 6 & 7. Removing extra skills for promotions seems like a start (or perhaps only allowing one promotion roll per term or only one skill gained through promotion per term). I have read a few threads on this issue which had some ideas (awarding zero level skills instead of an automatic skill point for example). Reducing the term length from one to two years seems like another idea (bringing the system in line with the experience system). The experience section requires an 8+ to begin a personal improvement project. Perhaps one could keep the system as is but require a throw of 8+ To gain a skill rather than what is in the books?

Thoughts?

 

[kilemall]

I just

• use LBB1 and S4 careers,
• substitute several skills from the LBB4-7 area into existing ones,
• add an extra skill roll per term but each first skill is SKill-0 just like acquiring skills paradigm (unless it's career/rank skill),
• add on an extra table that requires INT 8+ and carries skills that are quirky for that career,
• do Big Skills like Engineering and substitute a familiarity mechanic for cascade skills, and
• substitute skills from from both LBBs and later editions and make them 'big' (so Persuade replaces both Bribery and Liaison and also does duty like Advocate which doesn't exist, Trader does duty for itself and Legal and Broker, etc.),

The familiarity mechanic allows for constant customization for the character without defining 1000+ subskills and a quick way to 'power up' without breaking the Experience section (I also allow Instruction with strict rolls and SKill-0 first and very hard to get trainers able to take you past Skill-1).


Big Skills gives people usefulness and capability in the raw frontier rather then being specialists.


Adding in the extra skill roll and skill-0 creates a lot more well-rounded characters like later editions, and incentivizes a few shots at Personal Development.


Keeping it to LBB1/S4 chargen eliminates the skillflation discrepancy.



If one absolutely must allow for LBB4+ chargen, consider applying the extra skill roll without skill-0 for LBB1/S4 and requiring skill-0 first for the later books.

 

[Timerover51]

One problem when you use one of the advanced supplements to generate one character is that you almost have to have all of the characters generated using the supplements, as otherwise, one player is going to have quite a bit of an edge with respect to skills. I go with the basic books and add the characters from Supplement Four: Citizens of the Imperium, along with The Traveller Book.

 

[Condottiere]

Mature players can optimize underpowered characters.

Using a point system is basically a way to control power levels, and/or level the playing field.

 

[storuggla]

As much as I love the idea of senior NCO's in space and not just officers I use LBB1+S4 most of the time simply because using the full LBB4+ tables just is too slow for new players.

 

[robject]

I'm drawn to Stan Shinn's "modern" role-playing game style. In a nutshell, he and the players agree on how they want to play the game.

This allows house rules ... when the players don't mind it. This also caters to what they like. So character generation can be, and should be, tuned. Advanced chargen is one of those options. So is point-buy.

It seems like this is also in the spirit of the earliest role playing. Players contribute as much as referees to the game... including rules. The ref's job is to moderate and decide.

 

[Selandia]

how tough the throw?
the skill inflation exist in relation to the difficulty cost.
if you feel the skill level make it too easy for you scout or merchant, it is within your power to make the task tougher
have fun
Selandia

 

[ddamant]

The more I think of this topic the less of an issue it is for me. Like in real life some people have more experience/talent/opportunities than others. There are lots of people who are smarter than me and who have many more tangible skills than I. Is this unfair? Not really. Its just how life works. I can look at Book 1 careers the same way. Perhaps those folks were just not as lucky or didn't have the same life-path as the supplemental folks. Letting the book 1 careers apply the Experience rules right from term 1 might bring them in line with the Advanced careers. Unless they roll poorly and slack off, much like me.

In the end its just a game, and a few extra skills never ended the world. Besides, a level or two of Jack of All Trades fixes/minimizes and skill imbalance.

 

[BRJN]

In several rule sets, there is a maximum number of skill levels a character can have. Let chargen go wherever it leads, then trim the results at the end. Characters with low INT or low EDU can keep going to school forever but they just didn't get much out of it. You might allow Skill-0 in anything the PC had to eliminate completely. "I joined the corporate Fencing Club ... not THAT kind of fence!"

 

[kilemall]

The more I think of this topic the less of an issue it is for me. Like in real life some people have more experience/talent/opportunities than others. There are lots of people who are smarter than me and who have many more tangible skills than I. Is this unfair? Not really. Its just how life works. I can look at Book 1 careers the same way. Perhaps those folks were just not as lucky or didn't have the same life-path as the supplemental folks. Letting the book 1 careers apply the Experience rules right from term 1 might bring them in line with the Advanced careers. Unless they roll poorly and slack off, much like me.

In the end its just a game, and a few extra skills never ended the world. Besides, a level or two of Jack of All Trades fixes/minimizes and skill imbalance.

Reasonable perspective, but I've noted that players prefer having a functional role and having a mushy 2-4 skill character that happened to hit a bunch of cascade-limited skills are less-enthused because they have fewer roles to play in solving team problems, and the lack of LBBs for any of the S4 careers not to mention Other puts them at a disadvantage.


I had a chargen session like that with unhappy players after, and it caused me to really take a hard look at what the characters should end up like, and ultimately similar capability was a desirable.

 

[kilemall]

In several rule sets, there is a maximum number of skill levels a character can have. Let chargen go wherever it leads, then trim the results at the end. Characters with low INT or low EDU can keep going to school forever but they just didn't get much out of it. You might allow Skill-0 in anything the PC had to eliminate completely. "I joined the corporate Fencing Club ... not THAT kind of fence!"

This too, although my mechanic is they 'forget' their old skills- 'it was 30 years ago last time I piloted a helicopter, I can take off and land but forget any fancy flying!'.