Experience Rules?

[Cymew]

I just re-read the xp rules and found them somewhat lacking.

Unless I misunderstood something, you award AP after every session, but you can only get 2 per year on the same skill.

I think this sounds like your campaign will have to be very stretched out in time for the PC to actually raise any skills, and after a year you will have gotten 2 AP in every skill if you get them that often.

I think it was Aramis that suggested that you change the year to 92 days, but I'm not sure why 92 days would be a better limit.

So guys, how often do you award experience and how fast do you're characters advance? I haven't refereed any Traveller campaign that have lasted so long as experience ever mattered, but I somehow feel it would feel better to have an idea about it if the situation ever changes.

 

[Cymew]

I just re-read the xp rules and found them somewhat lacking.

Unless I misunderstood something, you award AP after every session, but you can only get 2 per year on the same skill.

I think this sounds like your campaign will have to be very stretched out in time for the PC to actually raise any skills, and after a year you will have gotten 2 AP in every skill if you get them that often.

I think it was Aramis that suggested that you change the year to 92 days, but I'm not sure why 92 days would be a better limit.

So guys, how often do you award experience and how fast do you're characters advance? I haven't refereed any Traveller campaign that have lasted so long as experience ever mattered, but I somehow feel it would feel better to have an idea about it if the situation ever changes.

 

[Cymew]

I just re-read the xp rules and found them somewhat lacking.

Unless I misunderstood something, you award AP after every session, but you can only get 2 per year on the same skill.

I think this sounds like your campaign will have to be very stretched out in time for the PC to actually raise any skills, and after a year you will have gotten 2 AP in every skill if you get them that often.

I think it was Aramis that suggested that you change the year to 92 days, but I'm not sure why 92 days would be a better limit.

So guys, how often do you award experience and how fast do you're characters advance? I haven't refereed any Traveller campaign that have lasted so long as experience ever mattered, but I somehow feel it would feel better to have an idea about it if the situation ever changes.

 

[mike wightman]

I just stick to the CT way of doing it.

Skill improvement during the game should be at the same rate as during character generation IMHO.

MT almost does this, but the added complication just never seemed worth it.

 

[mike wightman]

I just stick to the CT way of doing it.

Skill improvement during the game should be at the same rate as during character generation IMHO.

MT almost does this, but the added complication just never seemed worth it.

 

[mike wightman]

I just stick to the CT way of doing it.

Skill improvement during the game should be at the same rate as during character generation IMHO.

MT almost does this, but the added complication just never seemed worth it.

 

[Cymew]

It almost feel like MT succeeds in doing something better than CT, but I'll take a look at my LBB and see how it used to be done.

 

[Cymew]

It almost feel like MT succeeds in doing something better than CT, but I'll take a look at my LBB and see how it used to be done.

 

[Cymew]

It almost feel like MT succeeds in doing something better than CT, but I'll take a look at my LBB and see how it used to be done.

 

[Elliot]

In CT you have to go and train - i.e. leave the game. I agree with Aramis's modification for the purposes of the game, however, experience can be very unrealistic in other games - take being a Doctor.

Assuming skill 1 = paramedic, skill 3 = hospital doctor and skill 5 = top consultant/professor (which is how the rules have it bar the professor bit). How long does it take a skill 1 nurse to reach doctor standard on the job, i.e. doing it every day, but without a period of concentrated study? 4 years? 8 years? I would trust a nurse of 8 years constant work over a junior doctor but i'm not sure i'd trust one who was 2 years more experience.

My point: In MT terms the slow progress of a PC to the next skill level by mere experience alone does mimic how people learn by doing - unless you apply your mind by a course of study and expert tuition, you do seem to learn slower (although I accept not in all cases).

Its also a good game control - that way the PC don't get Cbt Rifleman 5 in one year of play.

 

[Elliot]

In CT you have to go and train - i.e. leave the game. I agree with Aramis's modification for the purposes of the game, however, experience can be very unrealistic in other games - take being a Doctor.

Assuming skill 1 = paramedic, skill 3 = hospital doctor and skill 5 = top consultant/professor (which is how the rules have it bar the professor bit). How long does it take a skill 1 nurse to reach doctor standard on the job, i.e. doing it every day, but without a period of concentrated study? 4 years? 8 years? I would trust a nurse of 8 years constant work over a junior doctor but i'm not sure i'd trust one who was 2 years more experience.

My point: In MT terms the slow progress of a PC to the next skill level by mere experience alone does mimic how people learn by doing - unless you apply your mind by a course of study and expert tuition, you do seem to learn slower (although I accept not in all cases).

Its also a good game control - that way the PC don't get Cbt Rifleman 5 in one year of play.

 

[Elliot]

In CT you have to go and train - i.e. leave the game. I agree with Aramis's modification for the purposes of the game, however, experience can be very unrealistic in other games - take being a Doctor.

Assuming skill 1 = paramedic, skill 3 = hospital doctor and skill 5 = top consultant/professor (which is how the rules have it bar the professor bit). How long does it take a skill 1 nurse to reach doctor standard on the job, i.e. doing it every day, but without a period of concentrated study? 4 years? 8 years? I would trust a nurse of 8 years constant work over a junior doctor but i'm not sure i'd trust one who was 2 years more experience.

My point: In MT terms the slow progress of a PC to the next skill level by mere experience alone does mimic how people learn by doing - unless you apply your mind by a course of study and expert tuition, you do seem to learn slower (although I accept not in all cases).

Its also a good game control - that way the PC don't get Cbt Rifleman 5 in one year of play.

 

[Merxiless]

From the other side of the coin, I just don't use experience. My traveller games are generally an episodic campaign, with set characters.

If I am looking for a game to add experience, I play Mechwarrior 2nd ed (Pretty good XP mechanics, but not perfect at it), or LUG Trek (Kind of clunky, but workable).

 

[Merxiless]

From the other side of the coin, I just don't use experience. My traveller games are generally an episodic campaign, with set characters.

If I am looking for a game to add experience, I play Mechwarrior 2nd ed (Pretty good XP mechanics, but not perfect at it), or LUG Trek (Kind of clunky, but workable).

 

[Merxiless]

From the other side of the coin, I just don't use experience. My traveller games are generally an episodic campaign, with set characters.

If I am looking for a game to add experience, I play Mechwarrior 2nd ed (Pretty good XP mechanics, but not perfect at it), or LUG Trek (Kind of clunky, but workable).

 

[Cymew]

My problem with MT isn't really that you advance to slow, but that it seems like you get so much AT that the time you check for advancement you have acumulated so much AP that since you can only get 2/skill you have 2 AP for all your skills!

It looks like they wanted to give some tangible sense of advancement, but keep the slow pace of advancement. I agree with the latter and think they failed with the former.

 

[Cymew]

My problem with MT isn't really that you advance to slow, but that it seems like you get so much AT that the time you check for advancement you have acumulated so much AP that since you can only get 2/skill you have 2 AP for all your skills!

It looks like they wanted to give some tangible sense of advancement, but keep the slow pace of advancement. I agree with the latter and think they failed with the former.

 

[Cymew]

My problem with MT isn't really that you advance to slow, but that it seems like you get so much AT that the time you check for advancement you have acumulated so much AP that since you can only get 2/skill you have 2 AP for all your skills!

It looks like they wanted to give some tangible sense of advancement, but keep the slow pace of advancement. I agree with the latter and think they failed with the former.

 

[aramis]

The rationale: given that you can roll monthly to raise, and that one AP ON A GIVEN SKILL every 180 days, and rolling for 15+, assuming average stats, that means
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Mo 1/6mo 1/3mo
1 0 0
2 0 0
3 0 0
4 0 2.78
5 0 5.48
6 0 8.1
7 2.78 15.76
8 5.48 22.78
9 8.1 29.22
10 10.66 41.01
11 13.14 50.84
12 15.55 59.04
13 22.59 70.42
14 29.04 78.63
15 34.95 84.57
16 40.37 91
17 45.34 94.75
18 49.9 96.94
19 58.25 98.72
20 65.21 99.47
21 71.01 99.78
22 75.84 99.94
23 79.86 99.98
24 83.22 100
25 87.88 100
26 91.25 100
27 93.68 100
28 95.43 100
29 96.7 100
30 97.62 100
31 98.61 100
32 99.19 100
33 99.53 100
34 99.72 100
35 99.84 100
36 99.91 100</pre>[/QUOTE]The table shows chance of having rasied by the end of that month, at max AT gains,and +1 from att.
Now, to be fair, this assumes your Ref lets you gain AT's in a skill at max rate. I tend to limit it somewhat more; earning an At requires exceptional use, or daily use. I only allow two daily use skills, and both must already be held.

The reason for the switch was to be able to gain a skill reasonably expecting to do so in a year, but then I also limited AT rolls to sessions in which the skill was used, AT's or no, which tended to slow things down somewhat.

 

[aramis]

The rationale: given that you can roll monthly to raise, and that one AP ON A GIVEN SKILL every 180 days, and rolling for 15+, assuming average stats, that means
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Mo 1/6mo 1/3mo
1 0 0
2 0 0
3 0 0
4 0 2.78
5 0 5.48
6 0 8.1
7 2.78 15.76
8 5.48 22.78
9 8.1 29.22
10 10.66 41.01
11 13.14 50.84
12 15.55 59.04
13 22.59 70.42
14 29.04 78.63
15 34.95 84.57
16 40.37 91
17 45.34 94.75
18 49.9 96.94
19 58.25 98.72
20 65.21 99.47
21 71.01 99.78
22 75.84 99.94
23 79.86 99.98
24 83.22 100
25 87.88 100
26 91.25 100
27 93.68 100
28 95.43 100
29 96.7 100
30 97.62 100
31 98.61 100
32 99.19 100
33 99.53 100
34 99.72 100
35 99.84 100
36 99.91 100</pre>[/QUOTE]The table shows chance of having rasied by the end of that month, at max AT gains,and +1 from att.
Now, to be fair, this assumes your Ref lets you gain AT's in a skill at max rate. I tend to limit it somewhat more; earning an At requires exceptional use, or daily use. I only allow two daily use skills, and both must already be held.

The reason for the switch was to be able to gain a skill reasonably expecting to do so in a year, but then I also limited AT rolls to sessions in which the skill was used, AT's or no, which tended to slow things down somewhat.