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Field scientists and engineers

Blue Ghost

SOC-14 5K
Knight
I'm thinking a field scientist of anykind is a scholar. But, what about an engineer? Specifically a civil engineer, is he a scholar, tradesperson or a functionary?

Opinions welcome.
 
Yeah, I'm trying to generate some NPCs, and this guy is more bureaucratic, but has an engineering background.

Thanks.
 
on second thought. CITIZEN is the more correct category as civil engineer.
it allows for all options .

you might want to fudge rolls....

designer, engineer, architect
 
Oddly enough the adventure I'm drafting has a team of scientists and engineers to help the players achieve a goal to address a looming natural disaster.

A civil engineer, or an engineer in one of the sciences (you know, I've never heard of a mathematical engineer...just a sidebar there) seems to be an issue with T5 chargen.

And yeah, when I tried for a BS I often heard that engineers were scientists who applied their training to real world situations; building dams, roads, airplanes and what not.

But as far as game skills … I may have to make something up.

Thanks again.
 
Civil Engineer

I am an actual civil engineer and have been tossing around what my education and experience would look like on a T5 sheet.

1: BA Major: Designer, BA Minor: Physics.
2. Experience: Probably Citizen, with a healthy number of rolls on the education track to keep building up designer (which is the real skill we use, and is why physicists greatly dislike us).

The 'job skill' from citizen could reflect what very specific area of civil engineering they end up in. For example, I ended up in shoring and retaining walls (Sapper). My area of education was primarily traffic design and water treatment. Life does not go the way you planned.

If you wanted to model someone like a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Military engineer, then have them join the ROTC program and do a term in the army or navy.

Scholar would be appropriate if someone received a PHD and stuck around in academia (professors and researchers) or if they went back to teaching and researching after working for a couple terms. One of my best professors did exactly that, serving 4 terms (15 years) as a design engineer and then returning to school to get his PHD, then teaching and setting up his own research center.
 
Well, without tipping my hand too much here, because this is for publication, this individual is a team leader for a corporation. He and his team are on a world to address a possible natural disaster.

I thought of putting him through a term (or a few) of something like the Imperial version of the US Army Corps. or Engineer, but I guess in T5 you can't switch careers...or am I not reading that right?

I'm thinking I'm not looking at the latest version of the rules or something.
 
Well, without tipping my hand too much here, because this is for publication, this individual is a team leader for a corporation. He and his team are on a world to address a possible natural disaster.

I thought of putting him through a term (or a few) of something like the Imperial version of the US Army Corps. or Engineer, but I guess in T5 you can't switch careers...or am I not reading that right?

I'm thinking I'm not looking at the latest version of the rules or something.

Switching careers is possible a couple of ways. I just finished a NOTC grad who did one term in the Navy then mustered out and enlisted in the merchants. He stayed in the Reserve and a few terms later rolled a 2 to continue as a merchant which meant he was recalled for another term in the Navy.

It isn't always explicit but hopping careers is something baked into T5 as a possibility.
 
You can switch careers after you have completed a term and mustered out. Its the only way to become a craftsman or functionary.

On that note, I recommend having you engineer do at least 2 terms as a soldier (selecting the technical branch of service), then move on to functionary. It would be fitting for a corporate engineer. We often end up moving more into management after a decade of design work (2-3 terms). Same thing happens in the USACE.

This means that until the start of the campaign, he has been stuck behind a desk for the last 10-20 years. Maybe he wanted to take this mission to GET OUT OF THE OFFICE!
 
Interesting. My other issue is that I thought I could just generate a generic character with T5, but like MT+ homeworld or native world is a must. Which is well and fine because I can always pick Efate, Regina or someplace, but, a generic character requires system generation … oh well.

sidebar; lol, his dex and edu were 3 and 3 respectively, so I tweaked those. I may just tweak this whole guy.

Thanks for the input. It helps.
 
I guess my issue with T5 chargen is that it's not that fun. It feels like work. If I wanted a generic non OTU game, which I'm trying to write for right now, I've got to create a home system first, and then based on that, generate my character.

CT was CT, when MT rolled around I think our group used homeworld as an optional rule. Never did T4 nor TNE, but I guess homeworld is now a staple.

Just my dissenting two bits.
 
You shouldn’t view Homeworlds or Birthworlds as mandatory. They only exist to add background fluff and a couple 0 level skills to a character.

If you have a pre-existing setting they can help the group feel organic to it but certainly you can roll without them.
 
I've partly been procrastinating for a module I promised because I'm still trying to figure out T5 chargen. I've finally got a handle on it, but it's like it's not very fun.

That was part of the fun in CT and MT, rolling up stats, and then rolling up skills. It was a no brainer because the chargen chart told you right there what to do.

With T5 you can't just launch into chargen, but read all of the rules so you understand about tasks so that you can go through chargen. Whatever.

I love Traveller and telling stories with Traveller, so I put up with it. But it's like this game, from my perspective, always seems to have a hand tied behind its back in terms of mass popular appeal, and this just another one of those things. But, whatever.

I've got to crack the whip on myself here.
 
I can't say which rules dealt with this, only really familiar with CT and perhaps Mongoose, although have bits of most, but I notice in Trav Chargen v6.57 it allows "Civil Engineer". Mongoose rules give 3 sub-divisions, as mentioned already. e.g. Dilettante/Philanthropist are two of the Noble choices.
The interesting parts from the character I made (fudged the skills a bit for demo):
Age 35 - Pension Cr4000
Skills
Naval Architect-1, Excavation-1, Streetwise-1, Sensor Ops-1, Linguistics-1, Energy Weapons-1, Energy Blade-1, Construction-1, Combat Engineering-1, Engineering-1, Vacc Suit-0, Ship's Boat-0, Handgun-0, Computer-0
Material Benefits and notes
Directorship-2
Medals/Bonuses
Purple Heart x1 Prestige x3

Civil Engineering is vast and could have many sub-divisions also. Powerplants, Marine, Transport, Viaducts/Bridges/Subways, Municipal etc...
 
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