Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
It's a great way to create fleshed out random non player characters.
Player characters, depends on your preference.
Player characters, depends on your preference.
Most of the players I have had come from a Dungeons & Dragons background.
As a result, they want to either become the finest single-discipline professionals (Nav-6, Pilot 4, Vacc Suit 4 and nearly nothing else)
Or, they want to train their characters into Swiss-Army-Characters.
As I see it, that is not Traveller.
The way I see Traveller, the Char gen system provides characters who need to work together to be a "Swiss-Army-Crew"
Each member of a team provides their skills to a whole.
In that way, I've had my campaign running since 2007, and I stress the work of the team over highlighting the individual characters
There I agreed with you 100%
As a result, I developed my own system, related to my Char Gen system.
So, say a Character has Gun Combat - Laser Weapons 1 and wants to improve to Level 2.
In Char Gen, improving and Gun Combat skill demands 10 "points" each (with points earned for events in My Char Gen procedure) for Level 1,2 or 3
It then costs 15 points each for levels 4 and 5, then 20 points each for levels 6+
That said, each player can have their character "regularly train or practice" with a single targeted skill until they make their improvement roll
Each in-game month in which they train or practice, they get one "Tik", or two if they were trained by an instructor.
Once they earn enough Tiks for the "mandatory" number of points (See above), they must make a Formidable skill roll to increase their skill as intended.
DM's = +1 for Int >9, +2 for Int >11 ; +1 per additional Tik over the mandatory level.
So, if "Frank" has an INT of B, and has been studying Gun Combat-Laser Wep's for 13 months of in-game time, he needs to make a formidable roll of 14+ with +2 and +3 = 9+ on 2D6
Cool. I'll stick with you get nothing for that year other than maybe a medal.Here is where my real life experience steps in.
I was shot and - according to three doctors who confirmed it - killed in combat.
Then, I woke up on an autopsy table. Sent the doctor setting up for the procedure to the CCU for three days.
So, I "am" the character killed in Char Gen.
Following what the doctors called, "Spontaneous Unexplained Self-Resurrection, I got into IT, interacted with Dr, Hawking(which led to a stint working for Dr. Sagan) and more.
Given that experience, I don't let my player's character die. I use charts from JTAS to have them legally drummed out of the service, or discharged after injuries which made the medically unfit for service, etc..
Or, I have the character experience a wound, for which they get the appropriate decoration(Purple Heart, wound Badge, etc)
In this way, there is a chance of character advancement while teams share their skills as a team to solve issues.
I've done ones like new colony on some marginal planet. That required making up all new skills and such because the game is oriented towards combat more than anything. A colony game is oriented towards just freaking surviving the environment.I suppose if I was going to have a skill mix for a CT campaign or extended adventure I would break the 18 careers into Space, Planet, and Citizens.
Space-
Navy, Marines, Merchant, Scouts, Pirates, Belters
Planet-
Army, Sailors, Flyers, Hunters, Barbarians, Rogues
Citizens-
Others, Diplomats, Doctors, Scientists, Nobles, Bureaucrats
Decide the mix, roll 1d6 for which career per roll.
Roll 1d6/2 +2 for number terms. Roll each term’s promotions, than roll skills/improvement, than benefits.
Allow sabbatical term and charge off benefits- I allow starship loan terms for those that don’t have the credits.
Than aging.
10% immediate equipment purchase, 90% cash in for tickets, ready to go.
Note that the spacers have 4 careers with a chance for a ship, the planet careers 1 and the citizens 2. Seems about right, and especially the types they can get.
Gives the organic character feel while skewing towards the preferred campaign type and matching skills.
Roll | |
1 | Navy |
2 | Marine |
3 | Army |
4 | Scout |
5 | Merchant |
6 | Other |
Terms = 1+2d6/2 (round up) | |
Service skills: | Navy: +1 Soc per 2 terms |
Marine: Cutlass-1, If 3+ Terms Revolver -1, | |
Army: Rifle-1, If 3+ Terms Revolver -1 | |
Merchant: Pilot -1 if 4+ Terms | |
Scout: Pilot -1 | |
Other: Blade combat -1 | |
Skill points = 1 per term + 1d6 | |
Roll on service, education or Adv education for skill, Skill level = 1d6/2 round up, continue until skill point are used. | |
Cash = 2d6 * terms | |
1 Weapon relevant to each skill, or handgun and skill-1 | |
1 middle passage per term. |
Colonist skills I found important are things like:I’ve done colonist career builds. Prospecting, hunting, survival, recon, equestrian, engineering/mech/electronics all figure prominently along with a need for food production type trade skills- I go with agriculture and carniculture which should cover both the lower tech natural way and higher tech genetic engineering versions.
I believe world tamers handbook is pretty much nothing but a hard colonizing game
Hmm, I just use very wide definitions, so mechanical would cover the lower tech version of blacksmiths, possibly use equestrian for actual beastshoes, and the use of tools for construction.Colonist skills I found important are things like:
Construction. A cascade skill with things like carpenter, mason, electrician, equipment operator, plumber, etc.
Surveyor. Needed to layout the colony and make sure it isn't in things like a flood plain, meteor shower region, etc.
Farmer. Specializes in growing crops efficiently
Rancher. Specializes in growing livestock for food
Blacksmith. Specializes in making metallurgical parts and items. A skilled repair mechanic.
Artificer. A person who is skilled in fixing 'stuff.' A "Shade tree mechanic" or handyman who can keep the colony's equipment running.
These skills are necessary to handle the actual construction of the colony and then making sure it gets fed. The game skills list really never covers this sort of thing.