New Character generation idea

[JAFARR]

I have been thinking about a possible points system for chargen, but I like some of the aspects of a random system also. Today, I thought of one way to combine the ideas.

The basis of this is you roll your stats 2D6 as normal. You then have 100 points of background to spend how you like. You spend the points in 3 ways. Buy up stats, buy some background skills, and/or buy brownie points for the rest of chargen.

I will put different parts of how this would work as indiviual entries below because it seems as if long entries time out and I loose what I want to post. (I am in the process of changing between MS office 07 and Corel office X3 so I can't word process it and make just 1 entry either.)

 

[JAFARR]

Let's take the brownie points first as they are simplest point. The orgional thought was what to do with any excess points left over. OK make them into brownie points like advanced MT chargen uses so that you have a BP pool to start the chargen process.

Each 5 points not used = 1 BP. So if you wanted to you could start with 20 BP. Same rules as MT for accumulating more BPs. You get 1 BP for each completed term; college, or service academy; completing med or flight school. You also get 1 BP for honors and each special assigment. Also medals earn BPs as follows: MCUF - 1, MCG - 2, SEH - 3. Purple hearts don't earn BPs.

Question: Should merchants get BPs if they earn a bonus?

 

[JAFARR]

Stat purchase

This has it's beginning with the Champion super heros & villians system. They start with a dead average character and all stats start at 10 with 20 as max normal. They can "sell off" points from one stat to be used on other stats. Plus they have additional points as assigned by the referee which have to be offset by disadvantages.

For Traveller, I would favor a graduated value cost for stats. As 7 is average with a 2D6, let the 6, 7, & 8 range cost 5 points to add a point to a stat value. For example: You roll a strength of 6. To increase this stat to 8, you would spend 5 of your 100 points to make it 7 and another 5 to make it 8. You have spent 10 of your 100 background points and have 90 left.

What if you wanted a 10 strength? 9 & 10 are less likely values to score on a 2D6 roll so each step in this range costs 10 of your background points. You have to move this stat 2 steps so you are going to spend another 20 points or 30 total, leaving 70 to use elsewhere.

This also opens the door to sell off points in some stat that you may think is excessivly high. For example you want to have a merchant character and roll a fair set of stats, but have a very high social status (87697C) which really does not do that much for the purpose you have in mind. Suppose you could bump that social down to an 8 and use the points to build up some of the weaker stats. Personally, I don't object to this. How do others feel on this matter?

Here are my proposed stat costs (or profit to sell down a stat).

2 or 12 20 points
3 or 11 15 points
4, 5,9 or 10 10 points
6,7, or 8 5 points

or this

2, 3, 11, or 12 15 points
4, 5,9 or 10 10 points
6,7, or 8 5 points

How about some feed back on these costs.

 

[JAFARR]

Availability of skills as background

Skills are not as easily priced as stats or BPs. Several factors come to mind. Most obvious is tech level at which a skill becomes available. Another is financial ability to access training, although this could be linked to the education stat. An even more obscure factor might even be intelligence.

Lets look at a few examples. Someone from a TL 3 home world would have a hard time acquiring a computer skill, while someone from a high tech home world might not really have any problem learning how to use a primitive firearm or a bow. (I work in a pawn shop right now. We get some really high tech black powder firearms and bows. You couldn't get this kind of weapon on a low tech world, but you would not have much of a problem using the same type weapon made to a lower tech standard. The skill to use them is still the same.)

What about academic type skills? Someone from a wealthy family might have a much easier time getting schooling than say an orphan. How can this be factored in or should this be ignored for playability?

 

[far-trader]

Quick thoughts...

I'm a bit confused, is Prior History a total point buy or is it partly rolled? You mention awarding BPs for certain things in Prior History but if the idea is total point buy that doesn't track. I'd be very careful how you allow BPs to be applied, especially if you're allowing a starting pool. Allowing BPs to buy BPs (as in bumping a roll up 1BP to earn 1BP by changing a roll for decoration) cheapens the idea. I also think BPs should not be able to buy decoration. Enlistment, reenlistment, survival, commission, promotion, and even skills all make sense. Medals not so much. Back in my MT days I allowed "buying" BPs. That is if you rolled, and failed, but had no BPs to alter it you could "buy" BPs. These had to be paid back with earned BPs or reductions in muster out, or you still owed people favours when you mustered out. Favours they'd be calling. At least that was always my interpretation of BPs, favours called and owed, used to influence your career.

Skills might have a cost appropriate to the governing stat such that playing to your strengths costs less than overcoming weaknesses (i.e. Gun Cbt is Dex so a high Dex means Gun Cbt costs less, while Carousing is Soc so a low Soc means Carousing costs more). Basing it on your average system make a skill level cost x points +/- the governing stat deviation from the mean. So for example a level of Gun Cbt costs 10 points base but a Dex of 11 (4 more than 7) means it only costs 6 points. Something like that.

Skill base points might be rated on the chosen background/career. Said career/background having it's own point buy-in cost.

 

[JAFARR]

More on skills

Is a given skill avaliable to a given character? My thought is let the referee be the final judge. Have the PC justify his/her character's reason for having that skill. Don't be a push over, but if they insist, make them pay 2 or even 3 times normal (or maybe 2 or 3 steps up from the base price). Also as these are background skills, set a max level of 1 or 2 at the most.

Cost: 5 points for level 0, 10 more points for level 1. If you allow level 2 make it cost another 20 points for a total of 35 points.

So if someone wants to have equestrian 1 on a earth normal, high tech world and justifies it as there are riding clubs as a recreational actvity, it would cost them a total of 15 points. (No real reason lower tech activities can't take place. The same skill from a size 0 world would be much less likely, so the referee might rule that such a club was highly unlikely and 2 levels higher. Also the cost would be prohivitave and therefore it also costs double the points and maxes out at level 0. This is a total of (5 + 10 + 20) = 35 points times 2 = 70 points total for level 0.

Enjoy!

 

[JAFARR]

Far Trader,

I was afraid this would happen. I messed up and hit the wrong key. It dumped everything and I had to start the last section over. You posted before I finished.

I hadn't thought of the controlling stat point of view. I'll review what you posted 'cause it wasn't clear to me the first reading thru. As to BPs I always thought spending a BP to get a medal or upgrade a medal and getting that BP back was sort of bending the intent of the rule, but if someone was smart enough to see the loophole I let them get away with it. Never thought of BPs on credit before, but if you started with a pool, I would definatly frown on that option.

Also I'm trying to think the details of this one out as I post. It definately needs some more tweeking, but that is why I am posting it here.

Thanks for the input

 

[far-trader]

No problem Jafaar, I get that this is just idea spouting stage.

I can try to clear up any confusion if a second read still leaves you with questions about the stat/skill cost idea.

On further thought I'm thinking I like the idea of making skill costs relative to the governing stat, and then NOT using the stat for task rolls, as the function is already built into the skill acquisition. I like the streamlining and simplicity of it, and the fact that it means skill levels are the sole factor for success (not counting luck, i.e. the roll). But that's for more analysis.

I'm still not fully clear on the point buy though. Do you mean it is just for initial stats and background (before Prior History)? With any leftover going into the BP pool for Prior History generation?

In that case I'd probably forgo ANY awards of BP in Prior History and just treat the initial pool as BPs from background and earned throughout Prior History.

One thing, which didn't happen often, was BPs left over after Prior History. I allowed them to be used in mustering out but don't recall if that was official or mtu (iirc it was mtu).

Personally I found the BP loophole led to a bit of muchkinism. Basically giving the player something for nothing, and it never sat well with me. But c'est la vie, que sera, ytu, etcetera etcetera

 

[JAFARR]

Quick thoughts...

I'm a bit confused, is Prior History a total point buy or is it partly rolled? You mention awarding BPs for certain things in Prior History but if the idea is total point buy that doesn't track. ...

The intent is to allow a little more personalizing or finetuning a PC to a desired role. I mentioned elsewhere using 1D6 + 6 for stats on the basis that wusses are smart enough to stay home where they a "safe" and allow the "real" men with better than average stats to do the adventurering. Somehow you still end up characters that don't fit into your concept of what you are looking for. Or maybe the adventure planed needs a merchant ship owner and the players aren't ready to hire on as crew to a NPC. This way, you roll/choose the home world until you get one that works then tweek the character to have a better chance to aquire that ship. Or what other reason you come up with. Of course if you are a diehard purist, you can always play the card you are delt.


I see I missed something. You roll 2D6 then have the 100 points to modify the basic character before you start chargen. By the way, I would use this to replace any default background skills if using a method that includes them.
Andy

 

[Hyphen]

Dear Folks -

Andy wrote:

They start with a dead average character and all stats start at 10 with 20 as max normal.

Hey, I know it's possible to die in normal CT chargen, but isn't this a bit... too much?

(g, d, & r)

 

[BlackBat242]

Really! How many points does it cost to make that "dead average character" into a "live average character"? :smirk:.

 

[JAFARR]

Dear Folks -

Andy wrote:


Hey, I know it's possible to die in normal CT chargen, but isn't this a bit... too much?

(g, d, & r)

OK I made a bad choice of wording. How about completely average?

By the way, I just rolled up a merchant while I was watching Bouden Bowl 9. What happens when you have a sub sector wide /sector wide O7 merchant receive 6 ship benefits? 15 total rolls (5 dice at a roll) + 2 BPs left. Roll 1, 1 - 6 & 2 - 5s (used last 2 BPs for them); roll 2, 1 - 6 (ship is now paid off in full); roll 3, (3 dice- saving 2 for money table) 1 - 6

What is that last 6 worth? I was using an old table I got from somewhere (plus my own mods). You roll 1D10 + 1 for each extra benefit final result was 11. Chart shows for 10+: 2 tripple missle turrets + 2 - .5 ton magazines. With that result, would it be over kill to add a colapsible fuel tank in the cargo bay?

 

[JAFARR]

test results

I rolled up several more characters besides the one mentioned above using the values I proposed. After doctoring a few stats to get a workable (read assist stat based DMs), I was generally able to set 4 background skills at level 1 and had a BP pool of 1 or 2 BPs to start term 1. You could possibly get 2 skills at level 1 and 6 or so at level 0 if you just wanted to avoid a non-familiarity penalty. I was looking for crew for the "free" Fat Trader the retired O-7 above got. Funny thing happened to the prospective naval engineer. I did not want to use my BPs right away so he(she) became a medic with the basic engineer type skills.