Reserve Duty

[Spartan159]

How do you get it?

Is it automatic if you transfer to a non military service? Or only if you attended a Naval/Military Academy or OTC?

How long are you in the reserves?

Are you potentially in the reserves after mustering out?

Are there any Benefits other than Cr 100 per term served in the reserves?

Example Joe Shmuck goes to an Imperial Naval Academy (Spacer my left foot), does one term in the Imperial Navy, then does 6 terms as a Scout. Is he a reservist? for how long?

Example Jane Shmuck enlists in the Marines, does 5 terms, retires as an O4 Force Commander then does 2 terms as an Agent. Reservist? Length?

Example John Shmuck does College and OTC, 2 terms in Soldiers and then 6 terms as a merchant. Reservist? Length?

 

[tinker123]

The errata has a rule about getting called up for active service. It says that if you are in the reserves (because you were at the academy, or OTC), and your continue roll in a non-military career is exactly 2, you return to the service at your previous rank, and must spend a term back on active duty.
There are no Continue rolls during education, so that doesn't seem to cover call up from (say) medical school.
So for sure Jim Shmuck does University & OTC, then med school, then 2 terms as a scholar (in medical research), then those 2 terms he is a reservist still, and they count for his Cr100. Did med school qualify as reserve time (although he couldn't be called up)? Then he does his term in the marines (either voluntary or by call-up). That term he is definitely not in the reserve, because he is on active duty. Now he goes back to scholarship. Is he still in the reserve? The rules don't say.

Also, I'm not sure what counts as a good enough excuse to delay active service after OTC. Reserve characters MUST do a term in the service, but can they wait til they're in their 50s and no longer fit enough? The rules don't say.

 

[Spartan159]

Thanks, missed that errata. Seems to clarify who reservists are as well, but not for how long. Higher education might be exempt from recall even though the individual is in the reserves. I'm pretty sure the active duty term had to be immediately after OTC/Academy was completed. I considered Flight School to be the first year of Service.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Flight School

Thanks, missed that errata. Seems to clarify who reservists are as well, but not for how long. Higher education might be exempt from recall even though the individual is in the reserves. I'm pretty sure the active duty term had to be immediately after OTC/Academy was completed. I considered Flight School to be the first year of Service.

Flight School is an Education Term, not active service. The key word is "school".

Yes, a character must complete 1 Active Duty Service Term immeadiately after they finish their Edu/(N)OTC Term. The Reserves only kick in after you have completed your obligation to the Service and have entered a new Career.

As to how long it lasts? Well, that does need to be clarified, but I tend to go with 5 Terms or Life Stage 9 which ever comes first, since LS9 is when you can get the Pension.

 

[tinker123]

The rules actually don't say that. "The character is required to serve one term in the service. At the end of that term, the character may try to continue, or may attempt any
other career available. He is in the Reserves. College or University Honors Graduates may attend Flight School."

The word immediately doesn't feature, and there is no specification of when to serve. The implication (for me) is that flight school is allowed before service, so the character can use those flying skills for real, but maybe not. Similar logic would allow med school before joining the navy's medical branch.
Perhaps the rule ought to be about the first term of any actual career following all education? Still, it's missing at the moment.

 

[Reban]

As to how long it lasts? Well, that does need to be clarified, but I tend to go with 5 Terms or Life Stage 9 which ever comes first, since LS9 is when you can get the Pension.

I agree with Magnus on this but I wouldn't limit Reserve Liability to 5 terms. I'm more influenced bu the RL Victorian military where you serve a period "with the colours" and then are required to go through stages of decreasing commitment to the reserves before being finally discharged from all obligations.

So I'd say liability to recall to "active service" ceases when Life Stage 9 is reached and the Pension is paid.



As of now (errata 7.1) there are no set obligations for being in the reserves. You don't get paid or have to report for a period of training each term. I think this is correct because the military careers are meant to be generic. It can be left up to the Ref if being in the reserves carries any obligations that interfere with adventuring.



Regarding Flight School my real world experience is that flight school or flying training is completed before a cadet is commissioned as an officer. In Traveller I've always seen Flight school as a separate, one year course of comprehensive pilot training before a career starts, and that career is specialized in Flight Branch.

I think I see where T5 introduces confusion into this. If you graduate from a service academy you get a commission and then you may have the option to enter Flight School. However I'd definitely see the date of commission beginning at the start of the first term in a military career.

In other words, prospective flying officers require an extra year of specialist training (flight school) before they are commissioned. If you fail flight school in T5 you still become an officer, just one with no pilot skill so you're not a pilot but you are serving in another capacity.