Seeking Clarification and Advice - Land Grants/Character Creation/Being a Referee

[MattWittherson]

I have some questions regarding Traveller, all of which having to do with the fifth edition. I figured this board was the best place to ask them, and so here I am - making a topic. I will also state that while I know this isn't the introductions board, I am still rather new here. This is being brought up simply to illustrate I haven't quite gotten used to the searching mechanics of this forum. I've occasionally found what I'm looking for, but often times have to read through several lengthy topics, hoping I might gleam what I'm attempting to find.

As such, I figured it best for me to ask my questions here and now, before I simply forget about them or put them aside to never settle them. If the questions have already been asked and answered on another topic, then I present my sincere apologies. Also, to give a reference to where I'm going from, I bought T5 around when they came out, and I'm still learning as best as I can from it before I start my first game as a Referee. I've played Traveller before - many a time, but never as the moderator. My experience with Traveller goes back four years, and I've played a version that was kind of a mix between Classic and Mongoose - near as I could tell, mostly with the same referee, but occasionally with the aforementioned referee's father running the game. Our playing group consists of role players who mostly seem to favor fantasy RPGs who are all in their young twenties. I feel as though perhaps I'm one of the few who finds Traveller to be their favorite.

Although, I suppose Traveller was also the first tabletop I really took seriously. For the most part, we've played though two lengthy campaigns, neither finished, the first telling a story of a rising mercenary/security force. The other campaign serves as a precursor, where we're spies slowly uncovering new truths of the beginnings of the first campaign. We play fairly exclusively in the Spinward Marches, but our referee is very liberal with settings. The mercenaries from the first campaign operate out of a non-canon world, and we somehow managed to run the Chamax dual adventure without needing to travel out to the rim of the Imperium. Additionally, our referee is combat oriented, I suspect, and I'm not complaining. It seems we can't go an adventure without getting into a gunfight. Based on my understanding of the game, it seems that with combat, most combatants will limp away injured or just be flat out killed, but our referee has been merciful on that point to.

Overtime, I've become curious what Traveller might look like if I started up my own game, which would be a bit closer to the rules. My referee not only gave me his approval, seeing as how it would be taking pressure of him to run sessions because we could split the burden, but he also signed up as one of my players. I'm also got what I think to be an interesting story lined up, but I suppose I could just as well be wrong.

But enough explanations (I'm sorry, occasionally I ramble) - hopefully you readers have enough background to give me solid and understandable answers for a relative beginner.

Question 1: If a fifth edition Traveller character was being built to have a career in military intelligence (or at least having the skills resembling that background), should he be in a military career or an agent career?

Question 2: If a character is accelerated through the ranks of their career, e.g. through a military service academy, do they get the automatic skills from all the ranks they skip? Specifically, would a soldier starting at an officer rank also have all the enlisted automatic skills?

Question 3: This one might be more related to personal preference. I'm trying to build major npcs that the characters will interact with, and I felt it would make them more real if I rolled up their characters, plus it would give them a spattering of randomized skills as well. But, what if I don't like the outcome of the chance-taking character creation, and they don't end up fitting the part they should play at all. I figured, have certain factors be automatic, e.g. they successfully manage to stay in the career for x-amount of terms, but also have certain factors be chance-based, e.g. still having to roll for skills. I was curious if anybody had any advice on this, or how other people walk this line with npc building?

Question 4: On the subject of Noble Land Grants, what determines where their additional land grants will be, especially for non-high nobility? I think the book implied it the grants would be centralized around where the noble was stationed, but what about non-high nobles, who really don't dominate entire worlds? Like, say you had a Baronet or two in the party, and they traveled often. What would determine the location of their grants. And, on that topic, what about non-main world grants? Is there a list of non-main worlds for each system anywhere that I can refer to for this, and what determines how they're assigned?

Question 5: I have a (former) Scout in the party who has some Discoverer Land Grants, but seeing as how I need his character to be centralized around the Jewell Subsector for my campaign, I figure there was no way he was searching the edges of the known Imperium for new planets - not around the year 1105 at least. So, should I assume that his discoveries were of planetary anomalies as well, and how does that affect the grant if they were anomalies and not entire planets he was discovering?

Question 6: I have Moot-worthy nobles in my party, and I wanted some clarification. Seeing as how they're not anywhere near Capitol, does that mean they have to relinquish their vote to another Noble who is currently sitting on the Moot? What if one of these nobles had a noble career path and walked away with a handful of proxies, does that mean he has to find a voter to represent those proxies as well? And, on the subject of proxies and the Moot, is there any interesting way I can incorporate that element into the story, like the Moot sitting noble didn't vote the way my party member would have wanted? Or perhaps he sold his vote to the highest bidder and that's coming back to bite him? Just some ideas on how I can play with that would be absolutely lovely.

Question 7: Does anybody have any tips in general of things to keep in mind when running a game or how to be a good referee in general, I'd appreciate the help?

Well, thanks for reading, and once again, I'm sorry if I rambled or if any of these questions are answered anywhere else.

 

[Selandia]

T5 canon Noble & Land Grant material is to be found pp 40-50, 94, 96

T5 Imperialines mag # 7 has additionnal noble info.

As to where the non Homeworld land grant is/are granted (in what system and where whitin the system) this puzzle me too and I resort to my own godlike whim for lack of finding exact indications. Unless it conflict with the OTU, I would say build your patron NPC as you see fit to have a fun game (and even if it conflict with OTU, who will punish you for pretending that the Duke of Regina in your Own Traveller Universe is Lady Magdalena the Superb, Ultimate of Regina?). The Imperialines offer the (welcome IMHO) option of Honor, Ceremonial and Landed Nobles.

As to the Scout, p.96 is clear that discoveries generate discovery land grant. But in YTU you may do whatever ... Note that first para. of Discoverer land grant allows your scout to have received monetary reward rather than actual possession of land on new world. So new anomaly? why not mucho Credit!(could you possess an anomaly anyway?)

As to proxies, you may do as you see fit: integrate them in the game's intrigue or just use them as steady income without ever caring about who's doing what with them.

Have fun

Selandia

 

[Daddicus]

First off, WELCOME! And, I think you're in the right place.

I don't have answers for all, but I'll give you the ones I'm pretty sure about, and we'll see if the others agree. But, first, recognize that Traveller is almost designed to be house-ruled. I'm not sure there's ever been a version that didn't require tweaks.

OK:

#1

I would have him start as military and switch to agent after one or two terms. However, please note that if your continue roll for any term is a natural 2, he's back in the military whether he wants to be or not. Might mess up the plans some.

As long as we're on the subject of changed plans, another aspect of Traveller is that you don't design a character. You let one be created, and then you role-play him/her to the best of your ability. While there no doubt have been some legendarily bad characters, most refs will just tell you to roll again (remember those house-rules?)

So, you don't "make a wizard" and play it. The game makes you a soldier then spy, or a washout who then tried his hand at spying. And, there's enough randomness to it that nobody can predict in advance exactly what a character will look like. But, most are fun to play.

(I laughed the first time I saw "Citizen". I wondered who on earth would pick that. Then I realized, it could be someone who just got fed up with life and wandered to the stars (sort of like Harcourt Fenton Mudd of Star Trek).

#2

Maybe. The skills for enlisted men and officers can be quite different in the military, but in merchants, not so much. I think I would not allow crossover, except maybe for Merchants, IF the player can give me good reasons why. Make him/her start role-playing right there.

#3

The vast majority of NPCs are used once and discarded. For recurring ones, I start tracking them. As I need more info. Pretend I've created big-mouthed, braggert Larry the bartender who is constantly going on and on about his prowess and physical conquests. Sally challenges to an arm-wrestling match to "show me your stuff". It's a straight-up contest of strength I rule, but then I have to figure out what Larry's strength is, so I roll it. It's 6, which means he's almost literally all-mouth. Sally pulverizes him with her militarily-drilled strength 11.

And now I've got something else to write on the card: He's now a bit more careful around women, because Sally didn't appear that strong.

#5

See page 96 the bottom section, and 52 near the bottom. Basically, you get money instead, Cr10,000 annually for each trade classification. But, only if it's inside the Imperium (for an Imperial campaign), or can be actualized. Hmmm, sounds like the subject of several adventures.

 

[GypsyComet]

Question 4: On the subject of Noble Land Grants, what determines where their additional land grants will be, especially for non-high nobility? I think the book implied it the grants would be centralized around where the noble was stationed, but what about non-high nobles, who really don't dominate entire worlds? Like, say you had a Baronet or two in the party, and they traveled often. What would determine the location of their grants. And, on that topic, what about non-main world grants? Is there a list of non-main worlds for each system anywhere that I can refer to for this, and what determines how they're assigned?

In-game, either their Patent states what territories they are granted, or a separate Grant of Fief (I'm sure there's an appropriate Terran term for this) does so. The territories will be a combination of places of some importance to the noble and places thought at the time of the Grant to be important to the Noble's given role. If a Noble has taken over the Landed position on some backwater that has nothing but iron and titanium ore, there's a good chance he will also get a minor Grant (office space, in essence) on the closest world or two that can use that ore. He isn't "The Baron" of that other world, but he doesn't need to rent office space from someone else, either.

Essentially, if this is a player character, determine which world his seat is on, let him pick a couple vacation spots, then assign several more based on his supposed job.

Question 6: I have Moot-worthy nobles in my party, and I wanted some clarification. Seeing as how they're not anywhere near Capitol, does that mean they have to relinquish their vote to another Noble who is currently sitting on the Moot? What if one of these nobles had a noble career path and walked away with a handful of proxies, does that mean he has to find a voter to represent those proxies as well? And, on the subject of proxies and the Moot, is there any interesting way I can incorporate that element into the story, like the Moot sitting noble didn't vote the way my party member would have wanted? Or perhaps he sold his vote to the highest bidder and that's coming back to bite him? Just some ideas on how I can play with that would be absolutely lovely.

Proxies aren't sold. They represent *rent*.

Baron So-And-So has a job to do, and he has decided that this means he needs to spend his time on or around his world taking care of business. Getting underfoot is the world's entirely separate and just inherited Marquis, a fellow who got stuck out here when he would rather be shortening his lifespan on the rich food of Capital and the politicking of the Moot. The Baron also has a nephew who has shown promise and should be broadened while the opportunity presents itself. And so the Baron has a choice. He can loan his Moot seat to his nephew (who inherited the family's Honor Baronial title, because grandfathers are unpredictable) and ship him off to Capital at his own expense, or he can rent his seat in the form of Proxies to the young Marquis for a set period. The Marquis gets a leg up in the Moot with a bit more voting power, but is depending on the Baron to also do his job for him while he is away. The Baron gets some beer money in exchange for not having to take a year out of his work to make a few token votes in the Moot, but has to trust that the Marquis won't be an idiot in front of powerful people.

This could lead to all sorts of regrettable events, of course, but this is also just the simplest scenario.