Two careers at once?

[ken at sunrise]

Can you have two careers and once? Or start one, put it on hold and switch back and forth?

I'm working on back ground from a character (mine or NPC) and I'd like him to be nobility and imperial navy. I have ideas for him to advance in both but over time.

I've had some difficulty rolling up a character to begin with so two careers at once, ouch. Of course any rolling will end up fitting the back ground so re-rolls are expected. The future is already know (to some...).

 

[SpaceBadger]

If an NPC, do whatever you want to get the result you want.

If a PC in someone else's campaign, ask your GM.

I think you should be able to do it, but then I am notoriously lax about making my players follow the rules in character generation, so long as they get a character they like and are not over-powered in relation to everyone else in the group.

 

[ken at sunrise]

I would like to be fair and not over powered. More of a real character. Of course since the back ground is developed (developing) I may want to take a reroll or two.

 

[atpollard]

Say you want a four term character with 50% navy and 50% noble background.

I suggest rolling up two terms in the navy and two terms in the noble and recording as much detail as you can about each term (remember the rolls).

Then look at each term and arrange it in a new chronological order to best tell the story that you want to tell. Use details like skill learned and promotion roll as inspiration to fill in the details of each term and bridging to the next term.

The results are all rolled 100% by the book, so the character is 'fair and reasonable'. Changing the order of the details to better fit your story hurts no one ... it just makes for a better story.

 

[rancke]

On the one hand, AT is quite right. On the other, a noble in the Navy wouldn't have the time to be an administrator or a diplomat or a dilletante.

Or would he? That's up to you. It sounds to me like you're talking about a navy officer who gets a lot of leave to attend to his private noble affairs. Such things have been known´-- British officers who were members of Parliament were given leave to attend while Parliament was in session, to the extent of having a temporary captain assigned to their ship while they were away.

So if you see the Imperial Navy as being disposed to accomodate their noble officers like that, why not? Or you could make him an officer in the planetary navy, which might be more plausible.


Hans

 

[atpollard]

Or you could make him an officer in the planetary navy, which might be more plausible.

[EDIT: Remove political reference]
I picture this planetary nobleman in his military uniform with a chest full of ribbons and both General and Admiral insignia ... lord and master of all he surveys.

 

[ken at sunrise]

On the one hand, AT is quite right. On the other, a noble in the Navy wouldn't have the time to be an administrator or a diplomat or a dilletante.

Or would he? That's up to you. It sounds to me like you're talking about a navy officer who gets a lot of leave to attend to his private noble affairs. Such things have been known´-- British officers who were members of Parliament were given leave to attend while Parliament was in session, to the extent of having a temporary captain assigned to their ship while they were away.

So if you see the Imperial Navy as being disposed to accomodate their noble officers like that, why not? Or you could make him an officer in the planetary navy, which might be more plausible.


Hans

Yes, sort of, maybe...

I was thinking that some nobles (depending on their world) would be able to delegate their duties. I didn't know (think) that below Duke it would be full time for everyone. Sure for some or even most.

On the other hand I was thinking of some titles and their respective grants being received because of service. So a military noble. A count with a task force or a Duke that was an admiral.

I'm guessing from what you're saying these are two distinct full time careers.

 

[ken at sunrise]

Once you start to play do you no longer have a/the career?

Can you continue to advance in nobility and/or military?

Maybe the character I'm developing really is just an NPC.

 

[andycowley]

Ken,

My 'personal' opinion is that you could no longer use the 'Careers' detailed starting on page 78 of the BBB for 'real' (i.e. campaign) time ... There is a useful section on 'Life Pursuits & Experience' on page 110 & 111 that you could use for campaign time character improvement/advancement, not to mention that if you have anyone in the team skilled in 'Teacher' for all those weeks in J-space holding classes for the other PCs & NPCs ...

I wouldn't of course rule out returning to the Careers section of the rules if a campaign decided to 'jump ahead' at least 4 years in time and allow continued development of characters outside normal campaign time .... I think this is what makes Traveller so unique and engaging that there are formal systems for character development outside of normal (campaign) time ....

 

[ken at sunrise]

I've been re-reading posts about nobles in the game and how powerful they are. Also posts comparing social level to nobility etc...

So I think this isl more an an NPC, but I would still like to roll him up fairly and possibly have him available to interact at different stages in his career.

I'm still muddling though the character generation. I'm sooooooo lost. I thought chargen would be easy but I'm having a hard time getting a grasp.