Your Favorite Traveller Cla... uhm, Career Path?

[Pierce_Inverarity]

I got me the reprint of the CT rules the other day, and I was amazed by the sales figures for the individual LBBs that are mentioned in the introduction.

Quoting from memory here, I believe High Guard and Mercenaries each sold around 100,000 copies, while Scouts clocked in at a meagre 20,000 or so, and Merchant Prince at 12,000 (IIRC). I guess this means that mercs are by far the most popular Traveller class, followed by Navy personnel (I'm assuming part of High Guard's popularity were its ship construction rules).

Now, the Scouts being MY all-time favorites, closely followed by the Merchants (and T20's JTAS Reporter), I'm wondering how right I am, so...

What's YOUR preferred career? (And why?)

 

[theSea]

Hey there Pierce,

Don't measure popularity by the sales figures. One would do well to remember that the PnP RPG industry hit its heyday sometime around they year Scouts came out and that HG and Mercenary were in print for YEARS longer and thus sold more copies.

I'd love to jerk your chain and tell you that 'other' is my favorite, but that would be nonsense as Scouts (book 1 or book 6 or MT whatever) rule hands down. Navy characters being a distant second in my book.

just my cr0.02

--michael

 

[T. Foster]

My favorite Traveller career is probably a tie between Diplomats (from Supp 4) and Entertainers (from T4). Among Book 1 careers it's a toss-up between Scouts and Merchants.

And theSea is definitely right about not using sales figures as any sort of guide to the careers' relative popularity. Way too many other factors enter into that equation.

 

[Traveller]

My favorite career path? That's easy. Navy, hands down, followed by Scouts.

I personally don't prefer dirtside military (Army/Marines), being a Merchant sounds too much like playing Elite, and the Other? Well hey, it's the Other.

 

[Zutroi]

In order of preference, both for myself and my many players over two plus decades (damn, I'm old!):

Scouts
Marines
Scouts
Navy
Scouts
Scouts

 

[The Oz]

I always preferred Scouts, followed by Merchants, since they were the generalists (and the two careers which gave you a shot at a ship right off).

 

[Ishtar]

I fear that I must concur with Emperor Strephon- I,too, am partial to the Navy- Imperial Navy, that is.
--Courtney P.

 

[kaladorn]

My order:

1. Marine (though I don't play merc style or active duty... its usually 'ex-Marine' doing something else)

2. Agent (INI, IRIS, S3, etc)

3. Army

4. Navy

5. Merchie

6. Scout

Then of course the wet navy, the air force, doctors, and the like.

 

[daryen]

Originally posted by The Oz:
I always preferred Scouts, followed by Merchants, since they were the generalists (and the two careers which gave you a shot at a ship right off).

This is exactly my viewpoint. You mean, I can start with a starship!? I can't pass that up!

I am still a scout first, though. Look at it: I can get a free starship? I get the skills to fly it by my self? I get free fuel (the "scout ship" modifier negated the "unrefined" penalty)? I can get my annual maintenance for free? All I have to do is make enough money to feed myself?

I'm still waiting for the bad part ...

BTW, I did love Book 5, but it took me a year or so before I actually bothered to read the character generation part. I was too busy building and fighting ships.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

My personal fave has always been Navy, with Scouts second. Maybe Marines third.

Favourites of my players, hmmm, probably Scouts, Marines, Navy, Merchants. There've been a couple of Army, Belters, and Others, but not many.

 

[Nellkyn]

Since my CT days I’d go for Scouts and then Marines. Then Doug Berry wrote Ground Forces for G:T now I’d say Marines, Marines and then Scouts.

A player I once knew was big Navy fan as the ranks sounded better. Good a reason as any.

Be lucky,

Nellkyn

 

[Bill Coffin]

Back in the day, I was very fond of the Citizens of the Imperium careers, especially Pirates and Barbarians. Pirates because I could start with a corsair, which was just neat-o. Barbarians because there was something enjoyable about being the really retrotech guy in the group who can't tell the difference between a socket wrench and the business end of a gauss rifle, but boy, is he hell on wheels with a broadsword.

I was also fond of Marine characters from the Mercenary book. Now that I'm getting back into CT, I'm finding Scouts from Book 6 are a whole heck of a lot of fun.

 

[Vargas]

Although I played a belter or two early on, Scouts are my standard pick. (Another reason I didn't play TNE. The Scouts were no longer Scouts

 

[Burocrate]

"And another round for the Scouts, I know...I know...just bring it with a smile!"

Scouts for main PCs, but you always want some dirt pounding muscle for backup. All things depend on your group and the style of play. Our group was long time D&D, so the Merchat angle never played for long. The group usually just "searched for adventure" and spent the credits as fast as they could.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Scouts, most definitely (imagine that). Just feels like me - I'm always curious, checking out new things. Watching the Discovery Channel all the time helps. A penchant for fossils and old things.

After that - Noble. I get to be a Knight. People have to call me Sir.

Possibly add Agent or Entertainer (from T4) for flavor. Sprinkle a little Psionics on top. Mix furiously, then eat.

Running on lack of sleep as normal.

Later,

Scout
(I changed my Displayed Name recently)

 

[marcus18]

Hm scouts are a bit too vanilla for me.

I prefer something a little different.

Perhaps a member of the Darrian Naval Intellgence Service, Special Arm Division. Playing mind-games with the Zhodani can make for a ruthless and deadly character.

Or, for the psychopath in all of us, a member of Sorag - the ultra-secret Zhodani spy service. Because sometimes important people need to have accidents.

Or, an Aslan marine. Because I hate losing barfights. And sometimes stuff needs to get blowed up good, blowed up real good.

 

[plop101]

In general, I've messed with:

Marines
Navy Pilots
Pirates
Belters
Scouts
Marine Pilots
Merchants
Solsec agents
IRIS agents
and now, back to scouts.

My very first pc however, was a Army General.
All hail General Tar-et-Tung!

 

[grendelttroll]

I always prefered the Army Commando from Mercenary during my CT days.

 

[mark_rotteveel]

Add one more for the Scouts, esp from CT Book 6. They're the most suited to our general campaign style - ie a bunch of misfits wandering somewhat aimlessly around the galaxy from blunder to blunder

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Add one more for the Scouts... ie a bunch of misfits wandering somewhat aimlessly around the galaxy from blunder to blunder

Yeah, and they're just the same after they've mustered out...