WarriorKnight
SOC-12
Kind of hard for me to pic,but it seems I write up a lot of scouts & army(using mercenary book.)
Your Favorite Traveller Cla... uhm, Career Path?
- Thread starter Pierce_Inverarity
- Start date
I'm hijacking this thread to ask anyone interested how you'd organize the Traveller careers?
Early CT had 6 careers, late CT and MT had something like 18. T4 had 11, I think.
Which careers do you see as basic? In other words, ones which aren't based on one skill. For example, the Hunter is not really a career as such: it's embodied in the Hunting skill, in fact. So a Scout can be an expert Hunter (which might make him a bounty hunter, I guess). Also, Diplomacy is a skill, so the Diplomat is any character who has high Diplomacy; for example, a Noble with high Diplomacy may be a Diplomat (or Ambassador).
For adventurers, what basic career types can we identify? Are they the same as the various career lists in Traveller rulesets? Are there some Traveller careers which should be replaced with a more generic career class? Can we identify possible career archetypes that are detectable in any RPG setting, including Traveller?
Entertainer is a career.
Scout is a career (explorer).
Merchant is a career.
Is Rogue a career? (probably -- i.e. a thief)
Is Agent really a career? (probably)
Can Noble be a career?
Is Sailor really a career? (probably not...)
Are Army and Marines the same? (fighter?)
What about Barbarian? (fighter from low TL)
What about Pirate? (just a rogue with ship skills?)
Can "Navy" imply a corporate navy? I.E. staff on someone's fleet
Craftsman may be a career (engineer, armorer, roboticist...).
You get the idea.
And while I'm on the topic, what is a Rogue? How would you define the career/situation of a rogue?
Early CT had 6 careers, late CT and MT had something like 18. T4 had 11, I think.
Which careers do you see as basic? In other words, ones which aren't based on one skill. For example, the Hunter is not really a career as such: it's embodied in the Hunting skill, in fact. So a Scout can be an expert Hunter (which might make him a bounty hunter, I guess). Also, Diplomacy is a skill, so the Diplomat is any character who has high Diplomacy; for example, a Noble with high Diplomacy may be a Diplomat (or Ambassador).
For adventurers, what basic career types can we identify? Are they the same as the various career lists in Traveller rulesets? Are there some Traveller careers which should be replaced with a more generic career class? Can we identify possible career archetypes that are detectable in any RPG setting, including Traveller?
Entertainer is a career.
Scout is a career (explorer).
Merchant is a career.
Is Rogue a career? (probably -- i.e. a thief)
Is Agent really a career? (probably)
Can Noble be a career?
Is Sailor really a career? (probably not...)
Are Army and Marines the same? (fighter?)
What about Barbarian? (fighter from low TL)
What about Pirate? (just a rogue with ship skills?)
Can "Navy" imply a corporate navy? I.E. staff on someone's fleet
Craftsman may be a career (engineer, armorer, roboticist...).
You get the idea.
And while I'm on the topic, what is a Rogue? How would you define the career/situation of a rogue?
Random Goblin
SOC-12
I like Scouts, but I find myself going Army every time. I've got that infantry blue running in my veins that I just can't shake.
And a rogue is a nice way of saying "career criminal."
And a rogue is a nice way of saying "career criminal."
Gruffty
SOC-14 1K
Oddly enough for me (All: "Gruffty? Odd? Never!" 
) I used to end up generating and playing an Other character back in the days (mid-80s) before I got into Reffing.
I saw Other as a sort of criminal-scoundrel-smuggler-spiv-rogue-allroundscumbag type, and quite enjoyed playing those kinds of characters.
However, today:
1. CT Book 4 Mercenary Marines - big guns, drop zones, artillery - "play anything, as long as it's loud!";
2. CT Book 6 Scouts - who can resist a free ship/fuel/zooming around the galaxy having fun?
3. CT Book 5 High Guard (2nd Ed) Imperial Navy - big ships, big guns, fleets, planetary bombardments, blockades, strikes (Homer: "droooolll");
) I used to end up generating and playing an Other character back in the days (mid-80s) before I got into Reffing.I saw Other as a sort of criminal-scoundrel-smuggler-spiv-rogue-allroundscumbag type, and quite enjoyed playing those kinds of characters.
However, today:
1. CT Book 4 Mercenary Marines - big guns, drop zones, artillery - "play anything, as long as it's loud!";
2. CT Book 6 Scouts - who can resist a free ship/fuel/zooming around the galaxy having fun?
3. CT Book 5 High Guard (2nd Ed) Imperial Navy - big ships, big guns, fleets, planetary bombardments, blockades, strikes (Homer: "droooolll");
Shadowdancer
SOC-14 1K
In CT, I was partial to Scouts and Navy Intel characters, while most of the group wanted to be Marine commandos.
In T20, I like to start with a term of Belter (for the spaceship skills and space-related feats, plus you start four years earlier than others), then go with Rogue. Check the mustering-out money tables; in Traveller, crime really DOES pay.
In T20, I like to start with a term of Belter (for the spaceship skills and space-related feats, plus you start four years earlier than others), then go with Rogue. Check the mustering-out money tables; in Traveller, crime really DOES pay.
RainOfSteel
SOC-14 1K
I was sort of partial to Book 4 and Book 5. I wound up liking Book 6, later, after I stopped playing.
Gruffty
SOC-14 1K
I did run a few games on the rimward edge of the Solomani Confederation - roughly in the general direction of Storr/Banners/Hanstone (i.e. as far out as I thought I could go without going too far from canon space).
Strangely enough, that area of space is where the Soli scouts encountered the S'Raxians orignally (see the CSSP threads for further details on the S'Raxians). The guys that played the initial contact team said they really enjoyed that adventure, so I kept the notes/maps etc.
At the time (mid-1980s) I was planning on expanding on the Soli scouts mission to send them plunging deeper into unexplored space. But it never happenend, so the end result is I've got one complete adventure: "Into The Unkown" ( - c'mon, I was young back then!) and a set of scribbled notes on plots, subplots, some ship stats, some world and system data, a few NPCs (patrons and cannon fodder) and some wierd animals left over.
Strangely enough, that area of space is where the Soli scouts encountered the S'Raxians orignally (see the CSSP threads for further details on the S'Raxians). The guys that played the initial contact team said they really enjoyed that adventure, so I kept the notes/maps etc.
At the time (mid-1980s) I was planning on expanding on the Soli scouts mission to send them plunging deeper into unexplored space. But it never happenend, so the end result is I've got one complete adventure: "Into The Unkown" (
- c'mon, I was young back then!) and a set of scribbled notes on plots, subplots, some ship stats, some world and system data, a few NPCs (patrons and cannon fodder) and some wierd animals left over.Shadowdancer
SOC-14 1K
We did a big exploration campaign in the Foreven sector when we played CT. I mapped out my own sector, generated all the UWPs, etc.
It was basically a large-scale "Twilight's Peak" adventure -- PCs retracing a Scout mission that discovered a rich world deep inside the sector. On the way back to their base in the Spinward Marches, the original mission was attacked by a Zhodani patrol and misjumped. Everyone died, but the ship was recovered later. A partial log of the mission was recovered and filed away at a Scout base, then forgotten. The PCs discovered the partial log and started retracing the path.
As a subplot, they discovered a Zhodani invasion plan that called for an end-around through the Foreven and Beyond sectors, with the attack coming from secret bases in the Trojan Reach. The PCs found secret Zhodani refueling bases in the Foreven sector.
Also, one of the PCs was an undercover Zhodani spy, and none of the other players ever knew that because we quite playing before the campaign was finished. They had just made contact with the rich world, which was inhabited. One of the governments on the balkanized main world, the one which had had contact with the original mission, had been waiting for a return mission for a century or two. The original contact had almost become a legend or myth. The PCs were treated almost like returning gods.
It was basically a large-scale "Twilight's Peak" adventure -- PCs retracing a Scout mission that discovered a rich world deep inside the sector. On the way back to their base in the Spinward Marches, the original mission was attacked by a Zhodani patrol and misjumped. Everyone died, but the ship was recovered later. A partial log of the mission was recovered and filed away at a Scout base, then forgotten. The PCs discovered the partial log and started retracing the path.
As a subplot, they discovered a Zhodani invasion plan that called for an end-around through the Foreven and Beyond sectors, with the attack coming from secret bases in the Trojan Reach. The PCs found secret Zhodani refueling bases in the Foreven sector.
Also, one of the PCs was an undercover Zhodani spy, and none of the other players ever knew that because we quite playing before the campaign was finished. They had just made contact with the rich world, which was inhabited. One of the governments on the balkanized main world, the one which had had contact with the original mission, had been waiting for a return mission for a century or two. The original contact had almost become a legend or myth. The PCs were treated almost like returning gods.
daryen
SOC-14 1K
My favorite careers are scouts and merchants.
Scouts are cool for when few players are present. They get to have the necessary ship-board skills, and have a decent chance to start with a ship.
Merchants are cool for the larger parties where you are third in line to be the pilot. Instead, focus on the "Admin", "Trader", and "Broker" skills and show the flight jockeys how to actually make money.
Scouts are cool for when few players are present. They get to have the necessary ship-board skills, and have a decent chance to start with a ship.
Merchants are cool for the larger parties where you are third in line to be the pilot. Instead, focus on the "Admin", "Trader", and "Broker" skills and show the flight jockeys how to actually make money.
BetterThanLife
SOC-14 1K
I personally liked playing a Scout. Though if we had someone playing a Scout, second preference was Marine. Though occasionally I rolled a Naval Character. LBB5, Flight Brance, teach those Scouts how real pilots fly.
mctesla
SOC-10
In no particular order: SolSec agent, Scout, Marine, Merchant, and Noble.
We usually have pretty eclectic groups, with the only requirement that one player has a starship. Most of the time, the other players will be either crew or passengers on the ship when the campaign starts. I guess it is a variant of "you all meet in a bar"
We usually have pretty eclectic groups, with the only requirement that one player has a starship. Most of the time, the other players will be either crew or passengers on the ship when the campaign starts. I guess it is a variant of "you all meet in a bar"
Gruffty
SOC-14 1K
You're welcome!
I've got the original hand written notes, maps and info for "Into The Unknown" at home. They're not brilliant, but I was thinking of typing them up anyway (the S'Raxians are already sketched out for the CSSP anyway).
PM me if you'd like a .pdf of "Into The Unknown" (c) 1985 Gruffty
Theo D Lite
SOC-11
Thinking back to my playing days Book 6 was something new and I only caught the FASA version of Merchant Prince. In the same way that Books 4 and 5 seemed to give many more skills on average than Book 1 I can remember that the group I was in felt that Book 6 gave more skills on Average than Books 4 & 5 did so we frowned on people using Book 6 and taking full advantage of the various schools and branches.
I think I played mainly Navy and Mercenary, with a bias towards Merc. There were also a couple of mechants a SORAG agent and a noble scout(?) so I guess I favoured Military characters. These days I'd probably want something more rounded and was one of the reasons we started developing a more generalised character system.
I think I played mainly Navy and Mercenary, with a bias towards Merc. There were also a couple of mechants a SORAG agent and a noble scout(?) so I guess I favoured Military characters. These days I'd probably want something more rounded and was one of the reasons we started developing a more generalised character system.
Shadowdancer
SOC-14 1K
You're welcome.
