Question about T5 character creation

[polypterus]

Hi, I haven't played Traveller in a long time and any stock version in an even a longer time. I'm wondering if T5 will have a points based character creation option. None of the gamers I know will play an RPG with randomly created characters. Even in the latest version of D&D my impression is that the vast majority of players use the point based creation system that is provided. In fact I’ve never played a D&D 4E game where characters are actually rolled. It's kind of understandable. I mean players easily accept that they may have a bad day where they roll crappy and do poorly. However I think most players like to start out on an equal footing with everyone else, and don’t like to think they are handicapped for the rest of the game because on some bad rolls at the beginning.

 

[scott]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I suppose you could just use a house rule for character creation, and then use the rest of the published rules as-is (are?).

 

[lordmalachdrim]

I'm hoping for random. And not because it's old school or anything along those lines. I like the challenge presented by a random generation system. Overcoming adversity is one of the things I enjoy most in an rpg.

 

[DangerousThing]

The only character generation system I've seen is the basic random generation.

I used to like points based systems, believing them more fair, but I've gone back to Traveller's system. As long as the dice rolls are fair and free for all to see, rolling up characters can be a fun evening for a group.

 

[dean]

No one is required to play a poorly generated character in Traveller.

However, life isn't "fair", and in any mixed group there will be disparities based upon genetics, age, experience, intelligence, etc. Player "taking what they get", determining the backstory, and, above all, ROLE PLAYING those characters is what makes it a creative, fun, interesting process.

I'd encourage them to try it, with that in mind. If not, referee fiat is always per the rules!

 

[polypterus]

The only character generation system I've seen is the basic random generation.

I used to like points based systems, believing them more fair, but I've gone back to Traveller's system. As long as the dice rolls are fair and free for all to see, rolling up characters can be a fun evening for a group.

I can't argue with that. It's just that someone is bound to be underpowered, be overpowered or simply not end up with the character they really want. With the groups I play in the game will end before it starts. In fact I don't know anyone who will actually go so far as to roll a character. They will just say "this sucks" and won't play. I guess I'll either have to run Hero or GURPS Traveller , or come up with a house points system as Scott suggested.

 

[scott]

Or cut back on their coffee intake ;-)

 

[DangerousThing]

I can't argue with that. It's just that someone is bound to be underpowered, be overpowered or simply not end up with the character they really want. With the groups I play in the game will end before it starts. In fact I don't know anyone who will actually go so far as to roll a character. They will just say "this sucks" and won't play. I guess I'll either have to run Hero or GURPS Traveller , or come up with a house points system as Scott suggested.

Then do what I did several times in several games. Have the players give you a detailed description of the character they want. Negotiate to make the character both reasonable and what they want. That way the GM applies some fairness to each character, and people get what they want to play.

The GM doesn't have to use the random system.

It's also nice when you do this to give them some sort of idea about the power limits of the game.

 

[saundby]

The current rules have the base rule of "Generate the characteristics." Elsewhere, only die rolls are described. However, you can use these ones of mine or tweak them as you please:

Standard Point Buy:
All characteristics start at 2. Players get 28 points to distribute, with a maximum of 12 on any characteristic.

Heroic Point Buy:
All characteristics start at 3. Players get 33 points to distribute, with a maximum of 12 on any characteristic.

The Standard gives the same number of points and same range as regular 2d6 die rolls.

Heroic gives about the same points as taking the best 2 of 3d6, with a higher floor on each stat to prevent too many points being shifted out of "dump stats" into others. Note: It results in characters that are MUCH more powerful than Standard. A more reasonable in-between system might be all stats start at 3, players get 28 points to distribute, if you want something more powerful than Standard but don't want to blow the doors off.

If players gripe about the max of 12, remind them they can plus up stats beyond that in their careers and otherwise in the game.

 

[polypterus]

Yeah I was thinking of a point buy system like that. Although I may do it somewhat like D&D where raising your stats to the higher numbers costs you more points. For instance going from 5 to 6 would cost you 1 point but by the time you get to 11 to 12 it costs you 4 points.

 

[saundby]

Yeah, that's good too (and probably better if you want chararcteristics closer to die roll results). In that case, the system from Mongoose Traveller would work just fine.

 

[robject]

Point-based characters came up a week or two ago. T4.1 had a point-buy option to replace career gen, and it would work fine for T5.

It was a rather trivial system. IIRC, you pick a career and the number of terms, and get 5 skill table elections per term (which includes physical development elections). Then you make aging rolls. Then you muster out.

So there are still risks: starting characteristics may be low, but that can be mitigated any number of ways, including allocating skill table elections to boosting a lagging characteristic. The other risk factor is that aging may take a bite out of those characteristics, but again, mustering out rolls could mitigate that, too, for certain careers.

 

[robject]

JIT Chargen

On the other hand, I have a different system I call "JIT Chargen", short for "Just In Time" character generation.

Whereas point-based quick-gen is still a separate character gen step with a long, drawn-out game delay as players "buy" skills, JIT Chargen as I envision it would be done during game play with adult characters. They're presumably already at a target age, but we just don't know much about them, yet.

Each character gets vanilla characteristics (UPP 777777) with an empty skill list. As their characters try to do various things, I bump characteristics and hand out skill levels, just in time (so to speak), until an equilibrium is reached.

So, the player would name his character and pick a career. I'd set the age at 34, implying a skill level pool (typically 20, but modified by career).

The game would go like this.

The players are given their blank characters, and the game would start immediately. A player would have his character attempt a task, and we'd figure out how good he ought to be at it, and we'd assign the skill and its level. Sometimes the player would also suppose a characteristic should be bumped up, so we'd do that.

This would go on until the character's skillset is filled up for his age. At that point, I would let a player bargain with me, additional skill levels in exchange for the appropriate aging roll, all results to be applied immediately.

 

[CosmicGamer]

"JIT Chargen",

Have you tried this? I'd think it would make it hard to play the game. All the characters are on the bridge:

"Are you a pilot?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

"Maybe.. or maybe I'm an Engineer."

Seams hard to get into character when the character has no background.

 

[aramis]

Have you tried this? I'd think it would make it hard to play the game. All the characters are on the bridge:

"Are you a pilot?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

"Maybe.. or maybe I'm an Engineer."

Seams hard to get into character when the character has no background.

Works fine in some other, more modern designs - like various FATE system games. Or even in WWG games. Define what you need, and as you need other stuff, add it into the open slots.

The correct answers NEVER include "maybe" in such circumstances. You make an IMMEDIATE decision - either: (1) "Yes, and I've got Level 2." player scribbles Pilot 2 on the CharSheet, and crosses off 2 unused levels or (2) "No, I'm not" Player notes pilot on the "Unheld skills" list. Or perhaps (3) "Yes, kind of - Pilot 0" Player marks off half a level. Or even (4) "I'm only qualified on small craft, but I'll give it a try" - noting Small Craft 1 and a level off the available pool.

 

[polypterus]

My friend just thought of using a system where a characteristic costs points equal to it's value minus two squared. So for instance a strength of 7 costs you 25 points. Then you are given 250 points to spend. We were playing with it a bit and it seemed to work OK.