T20 characters - a ship's crew

[rmiracle]

Originally posted by phydaux:
Same as you, I prefer to play. It's just that I learned back in the '70s unless SOMBODY ref'ed, then NOBODY played.

Actually, "lonely ref" refers to my being the only person in the known UNIVERSE who likes GURPS:Traveller. I could never find anyone to play with, or for that matter, find anyone on the internet who liked it.

The problem isn't GURPS Traveller, its GURPS. While SJG has put quite a bit of effort into their products, the charcters to me lack variablity. With only four stats and the costs to buy stats other than 11's and 12's makes many characters very similar. Then when you give players the ability to buy disadvantages for more points, they tend take the less dangerious disadvantages that gets them the most points. The game is set up for metagaming and every time I've tried to either play or ref in GURPS the charcters just don't cut it.

Now I have to admit, I have GUPRS Traveller, and I haven't even touched it. I just don't like the GURPS game system and I think you will find that a lot among a) Traveller fans and b) potental gamers. This is one of the things that makes T20 so inviting is that all the 3E D&D players now are potential Traveller players since they don't have to learn a new system

So now I'm looking at T20. No one at my FLAGS seems interested. I was thinking of doing a demo to see what I could drum up.

I don't know how successful you will be but I have the strong feeling that if you advertise it right, you will have some success.

I HONESTLY believed within an hour or so of posting, I’d have 12-18 characters to choose from for the demo.

I think part of the problem is we don't have our books yet. I'm hoping for a UPS ground run today, but I just ordered my book last Thursday and apparently the backlog of pre-orders may have my order backlogged. Hopefully I will hear from Hunter today. But it would be a bit hard for me to generate you a character with no book in hand.

Rob

 

[phydaux]

Originally posted by Anton Devious:
The problem isn't GURPS Traveller, its GURPS.

Well, I've always said GURPS was open to munchkinism. It's the bell curve game engine. As skills and things like "Dodge" aproach 16, you get the "unstopable, never fails at anything" character. This is solved, however, with 2 easy steps:

1) Do play with a good GM

2) Don't play with munchkin players

And you think too many characters have their stats in the 11 - 12 range? I'd say it's more like too many stats in the 15 - 16 range. Bell curve again.

 

[GBoyett]

Originally posted by phydaux:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Anton Devious:
The problem isn't GURPS Traveller, its GURPS.

Well, I've always said GURPS was open to munchkinism. It's the bell curve game engine. As skills and things like "Dodge" aproach 16, you get the "unstopable, never fails at anything" character. This is solved, however, with 2 easy steps:

1) Do play with a good GM

2) Don't play with munchkin players

And you think too many characters have their stats in the 11 - 12 range? I'd say it's more like too many stats in the 15 - 16 range. Bell curve again.</font>[/QUOTE]I usually get character that are 11-13 for attributes, with the occasionally 14-15 in one stat. Skills end up about average (11-13) also,with guns 14-15, and one or two primaries approaching 16.

Of course some of the 14+ are from bonuses (IQ, advantages). But overall they turn out balanced characters.

 

[phydaux]

Originally posted by George Boyett:
I usually get character that are 11-13 for attributes, with the occasional... (snip) But overall they turn out balanced characters.

Yeah, I LOVE my GURPS: Traveller characters. I have full, granular control of the skill set and can make my character to be exactly how I want him. Toss in a few tragic flaws and some quirks for role-playing, and they're great.

All my player characters are balanced, well thought out with a good backstory and hobbies like Vilani Folk Music rather than Shaolin Kick Boxing (munchkin alert). Even if a PC does take Boxing as a hobbie, GURPS allows you to make it Boxing: Sport, with a -3 to everything if you try to use it in the street.

As a GM, I lay down some STRICT character creation guidlines to avoid munchkinisation. One of the first is "If you can't buy beer, then you can't play here." Don't like it? Play elsewhere. Get rid of the 14 year-olds and you get rid of a lot of the potentioa problems, in my experience.

(For you non-Americianos, you can't buy beer in the States unless you're 21)

All that said, I've tried 2 GURPS: Teaveller demos at my FLAGs over the years and all I could get to play were the kids of the store owner.

I'll try to market T20 as "A D20 Space Game!" and see if I have better luck.

 

[Lt Col Timberwolf]

hello phydaux I have a Doc charictur for you ill send you the starts when you e-mail me timberwolf213@juno.com

yes i know what you meen it is hard for me to get player to play i live in Columbus ohio i am looking for gamers to play the old trvellers or the gurps with me i like the old TRS better.

My Doc has a 50 ton portable med bay with its own life support systems an complate sergical bay an geno bayw/ sick bay all TL 14. he is a Navel doctor an a inteligents officer from the inperial navy he is terren from Rijudjya city he is well traveled threw many advanturs so he would make a great player cherictur or a NPC that you cant live with out hid med skill to start are LV 8 oximed 5 Botonymed ill give you the rest later wish you lived in columbus ohio tom play or run a game or more.

Lt Col Timberwolf you new friend.

Originally posted by phydaux:
Well, I posted a similat thread in the Lone Star forum and got NO WHERE. I figured I try again here.

About a week ago, T20 showed up at my FLAGS. When the owner saw me walk in, he didn't even say anything, just got up, took it off the shelf, stuck it in my hand and said "Will there be anything else today, or will that be all?"

Well, I didn't buy it. I've been trying to get a GURPS Traveller game going for over 2 years at that store. I told him I wasn't going to buy more books for a game no one will play.

He looked at me like I had two heads and said "But it's D20 based!!"

Well, we went 'round and 'round. Finally I agreed to run a demo and try to drum up interest.

The thing is, I’ll need characters for the demo. That's where I need help.

I'd like people to post some characters I can use in my demo. I'll use the characters you post as the player characters for the demo. Any left over will be the NPCs. I think I'll need 6 player characters.

Here's what I'm going for:

Merchant Captain - Co-Owner of group's starship. This guy runs the ship. I'm thinking ex-Navy officer, maybe he's a very minor Noble. Lots of Leadership and Law and Social stuff.

Merchant Trader - The other Co-Owner of group's starship. High Charisma and lots of Trading and Bartering stuff.

Ship's Engineer - I'm looking for a former Scout with a tendancy to brawl. Lots of Feats like Jury Rig and Miracle Worker, plus all kinds of mechanical skills.

Ship's Doctor - Self explanatory.

Pilot/Navigator - Again, self explanatory. Lots of skills that are sensor and computer related.

Deck Hand - This is the "Wild Card" character. He'd need some kind of ship-board skills to use on his working passage, maybe Jack of all Trades, plus skills for his “dubious background.” I'm thinking a Rogue, multi-classed to Traveller.

Please help me out. I'm more than willing to run the demo and, if interest perks up, to GM the campaign. I just need some interesting characters.

 

[Lt Col Timberwolf]

hello phydaux I have a Doc charictur for you ill send you the starts when you e-mail me timberwolf213@juno.com

Yes i know what you meen, it is hard for me to get player to play. I live in Columbus ohio, i am looking for gamers to play the old travellers or the gurps with me, i like the old TRS better.

My Doc has a 50 ton portable med bay with its own life support systems an complate sergical bay an geno bayw/ sick bay all TL 15 hemdicaly titainum sealed. he is a Navel doctor an a inteligents officer from the imperial navy he is terren from Rijudjya city he is well travelled threw many advanturs so he would make a great player charictur or a NPC that you can't live with out him. his med skill to start are LV 8 oximed 5 Botonymed he has a long list of medical skill an others, ill give you the rest later wish you lived in columbus ohio to play or run a game or more.

Lt Col. Timberwolf you new friend.

Originally posted by phydaux:
Well, I posted a similat thread in the Lone Star forum and got NO WHERE. I figured I try again here.

About a week ago, T20 showed up at my FLAGS. When the owner saw me walk in, he didn't even say anything, just got up, took it off the shelf, stuck it in my hand and said "Will there be anything else today, or will that be all?"

Well, I didn't buy it. I've been trying to get a GURPS Traveller game going for over 2 years at that store. I told him I wasn't going to buy more books for a game no one will play.

He looked at me like I had two heads and said "But it's D20 based!!"

Well, we went 'round and 'round. Finally I agreed to run a demo and try to drum up interest.

The thing is, I’ll need characters for the demo. That's where I need help.

I'd like people to post some characters I can use in my demo. I'll use the characters you post as the player characters for the demo. Any left over will be the NPCs. I think I'll need 6 player characters.

Here's what I'm going for:

Merchant Captain - Co-Owner of group's starship. This guy runs the ship. I'm thinking ex-Navy officer, maybe he's a very minor Noble. Lots of Leadership and Law and Social stuff.

Merchant Trader - The other Co-Owner of group's starship. High Charisma and lots of Trading and Bartering stuff.

Ship's Engineer - I'm looking for a former Scout with a tendancy to brawl. Lots of Feats like Jury Rig and Miracle Worker, plus all kinds of mechanical skills.

Ship's Doctor - Self explanatory.

Pilot/Navigator - Again, self explanatory. Lots of skills that are sensor and computer related.

Deck Hand - This is the "Wild Card" character. He'd need some kind of ship-board skills to use on his working passage, maybe Jack of all Trades, plus skills for his “dubious background.” I'm thinking a Rogue, multi-classed to Traveller.

Please help me out. I'm more than willing to run the demo and, if interest perks up, to GM the campaign. I just need some interesting characters.

 

[Lt Col Timberwolf]

hello phydaux I have a Doc charictur for you ill send you the stats when you e-mail me timberwolf213@juno.com

Yes i know what you meen, it is hard for me to get player to play. I live in Columbus ohio, i am looking for gamers to play the old travellers or the gurps with me, i like the old TRS better.

My Doc has a 50 ton portable med bay with its own life support systems an complate sergical bay an geno bayw/ sick bay all TL 15 hemdicaly titainum sealed. he is a Navel doctor an a inteligents officer from the imperial navy he is terren from Rijudjya city he is well travelled threw many advanturs so he would make a great player charictur or a NPC that you can't live with out him. his med skill to start are LV 8 oximed 5 Botonymed he has a long list of medical skill an others, ill give you the rest later wish you lived in columbus ohio to play or run a game or more.

Lt Col. Timberwolf you new friend.

Originally posted by phydaux:
Well, I posted a similat thread in the Lone Star forum and got NO WHERE. I figured I try again here.

About a week ago, T20 showed up at my FLAGS. When the owner saw me walk in, he didn't even say anything, just got up, took it off the shelf, stuck it in my hand and said "Will there be anything else today, or will that be all?"

Well, I didn't buy it. I've been trying to get a GURPS Traveller game going for over 2 years at that store. I told him I wasn't going to buy more books for a game no one will play.

He looked at me like I had two heads and said "But it's D20 based!!"

Well, we went 'round and 'round. Finally I agreed to run a demo and try to drum up interest.

The thing is, I’ll need characters for the demo. That's where I need help.

I'd like people to post some characters I can use in my demo. I'll use the characters you post as the player characters for the demo. Any left over will be the NPCs. I think I'll need 6 player characters.

Here's what I'm going for:

Merchant Captain - Co-Owner of group's starship. This guy runs the ship. I'm thinking ex-Navy officer, maybe he's a very minor Noble. Lots of Leadership and Law and Social stuff.

Merchant Trader - The other Co-Owner of group's starship. High Charisma and lots of Trading and Bartering stuff.

Ship's Engineer - I'm looking for a former Scout with a tendancy to brawl. Lots of Feats like Jury Rig and Miracle Worker, plus all kinds of mechanical skills.

Ship's Doctor - Self explanatory.

Pilot/Navigator - Again, self explanatory. Lots of skills that are sensor and computer related.

Deck Hand - This is the "Wild Card" character. He'd need some kind of ship-board skills to use on his working passage, maybe Jack of all Trades, plus skills for his “dubious background.” I'm thinking a Rogue, multi-classed to Traveller.

Please help me out. I'm more than willing to run the demo and, if interest perks up, to GM the campaign. I just need some interesting characters.