"Lifepath Events" for Traveller Character Generation

[joshualevy]

Does anyone know of any "lifepath event" rules for fleshing out Traveller characters? By lifepath event rules, I mean rules that cover things happening during terms of duty that are not skills, promotions, or injuries. So tables where the character could pick up a lover, a device, a contact, a pet, a war story: good or bad. Just something to add some depth and maybe a future plot hook.

I would think that with a system like Traveller, which has been around a long time, and already has a term by term character generation system, would have something like this.

Joshua Levy

 

[Quint]

Does anyone know of any "lifepath event" rules for fleshing out Traveller characters? By lifepath event rules, I mean rules that cover things happening during terms of duty that are not skills, promotions, or injuries. So tables where the character could pick up a lover, a device, a contact, a pet, a war story: good or bad. Just something to add some depth and maybe a future plot hook.

I would think that with a system like Traveller, which has been around a long time, and already has a term by term character generation system, would have something like this.

Joshua Levy

I just use the Lifepath system from Cyberpunk 2020, it's works pretty darn well.

D.

 

[joshualevy]

I just use the Lifepath system from Cyberpunk 2020, it's works pretty darn well.

I agree that Cyberpunk 2020 has a good lifepath system. It's what motivated me to ask this question. I was just wondering if anyone had lifepath rules that had a more Traveller "look and feel" to them.

Joshua Levy

 

[kilemall]

The Mongeese chargen versions have events, contacts, friends/enemies built in.

 

[RandyB]

If you can find a copy, Mekton Zeta had a more generic Lifepath than Cyberpunk 2020, IMO. Not entirely generic; it was anime-flavored, as befits the tone of the game.

 

[Chaos]

The Mongeese chargen versions have events, contacts, friends/enemies built in.

More specifically, it has a 2d6 table per career field with relatively career-specific events (like "the police bust your gang" for the Rogue career field for example), with a roll of 7 pointing to a general "Life Events" table that´s the same for all career fields.

It´s good start, but it could bear being expanded considerably.

 

[rhialto]

SPICA published one which expanded all the Core careers to d66 events, mishaps and alternate life events.

Career Book 1

 

[Quint]

More specifically, it has a 2d6 table per career field with relatively career-specific events (like "the police bust your gang" for the Rogue career field for example), with a roll of 7 pointing to a general "Life Events" table that´s the same for all career fields.

It´s good start, but it could bear being expanded considerably.

Yeah, I thought of that immediately after I hit post, but then was distracted by work.

D.

 

[Ulsyus]

I just use the Lifepath system from Cyberpunk 2020, it's works pretty darn well.D.

It's a great system to use for lifepath system. There was another version in the rulebook for The Bubblegum Crisis, which I think had some more detail.

 

[flykiller]

Does anyone know of any "lifepath event" rules for fleshing out Traveller characters?

you could try this.

NPC events
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=35102

 

[joshualevy]

Are people interested in cooperatively developing a set of Traveller "lifepath events"? I'm not sure all the details, but something like this:
* Each week we would work on one table, on one thread, here.
* Some tables would be very general (dating/lovers events), other tables would be general (combat events), and some tables would be career specific (drifter events).
* I would edit these into a "web book" available in both Word and PDF formats.

(The PDF version would mean anyone could use it, and the Word version would mean anyone could modify it based on their own house rules, and use the modified versions.)

Does that sound like a interesting project? Would you be interested in contributing?

Joshua Levy

 

[flykiller]

sure.

how specific would you want this to be? general background, or solo-play chargen game all by itself?

 

[joshualevy]

how specific would you want this to be? general background, or solo-play chargen game all by itself?

My preference would be general background. --Joshua

 

[flykiller]

then just a little toss-out to get the ball rolling, or perhaps repudiated ...

family
2d6
2-8 nuclear family
9-10 communal family
11-12 state-raised

nuclear family
2d6
d6, 1=father deceased
d6, 1=mother deceased
d6-1 = number of brothers
d6-1 = number of sisters

communal family
2d6
2-7 single sex mess 4d6 members
8-9 general mess 4d6 members
10-12 undifferentiated general communist

state-raised
2d6
2-8 farm hand
9-10 factory hand
11 corporate trainee
12 military trainee

 

[joshualevy]

Wow. I was planning to get organized, and then get started Aug-6th or so, but if you want to start rolling now, sure. I'm happy to spend the next week working on a family table.

Maybe divide "nuclear family" into two tables:
nuclear family parentage
2d6
2 Mother widowed, not remarried.
3 Mother widowed, remarried.
4-5 Parents divorced, mother remarried.
6-8 Parents still married.
9-10 Parents divorced, father remarried.
11 Father widowed, remarried.
12 Father widowed, not remarried.

(But now that I think about it, even that table is insufficient, because it doesn't cover people raised by uncles, aunts, grandparents, older siblings, etc. All of which occur reasonably often in both fiction and reality.)

If a parent is remarried, then use the brother and sister tables for half siblings (possibly on both sides, as well.) Also, I'd do fewer brothers and sisters in a sci-fi universe, but still thinking about exactly how.

Finally, the "state-raised" really should be "corp-raised" or "organization-raised" or something: some of those situations are not government raised at all. I also would think about adding "colony raised", since that's a common sci-fi trope.

Joshua Levy

 

[flykiller]

even that table is insufficient

which is why I ask about level of detail, because most tables will be insufficient to cover most situations, especially the low-order possibilities.

I'd do fewer brothers and sisters in a sci-fi universe

disagree. most citizens live in "high law-level" societies, and most controlling states conclude (immediately or eventually) that they need more citizens to build up security or economic standing. furthermore the spinward marches has over 100 billion people, and the social process that drove that population into existence likely is still active.

that said, most players completely ignore their characters' family and originating culture, so perhaps family tables are irrelevant.

 

[AsenRG]

that said, most players completely ignore their characters' family and originating culture, so perhaps family tables are irrelevant.

Beware of such thinking - that way lies point-buy!

 

[flykiller]

most players completely ignore their characters' family and originating culture, so perhaps family tables are irrelevant.

Beware of such thinking - that way lies point-buy

"I'll take 'I come from a culture of maximum freedom' for 1000, Alex" ....

 

[AsenRG]

"I'll take 'I come from a culture of maximum freedom' for 1000, Alex" ....

I feel cheap as a Referee, now, because my bribes have never been that high!

 

[flykiller]

my bribes have never been that high

just dangle the possibility of "executed by anti-aircraft guns if you don't do what the supreme leader says at all times" culture of origination in front of them, and they'll bribe you with everything they've got.