Adding Special Duty to CT

[tim_manley]

MT has the Special Duty addition to the Classic character generation system. I'm wondering what folks think about this.

I see it as a way to make the Classic characters competitive with the "Advanced" characters.

Also what do folks think about using the school/academy system for CT?

 

[McPerth]

MT has the Special Duty addition to the Classic character generation system. I'm wondering what folks think about this.

I see it as a way to make the Classic characters competitive with the "Advanced" characters.

Also what do folks think about using the school/academy system for CT?

The college/accademy first appeared (AFAIK) in HG (so CT), with military Accademy and Merchant accademy appearing in some journals (also for CT), so I have no problem on using them for it...

About Special Duty, is quite easy to adapt. Or you could directly use MT basic CharGen system, just adapting some skills (as sensor opperations, etc, though those rarely, if ever, appear in those tables outside cascades).

 

[mike wightman]

I've been using the MT special duty roll for years in my home-brew CT+, I also use the rule of 4 - roll 4 or more higher than you need to on a commission, promotion, special duty or survival check and you gain an extra skill level.

I use a simplified university/academy system for CT based on the college sabbatical rules in the experience section.

Basically if you have an Edu of 8+ you can opt to take your first term at college and gain a skill level of 2 as per the rules in a technical skill of your choosing, then during term 2 join up but with a bonus of +4 to the commission and promotion roll for this term only (and this is the only time I suspend the rule of 4 mentioned in the last paragraph). You also raise your Edu to be equal to your Int if your Int is higher.

 

[Supplement Four]

I usually only allow Basic characters in my Traveller games.

 

[tim_manley]

I usually only allow Basic characters in my Traveller games.

Book 1 and Supplement 4? Or do you allow Book 4,5,6,7 characters as well?

 

[aramis]

Book 1 and Supplement 4? Or do you allow Book 4,5,6,7 characters as well?

Books 4-7 characters are "advanced" characters.

And I agree that the MT Special Duty and Bonus skills are there to balance with advanced characters.

 

[tim_manley]

Books 4-7 characters are "advanced" characters.

Right, curious though if he uses any parts of those books. Like the expanded weapons in Book 4, or the ship rules from book 6, the merchant rules in book 7 or expanded system design from book 6....

or if he's a purist of book 1-3

or a modified purist by adding sup 4....

 

[Supplement Four]

Right, curious though if he uses any parts of those books. Like the expanded weapons in Book 4, or the ship rules from book 6, the merchant rules in book 7 or expanded system design from book 6....

or if he's a purist of book 1-3

or a modified purist by adding sup 4....

Not a purist. I like Advanced chargen. It's fun. But, there are just more Basic careers, not only in Book 1 and Sup 4, but in JTAS and other sources. I like to use 1001 characters for quickie NPCs in my games, and those were all created using Basic chargen. Plus, it's easy to use the guidelines in JTAS to create a new career if needed.

I do use other parts of Books 4+, I just tend to use Basic chargen because there are so many options.

I also agree, though, that Special Duty and bonus skills in MT make the two systems a bit more compatible. Still, I'd use only one method, and since there are more Basic careers, Basic is the way I choose to go.

Basic chargen is fun, too. And, it does make a tad more flexible background to accommodate creative juices than Advanced.

 

[Supplement Four]

BTW, I also advocate customizing Basic careers when needed. For example, the Marines in Book 1 represents the Imperial Marines. If I need a Marine from a TL 6 balkanized world, I might alter a few things on the basic Marine template to accommodate that world and tech level.

 

[rancke]

BTW, I also advocate customizing Basic careers when needed. For example, the Marines in Book 1 represents the Imperial Marines. If I need a Marine from a TL 6 balkanized world, I might alter a few things on the basic Marine template to accommodate that world and tech level.

Tsk tsk tsk! The Marines in Book 1 represent NOT-Imperial marines. If they were Imperial marines, they'd automatically get Battle Dress skill.


Hans

 

[Supplement Four]

Tsk tsk tsk! The Marines in Book 1 represent NOT-Imperial marines. If they were Imperial marines, they'd automatically get Battle Dress skill.

You think EVERY marine is trained in Battledress?

I completely disagree. Just as not all Marines in the US Army are Marine Recon (and not all in the Army are Army Rangers).

Only certain units are trained with Battledress, imo, and the Book 1 Marine Career is meant to create all types of Marines.

I will say, though, that if I wanted to create only front-line Battledress Marines, that's a good argument for augmenting the basic Marine career.





If I want to create Marine combat speeder pilots, then I'd probably change the tables to make it more likely that Vehicle skills are rolled. If I want to a create Grav Tank crew, then I'd alter the table and choices a bit. If I need Battledress Marines, then I'd replace Vacc Suit with Battledress and probably make it more likely that the skill is rolled by changing out one of the other options.

 

[Jame]

Tsk tsk tsk! The Marines in Book 1 represent NOT-Imperial marines. If they were Imperial marines, they'd automatically get Battle Dress skill.


Hans

Nah, IMTU they get vacsuit 1 and are all equipped with combat armor - except for assault units. Oh, and they all get Rifles 1 as well, and officers get Handgun 1.

By the way, Rifles lets you use gauss, slug AND laser/energy rifles - and Handgun lets you use gauss, slug AND laser/energy pistols! :CoW: I do this because it makes sense to me, and it reduces skill bloat a bit.

 

[rancke]

You think EVERY marine is trained in Battledress?

That's what I've been told many times (many, MANY times) over the years that the article about Imperial Marines in JTAS12 says (by people who complained about the alleged statement). But when I checked it out just now, I couldn't find it. Unless it's the statement that "All marine line troops are jump trained..."¹ that is being interpreted to mean that they all have BD skill. But even then it only says all line troops, not all marines.

¹ [JTAS12:42]​

So I'll retract my original statement. I will add a 'blush' smiley, not for the statement as such, but for taking other people's word for it without bothering to check.


Hans

 

[aramis]

Hans -

page 44:

EQUIPMENT
Line marine units are equipped to tech level 15 standards. Marines used as ship's troops usually lack vehicles, and are armed with hand-carried weapons only. All marines are equipped with battle dress, and are armed with FGMP-14s. Unlike other units, even administrative and logistical (but not medical) personnel are equipped and armed in this fashion, as all but medical personnel in a marine unit are expected to be able to fight.
​

They're all equipped with it...
Battle Dress requires either Battle Dress 1 (Bk 4 Merc p 10) or Vacc Suit 1 (Bk 1, p 22).
Bk1, p 22:

Battle dress and combat armor are special forms of armored vacc suit and require at least vacc suit-1 to wear at all.​

Bk4, p 10:

Battle Dress: The individual has been trained extensively In the use of battledress and the weapon systems normally associated with it.

Battle Dress expertise may be used as Vacc Suit expertlse as outlined in Traveller Book 1. As indicated in Book 1, individuals with Vacc Suit expertise may also use battle dress, and this is not modified by this rule. However, a number of highly sophisticated weapon systems are designed for use specifically and exclusively with battle dress, and only Battle Dress expertise allows use of the weapon systems without danger of damage to the system. The respective weapon systems used are the PGMP-13 and the FGMP-14, as described in the section of this book entitled Ironmongery.​

It's the combination of Battle Dress and FGMP-14's that absolutely requires Battle Dress skill. And not at level 0, either - at level 1.

 

[Supplement Four]

Hans -

page 44:

EQUIPMENT
Line marine units are equipped to tech level 15 standards. Marines used as ship's troops usually lack vehicles, and are armed with hand-carried weapons only. All marines are equipped with battle dress, and are armed with FGMP-14s. Unlike other units, even administrative and logistical (but not medical) personnel are equipped and armed in this fashion, as all but medical personnel in a marine unit are expected to be able to fight.
​

They're all equipped with it...

Page 44 of what book, Wil? I don't see it.

 

[McPerth]

Page 44 of what book, Wil? I don't see it.

Page 44 of JTAS 12, that was the one Hans was alluding to. I agree Will should have specified, though...

 

[rancke]

Hans -

page 44:

EQUIPMENT
Line marine units are equipped to tech level 15 standards. Marines used as ship's troops usually lack vehicles, and are armed with hand-carried weapons only. All marines are equipped with battle dress, and are armed with FGMP-14s. Unlike other units, even administrative and logistical (but not medical) personnel are equipped and armed in this fashion, as all but medical personnel in a marine unit are expected to be able to fight.
​

They're all equipped with it...

Thank you for the reference, Wil, and my apologies for doubting you.

I guess I have to retract my retraction. Imerial marines DO all have BD training.


Hans

 

[Supplement Four]

Page 44 of JTAS 12, that was the one Hans was alluding to. I agree Will should have specified, though...

Well, the article is written by Loren Wiseman. But, it's also the first time I've seen that. If I accept it IMTU, then Imperial Marines are a lot higher tech than I've thought of them as being over the years.

I've always considered the Marines has having units with BattleDress and FGMP's, sure, but I also thought of them has having units equipped more like the Colonial Marines in the movie Aliens: Body Armor, slug throwers, and a heavy support weapon.

The article really leaves no room for that lower tech Marine, providing the impression that all Imperial Marines are equipped to TL 15 BattleDress standards.

 

[McPerth]

Well, the article is written by Loren Wiseman. But, it's also the first time I've seen that. If I accept it IMTU, then Imperial Marines are a lot higher tech than I've thought of them as being over the years.

I've always considered the Marines has having units with BattleDress and FGMP's, sure, but I also thought of them has having units equipped more like the Colonial Marines in the movie Aliens: Body Armor, slug throwers, and a heavy support weapon.

The article really leaves no room for that lower tech Marine, providing the impression that all Imperial Marines are equipped to TL 15 BattleDress standards.

As I understand them, yes, so are Imperial Marines. Of course there are lower TL marines, but they are not the Imperial ones, those are the colonial and planetary ones.

Imperial Marines (as IN) are elite units, and I see no point to equip them with anything less than the best (and that means TL 15 equipment), as the IN is equiped nearly exclusively with TL 15 ships (and those are quite more expensive and take quite more time to change equipment than the Marines).

 

[rancke]

The article really leaves no room for that lower tech Marine, providing the impression that all Imperial Marines are equipped to TL 15 BattleDress standards.

I've never supposed that Imperial combat troops would be equipped with anything other than TL15 equipment. Not necessarily battledress, because battledress is pricey, but the marines are an elite force, so I don't reject the notion either.

But please note that my original post was meant as a pleasantry.


Hans