Self improvement can be in "education, weapon expertise, physical fitness, and other skills." Though the character has to be somewhat "obsessive" about it, there's not really a strict impact on the game. Jayne in Firefly was always working out, but it never got in the way of any adventuring: "If the required materials are not available, the program is suspended temporarily, but the benefits are not lost if the suspension is of less than three months duration." p 103 TTB
This means that (for role playing purposes) the pursuit of improvement will be used as a way of setting the scene. During jump, you know more-or-less what the characters are up to. If the referee wants to work it into the plot, he can require the players to perform some sort of side task or use some gimmick related to the improvement program as a means of drawing the characters our on various errands. NPC's may want favors in return for giving out new information or tools related to the PC's "obsessions".
Characters with EDU lower than INT can take correspondence courses to improve EDU-- fifty weekly sessions at 50cr each will raise it one point. Players that want to risk an aging check to get that exact skill they wanted after mustering out can take a sabbatical: four years and 70,000Cr score a non-weapon skill at level 2!
PC's that didn't get any weapon skills (or that want even better weapon skills) can get a +1 bonus to skill in a blade and a gun. If it's a level zero skill that's being improved, these go to level one permanently even if the training is not maintained! So members of the original six careers have two chances to turn level zero weapon skills into permanent level one skills at the start of the game.
The weird case is the continuing thing. Say the character is Revolver-3. He rolls 8+ and is temporarily Revolver-4 as long as he can conceivably maintain his training. If the campaign lasts for 4 years... then he can try to continue the training. If he rolls 8+ *again*, then the Revolver-4 becomes permanent-- but he is now temporarily Revolver-5 as long as he maintains his training! As most campaigns do not last for more than a year or two of game time, this is probably a moot point. A character that mustered out earlier than what he wanted can use this to get some decent skills before the game starts, though.
The "weird" rules for weapons apply to attempts to raise non-weapon level-one skills as well. You have to roll the 8+ twice to get a permanent raise. You can't always get what you want; also these things take time. Physical fitness gives +1 to STR, DEX, and EDU as long as the fitness program is maintained. These increases are not permanent. (That's the benefit to Jayne's constant weight lifting...!)
The referee is free to come up with alernatives to the above-- super science and special training could have whatever effects he desires. In a campaign, I could see the characters working for a patron that provide "commando" type training for an operation. Each character could roll could roll 8+ for each skill from a custom listing. For the purposes of the scenario, the characters would be treated as having a skill level of one in their respective skills. If the characters play several sessions using the skills, working for the patron, and continuing the training programs... then they all could have a chance of making some of these increases permanent with a successful conclusion of the compaign-- provided the events of the campaign lasted more than a year or so. This would be a major reward and a very big deal. The players would not be able to continue any of the above "standard" training in this situation... and they would not be able to get more than one permanent skill in any 2-year situation. However, the patron led special training trick can be used to temporarily give characters whatever skills they need to handle an adventure which they otherwise would not be prepared for.
The standard CT experience rules provide non-combat oriented characters with a little extra help right out of character generation. Combat oriented characters, for example, can get a level two technical skill if they have the time and the money to do so. (Those cash rolls at the end of character generation suddenly get interesting!) In a standard game, a character's study or physical fitness program gives immediate benefits, makes up for bad die rolls during character generation, and provides a basis for setting the scene during the game. Finally, a referee can derail all of this at any given time and provide the characters with temporary skills to cover whatever needs the PC's have-- in order to drastically transform the game for a series of special-themed sessions. The transformations don't have to be permanent, but can be if the characters are relatively lucky-- and if it makes sense to the referee.
Conclusion: the CT experience rules are easy and fun-- and they balance many of the perceived weaknesses of the default by-the-book character generation sequence. In the hands of an experienced referee, they become a source for fleshing out the game effects of unusual patrons and temporary campaign themes.
This means that (for role playing purposes) the pursuit of improvement will be used as a way of setting the scene. During jump, you know more-or-less what the characters are up to. If the referee wants to work it into the plot, he can require the players to perform some sort of side task or use some gimmick related to the improvement program as a means of drawing the characters our on various errands. NPC's may want favors in return for giving out new information or tools related to the PC's "obsessions".
Characters with EDU lower than INT can take correspondence courses to improve EDU-- fifty weekly sessions at 50cr each will raise it one point. Players that want to risk an aging check to get that exact skill they wanted after mustering out can take a sabbatical: four years and 70,000Cr score a non-weapon skill at level 2!
PC's that didn't get any weapon skills (or that want even better weapon skills) can get a +1 bonus to skill in a blade and a gun. If it's a level zero skill that's being improved, these go to level one permanently even if the training is not maintained! So members of the original six careers have two chances to turn level zero weapon skills into permanent level one skills at the start of the game.
The weird case is the continuing thing. Say the character is Revolver-3. He rolls 8+ and is temporarily Revolver-4 as long as he can conceivably maintain his training. If the campaign lasts for 4 years... then he can try to continue the training. If he rolls 8+ *again*, then the Revolver-4 becomes permanent-- but he is now temporarily Revolver-5 as long as he maintains his training! As most campaigns do not last for more than a year or two of game time, this is probably a moot point. A character that mustered out earlier than what he wanted can use this to get some decent skills before the game starts, though.
The "weird" rules for weapons apply to attempts to raise non-weapon level-one skills as well. You have to roll the 8+ twice to get a permanent raise. You can't always get what you want; also these things take time. Physical fitness gives +1 to STR, DEX, and EDU as long as the fitness program is maintained. These increases are not permanent. (That's the benefit to Jayne's constant weight lifting...!)
The referee is free to come up with alernatives to the above-- super science and special training could have whatever effects he desires. In a campaign, I could see the characters working for a patron that provide "commando" type training for an operation. Each character could roll could roll 8+ for each skill from a custom listing. For the purposes of the scenario, the characters would be treated as having a skill level of one in their respective skills. If the characters play several sessions using the skills, working for the patron, and continuing the training programs... then they all could have a chance of making some of these increases permanent with a successful conclusion of the compaign-- provided the events of the campaign lasted more than a year or so. This would be a major reward and a very big deal. The players would not be able to continue any of the above "standard" training in this situation... and they would not be able to get more than one permanent skill in any 2-year situation. However, the patron led special training trick can be used to temporarily give characters whatever skills they need to handle an adventure which they otherwise would not be prepared for.
The standard CT experience rules provide non-combat oriented characters with a little extra help right out of character generation. Combat oriented characters, for example, can get a level two technical skill if they have the time and the money to do so. (Those cash rolls at the end of character generation suddenly get interesting!) In a standard game, a character's study or physical fitness program gives immediate benefits, makes up for bad die rolls during character generation, and provides a basis for setting the scene during the game. Finally, a referee can derail all of this at any given time and provide the characters with temporary skills to cover whatever needs the PC's have-- in order to drastically transform the game for a series of special-themed sessions. The transformations don't have to be permanent, but can be if the characters are relatively lucky-- and if it makes sense to the referee.
Conclusion: the CT experience rules are easy and fun-- and they balance many of the perceived weaknesses of the default by-the-book character generation sequence. In the hands of an experienced referee, they become a source for fleshing out the game effects of unusual patrons and temporary campaign themes.
