Chargen for military campaigns

[Adam Dray]

What are typical chargen solutions for military campaigns, where you want every character to be /current/ military?

The rules like to muster people out of service. Do you just muster out and then say "you didn't really muster out; that's just where you intersected with 'now'"?

 

[RandyB]

What are typical chargen solutions for military campaigns, where you want every character to be /current/ military?

The rules like to muster people out of service. Do you just muster out and then say "you didn't really muster out; that's just where you intersected with 'now'"?

That works as well as anything else I could think of. Maybe set a target for rank (or whatever), and stop chargen once the target is reached, or fiddle with the results to match that target when "muster out" is reached.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Why muster out at all, if still in service?

Unless you need to figure what money in savings the PCs have accumulated over the course of their careers (otherwise most will just have pocket money of current wages less any expenditures), or if they have neglected self-improvement during career terms and need to make that up in mustering out.

[Caveat: I may have a different view of mustering out than some, because unless you are at a service/rank combination that allows decent chances at ships or TAS or High Passage, I can't see any justification for ever not taking the maximum allowed cash rolls and the rest on self-improvement. Guns/Blades/Vaccsuits/Passages/etc are mere tools to be purchased as needed, seldom worth foregoing a cash roll!]

 

[McPerth]

Why muster out at all, if still in service?

See that some mustering out benefits would be availabe and affect play even if they are still in service (such as INT, EDU or SOC increases, combat implants, repetitive benefits that convert to skills, etc...)

 

[Limburger59]

What are typical chargen solutions for military campaigns, where you want every character to be /current/ military?

The beauty of Mercenary was that the PC's were all "retired" from the regular military before becoming members of a mercenary unit at different ranks than they might have previously held, and from a combination of different branches.

If you want a regular army or marine unit...
> Do you want all the characters to be commanding officers? That will probably involve ignoring some die rolls, including enlistment.
> Do you want all the PC's to be in the same platoon, SDB, squadron? Then some characters will be forced to stop at various enlisted ranks which will also involve ignoring die rolls. (No platoon will have five Captains...)

Go the Mercenary route, where the hard on his luck retired Major takes a job as E4 to stay out of debt, and needs to role play his bitterness.

 

[Garyius2003]

I think for a unit you need to use the Mongoose point system, maybe require a rank and some core skills, and leave the rest up to the players.

A TL-13 or 14 ground/marine cadre, boarding, or stiffener squad will share most of the same core skills with one having also commo, one FO...tactics...demo...

A small ship will need vastly different skills, and if you are doing a large ship 'away' party there will be just a few required skills and lot of room for player choice.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Why muster out at all, if still in service?

See that some mustering out benefits would be availabe and affect play even if they are still in service (such as INT, EDU or SOC increases, combat implants, repetitive benefits that convert to skills, etc...)

Of course, old Bean, and that was in the part of my post that you snipped:

Unless you need to figure what money in savings the PCs have accumulated over the course of their careers (otherwise most will just have pocket money of current wages less any expenditures), or if they have neglected self-improvement during career terms and need to make that up in mustering out.

[Caveat: I may have a different view of mustering out than some, because unless you are at a service/rank combination that allows decent chances at ships or TAS or High Passage, I can't see any justification for ever not taking the maximum allowed cash rolls and the rest on self-improvement. Guns/Blades/Vaccsuits/Passages/etc are mere tools to be purchased as needed, seldom worth foregoing a cash roll!]

combat implants

Yes, combat implants (if available) might be worth rolling for, along the same line as ships or TAS or High Passage, that the implants themselves might be both hard to come by as a civilian, and worth more than the cash you could get from the cash table.

repetitive benefits that convert to skills, etc...)

Now that I would consider a waste of good Mustering Out rolls - for two rolls you could get a big wad of cash or improvement of two stats, or... a blade and a level of Blade skill - that is, IF you get "lucky" and roll Blade twice, otherwise you might just have a blade (Cr50) and an autopistol (Cr210). Plus, I'd never want to have to rely on such a combination of rolls to get a skill that I considered necessary for my PC; that should have been taken care of during career terms.

 

[Shonner]

Are characters allowed to be hobo serial killers while still in the service? Hopefully they have lawyers as allies.

 

[CosmicGamer]

What are typical chargen solutions for military campaigns, where you want every character to be /current/ military?

The rules like to muster people out of service. Do you just muster out and then say "you didn't really muster out; that's just where you intersected with 'now'"?

Military or not, the general concept of role playing out a character that is still in their career has come up.

The first thing to note is that chargen ends even if you start the game with characters still in their same career.

Unless you are just role playing an event from chargen then going back and doing more chargen, I'd say the following:

Benefits:
I'd say yes: Muster Benefit is a pretty poor term. The very first line in this topic is

In the course of a character’s career

These benefits reflect the savings, implants, gear and characteristics they gained during their career.

Perhaps not benefit rolls for the current term if the concept is playing out an event for a term they are in the middle of.

Connections:
I'd say yes: As the rules state, you start making those connections during the events of your career. Go ahead and finalize them at the end of chargen.

Skill Package:
I'd say yes: It is

Taking a skill package ensures that your group will at least have basic competency in the situations that will come up in the game.

so chargen is over and the adventure is starting. Why wouldn't you still do this?

 

[GypsyComet]

Are characters allowed to be hobo serial killers while still in the service? Hopefully they have lawyers as allies.

Militaries can reflect the personalities of their leadership, so quite a bit is possible.

 

[Shonner]

Militaries can reflect the personalities of their leadership, so quite a bit is possible.

Pirates can be considered to be in military outfits.

 

[McPerth]

Pirates can be considered to be in military outfits.

Was Drake a pirate or a British Aldmiral?

I guess the answer would depend on whom you ask it...

 

[aramis]

Pirates can be considered to be in military outfits.

Many can be, but many more cannot. Some "Pirates" are simply naval forces; others are formal or informal auxiliaries; others still are merely civil crews gone rogue, and others still aren't even that much.

 

[Tarondor]

So, going back to the original question: What changes would you make to create a campaign in which the PC's are still in their military careers?

The characters don't really need those whopping big cash benefits from mustering out - the military is going to provide the equipment they need. And I definitely don't want them getting ship shares or armor.

Would it be reasonable to simply skip Mustering Out? If not, what benefits could be offered to make up for its absence? I was thinking of simply replacing Mustering Out with a chart like this:

Die Roll--------Benefit
1-------------INT +1
2-------------EDU +1
3-------------Any 1 Service Skill
4-------------Any 1 Advanced Education Skill
5-------------Increase Rank or Receive Commission
6-------------SOC +1

What do you think?

 

[McPerth]

So, going back to the original question: What changes would you make to create a campaign in which the PC's are still in their military careers?

The characters don't really need those whopping big cash benefits from mustering out - the military is going to provide the equipment they need. And I definitely don't want them getting ship shares or armor.

Would it be reasonable to simply skip Mustering Out? If not, what benefits could be offered to make up for its absence? I was thinking of simply replacing Mustering Out with a chart like this:

Die Roll--------Benefit
1-------------INT +1
2-------------EDU +1
3-------------Any 1 Service Skill
4-------------Any 1 Advanced Education Skill
5-------------Increase Rank or Receive Commission
6-------------SOC +1

What do you think?

I agree they don't nned to know how many cash they have on hand if the military is going to fill teh bill anyway, but things as combat implants, skills due to repetitive rolls, etc. are a must, IMHO.

If they're going to be more tan a siple term in the service, I'd allow them to undergo the mustering out normally (but forcing them to sabe at least one roll for money) just for this.

The table you suggest, again INHO, chages quite a lot what they can achieve in mustrin out, as it allows for skills not available while mustering out, while it reduces some soc changes and does not take into account some benefits that would not be of much use while in the service (passages, weapons, etc...).

 

[CosmicGamer]

Would it be reasonable to simply skip Mustering Out?

Yes and no as per.

If they're going to be more tan a siple term in the service, I'd allow them to undergo the mustering out normally

and

These benefits reflect the savings, implants, gear and characteristics they gained during their career.

Perhaps not benefit rolls for the current term if the concept is playing out an event for a term they are in the middle of.

Just my opinion, but the only term that would possibly need any adjustment due to still being in a career would be the last. As per above, roll muster as normal for all other terms.
=================

If not, what benefits could be offered to make up for its absence?

None. If the decision is to not have "mustering out benefits" then no "benefits" would be given. Creating an alternative set of benefits is a whole different issue.

Die Roll--------Benefit
5-------------Increase Rank or Receive Commission
What do you think?

Increase in rank?

I think this reflects something other than the proposed situation of having characters that are still current in the service.

If you want to change the benefit tables to reflect what you want for your game, please give better details as to what you are looking for.

No augmentation benefits because the military or setting is low tech?

No weapon and armor benefits because of some adventure plot issues?

More rank and skills to create characters that are more advanced at a younger age?
=================

The characters don't really need those whopping big cash benefits from mustering out

This seams like more about a personal choice for how you want your games to be, which is fine, than a necessity due to playing a game where characters are still currently in service.

Soldiers can't save some of their money? I guess even though they are single and the military provides everything they need, every soldier throws every credit away on booze and prostitutes? Not a single soldier can save some of their pay?

If you want to go into changes for the cash table I think this is about something other than still being in service because while at a glance the cash table may have some high amounts, it reflects a max of three rolls by a 1 term character or a 10 term character. It reflects rolls from a lowly paid private to a well compensated General. While there is a "other" benefits table, there are very little actual possessions on it. The cash table could also reflect the possessions the cash can buy during service or savings for purchasing the following when one leaves the service, a nice suit, personal vehicle, vacation, some tools, camping gear, computer, comm, artwork, gun collection, down payment on a house, or whatever else one might spend their pay on.

The cash table is optional, why not let the player decide for their character?

Now, if you want to alter the cash table to better reflect a per term amount based on rank and salary, that is, I think, something for another thread as I don't see it as a issue that needs to be addressed here for a "still in their career" problem or military only issue.

 

[Tarondor]

Thanks for your thoughts. I posed my question generically so that I would not hijack the OP. But since you asked:

I'm constructing a Star Viking campaign set in the Reformation Coalition in the TNE setting, but using the Mongoose rules. All the PCs will be active-duty RCES members (if you don't know what that is, think Imperial Scouts with a touch of Special Ops and Privateer), not freelancers with their own ship and equipment. Gear and transport will be provided.

What I want the character creation process to provide is well- rounded active duty soldiers, not well-funded vagabonds. I want to be able to run missions with mostly Tech 9 and 10 gear, aided by the occasional precious piece of Tech 12 gear. I want no battle armor (what little Tech 12 battle armor the Reformation Coalition has is commandeered for the use of the Marines) because I want the low-tech worlds on which the missions are set to be legitimate threats. I want to see if I can run a Traveller game that -doesn't- end in an arms race.

I have no problem with the PCs having personal wealth; I just don't want that wealth to be the focus of the game or its story. In the real world, if a Navy SEAL is personally rich, he still doesn't supply his own helicopter for the mission. For the same reason, I don't want the PCs to have their own ship, so ship shares upon mustering out become a real problem.

What I'm thinking is that whenever the PCs finish their last term of character creation, they join RCES, either by volunteering, transferring from another service or being drafted (whichever the player likes as a story element).

Three ideas I've kicked around are 1) getting rid of the Mustering Out rule and replacing it with something else; 2) writing all new Mustering Out tables for each career that replace armor and Ship shares with something else (but what?); and 3) allowing the Mustering Out as normal, but saying that for story reasons, all armor received is Tech 9 and below and all ship shares may be held as investors but not used to purchase a ship while on active duty. The latter plan might be frustrating, but would allow me to create a plot point where the PC are forced to retire from RCES at some point, but still have a ship available, if I ever wanted to do that.

In short, I'm a lot more interested in creating a story driven by assigned missions and personalities and a lot less by the PCs possessions.

Thanks for your ideas!

 

[McPerth]

What I'm thinking is that whenever the PCs finish their last term of character creation, they join RCES, either by volunteering, transferring from another service or being drafted (whichever the player likes as a story element).

Three ideas I've kicked around are 1) getting rid of the Mustering Out rule and replacing it with something else; 2) writing all new Mustering Out tables for each career that replace armor and Ship shares with something else (but what?); and 3) allowing the Mustering Out as normal, but saying that for story reasons, all armor received is Tech 9 and below and all ship shares may be held as investors but not used to purchase a ship while on active duty. The latter plan might be frustrating, but would allow me to create a plot point where the PC are forced to retire from RCES at some point, but still have a ship available, if I ever wanted to do that.

In short, I'm a lot more interested in creating a story driven by assigned missions and personalities and a lot less by the PCs possessions.

Thanks for your ideas!

I don't see any problem in limiting the mustering out benefits (armor TL 9-, ship shares psotponed, etc...). After all, it's usually done due to TL or law level reasons (I would not allow any charactr that recives armor benefit to have a BD, even on a TL 15 environ, not will I allow the group to have a 20 kdton cruiser or super freighter just because they have 100 ship shares, so having a full ship for free).

Ship shares can also be exchanged for (so to say) expedition shares, with more vote in the expedition and more benefits from any recovered hi-tech that is sold at auction at the end of the mision(s) (or prime choice over any ship there). It's a longtime since I read TNE (though I still have the core book), but, IIRC the RCES missions have quite a freedom of action and its recovered matherial is usually sold at auction...

 

[CosmicGamer]

Thanks for your thoughts. I posed my question generically so that I would not hijack the OP. But since you asked:

Main reason I asked was to determine if the concepts were on topic or not. Perhaps a new thread is warranted because I do have a variety of ideas and suggestions that are specific to your needs and not the OPs.

 

[Tarondor]

I'd love to see them. Please post them.