Citizens for iOS now available in the iTunes App Store

[agorski]

Here ya go:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/citizens-of-the-imperium/id1253171767?ls=1&mt=8

My 6th iOS app for Traveller is now available for iPad only. It's a pretty complete implementation of the character generation rules of Traveller5. Thanks to all here who contributed to the errata, sophont cards, and flowcharts that made this possible.

It's got all the education and career options and you can visit these in any order and usually multiple times. Educational waivers are supported. Language skill follows the correct rules. Knowledge-knowledge-skill acquisition happens automagically. When you pick a knowledge or language you can create a new one not baked into the program (like Fighter(Dewclaw) for an Aslan). Mustering out calculates all the automatics and benefits like pensions and TAS Life awards for achievements. World(<world>) and Career(<career>) skills are automatically done. A running log shows you what happened at each step and is saved at the end for backstory purposes.

It's been fun working on this and I hope those who have an iPad will find it fun and useful.

 

[Fovean]

This is AMAZING. Thank you. I did a great four term merchant in less than ten minutes.

 

[agorski]

This is AMAZING. Thank you. I did a great four term merchant in less than ten minutes.

Thanks! Glad you grokked how it works. One can argue about how easy or difficult it is to have characters be successful in specific careers but that's a 5.09 issue. I wish there was Fighter skill available in the Merchant career, for example.

 

[The Pakkrat]

Bad Dog!

Since when do Vargr use Vigor as the C3 stat? Maybe in your Traveller Universe.

I am able to roll an H (17) for Vigor in this app at the first step of chargen, which is impossible even for the Urzaeng sub-species, regardless of Edition.

What template is this using? I am under the impression that Vargr follow SDEIEC for Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence, Education, and Charisma.

In the Traveller⁵ Thread category, I have submitted a template for the following sub-species (or ethnicities if you ask the Vargr directly):
Aekhu
Gvegh
Logaksu
Ovaghoun
Suedzuk
Urzaeng

The app will not shatter my Disbelief if you can alter it so as to not use Vigor. I shall continue to probe the app for more feedback to submit.

A character portrait box to copy/paste an image would entice those of us with visual affinity.

 

[SanDragon]

Endurance twice?

 

[b0k]

This is awesome! Any chance in an android version?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Here ya go:

Looks neat. I use some of T5.09 in my own MgT apps.

 

[agorski]

Since when do Vargr use Vigor as the C3 stat? Maybe in your Traveller Universe.

I am able to roll an H (17) for Vigor in this app at the first step of chargen, which is impossible even for the Urzaeng sub-species, regardless of Edition.

What template is this using? I am under the impression that Vargr follow SDEIEC for Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence, Education, and Charisma.

In the Traveller⁵ Thread category, I have submitted a template for the following sub-species (or ethnicities if you ask the Vargr directly):
Aekhu
Gvegh
Logaksu
Ovaghoun
Suedzuk
Urzaeng

The app will not shatter my Disbelief if you can alter it so as to not use Vigor. I shall continue to probe the app for more feedback to submit.

You seem to be assuming that the CT definition of Vargr is gospel. T5 is not CT.

All the sophonts in the app are defined using the Sophont Creation Cards posted by robject in the T5 forum. You can ask him why C3 = Vig 3D6 and C6 = Cha 1D6. Until an official T5 product defines it, this is as gospel as it gets so that's what I used.

 

[agorski]

This is awesome! Any chance in an android version?

Sorry, no. It would have to be rewritten from scratch and I don't own any Android devices.

 

[The Pakkrat]

And now the Volley

With this app, I broke Traveller⁵. Here's how:

I took a concept from my Mongoose 1E campaign and tried to roll something similar. The first roll I received I took and happens to support my point.

Rrounllaks Vukhikhloeg Age 39 Urzaeng Vargr Male
Str 9
Dex 8
Vig G (16)
Int 4
Edu 9
Cha 5

Birthworld: Ek Okhnug/Lues Meshan 1309 C667676-3 Ruler of Five polity
Failed to Apprentice in Survival, waivered and still failed.
Trade School: Fighter (Blades) +2

At age 19 he was accepted into the Rogue Career.
Choosing the Vigor G (16) as the only required characteristic for all of the Rogue Schemes he engaged in, R.V. aced 5 terms, scored 2.15 million credits faking a life of a Marine, Soldier twice, Merchant and Scholar as it was randomized with modifiers each time.
He mustered out with 14 Ship Shares (a 300+ ton Trader vessel paid for in full - or stolen which is more likely for a Rogue), Life Insurance, Knighthood and got to keep his 2.15 million.

This breaks the game before play even starts.

Here's another example:

Dame Qithka Cannagrrh, a concept also brought over from Mongoose to Traveller⁵, of a Vargr Entertainer and sometime Rogue.

Dame Qithka Cannagrrh Age 47 Gvegh Vargr Female Society of Equals polity
Str 6
Dex 9
Vig/End 7 (it hardly matters which since both were in believable ranges)
Int A(10)
Edu A(10)
Cha C (C)
Birthworld: Dzuerongvoe / Dzen Gvurrdon 1413 B664997-C Hi Cx Pr
Without going into her early Education, Qithka spent three terms as an Entertainer-Author
Then she went Rogue and continued the charade, her Scheme being chosen instead of rolling since she had a previous Career: Entertainer. She went Rogue to fake being a high-ball Entertainer.
Choosing C2 Dex as her Controlling Characteristic, Qithka took no bonus (Cautious) or penalty (Bravery) and still came out of two terms scoring 2.7 million credits. She mustered out with
Edu+1, Int+1, Dex+1 while an Entertainer
Knighthood, Dex+1 while a Rogue
Both the Careers made her Fame-20 (famous throughout Gvurrdon Sector for her legit and illegitimate endeavors and Schemes). Her single Fame event only netted her a +1 Fame for the final 20 (Sector).

Both characters broke the chargen game and set up the characters with little need to become Travellers. R.V. went legit in the Mongoose story and joined a troubleshooting company, only to steal their secondary ship and run to Tuglikki Sector to someday become a Wilds Doom Trade smuggler of Vargr Refugees into the infant Regency. The Dame, well...her story is coming, but one can see that her options were wide open as an ethnic Vargr Knight and tons of credits to blow. Both characters came away with a ton of skills, mainly because their Rogue terms were virtually auto-successes and granted them infamy and lots of benefits.

My point is, that using Vigor, especially as a Rogue, is both wrong at 3D for Vargr - it breaks the game. For me.

For me, I will not use Rob's Sophont Creation Card for Vargr. It tries, but it overdoes the Vargr and lacks the variation across the sub-species.

 

[agorski]

This is useful data for the designers to consider. The problem with the Rogue career being too powerful has been discussed before in the forum.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I finally played around with the app. I noticed a few problems:

Automatic career skills are given as skill levels, not following the (knowledge, knowledge, skill) formula.

This upsets the calculation of when a skill is given according the (knowledge, knowledge, skill) formula. Example: As a Spacer I get Engineering-1 automatically. Then I get Engineering thrice from a table, getting only knowledges and no skill.

Some education options gives only skill, e.g. Flight School, but all education should only give knowledge.

Later Education. I can suspend (not end) my Career and attend ecucation. The app treats this as ending the Career, attending education, and then reentering another Career. This bypasses the Continue roll and I can continue forever without ever rolloing continue by attending a simple 1 year trade school between each term. Mustering Out is treated as separate careers in the same Career.

Service Academies are not available for later education.

Characters attending OTC as later education are not given officer rank, and are not given the option of Flight School.

Characters attending Flight School are first given a service branch (and any automatic skill) before Flight School changes that to Flight branch.

Instability. The app generally crashes before completing, say, 10 terms, especially if several Careers or the Merchants are involved.



Rules issues:

Rogues.

Education: With a reasonable Int and Soc you can easily bypass the Education system, by taking a waiver to start a "Professors" program directly and going directly to Edu 12.

A character with a single high stat can move between Careers each term, always using the same stat as CC, never rolling a Continue roll.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Knowledges are capped at 6 and any remainder is thrown away, but the extra skill point should be added to specialisations. This forces many scholars to take an education between each term to switch Majors...

 

[agorski]

Automatic career skills are given as skill levels, not following the (knowledge, knowledge, skill) formula.

This upsets the calculation of when a skill is given according the (knowledge, knowledge, skill) formula. Example: As a Spacer I get Engineering-1 automatically. Then I get Engineering thrice from a table, getting only knowledges and no skill.

It's been a long time since I've looked at this, but I seem to remember that I do the math such that you eventually get 2 knowledge levels for every 1 skill level.

Some education options gives only skill, e.g. Flight School, but all education should only give knowledge.

Pretty sure this is based upon examples in the rules.

Later Education. I can suspend (not end) my Career and attend ecucation. The app treats this as ending the Career, attending education, and then reentering another Career. This bypasses the Continue roll and I can continue forever without ever rolloing continue by attending a simple 1 year trade school between each term. Mustering Out is treated as separate careers in the same Career.

Yup. You don't do a continue roll if you voluntarily leave.

Service Academies are not available for later education.

Yup. Not specified in the rules, so my interpretation that they only want youngsters.

Characters attending OTC as later education are not given officer rank, and are not given the option of Flight School.

Could be a bug. I'd have to look at it.

Characters attending Flight School are first given a service branch (and any automatic skill) before Flight School changes that to Flight branch.

I'd have to look at that.

Instability. The app generally crashes before completing, say, 10 terms, especially if several Careers or the Merchants are involved.

I've heard that the form sometimes doesn't redraw correctly, also. If there's ever a rules version update, I'll investigate all of this.

 

[agorski]

Knowledges are capped at 6 and any remainder is thrown away, but the extra skill point should be added to specialisations. This forces many scholars to take an education between each term to switch Majors...

Can you point to anything in the rules that states this? Also, what happens when a skill exceeds 15?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Knowledges are capped at 6 and any remainder is thrown away, but the extra skill point should be added to specialisations. This forces many scholars to take an education between each term to switch Majors...

Can you point to anything in the rules that states this? Also, what happens when a skill exceeds 15?

How about:

The Sciences. Some characters have the opportunity to learn a specific Science through the Education process. Sciences are limited to a maximum level of 6.
For example, Professor Unsag Vornia 9679BA specializes in the study of planets, and has achieved the maximum Planetology-6 (reflecting about six years of study). An additional year of study or experience requires specialization: (Gas Giant-1 or RadWorld-1, or StormWorld-1, or some other specialized knowledge); he focusses on Gas Giant-1. He can address most planet-related situations with Planetology-6, and a gas giant-related situation with knowledge-7.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

It's been a long time since I've looked at this, but I seem to remember that I do the math such that you eventually get 2 knowledge levels for every 1 skill level.

Possibly, if you get enough skills, but not in the correct order.

Pretty sure this is based upon examples in the rules.

Not quite consistently, the rules say Pilot(ACS)-4, the example gives Pilot-4, the app gives Pilot(ACS)-1 and Pilot-3:

Yup. You don't do a continue roll if you voluntarily leave.

The point is you don't leave the Career:

Later Education or Training. Characters may suspend career resolution to return to school or training. At the beginning of any term, the character may apply for any Educational Institution or Training, and if accepted substitutes that process for the entire term.

Yup. Not specified in the rules, so my interpretation that they only want youngsters.

Ok, but the rules quoted above say "any Educational Institution or Training".

I've heard that the form sometimes doesn't redraw correctly, also.

That often seems to precede a crash, yes.

If there's ever a rules version update, I'll investigate all of this.

T5.10 does seem to be on the way...

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Characters attending Flight School are first given a service branch (and any automatic skill) before Flight School changes that to Flight branch.

I'd have to look at that.

Rechecking the rules this seems to be correct behaviour, unfortunately.