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Classic Traveller Character Generator

E

estar

SOC-12
Knight
Baron
I extended Frank Filz excellent classic traveller character generator to include the Citizen of Imperium. I also added a basic web interface to select a career.

The rules change I made are

The Draft now Navy, Army, Marines, Scout, Sailors, and Flyers for random character generation (the default).

The choice of Nobles career sets your social level to a minimum of A.

In the random career selection there is a 1 in 3 change of the noble career being selected if the character starting Soc is A or better.

Frank Filz Character Generator
http://www.mindspring.com/~ffilz/Ga...se&muster=split&personal=always&vehicles=1977

Mine with Citizen of Imperium added
http://www.batintheattic.com/traveller/
 
That's pretty awesome.

Question 1: Does it follow CT rules to the letter, or did you have to make some comprises in programming?



Question 2: Does the system include Voluntary Muster Out? If so, how did you implement this, since this is a player option.



Question 3: Are you using the hard survival rule? That is, does a character die if he fails Survival? Or, are you using the optional rule?



Question 4: You didn't observe the Maximum Skills rule (page 29 TTB)? It doesn't look as if you did, according this character that I generated (random character):

Army General Valentina Smith 69A477 Age 46
7 terms Cr40,000

Skills: ATV-1, Brawling-2, Electronics-2, Gambling-1, Rifle-5, SMG-3, Small Watercraft-1, Spear-1

Benefits: 8,000/yr Retirement Pay, Middle Passage, Middle Passage, Rifle

Service History:
Rolled attributes: 7BA367
Attempted to enlist in Army.
Enlistment roll 8 + 3 vs 5
Enlistment accepted.
Learned Rifle-1
--------------------------------------------
Term 1 age 22
Commission roll 11 + 1 vs 5
Learned SMG-1
Commissioned during first term of service as Lieutenant.
Promotion roll 5 + 0 vs 6
Learned Spear-1
Improved SMG-2
Increased education by 1 to 7
Survival roll 5 + 2 vs 5
Reenlistment roll 8 vs 7
Voluntarily reenlisted for second term.
--------------------------------------------
Term 2 age 26
Promotion roll 11 + 1 vs 6
Promoted to Captain.
Learned Electronics-1
Increased strength by 1 to 8
Survival roll 6 + 2 vs 5
Reenlistment roll 8 vs 7
Voluntarily reenlisted for third term.
--------------------------------------------
Term 3 age 30
Promotion roll 7 + 1 vs 6
Promoted to Major.
Increased endurance by 1 to B
Learned Brawling-1
Survival roll 9 + 2 vs 5
Reenlistment roll 7 vs 7
Voluntarily reenlisted for fourth term.
--------------------------------------------
Term 4 age 34
Promotion roll 7 + 1 vs 6
Promoted to Lt Colonel.
Improved SMG-3
Learned Small Watercraft-1
Survival roll 7 + 2 vs 5
Aging strength throw 7 vs 8
Decreased strength by -1 to 7
Aging dexterity throw 5 vs 7
Decreased dexterity by -1 to A
Aging endurance throw 8 vs 8
Reenlistment roll 10 vs 7
Voluntarily reenlisted for fifth term.
--------------------------------------------
Term 5 age 38
Promotion roll 6 + 1 vs 6
Promoted to Colonel.
Improved Brawling-2
Improved Electronics-2
Survival roll 7 + 2 vs 5
Aging strength throw 8 vs 8
Aging dexterity throw 9 vs 7
Aging endurance throw 2 vs 8
Decreased endurance by -1 to A
Reenlistment roll 8 vs 7
Voluntarily reenlisted for sixth term.
--------------------------------------------
Term 6 age 42
Promotion roll 6 + 1 vs 6
Promoted to General.
Increased strength by 1 to 8
Learned Gambling-1
Survival roll 7 + 2 vs 5
Aging strength throw 7 vs 8
Decreased strength by -1 to 7
Aging dexterity throw 7 vs 7
Aging endurance throw 10 vs 8
Reenlistment roll 8 vs 7
Voluntarily reenlisted for seventh term.
--------------------------------------------
Term 7 age 46
Learned ATV-1
Survival roll 10 + 2 vs 5
Aging strength throw 3 vs 8
Decreased strength by -1 to 6
Aging dexterity throw 2 vs 7
Decreased dexterity by -1 to 9
Aging endurance throw 9 vs 8
Reenlistment roll 9 vs 7
Mandatory retirement after seventh term.
--------------------------------------------
Mustered Out
10,000 credits
10,000 credits
20,000 credits
Rifle
Improved Rifle-2
Improved Rifle-3
Middle Passage
Improved Rifle-4
Improved Rifle-5
Middle Passage
Increased intelligence by 1 to 4
Click to expand...
 
Good point about skill limits, I think I know what I can do to easily fix that. I will answer the other question after reviewing the code again. The general intent is to follow the rules except when a player's choice is involved in which case an algorithm is used to generate the choices. Like the fore mention noble career.


The original source is here

https://github.com/pgorman/travellercharactergenerator

Specifically this file
https://github.com/pgorman/travellercharactergenerator/blob/master/travellercharacter.js

My modification is here
http://www.batintheattic.com/traveller/travellercharacter.js
 
Rob, I'll have to give your changes a look over. I think I have some different ideas on how to incorporate Supplement 4, but that's all easily handled by more options...

Let's also make it clear that Paul Gorman originated the tool. I have done a lot of work on it, but I wouldn't have even started without his efforts producing a usable tool.

As to the maximum skill limit, while Paul used TTB, he did not implement the maximum skill rule. That should be added as an option.

The optional death rule would be easy to implement, fix up the order of adding skills (currently done before survival roll) and always muster out even dead characters. Then if the optional rule is in use, a dead character isn't...

The hunt option would need to be modified (currently it skips dead characters).

Other that various cheat options (which must be explicitly chosen), and the notes above, the tool attempts to apply the rules correctly. Any issues where it doesn't should be reported (you can actually report issues in github).

Rob, if you are comfortable with github, issue a pull request to my github repo and that will put me on notice of your changes. I'll then make the updates I want to make (as separate patches), and merge your stuff in at some point.

Frank
 
RE: Maximum Skills Rule



It should be noted that some argue that the Maximum Skills Rule is implemented after character generation, so that if a character gets out of chargen breaking the rule, then so be it.

Those who believe this is the intent of the rule cite the wording of the rule...

As a general rule of thumb....
Click to expand...

And, they point to the rule not being included with the other character generation rules but after the Mustering Out rules in the skills section of the book.

Also cited is that there are no rules for reducing a character's skills.

This side says that the "general rule of thumb" speaks to character generation (that's the exception) and character experience (the character cannot use the Experience rules to advance skills if the limit is reached).

They also say that the Maximum Skill rule and the Experience rule are not in Book 1 and so, therefore, are not meant to be applied to chargen.





The other side of the argument says that the rule does restrict a character in character generation--that there are no rules for reducing skills as the character should stop gaining skills once the limit is reached. The "general rule of thumb" speaks to zero level skills, as indicated in the description, and that the rule is in the character generation rules sandwiched between the skill definitions and the details of the Muster Out benefits.





To me, both arguments are strong. I tend to go with the first interpretation of the rule since I enforce the hard survival rule and think that CT characters have so few skills that I like the possibility of a character getting lucky and ending up with more skills than the limit. It makes an exception possible, which, to me, reflects nature.

I'll also admit that I'm weak to the second argument. It makes a lot of sense, too.

So, I flip flop between the two interpretations, but favor the first one.
 
It's to avoid creating a Mary Sue character; in other systems, you either actually have to grind that out, or you have have fixed number of points to distribute, with some common sense limitations in place to avoid creating idiot savants.

You could think of it as the Kelly Bundy Effect, that for every piece of new information, she has to forget something else.
 
estar said:
Good point about skill limits, I think I know what I can do to easily fix that. I will answer the other question after reviewing the code again. The general intent is to follow the rules except when a player's choice is involved in which case an algorithm is used to generate the choices. Like the fore mention noble career.
Click to expand...

Note that skill limits are not in CT Bk 1-6; they're only in TTB, ST, and Bk7.
 
ffilz said:
Rob, if you are comfortable with github, issue a pull request to my github repo and that will put me on notice of your changes. I'll then make the updates I want to make (as separate patches), and merge your stuff in at some point.
Click to expand...

Sure, will do. I keep a version that doesn't have the user interface and just works through the URLs so I will make the pull request with that.
 
A player just used this to generate a Belter. The survival roll is wrong. It does 2D+1 vs 5 instead of 2D+Terms vs 9...

I REALLY need to take the time to work on integrating this into my version and adding various options (especially an option for my alternate skill tables).

Frank
 
Fixed it. The issue was a misplaced curly bracket. However instead of checking age, I changed it to assign this.terms to dm directly.

Code: 
    checkSurvival: function () {
        var dm = 0;
        var sv = roll(2);
		dm = this.terms;
        this.verboseHistory('Survival roll ' + sv + ' + ' + dm + ' vs ' + 5);
        if ((sv + dm) >= 5) {
            return true;
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    },
 
estar said:
Fixed it. The issue was a misplaced curly bracket. However instead of checking age, I changed it to assign this.terms to dm directly.

Code: 
    checkSurvival: function () {
        var dm = 0;
        var sv = roll(2);
		dm = this.terms;
        this.verboseHistory('Survival roll ' + sv + ' + ' + dm + ' vs ' + 5);
        if ((sv + dm) >= 5) {
            return true;
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    },
Click to expand...

It should still compare against 9 not 5...
 
Dang it missed that.

OK it is fixed now

Code: 
    checkSurvival: function () {
        var dm = 0;
        var sv = roll(2);
	dm = this.terms;
        this.verboseHistory('Survival roll ' + sv + ' + ' + dm + ' vs ' + 9);
        if ((sv + dm) >= 9) {
            return true;
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    },

Question what is the point of this code. I could only find calls to check Survival not to survivalThrow or survivalDM

Code: 
    survivalThrow: 9,
    survivalDM: function (attributes) {
        var dm = 0;
        return dm;
    },
 
Supplement Four said:
That's pretty awesome.

(random character):
Army General Valentina Smith 69A477 Age 46
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I know that some people have low opinions about 90-day wonders, and this would explain it. I don't really think that a character with Int of 3 could be considered for commission. I realized in thinking this that there is no rule about it, but... there certainly ought to be minimum of 6 (low average).

I mean, at Int 3 I don't think you can complete the paperwork. That's almost at the level where you make an X because you can't spell your name. Int 2 would probably be full on mental incompetence (but otherwise functional). Int 1 would be functional retardation.

There probably should be minimum set for command (CT ranks 5 and up, maybe rank 4), maybe Int 8. Again, I know that plenty of people think the brass must have Int 3, but it's a matter of hidebound thinking rather than actual stupidity. They'd at least have to be clever and manipulative to get that far. And capable of filling out paperwork.
 
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