Classic Traveller: Random CharGen vs. Standard Crew Requirements

[Stan Shinn]

I'm thinking about a Classic Traveller con game I want to run this summer. I'd like to do normal character creation, which randomly gives you your skills. But I also want to have them crew a spaceship -- and Classic Traveller says these are the standard crew requirements:

• Pilot
• Navigator
• Engineer
• Steward
• Medic
• Gunner

Any ideas how I can reconcile the desire to allow players the fun of standard character creation, while also letting them crew a ship? Aside from have several NPCs be on standby to fill those roles? There will be lots of 'avoid asteroids' and other starship maneuvers in the game so I would love players be able to make those dice rolls for their own characters.

 

[GypsyComet]

Borrow a page from Mongoose.

Take that list of skills you've already compiled, and after everything else is done in character generation, tell each player to pick one of the skills from the list and add one rank of it to their character sheet. It cannot make an existing skill go past rank 2, and each skill may only be taken once. If your group is small enough, do two rounds of the table and give everyone two skills, but make them pick in two rounds, not both at once. If they are confused about where a Doctor would pick up a rank in anything else on that list (other than Steward), things like doing residency in an asteroid system can provide a variety of excuses...

 

[atpollard]

Strictly 100% my personal opinion, but just decide not to let random character generation stop you from playing YOUR game and having fun.

After generating characters by the book (or however you want), just swap out a skill that was rolled for a skill that could have been rolled (and is needed) but wasn't.

Then play and have fun.

YMMV.

 

[Frankymole]

It's not totally random - there's a random element, but awareness of what is on the tables can help player's aims. One thing that worked well as a compromise between old-school dicing and newer points-based systems was making six 2D rolls forcharacteristics, but allowing the players to then assign the six scores to chosen characteristics to give them a better chance to enlist in, and progress in, the career they wanted for their character.

Maybe ask the players to pick one of the skills to be an ambition that characters will "shoot for" during the chargen process - they can then aim for the tables that bestow it (or the services that give it as a basic skill, Scouts and Navy being careers with more ship handling skills, obviously). I usually generate characters for my own use by having one or two skills in mind that I want to be expert in then aiming for career terms that will lead to the relevant tables. Experienced Traveller players may resist the idea of aiming for certain skills though - but only the most stubborn, because all the other range of skills will still be available as well; if someone wants to be scientist it's hard to make them a navigator. Then again, everyone needs a hobby so there's no reason someone can't have ship skills but also other very different ones. Perhaps there can be some incentives to go for the preferred skills - like helpful friends and allies, or rumours and information being more plentiful, for that character's starting situation?

A lot of con games hand out characters, but a lot of Traveller's appeal for me lies in the character's whole life, including experiencing their career(s) prior to adventuring. The INT+EDU limit of later CT and MT allows for discarding skills that aren't desired in favour of ones you want to retain.

 

[Supplement Four]

If you're doing a con game, then why not just pre-generate the characters that you need for the adventure. Remember, most GDW adventures came with about ten or so pre-gen characters. Just hand them out to the players. Here's the pilot. Here's the engineer, and so forth.

Strictly 100% my personal opinion, but just decide not to let random character generation stop you from playing YOUR game and having fun.

After generating characters by the book (or however you want), just swap out a skill that was rolled for a skill that could have been rolled (and is needed) but wasn't.

This.

But, also...

I've had great fun before just letting the random chargen system do its thing. I start with, say, four players. Each rolls up a character or three, using the hard survival rule. Chances are at least one of them will die in chargen. When we get done, we fit the characters to the ship as good as possible. If a position isn't covered, then the Ref pulls in a new dynamic--an NPC that the crew can hire.

Also, don't forget the Experience Rules. You may be able to give the character the skill he needs by using those, straight out of chargen.

 

[Carlobrand]

I'm thinking about a Classic Traveller con game I want to run this summer. I'd like to do normal character creation, which randomly gives you your skills. But I also want to have them crew a spaceship -- and Classic Traveller says these are the standard crew requirements:

• Pilot
• Navigator
• Engineer
• Steward
• Medic
• Gunner

Any ideas how I can reconcile the desire to allow players the fun of standard character creation, while also letting them crew a ship? Aside from have several NPCs be on standby to fill those roles? There will be lots of 'avoid asteroids' and other starship maneuvers in the game so I would love players be able to make those dice rolls for their own characters.

Have someone - or the ship's computer - give the character a basic 8-hour orientation class on the subject, enough to justify skill-0 in the subject. That ought to be adequate for routine operation and, so long as he has the computer to draw on for specific information, even some more demanding situations. Of course, if the computer goes out and something critical needs attention, the guy's going to wish he had real skill, and there are a couple of points - most notably Medic - where circumstances may not allow you time to call up and review your "Idiot's Guide" quickly enough to do any good.

Umm, it really shouldn't be all that hard to avoid an asteroid, even for a novice at the controls.

 

[salochin999]

One of the things I do is change basic training / automatic service skills

1) Scouts: I give them JoT-1 instead of Pilot-1 as they are specifically trained to single crew small ships

2) Navy: add automatic skills and have different automatic skills based on divisions e.g.

medical division: vaccsuit and medic
flight division: vaccsuit and pilot
engineering division: vaccsuit and engineering
etc

so you can choose the division but then leave the rest to chance

 

[Frankymole]

You can also use the Robots rules to make a sub-computer (non-mobile robot) to cover for any shortfalls in ship operating skills. Have one for each operation ready beforehand, so you don't have to create them on the spot.

 

[Carlobrand]

You can also use the Robots rules to make a sub-computer (non-mobile robot) to cover for any shortfalls in ship operating skills. Have one for each operation ready beforehand, so you don't have to create them on the spot.

Have the robots loaded with the Instruction skill as well. Costs a wee bit more since you need a bit more memory, but it's worth it. They can act as expert systems, instructing the player in how to do the job as if they were skilled crewmen coaching a trainee. You then have a basis for granting players experience in the indicated skill area while the robot covers the skill need.

 

[Stan Shinn]

All great ideas! Thanks all!