MacGuyver (both editions) IS a bomb disposal expert - background in Army EOD explicitly in new edition.
CT Only: Crew changes between editions.
- Thread starter mike wightman
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MacGuyver (both editions) IS a bomb disposal expert - background in Army EOD explicitly in new edition.
kilemall
SOC-14 5K
You're messing up my example with facts!
Make a better example, then...
Oh, and I remembered after posting that, S1, E2 or E3 of original, Mac is also ex-army EOD. (I watched those last month.)
And yet, the mínimum skill level for being a steward is written as level 0...
None in CT rules.
Strictly as house rule, I allowed any navigator to plan for jumps up to double his skill level without rolling (unless extraordinary sircumpstances, such as haste or damages applied). For longer jumps, he/she has to roll (whwn i played CT, it was usually 10+, Navig skill applies as DM).
This gave higher levels better utility...
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I also have a house rule for navigators to plot jumps in the absence of a generate program or a jump cassette. I also have each navigator maintain a jump rutter that allows for a greater chance of success on familiar routes.
Wow... someone else uses jump rutters too? Tell me, how old were you when you read Shogun?
IMTU a jump cassette is a one-time copy of a public "rutter".
pendragonman
Absent Friends Margrave
Wow... someone else uses jump rutters too? Tell me, how old were you when you read Shogun?
IMTU a jump cassette is a one-time copy of a public "rutter".
I saw the miniseries first, when I was 15. By then I already knew that films/tv rarely follow the books closely, so then I read the book.
Which lead to reading the rest of them, even King Rat.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Ha ha - you guessed the inspiration. I was fifteen when I read it for the first time, the miniseries arrived when I was seventeen. Just as well I had read the book since the mini-series lacked subtitles here in the UK.Wow... someone else uses jump rutters too? Tell me, how old were you when you read Shogun?
I allow navigators to deconstruct jump cassettes to add to their rutters. There is a fair chance of failure - to succeed roll 12+ DMs +2 per level of nav skill, -1 per jump number; cassette is used up in the deconstruction so if it fails buy another.
I have an interesting adventure involving the lost rutter of Piter van Huygen and a route into the Dark Nebula to discover the riches of a long extinct civilization - I really need to rename it
creativehum
SOC-14 1K
Wow... someone else uses jump rutters too? Tell me, how old were you when you read Shogun?
IMTU a jump cassette is a one-time copy of a public "rutter".
I saw the mini-series and read the book around the same time I bumped into Traveller. Made the same connection.
I never figured out how to apply it -- since we were playing AD&D at the time. But I know I'd like to add it into the game Traveller game I want to run.
I just don't want to make traveling between the stars so difficult it becomes annoying!
I like the idea of jump rutters and they would go well with the space lanes rules of Traveller '77. With jump rutters, a ship could avoid using the Generate program, and it allows PCs to venture outside the space lanes before they can afford Generate. It also, as noted, provides for a "treasure".
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I found the jump rutter to give the players more options - rutter and navigator, jump cassette or generate program.
In addition the rutter became a maguffin in its own right since it could be part of the loot from an adventure opening up jump routes previously inaccessible or providing a jump location in an empty hex and a pirate base/ancient treasure - that sort of thing.
creativehum
SOC-14 1K
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Plot a one off jump course to a destination system if you lack a jump cassette or the generate program.
8+, DM+2 per nav skill if route is in rutter
8+, DM+2 per nav skill if route is in rutter
AnotherDilbert
SOC-14 1K
Emerging distance from target? You can emerge from jump a few hours, days, or even weeks sub-light travel from your destination.
That's what I use.
creativehum
SOC-14 1K
That's what I would have assumed.
I'm curious what that means? So far out that you might run out of life support? So far out you will run out of life support if emergency measures are not taken?
Mike, it's the failure part I'm most curious about.
AnotherDilbert
SOC-14 1K
Far enough that you have to calculate and take the time into consideration. You lose some time, and might incur some late fees on the cargo.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
If you fail you misjump...
Looking back at the notes in my house rules book there are some DMs I used:
+2DM if target destination is a star
+1DM if target is a planet
Plotting a jump to a destination not in rutter 12+, DMs +1 per navigation skill and the target size DMs above.
If you make it you can now add the route to your rutter.
A player character is given an initial 1d6 worlds per level of navigation skill +1 per term of service once navigation skill had been earned.
Looking back at the notes in my house rules book there are some DMs I used:
+2DM if target destination is a star
+1DM if target is a planet
Plotting a jump to a destination not in rutter 12+, DMs +1 per navigation skill and the target size DMs above.
If you make it you can now add the route to your rutter.
A player character is given an initial 1d6 worlds per level of navigation skill +1 per term of service once navigation skill had been earned.
My own rules RE jump rutters, etc, from a couple of years ago:
"In Mongoose Traveller, using the Astrogation skill to plot a Jump is normally an Easy (+4) Education check, modified by the Jump distance (so, -1 to -6). It effect this means that unless the attempt is rushed along it is probably always going to succeed. In ProtoTraveller the idea is that travel is somewhat dangerous. Think more like world travel before the advent of flight – maybe not as dangerous as the Middle Ages, but more in the nature of the 18th or 19th century.
So, let’s say that those rules (mostly) apply to well-mapped trade routes (we’ll get to that in a moment). It still doesn’t cover Masking and Shadowing – and here is the simple fix. For Jump Shadowing add a -1 Modifier for every star in the system while for Jump Masking, when plotting the Jump simply add a -1 modifier for every system that the route intersects.
Normally, Jump takes 148+6d6 hours. In the event of Jump Shadowing, if the navigator doesn’t wish to take the Difficulty penalty then instead add +6d6 hours of travel for every modifier for the Jump Shadowing that they wish to avoid. This represents them targeting a point further and further out to avoid the Jump Shadow – though at the expense of longer and longer in-system transit time.
Now we can also say that plotting a Jump to a Backwater system (off the Trade Routes)in the Core Worlds is a Routine Education check the same as Frontier systems on Trade Routes. Backwater systems in the Frontier are a Difficult Education check while truly unknown systems are Very Difficult Education checks to plot a course to.
This also has the effect of channeling travel around “dangerous systems” and towards “safer systems” – essentially “rocks, shoals, and reefs” for the Traveller system. That’s before we add in other potential effects for nebula, black holes, etc. It also means that you can really create “hidden bases” or “protected systems” because certain systems are just a huge pain in the ass to get to."
Additionally,
"I like this because it dovetails with the idea of the “Jump Rutter” – perhaps there is some way to model very, very slow calculations that don’t use the Generate program but instead involve laborious calculations with the normal computational power of the ship’s computer but sans the specific algorithms and database that the Generate program contains. It also suggests the existence of a psychic talent that allows instantaneous Jump Calculations ala the Pilgrims from Wing Commander.
Given the default anti-psionic attitudes inherent in the RAW, this creates a couple of interesting potential plot points immediately…
So, using a Generate program, creating a Jump Plot normally takes 10-60 minutes, we could simply say that going by hand, using a Jump Rutter, takes two time increments of time slower, or that it takes 6-24 hours (hmmm… I think that table might mean 6-36 hours instead….) instead and is a Formidable task (an additional -6 to the roll). So, you can pay for a Jump Cassette, or pray that the Astrogator is as good as he promised when you hired him…"
Personally I've always liked the idea of Jump Rutters, which coincidently makes Navigator very, very important. If I was interested in crazy levels of verisimilitude I'd probably include familiarity with the ship model (or size) as well but that seems like it would drive most people crazy...
D.
"In Mongoose Traveller, using the Astrogation skill to plot a Jump is normally an Easy (+4) Education check, modified by the Jump distance (so, -1 to -6). It effect this means that unless the attempt is rushed along it is probably always going to succeed. In ProtoTraveller the idea is that travel is somewhat dangerous. Think more like world travel before the advent of flight – maybe not as dangerous as the Middle Ages, but more in the nature of the 18th or 19th century.
So, let’s say that those rules (mostly) apply to well-mapped trade routes (we’ll get to that in a moment). It still doesn’t cover Masking and Shadowing – and here is the simple fix. For Jump Shadowing add a -1 Modifier for every star in the system while for Jump Masking, when plotting the Jump simply add a -1 modifier for every system that the route intersects.
Normally, Jump takes 148+6d6 hours. In the event of Jump Shadowing, if the navigator doesn’t wish to take the Difficulty penalty then instead add +6d6 hours of travel for every modifier for the Jump Shadowing that they wish to avoid. This represents them targeting a point further and further out to avoid the Jump Shadow – though at the expense of longer and longer in-system transit time.
Now we can also say that plotting a Jump to a Backwater system (off the Trade Routes)in the Core Worlds is a Routine Education check the same as Frontier systems on Trade Routes. Backwater systems in the Frontier are a Difficult Education check while truly unknown systems are Very Difficult Education checks to plot a course to.
This also has the effect of channeling travel around “dangerous systems” and towards “safer systems” – essentially “rocks, shoals, and reefs” for the Traveller system. That’s before we add in other potential effects for nebula, black holes, etc. It also means that you can really create “hidden bases” or “protected systems” because certain systems are just a huge pain in the ass to get to."
Additionally,
"I like this because it dovetails with the idea of the “Jump Rutter” – perhaps there is some way to model very, very slow calculations that don’t use the Generate program but instead involve laborious calculations with the normal computational power of the ship’s computer but sans the specific algorithms and database that the Generate program contains. It also suggests the existence of a psychic talent that allows instantaneous Jump Calculations ala the Pilgrims from Wing Commander.
Given the default anti-psionic attitudes inherent in the RAW, this creates a couple of interesting potential plot points immediately…
So, using a Generate program, creating a Jump Plot normally takes 10-60 minutes, we could simply say that going by hand, using a Jump Rutter, takes two time increments of time slower, or that it takes 6-24 hours (hmmm… I think that table might mean 6-36 hours instead….) instead and is a Formidable task (an additional -6 to the roll). So, you can pay for a Jump Cassette, or pray that the Astrogator is as good as he promised when you hired him…"
Personally I've always liked the idea of Jump Rutters, which coincidently makes Navigator very, very important. If I was interested in crazy levels of verisimilitude I'd probably include familiarity with the ship model (or size) as well but that seems like it would drive most people crazy...
D.
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