Hi there! I think abstractions are okay, but they are a little bit boring. Maybe go the other direction, with a collection of specific missions per career type, categorized into physical / mental / social categories, and give players routes from one career to others. Life paths, in other words.
CT+ Careers
- Thread starter robject
- Start date
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Yeah, the grognard in me is bugged by that, too. (And, that's why I left Marines alone.
Ya know, I can't remember the reason I didn't go with that name.
(May have had something to do with not wanting to "dis" low-tech careers like my rich auto mechanic.)And, it does encompass all techie careers - except where you might be in the Navy or the Marines, or the Army, or a Scout, or.... There is some overlap with these twelve.
Hmmmm......
I was actually thinking the flip-side - more like branches within each career. Three branches per career would break out Army= Commando, Wet Navy, Flyer; Explorer= Hunter, Scout, ??; etc. I was just trying to figure out how to allow changing of branches (some changes would be really artificial).
However, I think your idea allows more flexibility in the end. Use my 12 as branches, with appropriate skill sets, survival rates, etc. Then compose careers of different bits of these branches, with mods for survival, promotion, etc.
Good ideas, Voiceless Mapper!
Do you mind if I appropriate your intellectual propertyinto MyT? Thanks, and of course!
I wasn't shooting for Burning Wheel. Just a simple way of approximating advanced chargen assignments with existing basic chargen.
Addendum: I'm prepping TTA right now, and under this scheme, Gvoudzon could be created as follows:
Spacer (2 terms), Navy (2 terms), and Official (1 term)
This reflects his history as a corsair "recruit" working his way up hard (spacer), his eventual rise to Force Commander (navy), and his transition to Emissary (official). You could also just as easily use the vargr specific careers (Spacer 2/Corsair 2/Emissary 1). You can re-use any basic career that makes sense for the character with little extra work.
I wasn't shooting for Burning Wheel. Just a simple way of approximating advanced chargen assignments with existing basic chargen.
Addendum: I'm prepping TTA right now, and under this scheme, Gvoudzon could be created as follows:
Spacer (2 terms), Navy (2 terms), and Official (1 term)
This reflects his history as a corsair "recruit" working his way up hard (spacer), his eventual rise to Force Commander (navy), and his transition to Emissary (official). You could also just as easily use the vargr specific careers (Spacer 2/Corsair 2/Emissary 1). You can re-use any basic career that makes sense for the character with little extra work.
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
OK, Voiceless Mapper, now you got me to thinking, and that's rarely a good thing...
I am moving Spacer from a career over to a background. Now it will be the same as Barbarian and Noble. One more of those (for all the planet-born regular people who have electricity) is called for, but I don't know what to call it. I thought of "Citizen", but it seems a little lame compared to the other three - I don't want to put people off.
The other problem, now, is coming up with a twelfth career!
One possibility is to add Belter back in. Another is to break Doctor or Academic back out from Scientist. Or, to make an Engineer career to be more on the design side than Tech (I don't like that one as it is becoming too fine a line for only twelve careers). Lastly, I could add in one of the following: Entertainer/Athlete, "Traveller"
, Journalist
, or something else.
Give me some feedback - what does everybody think would be the best choice for the "Twelfth Career"?
I am moving Spacer from a career over to a background.
Now it will be the same as Barbarian and Noble. One more of those (for all the planet-born regular people who have electricity) is called for, but I don't know what to call it. I thought of "Citizen", but it seems a little lame compared to the other three - I don't want to put people off.The other problem, now, is coming up with a twelfth career!
Give me some feedback - what does everybody think would be the best choice for the "Twelfth Career"?
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
OK, how about one of these for that "Citizen" background: Burgess (or Burgher for the Sword Worlds) or Freeman?
(Of course, in a more fuedal TU, you might try Vassal, eh?)
(Of course, in a more fuedal TU, you might try Vassal, eh?)
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Well, good for you, "citizen". I kinda liked that one because of it's English origins and it's connection to the first legislature set up in the America's - the Virginia House of Burgesses. (Well, and the fact it is a variation on the German Burgher. ) Hey, if nobody else throws their CrImp.02 into the pot, we'll go with that!
) Hey, if nobody else throws their CrImp.02 into the pot, we'll go with that! Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Heh.
C'mon guys, don't let Berg have all the fun.
Seriously, I also need to know what folks think about my twelfth career - especially from Cartographer, since he's the one that got the neurons firing....
Seriously, I also need to know what folks think about my twelfth career - especially from Cartographer, since he's the one that got the neurons firing....
Sorry, if I had a really good idea, I would have run it up the pole already, so what follows may be of limited use...
I still like Citizen as a good career descriptor, but it arguably belongs to the background group, if one is making such a distinction.
Roles like Journalist or Athlete are ideas that CT never really emphasized from a PC perspective. There are a number of potential careers that imply locality, or being tied to a specific place or market, and therefore aren't ideal for traveling PCs. That's very much a TU flavor issue, but from a 'traditional' CT-style view of adventuring, these make better patrons than PCs.
Your current 'adventuring' career list covers the general spectrum of traditional CT roles pretty well. I think the key to rounding out your list should be in your skill list, versus the careers you have in place. Are there any awkward inclusions or exclusions? Can a player get decent access to all the skills available, and does the skill packaging in the careers make sense?
The scope and granularity of the skill list can dictate how the careers get split. For example, I think breaking Doctor out of Scientist makes some degree of sense, especially since there is a traditional role for medical skills as a starship crew position. However, if your only doctor-specific skills are First Aid and Medical (and there's nothing wrong with that, per se), then that's pretty slim pickins to develop an entire career around.
I like to think about the small ship crew positions first, since that's kind of the basis of the free trader aspect of the game. Where is your Steward skill? In Official, probably, which isn't horrible by any means. Scientist covers medical, and between Explorer, Navy, Spacer, and Tech, all of the other crew slots are well-covered. That actually works pretty well, I think. No obvious weakness that I see.
You might look at Official. It's a pretty useful abstraction, but it may also be trying to rope in too many skills in one place. Just as an exercize, if you haven't already, go ahead and map out some careers you're unsure of; a twelfth career may emerge heuristically once you start finding wrinkles in your implemention. It's an old programmer's trick to switch from top-down to bottom-up (or vice-versa) design to work out problems.
Bleh, that's not very useful -- sorry!
Although using Citizen as a twelfth career doesn't seem terribly ingenious to me, I still haven't come up with a better idea in my own thinking. I also like Colonist as a descriptor. Along with Barbarian, these three can make a nice set of tech-based backgrounds: pre-industrial, pre-stellar, and stellar, respectively. But that doesn't help you any, LOL!
I still like Citizen as a good career descriptor, but it arguably belongs to the background group, if one is making such a distinction.
Roles like Journalist or Athlete are ideas that CT never really emphasized from a PC perspective. There are a number of potential careers that imply locality, or being tied to a specific place or market, and therefore aren't ideal for traveling PCs. That's very much a TU flavor issue, but from a 'traditional' CT-style view of adventuring, these make better patrons than PCs.
Your current 'adventuring' career list covers the general spectrum of traditional CT roles pretty well. I think the key to rounding out your list should be in your skill list, versus the careers you have in place. Are there any awkward inclusions or exclusions? Can a player get decent access to all the skills available, and does the skill packaging in the careers make sense?
The scope and granularity of the skill list can dictate how the careers get split. For example, I think breaking Doctor out of Scientist makes some degree of sense, especially since there is a traditional role for medical skills as a starship crew position. However, if your only doctor-specific skills are First Aid and Medical (and there's nothing wrong with that, per se), then that's pretty slim pickins to develop an entire career around.
I like to think about the small ship crew positions first, since that's kind of the basis of the free trader aspect of the game. Where is your Steward skill? In Official, probably, which isn't horrible by any means. Scientist covers medical, and between Explorer, Navy, Spacer, and Tech, all of the other crew slots are well-covered. That actually works pretty well, I think. No obvious weakness that I see.
You might look at Official. It's a pretty useful abstraction, but it may also be trying to rope in too many skills in one place. Just as an exercize, if you haven't already, go ahead and map out some careers you're unsure of; a twelfth career may emerge heuristically once you start finding wrinkles in your implemention. It's an old programmer's trick to switch from top-down to bottom-up (or vice-versa) design to work out problems.
Bleh, that's not very useful -- sorry!
Although using Citizen as a twelfth career doesn't seem terribly ingenious to me, I still haven't come up with a better idea in my own thinking. I also like Colonist as a descriptor. Along with Barbarian, these three can make a nice set of tech-based backgrounds: pre-industrial, pre-stellar, and stellar, respectively. But that doesn't help you any, LOL!
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Actually, SC, it does help. You're right about going ahead and doing the skills/caeers up, then seeing if a twelfth career pops out of it.
As far as Journalist I know that most of the guys in our group in college would have spaced a journalist in no time flat. Athlete/Entertainer isn't too bad, but they would have probably wandered out an airlock, too. Basically, Tech was an attempt to account for the non-space/military folks who have valuable skills. So, if I lose Spacer I am probably going to reinstate Belter - it's canonical, and has a CT game centered on it, though it could be under Explorer.
So, the list would be:
Careers:
Army, Marines, Navy, Explorer, Merchant, Belter, Law Enforcement, Scientist, Tech, Official, Rogue, Pirate
Background:
Burgess, Spacer, Barbarian, Noble
As far as Journalist I know that most of the guys in our group in college would have spaced a journalist in no time flat. Athlete/Entertainer isn't too bad, but they would have probably wandered out an airlock, too. Basically, Tech was an attempt to account for the non-space/military folks who have valuable skills. So, if I lose Spacer I am probably going to reinstate Belter - it's canonical, and has a CT game centered on it, though it could be under Explorer.
So, the list would be:
Careers:
Army, Marines, Navy, Explorer, Merchant, Belter, Law Enforcement, Scientist, Tech, Official, Rogue, Pirate
Background:
Burgess, Spacer, Barbarian, Noble
Straybow
SOC-14 1K
I'd fold Pirate into Rogue and make a separate category for Medical. It is a big enough field, covering nursing, med-tech applications, general practice, trauma medicine, dozens of other specializations...
Yes, the Trav skills would seem narrow, but consider the minimum for a full-fledged Doctor would be level 3 and some specializations would take 2 more levels (surgery).
Yes, the Trav skills would seem narrow, but consider the minimum for a full-fledged Doctor would be level 3 and some specializations would take 2 more levels (surgery).
solomanidude
SOC-4
Why not just leave them be and place 6 per page or akin to MT and the MT (modified) rules set with the addition of life pursuits or the awards for the survial and special duty rules.
But you need something for the solomani and i want my purple heart back where it belongs in the solomani rules and not imperium. Give the imperium a "combat wound badge" like the new army is giving the "combat service badge" to people who are not entitled to the "combat infantry badge". See the solomani got kool ribbons and medals too...
combat infanty badge (for combat)
combat service badge (for non-combatants)
Purple Heart (wounded) survial roll on the money
bronze star
silver star
medal of gallantry (medal of honor)
All of course for the solomani..... ooops sorry i dont like those there valani or vegans... hehehe
J/K
You all have added some flavor with the careers but I think the 18 careers should stay aka MT.
expanded MT rules is quite CT and good enough for me and some added life pursuits or extra skill rolls but you have to draw a line on BASIC characters and Advanced Characters. Maybe change the system as to allow Advanced Characters to play an alternate rules set aka....like basic DnD and Advanced DnD... Notice I dont say Dnd as 3e/D20 sucks as much as the paper its printed on. (ooops old school gamer coming out!)...
But you need something for the solomani and i want my purple heart back where it belongs in the solomani rules and not imperium. Give the imperium a "combat wound badge" like the new army is giving the "combat service badge" to people who are not entitled to the "combat infantry badge". See the solomani got kool ribbons and medals too...
combat infanty badge (for combat)
combat service badge (for non-combatants)
Purple Heart (wounded) survial roll on the money
bronze star
silver star
medal of gallantry (medal of honor)
All of course for the solomani..... ooops sorry i dont like those there valani or vegans... hehehe
You all have added some flavor with the careers but I think the 18 careers should stay aka MT.
expanded MT rules is quite CT and good enough for me and some added life pursuits or extra skill rolls but you have to draw a line on BASIC characters and Advanced Characters. Maybe change the system as to allow Advanced Characters to play an alternate rules set aka....like basic DnD and Advanced DnD... Notice I dont say Dnd as 3e/D20 sucks as much as the paper its printed on. (ooops old school gamer coming out!)...
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
You know, Straybow, I just rolled Pirate into Rogue the other day! Great minds and all that.... And, I am taking some input from SC and Berg to place a category in called Citizen, with specializations so far of Colonist and Priest. I need one more... I have also added Wretch to the background list for slaves, outcasts, bums, etc.
Welcome, SolomaniGuyHere! The idea (for MY CT+) is to give a bit more depth and variety than CT Basic, a little less than CT or MT advanced chargen.
And, of course, if y'all think I'm cluttering up this CT+ Careers thread with my own musings, just say so. I will gladly hold my tongue.... (yeah, right)
And, I am taking some input from SC and Berg to place a category in called Citizen, with specializations so far of Colonist and Priest. I need one more... I have also added Wretch to the background list for slaves, outcasts, bums, etc.Welcome, SolomaniGuyHere! The idea (for MY CT+) is to give a bit more depth and variety than CT Basic, a little less than CT or MT advanced chargen.
And, of course, if y'all think I'm cluttering up this CT+ Careers thread with my own musings, just say so. I will gladly hold my tongue.... (yeah, right)
