Death during Character Generation
- Thread starter Golan2072
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Maladominus
SOC-14 1K
The entire point of using Survival Risk during chargen is to prevent the (lucky) generation of Munchkin Uber-Powerful Superhuman Characters with 50 billion mad skillzzzpoints, yo!
There are better ways of accomplishing that.
IMTU, I have a modified system wherein a failed Survival roll equates to a severe workplace career-related injury. If he is a Pirate, then I interpret that as the character having suffered maybe a shipboard injury during a fierce battle with Imperial Navy. If he is a Belter, I interpret that as some kind of crippling Mining Accident that led to several bones being crushed in one limb. If he is Diplomat, I interpret that as some kind of political terrorist lobbing a bomb/grenade to assassinate a High-Ranking Offcial who is close to the Diplomat, so the Diplomat character got nailed by shrapnel and landed in the hospital.
The results? No death. I simply force that Character to deduct One Point of either STRENGTH DEXTERITY or ENDURANCE. Permanently. I also say that the unfortunate character has spent the rest of that Term recuperating in the hospital and spending a long time in rehab. And because of the traumatic injury, the unlucky character must forfeit ALL remaining skill rolls that would otherwise be earned during that entire term. Sucks donkeys for him. And lastly, to add insult to injury, I force that Player to roll a single 1D6. Odd number, he must muster out at the end of the term. Even number, he is allowed to continue on further terms if desired.
IF he is stupid enough to continue with additional terms (despite the big setback from the The Great Workplace Injury), I also tell the Player that next time he makes a Survival Roll, he must do so with a -1 Penalty per each previous incident of a Failed Survival Roll.
Then I shout into the Player's face: "DO YOU FEEL LUCKY? DO YOU FEEL LUCKY, PUNK?! DO YOU??"
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Yep. The house-rule I use is that a failed survival roll represents either a career-wrecking injury (which is later treated and completely healed with time, but the character is honorably discharged from service due to the long recuperation time) or a career mishap (anything forcing you off the job permanently) - player's choice. But no matter what has happened, the character ends the character generation process, with the last term lasting 2 years instead of 4, and rolling only one skill for that term (no promotion or commission rolls allowed). The term doesn't count towards mustering out.
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
Yes, it's not so much if you like the rule or not--it's that, if you ignore it, you're on your way to unbalancing the game (especially CT). And, many GMs do not realize what happens mechanically to their games when the original Survival Rule is ignored.
With CT, if you want Basic and Advanced chargen characters to be playable together, then you need to use the original Survival Rule.
You can always tell a GM who allows optional Surivival. How? All of the player characters in his game are 30-34 years old!
Use the original Survival Rule, and you'll get a lot more variety. It won't be a strange occurence when a Player Character turns out of chargen at age 22 or 26.
With CT, if you want Basic and Advanced chargen characters to be playable together, then you need to use the original Survival Rule.
You can always tell a GM who allows optional Surivival. How? All of the player characters in his game are 30-34 years old!
Use the original Survival Rule, and you'll get a lot more variety. It won't be a strange occurence when a Player Character turns out of chargen at age 22 or 26.
When rolling PCs - either for solitaire, or for actual games - I insist on deadly chargen because it adds importance to the character's original stats; stupid characters think twice before enlisting with the navy and merchants; if you aren't tough as nails, don't bother with the scouts or marines unless you're reckless. And if you really want the benefits of a long career, you have to take your lumps: you might not just get old, you might get dead.
Roleplaying STARTS with chargen.
The character with 5 endurance who is so desperate to be a spacer that he signs with the scouts, even knowing the risks, has some backstory right there.
With NPCs i'll use the optional rule just to save time, if i'm actually rolling them.
Roleplaying STARTS with chargen.
The character with 5 endurance who is so desperate to be a spacer that he signs with the scouts, even knowing the risks, has some backstory right there.
With NPCs i'll use the optional rule just to save time, if i'm actually rolling them.
chshrkt
SOC-12
After the third death in a row during Chargen for my wife while showing her how awesome Traveller is, I took her suggestion of revising that rule under advisement (i.e. I successfully made my Dodge-thrown-dicebag roll).
I use the revised rule now, though I really like the crunchy bits that Maladominus lays out in his second paragraph and will be including them on a go-forward basis.
I use the revised rule now, though I really like the crunchy bits that Maladominus lays out in his second paragraph and will be including them on a go-forward basis.
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Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
To keep players from ditching poor stated characters, I've often thought (but never implemented) a rule that penalizes a second, third, or fourth-plus character attempt.
Renaissance Man
SOC-12
Yeah see - why not just say chargen ends and the game starts when you fail a survival roll, rather than have some powergamer try for his munchkin 15+ times until he gets it? Having the possibility of death in chargen doesn't raise the stakes; it lowers them, because they can just start again from scratch and try for their 1 SEH per term all over again.
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
What you're basically saying is to use the Optional Survival Rule. The reason you don't want to do that is that it takes the fear of going another term out of the game.
There's no risk. There's nothing to lose going another term. If you fail survival, you'll just start the game.
And, all the PCs start to look like 30-34 year olds.
Your powergamer probably wouldn't go 15+ times because he'll get some damn good stats eventually--and he won't want to give up that character because he's so good.
"OK...you've killed three other characters in character generation. But, this one has incredible stats--not a single one below a 7. You've gone a term...do you want to risk another term? Or, are you happy with the three skills you got during your first term?"
What I used to do is pre-select where character homeworlds. I'd roll up a nifty, high-tech world, with lots of opportunity for a new character. Then, I'd rule, if you died during chargen, your character would be from a second planet I had prepared--not so high tech and not so much opportunity.
It was a little encouragement, without house ruling chargen, for the players to go with their first character. It worked quite well, actually.
There are other things GMs can do, without a big, sloppin' house rule, to encourage players to not automatically join the Scouts if they don't like their character's stats.
And...what if they don't get in?
That's what the draft is for.
I played once with a powergamer new to Traveller who rolled up a character he thought wasn't so great (I thought he was fine). He missed enlistment into the Scouts, then I made him roll the draft. He got into the Army, made every Survival Roll, and went to max terms--where he was discharged.
And, this old and creaky character is the one he was given to play. He tried to "game" the system and ended up with a character he really didn't want--and could have taken his original rolls and turned them into something he would have liked playing.
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Meh. When we played the original survival rule before it was an option we also had a policy of "you roll it, you play it" in force. To avoid endless rolling of characters waiting for that one sweet PC while everyone else just wanted to get to the ROLE playing and have fun. It worked for us.
Bad statted characters volunteered for the IISS and the player hoped they died before missing a reenlist, so they could try again. My favorite character started this very way. Pity if they failed the enlistment and got drafted into some safe career but even these would usually turn out interesting. That's the beauty of prior career generation.
But we could always roll up a new character next game. Usually the poor statted characters who survived and had a game under their belt became interesting and were kept though. I've never found super-statted characters interesting, I prefer a few warts on my PC to make them interesting.
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for npc's...let them die and make it part of their 'future' which the players might or might not see.
for pc's, too bad...if the character dies..instant npc
if pc doesn't die...you roll it, you play it
( often, 'crappy' pc's lead to great role-playing as the player can't just use stats/skills as a crutch )
for pc's, too bad...if the character dies..instant npc
if pc doesn't die...you roll it, you play it
( often, 'crappy' pc's lead to great role-playing as the player can't just use stats/skills as a crutch )
casquilho
SOC-13
Although I agree with the basic idea you are talking about I think the age is off somewhat. I enforce the rule as written and there are more 3 term characters then 2 or 1 in my games (many years of play here). But I do agree there are a lot less 4 or 5 term guys because people are reluctant to keep going. And I agree, many stop and think before they go for the third term.
Daniel
casquilho
SOC-13
For CT, 6 terms max.
Failed survival role = Forced retirement with no benefits or skills for that term.
Allso needs to make a 8+ saving throw for all 3 phy stats.....
If someone rolls a Scout ship, fine. But if they want to own a ship I make them work for it, my SOP tends to be geting them to rebuild an old 100-400 dTon tramp freighter with a busted Jump drive, for a 20%-60% ownership interest. Make then earn money to get the parts to make it spaceworthy, so they can go out to the systems asteroid field or a GG moon to be prospectors/miners. See how much trouble they can get into makeing the money to have the ships Jump drive fixed.....
They it is off to the stars for more fun and games :rofl:
Failed survival role = Forced retirement with no benefits or skills for that term.
Allso needs to make a 8+ saving throw for all 3 phy stats.....
If someone rolls a Scout ship, fine. But if they want to own a ship I make them work for it, my SOP tends to be geting them to rebuild an old 100-400 dTon tramp freighter with a busted Jump drive, for a 20%-60% ownership interest. Make then earn money to get the parts to make it spaceworthy, so they can go out to the systems asteroid field or a GG moon to be prospectors/miners. See how much trouble they can get into makeing the money to have the ships Jump drive fixed.....
They it is off to the stars for more fun and games :rofl:
Maladominus
SOC-14 1K
Although I agree with the basic idea you are talking about I think the age is off somewhat. I enforce the rule as written and there are more 3 term characters then 2 or 1 in my games (many years of play here). But I do agree there are a lot less 4 or 5 term guys because people are reluctant to keep going. And I agree, many stop and think before they go for the third term.
Daniel
I always contemplated in using some kind of "YOUTH BONUS".
We all know that once Traveller characters reach a certain age, 34+, they start rolling for possible (physical) Stat reductions. That's one game dynamic to discourage some Power-Munchkin from aiming for some 42-year old veteran with a boatload of skillpoints.
How about doing this same effect at the other end of the spectrum?
GM Maladominus: "Joe, so it seems that you are really looking forward to playing this young 26 year old character, who voluntarily mustered out after serving only 2 terms?"
Joe: "Yeah. I wanted to really role-play a youthful character this time around. I know that on the flip side, I don't have as much skillpoints as everyone else."
GM Maladominus: "Sounds fine by me. Here. Let me see your Character Sheet. Here you go. I just gave him a "Youthful Adventurer Bonus". I just raised his ENDURACE by 1 point. I have arbitrarily decided that your character is a young adventurer and is fairly healthy and robust. It's the advantage of being young. Also I see that you chose Grande Monte as your staring homeworld. OK. That's a planet with huge mountains, plenty of jagged cliffs, and cities built on the mountainsides. I also arbitrarily mandate that you spent your recent teen years enjoying the rugged youthful sport of mountain climbing. Add a skill of Mountaineering-2 to your character sheet. (this skill is based on one of the original FASA supplements).
Joe: "Awesome!!"
Moral of this story? Maybe consider giving incentives to players who are willing to role-play young (few terms of service) characters.
