General Edges for Characteristics?

[Spinward Scout]

Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek rpg introduced to me the idea of Edges for their Characteristics. Certain aspects of the abilities that the Character can do better or worse. I thought I'd look at it with Traveller Characteristics. Usually, if you add +1 to an Edge, you should take a -1 to it's other Edge. In some circumstances, you just get the bonus. That would be something you should determine for your Players. I think D&D 2nd edition tried something similar. The PSI Edges are directly from LUG Star Trek.

What do you think of this as an optional rule?

STR
- Brawn
- Durability

DEX
- Reaction
- Coordination

END
- Persistence
- Resilience

INT
- Reasoning
- Ingenuity

EDU
- Knowledge
- Preparation

SOC
- Reputation
- Charm

PSI
- Range
- Focus

 

[bookwyrm]

To me it just looks like more work, but for some the extra detail would be very important...

I think there was one game system I read that had you roll the Edge scores and then average them for the main Ability. Or you could do the reverse, roll the main Ability, double it, then apply the points to the Edge abilities as desired. With this, you might have a low Int, really low Rea, but an average or above average Ing. Or roll them all separately for some really interesting results.

 

[atpollard]

I am a “less is more” fan … so if I were to champion a change like that, I would go the opposite direction.

PHYSICAL (roll 2D6)
Str
Dex
End
(set all three equal to PHYSICAL ROLL or set one equal to PHYSICAL, one at PHYSICAL+1 and one at PHYSICAL-1)

SOCIAL (roll 2D6)
Int
Edu
Soc
(set all three equal to SOCIAL ROLL or set one equal to SOCIAL, one at SOCIAL+1 and one at SOCIAL-1)

Generate a character stats in 2 rolls.
(but I would probably just stick with RAW)

 

[infojunky]

I am a “less is more” fan … so if I were to champion a change like that, I would go the opposite direction.

PHYSICAL (roll 2D6)
Str
Dex
End
(set all three equal to PHYSICAL ROLL or set one equal to PHYSICAL, one at PHYSICAL+1 and one at PHYSICAL-1)

SOCIAL (roll 2D6)
Int
Edu
Soc
(set all three equal to SOCIAL ROLL or set one equal to SOCIAL, one at SOCIAL+1 and one at SOCIAL-1)

Generate a character stats in 2 rolls.
(but I would probably just stick with RAW)

Honestly I have seriously considered using The Fantasy Trip for Traveller....

Strength
Dexterity
Intelligence

With intelligence as the limit for the number of starting talents...

Just saying... Though one could be reductionist and use T5 in this manor as well...

 

[mike wightman]

See this thread at rpg.net

[TFT] The Traveller Trip | Tabletop Roleplaying Open

After a week of labouring on it, The Traveller Trip is ready for general consumption. Steve Jackson's The Fantasy Trip (Metagaming 1978-1980) was a contemporary to Marc Miller's Traveller role-playing game (GDW 1977) back in the late 1970's. Both games were coming to define and explore what a...

forum.rpg.net

or post 12 on this thread

I do hereby request a TFT version of Traveller - Page 2 - Steve Jackson Games Forums

Page 2- I do hereby request a TFT version of Traveller The Fantasy Trip

forums.sjgames.com

 

[infojunky]

Note Ty Beard posted his revised TFT Traveller recently.

https://tft.brainiac.com/TFT-Traveller.pdf

Actually there is and even newer version. Attached...

 

[Dragoner]

I played around with using Physical, Mental, and Anything else; gotta keep that PMA.

 

[aramis]

Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek rpg introduced to me the idea of Edges for their Characteristics. Certain aspects of the abilities that the Character can do better or worse. I thought I'd look at it with Traveller Characteristics. Usually, if you add +1 to an Edge, you should take a -1 to it's other Edge. In some circumstances, you just get the bonus. That would be something you should determine for your Players.

Note that in LUG, the edge does not modify the linked attribute.

the test is (Att)d6 keep highest 1d, then add skill or focus, and add linked edge, to the total. Edges are a skill level modifier, not an attribute modifier, RAW.

I think D&D 2nd edition tried something similar.

Not in core 2E. It was in Player's Option: Skills and Powers, and while similar, was really just doing 12 separate atts. It «bleep»ing sucked badly.

The PSI Edges are directly from LUG Star Trek.

What do you think of this as an optional rule?

Not worth the hassle, «bleep»s with the damage system, and just generally was a bad idea in LUG, and worse in this application. It was confusing to players in LUG, who often, like ou appear to have, think it adjusted the attribute rather than all the linked skills' effective levels.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Note that in LUG, the edge does not modify the linked attribute.

Yeah, you would add it to the Dice Modifier in MgT2. Makes more sense than adding it to the Characteristic. I'm not sure the Edges ever went higher than a +2 so it wouldn't be that much of an advantage.

Condottiere mentioned fine tuning the character's personality in the Characteristics thread I recently posted. I don't see it as much other than that. Maybe also a tie-breaker in an opposed roll.

I would really love to see a version of Traveller using the 2s6 Vortex system from the recent Doctor Who rpg. Some of the Traits could be similar to these Edges.

 

[Daidoji Dave]

Usually, if you add +1 to an Edge, you should take a -1 to it's other Edge. ... What do you think of this as an optional rule?

I see what you're going for.

I'm against stacking additional pluses onto Traveller's already narrow 2d6 dice range. If it were d20 or d100, or Shadowrun's d6 dice pool, it would be easier to get away with. On 2d6 target number 8 it's too easy to break the range, to make a 2 on the dice an automatic success unless the GM hands out negative modifiers he wouldn't otherwise. But handing out more negative modifiers penalizes players who don't have a flat net +6 written on their character sheet. The corresponding -1 doesn't balance anything at all if the +1 is pushing the bounds of the range.

I also imagine that agreeing on what edge to use would slow play for some groups. Say a player imagines he's using Charm/Streetwise and the GM thinks the roll calls for Reputation/Streetwise, play will stop while the player makes his case and the GM makes a ruling.

I imagine the rule would work better if it were integrated into the system from the ground up instead of being added in. Added in it looks like a solution in search of a problem.

Overall I wouldn't use it. I probably wouldn't even play in a game using it though I might give it a shot if I knew the GM and the group.