Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
Here's another interesting item I've read in White Dwarf (though I'm not crazy about the record keeping).
Learning By Experience
Each time a character uses a skill successfully in a crisis, he earns experience points (XP) equal to his INT score.
Once 1000 XP are earned, these can be traded in for a skill level.
My Thoughts...
Interesting idea. As I said above, I don't like record keeping (the XP points), but I do have blanks on my character sheets (see the sheets in my sig) for just such a thing.
Also, a GM can control the rate at which character improve, too, using this method.
If I used this idea, I'd probably tie it to an event: "You earn XP whenever you roll a Critical Success on a UGM task roll."
Roll CS, and you earn a number of XP equal to your INT. I'd record it in that blank next to the skill (see the sheet in my sig).
This would provide very slow advancement--which is what is needed in CT.
EDIT: The more I think about this next idea, the more I like it.
Alternatively, a GM could award XP each game session--simply award XP (equal to INT) to the character for each skill used (roll on) during the night's gaming.
Awarding XP like this every game session will give the players a feeling of "foward momentum". They'll feel like they're getting somewhere in improving their characters, applying the "points" after every session.
In order to stymie character growth that is too fast for Classic Traveller, I think I'd do two things:
(1) I'd change the XP requirement for improve to 1000 XP per level.
(So, going from Skill-1 to Skill-2 costs 2000 XP. Skill-3 to Skill-4 costs 4000 XP.)
(2) The other thing I'd do is hinder the XP award if the character experience score (INT + END) is exceeded by the character's total number of skill levels.
So, a character with INT-6 and EDU-8 has an experience score of 14. Let's say this character's total number of skill levels (not skills) is 17. I'd subtract the difference from that character's nightly XP award.
Normally, this character would get 6 XP for each skill used during a game session. But, since his total number of skill levels exceeds his experience score, this character would only get 3 XP for each skill used during a game session.
Why?
Total Skills = 17.
Experience = 14
17 - 14 = 3
INT-6 means 6 XP awarded each night. 6 - 3 = 3 XP awarded each night, reduced for the experience penalty.
Of course, a character will get a minium of 1 XP per skill per game session, no matter the experience score.
I just thought of something. An award of XP equal to a character's INT score (as suggested in the article) is way too low!
Average INT is 7. 1000 / 7 = 143.
If you played Traveller once a week (which doesn't happen in my world...we play once a month), it would take you just less than 3 YEARS! to actually see a skill improve.
Hmm...
I'll have to fix that.
What if the nightly XP award is INT x SKILL.
Naw, I don't like that...too much figurin'.
Ok...what about cutting the XP award to go up down? Instead of 1000 XP per level, how about 100 XP per level?
That's better. If you played once a week, a character with INT-7 would collect 100 XP in jut over 14 weeks.
Of course, in my game, that means 14 months...
...and I'm assuming that the same skill will get XP each game session (which I know won't happen).
I like the basis of this idea, but it needs work.
I'm going to have to think about it.
You got ideas?
Learning By Experience
Each time a character uses a skill successfully in a crisis, he earns experience points (XP) equal to his INT score.
Once 1000 XP are earned, these can be traded in for a skill level.
My Thoughts...
Interesting idea. As I said above, I don't like record keeping (the XP points), but I do have blanks on my character sheets (see the sheets in my sig) for just such a thing.
Also, a GM can control the rate at which character improve, too, using this method.
If I used this idea, I'd probably tie it to an event: "You earn XP whenever you roll a Critical Success on a UGM task roll."
Roll CS, and you earn a number of XP equal to your INT. I'd record it in that blank next to the skill (see the sheet in my sig).
This would provide very slow advancement--which is what is needed in CT.
EDIT: The more I think about this next idea, the more I like it.
Alternatively, a GM could award XP each game session--simply award XP (equal to INT) to the character for each skill used (roll on) during the night's gaming.
Awarding XP like this every game session will give the players a feeling of "foward momentum". They'll feel like they're getting somewhere in improving their characters, applying the "points" after every session.
In order to stymie character growth that is too fast for Classic Traveller, I think I'd do two things:
(1) I'd change the XP requirement for improve to 1000 XP per level.
(So, going from Skill-1 to Skill-2 costs 2000 XP. Skill-3 to Skill-4 costs 4000 XP.)
(2) The other thing I'd do is hinder the XP award if the character experience score (INT + END) is exceeded by the character's total number of skill levels.
So, a character with INT-6 and EDU-8 has an experience score of 14. Let's say this character's total number of skill levels (not skills) is 17. I'd subtract the difference from that character's nightly XP award.
Normally, this character would get 6 XP for each skill used during a game session. But, since his total number of skill levels exceeds his experience score, this character would only get 3 XP for each skill used during a game session.
Why?
Total Skills = 17.
Experience = 14
17 - 14 = 3
INT-6 means 6 XP awarded each night. 6 - 3 = 3 XP awarded each night, reduced for the experience penalty.
Of course, a character will get a minium of 1 XP per skill per game session, no matter the experience score.
I just thought of something. An award of XP equal to a character's INT score (as suggested in the article) is way too low!
Average INT is 7. 1000 / 7 = 143.
If you played Traveller once a week (which doesn't happen in my world...we play once a month), it would take you just less than 3 YEARS! to actually see a skill improve.
Hmm...
I'll have to fix that.
What if the nightly XP award is INT x SKILL.
Naw, I don't like that...too much figurin'.
Ok...what about cutting the XP award to go up down? Instead of 1000 XP per level, how about 100 XP per level?
That's better. If you played once a week, a character with INT-7 would collect 100 XP in jut over 14 weeks.
Of course, in my game, that means 14 months...
...and I'm assuming that the same skill will get XP each game session (which I know won't happen).
I like the basis of this idea, but it needs work.
I'm going to have to think about it.
You got ideas?
