Grand Fleet Academy

[gregcaires]

Inspired by the old Challenge magazine article called Military Academy: a Traveller rules variant I ran a mini-game yesterday for my son and his three young teenage friends.

This was a departure from our existing characters/campaign; they rolled up new 17 year old characters and did 9 months in the Grand Fleet Academy on Regina, a prep-school for officer candidates serving in the Imperial Navy (the Grand Fleet of the 3rd Imperium) and Imperial Marines.

House rules involved 25 10 day periods where the PC experienced various NPC encounters (Harry Flashman aka "Flashy" [for those in the know], the class bully; Haraz the Vargr bullying victim [e.g., Lords of Discipline]), and had to secretly pass me their intended actions (a la Diplomacy) during every game round. Academic and Peer Status was tracked, and the boys learned where they fit in the pecking order of boarding school life.

They got to show feats of strength and skill against visiting Aslan teams (1 in pistol [target shooting], two in fencing and one, my son, took the unenviable "brawling" match against an Aslan -- and won!).

Later they "tested wits" with Zhodani students on a goodwill visit in non-change strategy games (e.g., chess, Diplomacy, Stratego, etc.) Two boys lost, the other two one (and were secretly invited to undergo Psionics testing -- one was clairvoyant and one was both clairvoyant and TK. Rumor got out that one had undergone such testing and his Peer Status plummeted.

In a field exercise, Haraz the Vargr died under mysterious circumstances and my son testified against Flashy, who was in the dock under suspicion of causing the friendly fire death. Again, his Peer Status plummeted.

Then, last week of school Flashy challenges him to a duel (previously, Haraz had won a pistol duel with Flashy that another boy had seconded) and my son chooses cutlasses, knowing that someone could die. He winds of killing Flashy (vengeance for Haraz) and then is caught sneaking back into the Academy.

With low Peer Status and having trained for the duel rather than study for exams my son fails out of the Academy while the other 3 boys graduate with honors, advancement to O-2, one with a medal for lifesaving during the fieldex.

The silver lining is my son gets secretly recruited (coerced) by the Imperial Bureau of R&D (I think they run the Imperial Research Stations) to further investigate (exploit) his Psi abilities. So happy ending is everyone finds a home in the Imperium.

If someone can tell me how to post an attachment I can share the spreadsheet I used to run the game with each round explained and the game mechanics. I welcome anyone's interest in improving it.

Regards,

Greg

 

[Timerover51]

In a field exercise, Haraz the Vargr died under mysterious circumstances and my son testified against Flashy, who was in the dock under suspicion of causing the friendly fire death. Again, his Peer Status plummeted.

Why did his Peer Status plummet?

 

[Reban]

Sounds like a great variant. Did you track the academic achievements as closely as the original game does, because that's where I got bogged down.

If I recall the school year was longer in the original game too wasn't it?

 

[BlackBat242]

In a field exercise, Haraz the Vargr died under mysterious circumstances and my son testified against Flashy, who was in the dock under suspicion of causing the friendly fire death. Again, his Peer Status plummeted.

Why did his Peer Status plummet?

No one likes "a rat".

 

[Timerover51]

No one likes "a rat".

I would suggest that you consider the implications of your comment.

 

[rancke]

Why did his Peer Status plummet?

Evidently the pernicious fallacy that there's something odious about telling the truth about people who can't behave themselves properly is still around 3000 years from now.


Hans

 

[Piper]

i.e. nobody likes a rat.

 

[Timerover51]

i.e. nobody likes a rat.

Assume that the individual killed was your son. Now what is your view?

 

[Baron]

I would love to see your spreadsheet. This might be a great way for me to introduce Traveller to my younger players. What issue of Challenge? What other game?

 

[Piper]

Assume that the individual killed was your son. Now what is your view?

Are you at all familiar with the Flashman character? Or, for that matter, the concepts of "fiction" and "humour"? Even, and especially in this instance, black humour?

Near as I can tell from the OP, no Vargr was actually harmed during the creation of that post.

 

[McPerth]

Assume that the individual killed was your son. Now what is your view?

This can be said of any character (PC or NPC) killed in any RPG adventure, as any of them is assumed to have parents (and probably other relatives).

 

[Dagrill]

Assume that the individual killed was your son. Now what is your view?

Speaking for myself, I would like to see the culprit(s) punished (preferably executed). However, I am aware of peer group pressure and it is difficult to do the right thing and doing so will probably lower your standing in your social group.

Regards

David

 

[gregcaires]

he broke the cadet code of silence and testified against another cadet.

 

[gregcaires]

Sounds like a great variant. Did you track the academic achievements as closely as the original game does, because that's where I got bogged down.

If I recall the school year was longer in the original game too wasn't it?

Yes it was 4 years, broken into weeks, IIRC. I figured 1 academic year was enough.

I guess I modded the academics as well -- 1 quiz to get their attention, 3 exams. roll AS or less. increase AS by studying (but if you get caught studying, you lose PS). PS can be increased by training. So the kids were all pretty high AS unless they screwed up. They lost AS by NOT studying. So when it came time to train against the Aslan, the week before exams, they had hard decisions to make.

Very in-house streamlined rules compared to original.

 

[gregcaires]

I would love to see your spreadsheet. This might be a great way for me to introduce Traveller to my younger players. What issue of Challenge? What other game?

Happy to share it. I'd post or email if we can find a way to swap POCs. It was challenge 26 or 27 I think.

 

[McPerth]

I've always thought it will make a good PbM game not unlike En Garde!...

 

[rancke]

he broke the cadet code of silence and testified against another cadet.

Didn't the academy have an honor system too? Dammed if you do, dammed if you don't sort of thing?


Hans

 

[Timerover51]

he broke the cadet code of silence and testified against another cadet.

Consider what you taught your son and his friends.

Also, considering that the Vargr has family, and this is a Grand Fleet Prep Academy so that family may be quite important to the Imperium, a member of the Pack died at the Academy. Exactly what is the Leader of this Vargr family-clan is going to do? Also, what are the local authorities going to do? In real life, the school would be in extremely serious trouble if it was viewed as hindering the investigation in any way, shape, or form. Cadet silence would be viewed as obstruction of the investigation and treated accordingly. Given the Tech Level of the Imperium, I would expect that something very similar to H. Beam Piper's "Veridicator" would routinely be in use, especially in cases involving death.

 

[Timerover51]

Speaking for myself, I would like to see the culprit(s) punished (preferably executed). However, I am aware of peer group pressure and it is difficult to do the right thing and doing so will probably lower your standing in your social group.

Regards

David

Having just finished three weeks of teaching summer classes on World War 2 and using historical games to teach history to middle school through high school students, we did have to deal with a major problem which we had not had before. During the first week, some male or males kept trashing the boys' bathroom nearest to our class rooms. The school was not pleased in the least, and very bluntly informed us that if it continued, the boys' bathroom nearest to the rooms would be closed. If that simply transferred the problem, we would be asked to leave, in the middle of the program.

My co-teacher and I read the riot act to the students, and made it very clear that we expected much better behavior, and that the older students, all of whom were returning students whom we knew, would be asked to report on conditions. It was either that or I would escort each boy who asked to use the bathroom to the bathroom and stand inside while he was in there, then escort him back to the room. We had no problem getting peer pressure to work in our favor at solving the problem.

I fail to see why a school such as the one depicted would not have a way of shattering any code of silence when a death is involved. If nothing else, as a death is involved, the option of terminating that session and sending all students back home without completing the session and no option of return should have been considered.

Then, of course, you do have the local authorities, and the Vargr's family-clan to consider as well. What precisely are they doing in all of this?

 

[Reban]

I fail to see why a school such as the one depicted would not have a way of shattering any code of silence when a death is involved. If nothing else, as a death is involved, the option of terminating that session and sending all students back home without completing the session and no option of return should have been considered.

Because thats the game mechanic.

Its not meant to reflect modern teaching practice but the fictional environment of a boarding school or military academy common to the likes of "The Winslow Boy", "Harry Potter", and an episode of Criminal Minds called "Self Fulfilling Prophecy" each of which depict a "Code of Honor" that may go against common sense and values of right and wrong. It may seek to put "the unit" before everything else including the orders of those in authority whether they be teachers or other figures of law.

Often this twisted code either develops from within the peer group due to an immature understanding of military concepts of duty and honor or it may be instilled by the teaching staff as a means of exerting control.

[EDIT] The teaching point here is that following a Code of Honor which makes you do bad things is not honorable, it's wrong and goes against common sense.

The reaction of the player/reader/watcher should be "But wait. You mean by doing the right thing I've lost standing among my peers? Well they aren't very good people to have as peers then are they!"