That is actually my fall back plan. Something like LinkedIn.
I mean, the characters would really start looking for employment while still in service but short. If they know their ETS/Discharge date, then they could have advertised and have found an interview already and perhaps that interview is with the PC Merchant captain who needs to man his ship that he got mustering out.
rzg6f, I'm all for trimming posts, but leading with a line or two of the post you're responding to is a great help in keeping track of the discussions.
Ach, I just noticed that. All of my quick replies are down thread and even I don't know to whom I wrote. Sorry about that. Half of the posts didn't show up until I changed the thread view.
Then do just that. No sifting through job postings or negotiating jobs with a patron.
The group all happen to be somewhere. knowing each other or not. Maybe they are all in the bathroom of a restaurant, at a sporting event or concert, waiting in line at the bank...
BANG!
Screaming, panic, alarms, anti fire foam, bloody bodies...
Maybe it's a terrorist attack, maybe a gang is making an example of the business because they are not paying their protection money, a robbery gone wrong and now they have taken hostages, the location is run by a criminal organization in conflict with another, a ship just crashed, maybe it's just a gas leek explosion.
Whatever it is, the characters need to quickly asses the situation and decide how to respond.
My all time favorite still works well...cater to the characters ego and/or background. Make them think what is about to happen is for them only.
For example, each player is informed they are being honored, selected, groomed, or invited for <whatever> with the event to be held at <somewhere> on a specific date.
The event is normally someplace you'd expect a large event/convention to take place. I usually use some <event> to tie everything together.
For one campaign, I sat down with each player individually, and we went thru chargen. I got them to the end point of their career, and then gave a "custom" hook. Once everybody was done, and I knew their ages, I set their timeline to have them all "link" at the same time and place. It took some tweaking to get them all on the same planet, but wasn't all that hard.
When we finally all got together for the main session, I handed out their sheets, along with at least one NPC to handle per player.
The events were both held at the premier Celebration Hall in the region. Two players were there for a wedding (one bride side, one groom side) and the rest were there for the retirement ceremony of the ranking fleet admiral.
The reception and retirement party ended about the same time, and as everybody was leaving, shots were fired. In the ensuing chaos, the players all ended up on the same shuttle, with the shooter (fancy that, eh?), and things progressed from there.
I used the trial to bring them together again, and they themselves found enough common interests to get together to do...things.
The best part is that for a while, the players thought the others were playing pure NPCs, while they finished out their own "muster out". Still awesome to remember!
My all time favorite still works well...cater to the characters ego and/or background. Make them think what is about to happen is for them only.
For example, each player is informed they are being honored, selected, groomed, or invited for <whatever> with the event to be held at <somewhere> on a specific date.
The event is normally someplace you'd expect a large event/convention to take place. I usually use some <event> to tie everything together.
For one campaign, I sat down with each player individually, and we went thru chargen. I got them to the end point of their career, and then gave a "custom" hook. Once everybody was done, and I knew their ages, I set their timeline to have them all "link" at the same time and place. It took some tweaking to get them all on the same planet, but wasn't all that hard.
When we finally all got together for the main session, I handed out their sheets, along with at least one NPC to handle per player.
The events were both held at the premier Celebration Hall in the region. Two players were there for a wedding (one bride side, one groom side) and the rest were there for the retirement ceremony of the ranking fleet admiral.
The reception and retirement party ended about the same time, and as everybody was leaving, shots were fired. In the ensuing chaos, the players all ended up on the same shuttle, with the shooter (fancy that, eh?), and things progressed from there.
I used the trial to bring them together again, and they themselves found enough common interests to get together to do...things.
The best part is that for a while, the players thought the others were playing pure NPCs, while they finished out their own "muster out". Still awesome to remember!
definitely the best way to do it. I also ignore rolling up skills and give the player options. for example a scout's first tour may be in a drydock where he chooses either electronics 1 and mech 1, or ship's boat 1 and 0g 1, or medic 1 and vacc suit 1. subsequent tours are based on what he chooses.
Years before MgT I adapted the special duty roll from MT to my CT character generation tables.
Once everyone has generated character we would look at which special duty rolls occur in the same terms for different characters, I would then get them to roll on the patron encounter table and the random person table to give them key words to play with.
We then had to come up with an explanation of how the various NPCs, patrons and PCs interacted so that a backstory of contact between the players developed.
In some case some of the patrons and NPC stories were so good I introduced them into the main game later on.
Having a common contact hiring them for a mission, an invitation to a celebratory event (with passage paid if needed), even by strange coincidence you all find yourself on the same shuttle when... have all been quick routes into the main game.
The more developed the backstory the easier to get the players to interact as a group at the start - everything flows from there.
Then do just that. No sifting through job postings or negotiating jobs with a patron.
The group all happen to be somewhere. knowing each other or not. Maybe they are all in the bathroom of a restaurant, at a sporting event or concert, waiting in line at the bank...
BANG!
Screaming, panic, alarms, anti fire foam, bloody bodies...
Maybe it's a terrorist attack, maybe a gang is making an example of the business because they are not paying their protection money, a robbery gone wrong and now they have taken hostages, the location is run by a criminal organization in conflict with another, a ship just crashed, maybe it's just a gas leek explosion.
Whatever it is, the characters need to quickly asses the situation and decide how to respond.
My players rolled up characters who were all aboard a liner. Then I breached the hull and had the depressurization alarms go off.
I gave each player an objective to suit their character on a slip of paper.
The merchant officer got "Get everyone to the lifeboat".
The Scout got "Get your data packet off the ship".
An ex Marine got "Find the Scout"
Everybody started in different parts of the ship but quickly ran into each other and got to the ship's boat and away to safety.
I'd call these slips of paper "mission imperatives" or character motivations. As Ref I knew where I wanted the story to go and these were the nudges to the players to go in a particular direction. They had to act fast and make some decisions about how their characters reacted.
1) drifter campaign: imtu i have "travelling" as a known syndrome - the universe is so big some people just can't get enough. If so an industry springing up to take advantage of this seems likely - and bartenders in star town seem like the perfect recruitment agency for that kind of thing offering low passage or middle passage jobs for dubious or dangerous work like a shady version of linkedin. However a group of drifters never made much sense to me unless they all had the same specific destination so this might be better for one or two players.
2) trading campaign - standard
3) away team campaign : I think the Traveller setting lends itself very well to the idea of freelance away teams - not necessarily mercenary or mission impossible types but a self-sufficient group like a Star Trek away team that can be sent to do any number of jobs. Organisations with enough work may keep groups like that on the payroll while others recruit them from agencies as and when needed. The key points are they capable but ultimately expendable.
The primary requirement for an away team is being as self-sufficient as possible so if you list the requirements something like
- leader
- transport
- science
- medic
- technician
- comms
- mechanic
- weapons
and then double up in some way
- leader/pilot (or ship's boat)
- science/medic
- driver/mechanic
- technician/comms
- security
you get the standard Traveller party.
So I'd add my vote to starting the party as a hired away team without their own ship at first and then go from there. If they're okay with being given missions this way then roll with it otherwise let them break away as soon as they understand the rules and setting.
Key point: they're not a combat team (unless they want to be) they're an away team.
The standard scout campaign is a version of this.
The organisation could be anything - archaeology institute, zoo etc. A zoo campaign could be cool - each mission being to collect a sample of some alien critter from a different planet.
I started with a group of NPCs about to crash on a Red Zone ... [CT Only] atpollard's PbP Traveller (Day 1)
Then let players join, claim one as a PC and figure out who they are and why they are here.
Campaign starts.......Rifts a couple of DBs fall into rifts in earth in a tight spot with xenophobic Dead Boys hopping all over the place, it worked after a fashion. CyberPunk.....Terrorist Gas Attack, Chromer's on a rampage, 'Dorpher's on a rampage, block war in the Combat Zone, my all time best all the PC's started in a park at night, just after a festival, and found themselves on the menu of the Breakfast Club (Cannibal poser gang (a halloween game that spawned a campaign).) One starwars game started with 2 PC's, cousins who had been years building a starship out of parts bought and stolen from Savage Sid's Salvage and Wrecking yards. The other players wanted out during an Imperial crackdown, and bought passage, one player made himself a wanted fugitive through the most oblivious game play I've ever seen with the other players rescuing him out of spite to a Moff. That was not my plan but players pulling the pin and doing it their way. New campaign plan on the fly.
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is nobody's friend.
I apologize for the lack of replies to everyone, who have been so helpful. While the meet and greet went very well, I woke up the next day, once more, with a killer flu. Easter eggs aren't the only thing my daughter brings home from pre-school! Since she started in December, I don't think I've ever been so sick so often in my life!
In any case, it went well meeting new players. Five players and a diverse group: 3 guys and two girls (one is my wife the other another players partner.)
At first, they were keen on Shadowrun as a sci-fi game. I was of course open to playing but since my Traveller library is almost complete, that is what I would referee. After I showed them the Traveller map online and explained the background and what you could do, they got pretty excited. Important for me was that after discussion, I found that they are very much interested in an exploratory campaign, so that means scouts.
My wife wanted to keep her character from the last campaign we were playing in Weimar. She did one term as a scholar (medicine) then joined the scouts for a term in survey and two more in exploration. Her strongest skill is medic 3, with some science/soc. sci. skills following (planetology, sophontology, archeology.)
So, before the campaign starts, I need to play a session or two to get her from Pequan (Jewel 1210) to at least Phlume (Vilis 1611) where I have a temporary scout base set up supporting a local mission (and, of course, a black octagonal building, which belonged to some sort of traveling society....hmmmm).
I have an idea on how to do this and start this campaign off.
The last game of the previous campaign ended with the the Far Trader leaving the Utoland system. That was such a long time ago that even I am fuzzy on the details that I didn't write down in my referee log. However, they were on the way to find a guerrilla leader then report to Agent Cryer in a safe house on Pequan.
I am going to have them landed already on Pequan. Two players (the war-buddies I mentioned in a post above), who could conceivably continue to play on Roll20, I am sending out to the safe house to meet with Cryer as per Tripwire. The two players who never showed up to play anymore, are on the open ramp of the far trader, airing the ship out and the captain (who would like to continue on Roll20 but has unstable internet access) is in his quarters doing captain-stuff. My wife and the Vargr NPC "Gakha" I am sending out to pick up some supplies and groceries within the confines of the starport.
Here is where I end it, the arrest warrants have caught up with them and the Starport Authority raids the ship just as the two parties are making their ways back but on opposite ends of the airfield. The two characters on the ramp are gunned down while trying to defend the ship. The captain is arrested and if he ever gets a stable internet connection, maybe he can be rescued or picked up after the warrant is cleared from Prison Planet by the two war-buddies in a future online adventure.
Meanwhile, I'll let my wife and the NPC, in solo play, just turn around in the crowd and head back to the starport, hopefully a tavern or something, and sit down to think of what to do.
Since she is going shopping, she wouldn't have a lot of gear on her. I think I would allow her to have her concealed 10mm autopistol with a couple of clips, a communicator, possibly her handheld computer, and of course her Credit card (I use a card with a data wafer that keeps the amount of credits in accounts updated locally with every purchase.) She will miss all that scientific equipment she mustered out with and her medical stuff - but gotta keep'em hungry for more and no one would lug all that around just to go shopping, not even her shotgun.
It's up to her. However, she must have her Jack/Leather Scout Flight Jacket on.
She will eventually have to link up with another Scout NPC (the only Type S on the airfield) with similar jacket, to get smuggled off the planet and headed in the right direction.
That should be a fun little adventure and get her to the new players.
Now a lot is going to depend on the make-up of the new party and what comes out of CharGen, but:
That same scout NPC will need to be an ally or at least a contact with one of the new PCs.
The arrest warrant is lifted after Agent Cryor foils the assassination attempt on the Duke of Jewel, that won't happen for awhile and there will be a time-lag after that event as well. So, even as the Scout Base commander is sympathetic to my wife's predicament, she's going to have to be sent somewhere to be kept out of sight, out of mind for a while until he can help her or he figures out what to do - I am sure there is a mission to nowhere here somewhere....
If no one musters out with a Type S, then there is a great little adventure on picking one up, which has been abandoned, which is a good way to get my wife's character out of sight out of mind. Even if someone (who is the friend of the scout who rescued my wife's character from Pequan) musters out with one, I think they will have to play out picking it up (see Type S by Martin Dougherty).
And, to start off with a bang, I think I'll have the scouts traveling to the mission site mid-passage on the Subsidized Liner Duchess Selene (One Crowded Hour, also by Martin Dougherty.) That way, non-scout characters can also travel aboard the Duchess Selene to the Regina Out-processing Station for final discharge procedures.
There is nothing like a good disaster to get strangers bonded closer than siblings and synergized into a team.
I think that is a good rough plan: it connects the last campaign through my wife's character (she really wanted to keep playing her); it allows me to have an NPC in the party (the Vargr, as a referee tool) with a back story actually played out; it brings the characters together in not only a plausible way but a highly dramatic and adrenaline-filled one too (I was impressed with One Crowded Hour, it can be played in an evening but it's deadly!)
Hat tip to Dalthor above, I am going to use a mis-jump disaster aboard a subsidized liner as the event that throws them all together. I think I will describe the dining room with all the NPCs and PCs together, that way, the individual players will know when I am describing their character but they won't discern who is a PC from who is an NPC until they socialize. That should be fun.
Falsely (or genuinely?) convicted on a convict ship to a penal planet and have to team up to escape... As Murphy said, Prison Planet... Well, it worked for Blake's 7!
I've done a couple of different set-ups over the years beyond the standard "you meet in a bar" or "you all are crew on the starship..."
1- I've had all the characters as employees for a foundation. It's an Insta-Patron.
2- I once had the entire group of prior-service military muster out through the same processing facility, only to find out their benefits had been screwed up massively and they ended up banding to gether to make ends meet while they tried to make things work. It worked because I tweaked history so that everyone knew at least one member of the group.
3- One classic campaign was I handed a character who was a journalist the mystery of his husband having been murdered - who had been investigating a mysterious Imperial noble for possible war crimes. The whole thing was very, very X-Files in many ways. Every character had their own agenda, nothing was as it seemed, and I practically dropped a world-shaking Imperial secret every other week. It was lots of fun.
4- I have also run one "homestead" game, with the character's all create/run a ranch/homestead on a colony world. Again, lots of fun, with plenty of room for exploration and all sorts of fun.
1) As a Player: We were all mustered out military working as security for a Noble House. (One of the players was the Noble.) A coup took place, and we spent the first session scrambling for an escape. A great time was had by all.
2) As a referee I have done the routine Mike has done with characters having met if they served in the same branch, and having done special duty if from other branches. I prefer to have the characters have met in the past and let the Players work up the details of those bonds. It lets them invest a lot in their own character and each other's characters and seems to help a lot.
Something I want to try next: Bluntly ask each Player, "What is your character's dream?" It can be vague or specific. But Traveller assumes the PCs travelled to beyond the edge of civilization for a reason. Why? What makes this guy or gal tick? What is the itch that needs to be scratched?
I would then ask the Player the Player for a Threat or an Opportunity. A kind of Rumor about the Subsector that means something to the PC... An old nemesis, a rumor of treasure... something. I would happily fold those into the subsector over time. Again, giving Players creative power always seems to mean more investment.
3) As for "How should we break away from the standard while keeping it logical and realistic within the constraints of the game and CHARGEN?" I think Mike's solution (or variation) from the previous page is sound: Character generation depends on characters who has served in military and combat operations (one way or another). Bind them together through that. It flows naturally.
Later, if needed, new characters can be added with the same logic.
