CT Only: Homeworld Enlistment

[Supplement Four]

I was thinking about an interesting way to provide homeworlds for players.

First, you develop your subsector--where you are going to set your adventure. You develop the worlds.

Next, you decide which careers are available on those worlds, based in the UWP. Maybe all careers are available (for me, that would Book 1 and Supp 4 careers only), but, maybe, some careers are not available. A Barbarian from Supp 4 wouldn't be available as a career choice on a high tech world. A Belter from Supp 4 wouldn't be available in systems with no asteroid belts.

A Ref might even get restrictive and allow Book 1 Navy or Marine careers only on worlds with Naval bases. Army would be a choice on most worlds, but the Army is restricted to the world's TL. So, an Army vet from a TL 6 world would be at the Vietnam era. Vacuum tubes. First generation flak jackets. ACRs of the M-16 and AK-47 variety.

Next up, you, as Ref, evaluate each homeworld and give each an "enlistment number". Players can pick the homeworld they want but have to roll that number. If successful, that is their homeworld.

If the HW number fails, then they submit to the HW draft, where all worlds considered and random rolled.

Once HW is established, proceed with chargen, possibly giving the character a default skill, if appropriate, for his homeworld background. The player can proceed with chargen normally, except career choices will be limited to what that HW allows.

 

[khadaji2002]

Interesting concept. I personally would not use this, unless I was using a subsector outside Imperial space. Inside Imperial space I would think that most starports would have recruiting stations for Army, Navy, Marines, and Scouts. I would also think that most class A and B starports would have hiring halls for the merchant marine and other careers.

That said, if someone IMTU wants to play a barbarian, they do have to find an HW of the appropriate TL to support that career, or come up with a backstory to explain how someone born on a higher TL world would have access to that career. Someone wanting to play a belter does need to pick an HW with an asteroid belt and a TL high enough to support that career. So there are places of overlap. I just don't see the need to add yet another layer of dice rolls that might keep a player from the career they want their character to pursue.

Now, outside Imperial space I can see using this mechanic as a means of modeling how the pocket empire the PCs are in lacks certain types of infrastructure compared to the Imperium. Even then...I would hesitate to add more dice rolling to character generation.

 

[Supplement Four]

Interesting concept. I personally would not use this, unless I was using a subsector outside Imperial space. Inside Imperial space I would think that most starports would have recruiting stations for Army, Navy, Marines, and Scouts. I would also think that most class A and B starports would have hiring halls for the merchant marine and other careers.

Just a note: The concept could still be used with the criteria above. That would fit in on the step where the Ref decides what careers are available on what worlds.

Even then...I would hesitate to add more dice rolling to character generation.

Normally, I would agree. But, with Classic Traveller, I truly enjoy character generation. My players look forward to it because I make it fun. We basically roleplay through the character's life, the dice rolls being meta-tasks (or mega-tasks, as that type of thing is sometimes called).

We create an entire background for the character within the frameworld of the dice roll results. Players know their characters intimately.

I'm a big fan of CT chargen.

 

[McPerth]

I know this thread is for CT, but have you thought (if you have access to it) about using the MT homeworld rules?

They give you the basic HW stats and somewhat limit your careers for them (e.g. you cannot be a sailor on an oceanless world), and yet the stats given are loose enough as to have some worlds to choose among.

OTOH, I agree with khadaji that most Imperial services would have recruiting stations in most planets, but, if you use advanced CharGen, I'd only allow for free traders and small companies in anything under starport B planet...

 

[BlackBat242]

I've always had the player roll for the PC's "starting TL" - the TL of the homeworld.

This will affect many things, as lower TLs have many devices & aspects that will be incomprehensible to someone from a higher TL - a PC from a low TL world will do much better later on a similar world than would one who grew up on a high-TL world.

Of course the reverse is true... but the PC will always have been taught how to deal with higher TLs during the course of the career (specifically, as the initial part of basic training/schooling after enlistment), while high-TL PCs would not have been taught low-TL skills unless specifically noted in gained skills.

Since I also use the Space Gamer article on "background skills" (actually an article for generating child PCs/NPCs with skills), other details of the homeworld would be pertinent then as well, to help determine which skills fit.

 

[rhialto]

Interesting idea, and one I could see using in MTU. I usually point out worlds characters are from within the Subsector, and if they have a character who doesn't fit one of the worlds then they're from "some other Subsector". In other words, I fill in the blanks (HW) after the fact, not a priori. But this could be another option for players, if they knew enough about the worlds in the Subsector to make a choice of HW first.

 

[Ulsyus]

Last time my group generated characters I already had the framework of the campaign prepared, discussed the different options the group make-up could look like in order to meet the broad objectives of the campaign (without them knowing what the objectives were) and then they selected homeworlds from there.

I don't see it as that different to S4's method, just coming at it from a different angle. Though the primary aim was to have a cohesive group of characters who complemented each other. That way everyone had an opportunity to shine at some point in each scenario.

 

[Supplement Four]

Really, the career options at each homeworld are up to the Ref. What he things are appropriate for that world. He can have all of them available on all worlds in his subsector, if he wants. Or, he can be restrictive, as I've suggested.

If all careers are available at all worlds, then the homeworld enlistment roll is more about the player rolling to get on a world with a higher TL and other UWP stats that he finds desirable as a background for his character.

Higher rolls = better, higher tech homeworld.

Also, I tend to throw in a bit of roleplaying with chargen. A player might get to 18, and if we've established that he has the money (rarely), he can take a journey from his birthworld to a new homeworld. I've done this, for example, when we've established that the character's parents are Travellers. Anything that is reasonable, I'll usually allow.

 

[Supplement Four]

Another thing to consider is the TL of the world. It is less likely that Travellers will come from low tech worlds. The lower the TL, the harder the homeworld enlistment throw.

Which is opposite from what I say above. But, hey, I'm just thinking out loud in this thread, anyway.

 

[Condottiere]

Would depend on the career path.

One reason militaries for frontline service like to recruit from the backwoods, is that the candidates are more familiar with physical activity, unarmed combat, personal weapons, and more motivated.

 

[Supplement Four]

Would depend on the career path.

One reason militaries for frontline service like to recruit from the backwoods, is that the candidates are more familiar with physical activity, unarmed combat, personal weapons, and more motivated.

At the same time, you couldn't take a person from 1960 and set them up in today's world, with that person having no basics, like how to operate a computer, iPhone, Amazon echo. He'd probably have a hard time with the mouse, even--and most likely, he can't even type.

 

[Ulsyus]

At the same time, you couldn't take a person from 1960 and set them up in today's world, with that person having no basics, like how to operate a computer, iPhone, Amazon echo. He'd probably have a hard time with the mouse, even--and most likely, he can't even type.

But if they knew those things were there, had seen brochures or books or documentaries of the 3I on their black and white TVs, the items would be known about and they'd be aware of the concepts, even if they don't have the items themselves. Wouldn't that potential add to their attractiveness of the recruiters? Couldn't the use some entry testing to sort out the wheat from the chaff?

There's been a few times peoples from relatively modest technical backgrounds have been able to use high-tech gear with sufficient training.

 

[Condottiere]

Eighteen is just young enough, to learn and to remold.

Besides, what do you want with a mouse on a battlefield?

Point and click refers to another tool.

 

[Supplement Four]

Eighteen is just young enough, to learn and to remold.

Besides, what do you want with a mouse on a battlefield?

Point and click refers to another tool.

Depends on which battlefield. Those guys in the Colonial Marines certainly knew some tech. And, maybe we're talking about flying drones and such.

 

[BlackBat242]

Would depend on the career path.

One reason militaries for frontline service like to recruit from the backwoods, is that the candidates are more familiar with physical activity, unarmed combat, personal weapons, and more motivated.

At the same time, you couldn't take a person from 1960 and set them up in today's world, with that person having no basics, like how to operate a computer, iPhone, Amazon echo. He'd probably have a hard time with the mouse, even--and most likely, he can't even type.

But if they knew those things were there, had seen brochures or books or documentaries of the 3I on their black and white TVs, the items would be known about and they'd be aware of the concepts, even if they don't have the items themselves. Wouldn't that potential add to their attractiveness of the recruiters? Couldn't the use some entry testing to sort out the wheat from the chaff?

There's been a few times peoples from relatively modest technical backgrounds have been able to use high-tech gear with sufficient training.

Which relates to my comment earlier - any multi-system military arm that accepts/drafts recruits from varied tech levels would HAVE to have a "tech prep course" in place to teach those "hayseeds from big swamp world" how to use the standard mil-tech!

That would be part of initial training - perhaps a 3-6 month course prior to starting boot camp.

 

[Fovean]

Agree with BlackBat - Northeast Sudan, Dindaar National Park, 2007

 

[Timerover51]

Which relates to my comment earlier - any multi-system military arm that accepts/drafts recruits from varied tech levels would HAVE to have a "tech prep course" in place to teach those "hayseeds from big swamp world" how to use the standard mil-tech!

That would be part of initial training - perhaps a 3-6 month course prior to starting boot camp.

A military force is quite unlikely to get sufficient funds to train recruits from low Tech Levels into higher Tech Level equipment. Training is extremely costly. Would you want to try training someone from Tech Level 6 on how to operate and maintain Tech Level 15 Combat Armor?

 

[Brandon C]

A military force is quite unlikely to get sufficient funds to train recruits from low Tech Levels into higher Tech Level equipment. Training is extremely costly. Would you want to try training someone from Tech Level 6 on how to operate and maintain Tech Level 15 Combat Armor?

Then either:

(1) the 3I sector militaries are capped at the TL of their highest population worlds, even if that is less than 15

Or

(2) the 3I sector militaries automatically prohibit anyone from a TL 14 or lower world from service

This is a flaw with randomly determining tech levels.

 

[Enoki]

A military force is quite unlikely to get sufficient funds to train recruits from low Tech Levels into higher Tech Level equipment. Training is extremely costly. Would you want to try training someone from Tech Level 6 on how to operate and maintain Tech Level 15 Combat Armor?

My experience with the military suggests so long as the trainee was screened to insure a basic level of education and intelligence, the military would force feed that training on him.
Look at World War 2 for example. Most Germans, and few Russians knew how to drive a vehicle. Fewer knew how to repair and maintain one. Yet, they were trained to do one or both by their militaries in wartime without too much difficulty.
I see no difference here. Repair combat armor? You get the crash course at 12 hours of instruction a day on it and if you flunk out it's off to some truly menial job somewhere awful.
Naval nuclear power was essentially get your associate's degree in nuclear engineering in 6 months, then memorize a nuclear power plant in another 6 while running and maintaining it. Nobody in that program on the enlisted side would have known squat about nuclear power prior to entering the program.

Sure, maybe 1 in 20 from a TL 6 world screens to get that job repairing combat armor while 1 in 5 from some TL 14 world does, but that's how things roll. Doesn't mean the guy from the low tech world is incapable or incompetent, but rather that only the best are taken from there compared to the average or worse from higher tech worlds.

 

[pendragonman]

My experience with the military suggests so long as the trainee was screened to insure a basic level of education and intelligence, the military would force feed that training on him.
Look at World War 2 for example. Most Germans, and few Russians knew how to drive a vehicle. Fewer knew how to repair and maintain one. Yet, they were trained to do one or both by their militaries in wartime without too much difficulty.
I see no difference here. Repair combat armor? You get the crash course at 12 hours of instruction a day on it and if you flunk out it's off to some truly menial job somewhere awful.
Naval nuclear power was essentially get your associate's degree in nuclear engineering in 6 months, then memorize a nuclear power plant in another 6 while running and maintaining it. Nobody in that program on the enlisted side would have known squat about nuclear power prior to entering the program.

Sure, maybe 1 in 20 from a TL 6 world screens to get that job repairing combat armor while 1 in 5 from some TL 14 world does, but that's how things roll. Doesn't mean the guy from the low tech world is incapable or incompetent, but rather that only the best are taken from there compared to the average or worse from higher tech worlds.

This.