How many career templates should be in the core rules?

[Mytholder]

The outline I'm currently looking at has either eleven or thirteen career options, depending on how you look at Drifter (your alternative to being drafted) and Something_Psionics_Related_That_Might_End_Up_Being_Called_Psionist, which isn't normally available in standard chargen.

 

[Echo]

Great!

So now we have to guess what the careers are!

OK. Here goes:

Army
Navy
Marine
Scout
Merchant

....they're a given....but..

Agent?
Noble?
Entertainer?
Rogue?
Scholar?
Medic?

...and finally, the two we know:

Drifter
Psionicist

With the last one indicating that psionics may make the core rules!

 

[Echo]

Diplomat?
Technician?

What were the classes used in T20 again?

 

[Rover]

What about Mercenary?

 

[RandyT0001]

Considering the 3rd Imperium's distaste for psionics would it have a readily availble psionist career path or class? I would think that any psionist character class or profession would best be described in a setting book. Psionics in SST would be handled differently than in the OTU.

 

[atpollard]

Considering the 3rd Imperium's distaste for psionics would it have a readily available psionist career path or class? I would think that any psionist character class or profession would best be described in a setting book. Psionics in SST would be handled differently than in the OTU.

A small point:

Other star empires do not feel that way (Zho). For MT and TNE campaigns, there is no 3rd Imperium. The 4th Imperium has bigger problems to deal with than an activist Psi Institute.

It is the 3rd Imperium setting book that might need to exclude the class.

My 2 cents.

 

[atpollard]

ARMY: the character specializes in combat skills and big guns.
MARINES: the character specializes in vacc suit, combat skills and big guns.
MERCENARY: the character specializes in combat skills and big guns, and is available to the highest bidder.

How many career paths do we need with almost identical skill lists? Lump all of the "Warrior" professions together and create "branches" to accommodate the many flavors of professional warrior.

 

[Echo]

Well, the army and marines aren't 'warriors' as much as 'soldiers', really. But, I too think that having a mercenary career isn't necessary. Partially because, as was pointed out, martial-heavy careers are already well represented, secondly because mercenary isn't a career where you learn skills particularly.

A mercenary is something you might become after having served (and been trained) in a military career.

That said, I think the fact that Army, Marines, Navy and Scouts have always been present throughout the Traveller game's history, does tend to point to their inclusion here again. I might be wrong though.

 

[Tobias]

It is the 3rd Imperium setting book that might need to exclude the class.

To be precise, the 3rd Imperium after 800.
That would incidentally be a nice campaign setting: During the psionic suppressions. X-Men, Traveller style!

 

[Takei]

The outline I'm currently looking at has either eleven or thirteen career options, depending on how you look at Drifter (your alternative to being drafted) and Something_Psionics_Related_That_Might_End_Up_Being_Called_Psionist, which isn't normally available in standard chargen.

Just the vague answer we like

Well my guess would be;

Army
Navy
Marines
Scouts
Merchants

Agent
Rogue
Pirate
Belter
Noble
Professional (which covers most civy jobs like doctors, engineers, entertainers, hunters etc.)

Hmmmm. Barbarian seems to be missing. I'm not a great lover of the career, but some people do see it as a Traveller staple.

 

[Echo]

I quite like the 'Professional' career template, although I think your list is definitely missing the more Academic/Scientist niche in there. Many players will want to play a scholarly type that doesn't professionally trade there services, but is more interested in knowledge and research for the sake of it.

And really, honestly, Pirates are basically Rogues in silly hats. I'd rather see Barbarians in there than Pirates....and I don't really want to see Barbarians!

I could probably live with Belter, as a general template for 'blue-collar worker' as opposed to the 'Professional' career, though.

 

[aramis]

In Re: Mercenaries.
a good stable long term merc unit will match army, flyer, or marine pretty darned well. Bad ones will be pirates...

Careers list:
I think MT had a pretty darned good one.
Military: Army, Navy, Marine, Flyer, Sailor, Scout
Paramilitary: Pirate, Law Enforcer, Barbarian (which really sems to be TL4- Army), Merchant
Civil: Hunter, Rogue, Belter, Scientist, Diplomat, Noble, Doctor, Bureaucrat.

Of these, it can be argued that Hunter, Rogue, Pirate and Belter are merely lifestyles... but I think the 18 MT core are a really good sample.

Now, my houserules add 3 more: Farmer, Civil Aviation, and Colonist.
21 careers... but given that 3 per page fit nicely under MT...

I think MT CharGen is about perfect on choice levels and skill levels.

 

[Echo]

Well, you have to choose only 11 (+Drifter+Psyker) out of that lot. Which ones would you choose?

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Well, I would drop Sailor and Flyer, as they should be subsets of Army (the planet-bound military forces of a system or planet). I would also drop Barbarian as you should be able to enter several of the careers as a Barbarian, just limited by TL. If I were just going for PCs, I would drop Beaurocrat, too.

 

[bozzutoman]

If RTT is truely to be an update to CT, then it would seem best to make general careers with expanded sub-fields (like LBBs 4-7) to handle specialization:

Army (Soldier, Flyer, Sailor)

Navy (Space)

Marine (Marine, Interface)

Scout (Survey, Courier)

Trader (Merchant, Belter)

Executive (Bureaucrat, Diplomat, Noble)

Academic (Doctor, Scientist, Technician/Engineer)

Agent (Lawman, Spy)

Adventurer (Hunter, Journalist)

Rogue (Criminal, Mercenary, Pirate)

Civilian (Athlete, Entertainer, Colonist/Citizen)

OPTIONAL: Psion

Barbarian is more a background than an actual career. The TL of the barbarian's HW would limit the types of careers one could initially join and skills they could gain.

Colleges should be available as well (General Ed, OCS, Flight School, etc.)

 

[Echo]

I'm not sure if they'll do the specialisation thing in the corebook - but I like the delineation here, and the career names too. Yes, that would do nicely for me. Very good.

 

[Berg]

If RTT is truely to be an update to CT, then it would seem best to make general careers with expanded sub-fields...

I like the specialization as long as it doesn't turn into basic and advanced chargen.... all must be equal

 

[Takei]

And really, honestly, Pirates are basically Rogues in silly hats. I'd rather see Barbarians in there than Pirates....and I don't really want to see Barbarians!

That's like saying Marines are Army. Rogues are planet based, Pirates are ship based.

I've alwys preferred to see barbarians as a background rather than a career.

I could probably live with Belter, as a general template for 'blue-collar worker' as opposed to the 'Professional' career, though.

Thinking about it, Belters are really a sub-set of blue-collar workers. I can't think of a good name for the blue-collar career.

 

[Tobias]

That's like saying Marines are Army. Rogues are planet based, Pirates are ship based.

Actually, more like saying Navy is Army.
If the two careers are integrated, the results will be one of the following:
a) Odd results like your planet-based triad leader possessing a vast array of spacecraft skills.
b) The career being crippled by splitting the skill tables into two sets.
c) The career breaking the format by having more skill tables than usual.
Conclusion: Keep it different.

Also, I would add one point, that also applies to Barbarians and Belters: Style.
This is an SFRPG, not an exercise in sensibly categorizing career choices. There is a whole outer zone world of "cool" between "I'm a miner" and "I'm an Asteroid miner". "Pirate" has a much different ring to it than "Rogue". And "Barbarian" conveys an image of a savage with a sword, beholding the technological wonders of the men from the stars with wide-open eyes. Something more than "TL 4- soldier".
A career in Traveller should define your role in more ways than just skills and benefits. It is also an archetype. Categorizations that proceed along purely functional lines defeat this purpose.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Rogues are planet based, Pirates are ship based.

Well, the difference is really one of degree: Pirates are Rogues who have their own spaceship, and use it. :smirk:

Thinking about it, Belters are really a sub-set of blue-collar workers. I can't think of a good name for the blue-collar career.

How about Citizen?

A career in Traveller should define your role in more ways than just skills and benefits. It is also an archetype. Categorizations that proceed along purely functional lines defeat this purpose.

Very good point.