Just got old traveller.

[rancke]

There is no right or wrong way; the rules aren't carved in stone. The idea is for everyone to have fun.

I couldn't agree more. I'm not saying playing with randomly generated CT characters can't be fun. I've done it myself. I'm saying that doing so isn't the One True Way.

Well... I suppose I'm saying something a little bit stronger; that it's pretty far from being a One True Way.

Personally, I prefer to steer my chargen towards a specific goal, and I like the depth of CT4+/MT. Others prefer to let the dice choose. As long as the characters are legal, balanced, and everyone is happy, it doesn't really matter how they were created.

True, but one of the problems I have with RAW CT characters is that some of them turn out to be very far from balanced.


Hans

 

[BytePro]

A simple 'tweak' I used in CT was to allow +1/-1 after the first skill table roll in each term.

For stats, unless a physically or mentally challenged character was desired - I used +1 to any die 3 or below.

Term limits (and multiple characters) avoided munchkin-isms.

Never used a point buy approach - if I did I'd probably make the 'points' random.

 

[Icosahedron]

A cascade for Engineering? Which book does that come in on?

I was just having a rant about cascades in general and how they mess up the basic CT chargen. I'm not sure if Engineering specifically had cascades in versions I don't use, but it's definitely in MgT.

EDIT: Oh, and I never got the idea that someone with a level-1 skill was a skilled and experienced person. Why, you need Medical-2 to be a medic and Medical-3 to be a doctor! :devil:

Likewise to an extent. The basic CT rules do state (or at least imply) that a person can be hired with a Skill-1, so it must relate to at least a basic qualified competence, yet those rules also state that Skill-3 is a doctor (except in MgT where Skill-2 is a doctor )

My take was/is:
Skill 1/2 (0) is an amateur, hobbyist, armchair enthusiast, apprentice - knows something about it, at least in theory, but may not have actually done it - or at least not often, not unsupervised, or not under pressure.

Skill-1 has got his basic qualification to perform - he's flown solo. He may have limited experience and you may not want to hire him as anything more than a backup unless you have no choice, but he's legal if you're desperate, and he may just shine for you.

Skill-2 is your standard worker. He has plenty of experience, maybe years or decades of it, but perhaps doesn't have the will, aptitude or opportunity to climb the ladder.

Skill-3 is a professional. Highly knowledgeable with a university qualification, he will often be employed as a supervisor or manager with expert knowledge and skills.

Skill-4 is a specialist or consultant. He is in demand at least nationally (Earth today) probably sector-wide (OTU) and has probably made several TV appearances if his subject is popular.

Skill-5 is a specialist of universal renown, a household name. On Earth today he'd be a Nobel Prizewinner or perhaps a TV/news personality. In the OTU he'd be headhunted by the highest echelons of the Megacorps.

Skill-6 is of legendary abiity. Renowned not only in his own time, but destined to go down in history. Sun-Tsu, Confucius, Newton, Napoleon, Holmes, Von Richtofen, Einsten, Kildare, Di Griz.

Skill-7+ is not humanly possible. If YTU has supers, skill implants, etc, YMMV.