Mongoose Traveller Pocket Edition

[saundby]

Skills packages are pretty ad-hoc, but since it's ref's choice it works. I usually give the necessary skills to the most likely character, and fill in with some back story unless the player does it themselves. E.g., "You spent a short stint in the calibration lab between assignments where they taught you enough to check out sensor systems, but you've never done a real survey, just performed cal checks on the test range. Take Sensor-0."

Connections have been really good for our group. I usually leave a few unspecified allies and enemies for characters rolled up after the main group's creation. Only the new characters get skills when I do that, but the emotional content is a good start, too. "Rog is the guy who hosed your covert mission in term 3, killing your chances for promotion."

 

[aramis]

Icosahedron: the supplements have d66 tables for events for the new careers, which are more specialized subcareers of the base career.

 

[Jason]

Are you saying there are D66 systems in the supplements, or just additional events that can be added to the core ones? Either way, it sounds like the issue has been addressed. I'll think about the possible purchase of supplements later.

There are d66 events tables individualized by branch in the supplements. So for example each branch of the Navy (Crewman, Support, Flight, Command, etc.) gets its own d66 event table in High Guard.

I've always made sure my players have a suitable mix of skills one way or another - often via a homebrew points-buy system, but the Mongoose 'group package' seems very ad-hoc at first glance. Maybe I've misunderstood the concept but, for example, when and where in their careers did the characters gain these convenient skills?

RetCon it. "You picked up a little gunnery skill in that combat you fought in Term 3".

 

[Icosahedron]

Thanks for the info and suggestions, guys.

So, more useful stuff in the supplements.

Yeah, on reflection those group skills are no more of a problem than mustering out skills.

As a CTer, I've tended to ad lib connections anyway as part of the group dynamic, and 'ghosts from the past' occasionally make an appearance, but it can be helpful to spell out the idea.

I'll get chance to read some more soon.