CT Only: My TC Universe

[kilemall]

Well, onto tasks, but first, character stats.

That was another thing that bothered me coming back to CT, the whole bell curve thing where if you were excessively strong or weak in a stat it had an effect, but otherwise it was largely a mushy useless thing.

So I came to reading up on all of the UTP and other tasking systems, of course I was familiar with the 2300 versions, and decided I wanted something that made those stats pop, that someone might actually roll on the personal development table rather then a skills one or be happy with a +1 Educ benefit.

I also didn't like how things like Educ and Soc were overlooked and underused, and how JOAT could either be the uber skill or marginalized.

So I basically went with a stats + skill +/- difficulty mod = roll to match or less. More to it then that, especially with combat DL mods and the education check, but its pretty quick to get that number, and most of the time players will know what their roll is by heart.

But each of the stats has their own function outside of the task rolls, and so I want to go over each one of them to show my redux of the hoary classic UPP.

 

[kilemall]

[B]Strength[/B]

Strength is of course the ability to carry and apply force.

I intend to use it as the primary stat for determining weight and build, with Dex and End Sex and Age as modifiers, although haven't quite figured out height yet. I'm wanting this for figuring out kgs of food per day for survival, energetic metabolism and sybaritic lifestyles.

I have working rules for rolling children's stats so perhaps you find out during the initial UPP rolls. Maybe the initial roll determines height to be reached and the second 'fills them out'. So a 1 first roll means short and 6 second roll means filled out with muscle, while a first roll of 6 means max tall and a second roll of 1 means skinny beanpole, even though both result in 7. More pondering.....

The two biggest effects this stat has is melee/blade combat, and encumbrance.

Decided to go with a slightly different route re: melee, I'm honoring strength minimums but not bonuses, below min difficulty level increases by one, the to hit is based on dex plus skill and DL.

Instead, upon achieving a hit with a melee weapon a roll is performed on strength + skill and a success (number and below with critical fail possible) means adding 1d6 to the damage rolls.

This gives strong and skilled people a damage edge, and a professional boxer, likely STR 10 and Brawling 4, has a good chance of knocking out a normal civilian with the first punch.

The encumbrance rule always seemed excessively limiting, just by personal experience and what troops and backwoods campers often carry, so I upped the capacity.

For normal people, encumbrance starts at 2xSTR=kg, 3xSTR=kg for double encumbrance and 4xSTR=kg for triple encumbrance limit.

For professionals who have undergone training for long range carrying, Marines/Army/Scouts/Barbarians/Hunters and individuals with Survival or JOAT 1+ skill, the encumbrance ratings are 4xSTR=kg, 6xSTR=kg for double, and 7xSTRkg for triple encumbrance.

Armor is counted against encumbrance for these higher limits, and bulky items count double kg, or triple in some extreme cases.

 

[kilemall]

Dexterity

The usual 'how well do I move or do delicate work' stat.

In Traveller we use Dex for hit modifiers for guns plus a few other items, notably surgery.

IMTU I am using Dex as the primary to hit stat + weapon skill +/- DL, in my version both melee and gun.

In addition, moving in Evade mode as per LBB1 Combat will cause DL to increase by one, a full dodge with END point use is rolled against DEX or below, success increases the DL by two.

For surgery it would be two skill tests likely, INT or EDU + Medical +/- DL for selecting and knowing the correct technique and procedure, DEX + Medical +/- DL for the actual surgery.

The nice thing about using these stats in this manner is that you get the young combat prodigy effect with natural ability, added skills put them into that superhuman edge, but if you take damage you immediately feel it especially in combat.

Aging also is far more annoying in it's combat effect, and underlines the harsh reality that a battle is often a young man's game. Best bank those combat skills if you expect to be fighting in your 50s.

 

[kilemall]

Endurance

Not much to add onto this, other then the additional Dodge move/expenditure, Endurance's role in sustained high-G damage, and Endurance's general role in overcoming disease 'damage'.

If exposed to a disease threat roll Endurance or less to avoid catching, modify for circumstances.

If caught, defined 1d6 for severity as a task DL, roll as Endurance to overcome with attending Medical skill as a modifier, if failed roll 1d6 damage per severity/DL, allow for 1d6 days medical attention as per normal wound care then reroll severity, overcome roll and check damage. Once overcome, normal healing rates apply.

 

[kilemall]

Intelligence

Intelligence, measuring ability to process information, solve problems, apply knowledge and pattern recognition to analyze and diagnose, etc.

Probably the most important stat along with the combat stat Dexterity.

However, it is not the be-all end-all for intellectual skill rolls, as we will see when we get to Education.

If a diagnosis, task or repair is Routine or easier, players have the choice of using their Intelligence OR Education stat, they can use the higher of the two along with the applicable skill for their roll.

However, if it is a Challenging task or higher, the player MUST use Intelligence, although it can be modified by a Knowledge Check.

 

[kilemall]

Education

Education, the level of schooling that a person has.

I use the idea that Education level corresponds to 2 years per stat. So EDU-6 is 12 years (US High School), 7 is an Associates Degree, 8 is a Bachelor's, 9 is a Masters, and 10 and above are doctorate(s).

Education as noted above for intelligence can be used for Routine or easier task rolls, and can be used for knowledge checks, a bid to see if the character knows a technique to make a Challenging or tougher Difficulty Level easier.

Education is of course also the basic stat used for rolls checking for knowledge in general.

An option I provide is the ability to convert 1 or more Education stat points into 4 knowledge levels per point. They can be assigned to any topic the player cares to think of, in any combination that adds up to 4 (4 KLs in one topic, 2 KLs in two topics, 4 in one each, etc).

But they cannot be as broad as a skill level, cannot be used as a task solving skill, and can only be used in knowledge checks.

I am also treating Education level as a life-long habit of studying diligently, staying informed, ability to access and find academically captured information, tendency to continue studying (i.e. say Scotty and his engineering journals) and seek high quality information from experts.

However, the undereducated have just as much need for information, they are just not equipped or oriented to see it through academic or quality channels, so they seek it through another path-

the rumor.

The Rumor Check is the polar opposite of the Knowledge Check- the Check is rolled as Education number or greater to succeed and hear the rumor. The more educated, the less chance the character has heard the rumor, or rumors in general.

Rumors are as per the Patron rule and gossip or information in general, with an eye towards Social Standing influencing some content.

Rumors should be considered and played as highly unreliable, but occasionally absolutely true and information that is otherwise unavailable or rare.

 

[Golan2072]

Did a quick lookup of him and his blog, can't pick out a definitive set of rules/setting beyond the polity thread and various star map this and that, can you point me to something I may be missing?

You probably ran across my other settings (such as Visions of Empire) which are more available online. Outer Veil is http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/96124/Outer-Veil]available on DTRPG for affordable purchase and (fingers crossed) will soon have a version with modernized vector graphics and eventually a print-on-demand version. Outer Veil is a near-future setting I wrote for MGT, set in 2159, with humans being less than a century in interstellar space. Technology is usually Traveller TL10, with TL11 being high-tech and existing for about a decade. Originally space exploration was almost completely a private affair run by corporations, but eventually this led to a gold rush/bubble situation, and when the bubble burst, to very bad results; so now there is a stronger government in power, as well as resurgent megacorporations. But the further you go from Earth the less actual power the government or corporations have due to the comm lag, and the high frontier (the eponymous Outer Veil) is pretty much lawless unless a patrol frigate is visiting and/or unless the local planet has competent local law enforcement (which isn't THAT common). No living sentient aliens were found so far, though the ruins of at least two extinct alien cultures are found on some worlds.

I hand-crafted the OV starmap based on real (up-to-date for 2008) data on near-Sol stars, which I then "flattened" into a standard Traveller 2D map and added some "yet to be discovered" dim stars for good measure.

 

[kilemall]

You probably ran across my other settings (such as Visions of Empire) which are more available online. Outer Veil is http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/96124/Outer-Veil]available on DTRPG for affordable purchase and (fingers crossed) will soon have a version with modernized vector graphics and eventually a print-on-demand version. Outer Veil is a near-future setting I wrote for MGT, set in 2159, with humans being less than a century in interstellar space. Technology is usually Traveller TL10, with TL11 being high-tech and existing for about a decade. Originally space exploration was almost completely a private affair run by corporations, but eventually this led to a gold rush/bubble situation, and when the bubble burst, to very bad results; so now there is a stronger government in power, as well as resurgent megacorporations. But the further you go from Earth the less actual power the government or corporations have due to the comm lag, and the high frontier (the eponymous Outer Veil) is pretty much lawless unless a patrol frigate is visiting and/or unless the local planet has competent local law enforcement (which isn't THAT common). No living sentient aliens were found so far, though the ruins of at least two extinct alien cultures are found on some worlds.

I hand-crafted the OV starmap based on real (up-to-date for 2008) data on near-Sol stars, which I then "flattened" into a standard Traveller 2D map and added some "yet to be discovered" dim stars for good measure.

Ah very nice.

I've been a superfan of 'local space' ever since getting my first wargame, SPI StarForce, with its map that predated everyone else's by years. Have Universe, various Traveller maps, etc. etc. but I just decided to make it easy on myself and everyone else, and just stuck with the Imperium map (although J-1 makes it a lot hairier).

Didn't go with your view on an entirely corporate exploration future, I got big bad corps but they like hedging their bets.

Up and comers of course are out there hustling, but the traumas and surprises of the recent past have inclined most of humanity to try a more planned safe way of doing things. But that is not sustainable and the players are going to experience what happens when the facade cracks and history comes rushing back through.

The requirement for mapping prior to jump has slowed down headlong rushes out, but there are pioneers who cannot stand being limited, herded, licensed, etc. and so they are out there ahead of the official maps and boundaries, also waiting to be discovered and wrestled with.

So I do have an Outer Veil of sorts, and quite a bit of lawlessness and strange out in the Oort Cloud, which like the common cold and cockroaches can never be quite eliminated.

 

[McPerth]

Education, the level of schooling that a person has.

I use the idea that Education level corresponds to 2 years per stat. So EDU-6 is 12 years (US High School), 7 is an Associates Degree, 8 is a Bachelor's, 9 is a Masters, and 10 and above are doctorate(s).

Then about 1/6 characters hold a doctorate (IDK about what, as they have no skills above 0) at 18 years old...

I've always have seen EDU as a mix among formal studing and informal one, but mostly about general culture. To hols a graduate and over, skills are also necessary. Even more, one can hold a doctorate (usually at skill level 4+, based on CT, where licenciature is level 3, at least in medicine) even while having no high EDU, representing the individual that knows nearly nothing outside its own field.

 

[kilemall]

Then about 1/6 characters hold a doctorate (IDK about what, as they have no skills above 0) at 18 years old...

I've always have seen EDU as a mix among formal studing and informal one, but mostly about general culture. To hols a graduate and over, skills are also necessary. Even more, one can hold a doctorate (usually at skill level 4+, based on CT, where licenciature is level 3, at least in medicine) even while having no high EDU, representing the individual that knows nearly nothing outside its own field.

Its the FUTURE, perhaps they don't hold back the star performers?

As for the specialization vs. general knowledge, that's what the Kskills are there for. You can have 22nd Century Jazz-4 and Starship Commercial Regulations-4 and an EDU of 5, not be able to pass a knowledge check on when the Battle of Hastings occurred.

 

[McPerth]

Its the FUTURE, perhaps they don't hold back the star performers?

As for the specialization vs. general knowledge, that's what the Kskills are there for. You can have 22nd Century Jazz-4 and Starship Commercial Regulations-4 and an EDU of 5, not be able to pass a knowledge check on when the Battle of Hastings occurred.

That's exactly what I meant. One can hold a physics doctorate (skill physics 6) and yet have low EDU, as you say here, and you can have EDU C, and be able to win a TV show with your knowledge, and yet not to have too much formal schooling and no skills at high level (or only at background level, if you rolled a 12 in chargen).

 

[kilemall]

Well, I'm giving Education a bit more juice then that McPerth as I am using it for knowledge checks for assistance on main skill tasks. Among other things, that's the roll for JOAT to make its contribution, which I am trying to treat as the 'MacGyver' skill.

 

[kilemall]

Social Standing

This one is very underutilized IMO in most TUs, besides the 'do I get a yacht' question and the matter of nobility privilege, and was the stat that got me thinking about the whole use of stats and how they are largely neutered in favor of skills.

I don't have a 1000 star empire with the emperor and 'loyal' vassals as organizing principle, just the opening phase of Earth's exploration and expansion. So I do not have nobles in the classic OTU sense.

Went through thinking about all manner of human history, cultures etc. and decided that this is a valid character differentiation. EVERY society, from ancient to modern democracy/communist/fascist setup, has stratas of people that are 'in' and 'in power', and those that are not.

Also, being human, the power elite AND the common citizen are IMO more comfortable dealing with people 'at their level' across cultures and nations moreso then 'their own kind' at a different social level. There is a behavioral element to one's 'place in society'.

Americans especially like to think that we are all one great big fluffy meritocracy hence ignoring this stat, but even so there is strata based on wealth if nothing else, with behaviors that apply.

I have read some Mongoose Traveller on 'keeping up' re: social events and what sort of neighborhood you live in at what price, and I like that. I think IMTU the stat is actually something tracked to include demographics, a valuation of the neighborhood the player lives in, credit rating/societal reputation, attitudes, honor, and associated behaviors.

So, I am amping up the use of SOC in three ways.

1) SOC can go up or down by player action in game. In particular scandals, conviction in crime, failing to meet financial obligations, or lack of activity within X community can drop the stat, increased wealth, moving into the right clubs/social circles, achievements and reputation can increase it. SOC can change more readily then the other stats.

Players will want to manage it carefully, if for the 'credit rating' aspects if nothing else, and can be a major RP element to increase or prevent dropping.

2) SOC is the base stat for Fiscal Checks.

For loans/investments, it would be a task check with appropriate skills such as Trader, Admin, etc. but basically who you know and what reputation you have, and how much you can expect to raise/be granted. Difficulty Level would be set by the referee by a number of factors in play, particularly how much the amount sought is divided by the character's income, under how much a cloud the character is under with LE or society in general, etc.

The flip side for the underclass is utilizing the power of The Street to work around society's conventions and resource allocation structure to get things done outside the rules set by the power elite. So Social Standing is the primary stat for Streetwise checks, but in reverse from the normal stat/task check- it's rolling SOC or higher with Streetwise added in and DL modifying.

3) SOC is the primary modifying stat for reaction rolls in a social setting.

On a reaction roll, check the difference between the characters' SOC.

If the same, +3.

If the difference is 1, +2.

If the difference is 2, +1 mod.

If the difference is 3, 0 mod.

If the difference is 4, -1 mod, etc. etc.

Each level of Liaison and/or Steward adds +1 to the reaction roll.

In general, the attack factor should not be taken literally except in a frontier/bar/urban hell type setting, the attack should come as a verbal attack. Which may turn into a fight/duel/vendetta, depending.


There are two exceptions to the above.

* If a natural 2 or 12 is rolled, the SOC modifier is completely ignored- kindred spirits or despised personalities have come to the fore, ignoring class behavioral issues due to a strong deep reaction.

* Corporations, businesses, crews, military forces, none could operate if people with critical skill sets cannot get along due to SOC issues, so in a professional setting people tend to use their professional persona.

For that purpose, everyone who is 'being professional' is treated as SOC 8, no positive or negative mods between each other, Liaison and/or Steward +1 per skill level.

If one character is acting professionally and the other retains their 'natural' social reaction persona, the professional is treated as being at 8 and the social at their level, mods and Liaison apply.

Referees may exact different rolls for 'maintaining professionalism' in the face of provocation or excessive length of time 'on the job'.

Note that at upper levels of the military, government and corporations, one is expected to perform at social events, as 'an officer and a gentlemen' or as a gracious business/community leader, and drinking, long party hours or peer pressure may cause a character to drop out of their professional persona, with possibly positive or negative effects.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Go Social or go home.

Sweet! That post is chock full of coolness. Digging the use of Soc for fiscal checks, very cool.

Also the exceptions section has some very excellent points.

All in all, wicked cool!

 

[Adam Dray]

Americans especially like to think that we are all one great big fluffy meritocracy hence ignoring this stat, but even so there is strata based on wealth if nothing else, with behaviors that apply.

At least until they try to buy a burrito in East Oakland or attend a black tie event in NYC.

 

[maksimsmelchak]

At least until they try to buy a burrito in East Oakland or attend a black tie event in NYC.

Some parts of it are unquestioningly a meritocracy...

And the rest of the places are like everywhere else...

 

[Golan2072]

Another thumbs up for the Fiscal Checks...

Usually in my settings (Outer Veil and Visions of Empire), with the exception of the Terran Empire which has actual noble ranks, Social Standing means how much clout/ties you have "in the system". I.e. how many "strings" you can "pull" when the push comes to shove. A high SOC character might not be a millionaire, but he or she will know the "right" people, and thus has a potential for acquired wealth by "gaming" the system, and ways of getting out of serious trouble.

Of course, in my militaristic United Terran Republic, you can actually use your military rank in lieu of your SOC by "pulling rank", even on civilians and/or by using your old Army/Navy/Terran Guard buddies to get things done. Any commissioned officer or rank O3-O5 can act in most situations where he or she uses the rank and "pulls" it as if he or she is SOC 8 even if the initial SOC is lower, and ranks O6 can act as if they are SOC 12 in many cases. This works in most situations; almost everyone respects the Terran Military and its officers, and having military connections helps. What you did in the Military and in teh War matters a lot in this setting.

 

[kilemall]

Well thanks gents. Apparently I saved the best for last.

As for rolling up stats, I have a slight adjustment to allow people to deal with low rolls.

For every two stats that are below 7, I allow 1 extra die roll to be rolled and applied to one of the lower stats. So you still do not get superhumans, but the really crippled ones end up not so bad and players then do not look to throw them into the nearest organripper bank or fatal shootout.

 

[kilemall]

Alright then, to tasks.

Virtually everything done in the game is done by the task system, including combat and skill rolls.

The exception is the starship to-hit game, which is so tied up in the hardware and abilities granted by software that I didn't want to reconstruct that from scratch. Given the calculation speeds required to be hitting targets 2 LS away not to mention the work involved, it just seemed prudent to leave that aspect of the game as is.

I wanted to highlight stats as a great differentiating uniqueness about each character, make skills count but not everything, and not get trapped in the traditional or various other tasking systems that smooth out the effect of the character's UPP.

 

[kilemall]

Basic Task Rules

The basic formula is <UPP Stat + skill +/- DL = roll number>, success is rolling that number on 2d6 or below. DL is difficulty level.

On a 2 a critical success is achieved, on a 12 a critical failure is achieved.

In the case of a few 'reverse' tasks like Rumors or Streetwise, the formula is <UPP Stat = roll number, + skill +/-DL added to roll>, success is rolling at the stat number or higher.

If a character does not have a relevant skill to bring to bear, the task automatically increases 2 DL.

Any DL above Routine can be brought down a DL by a Knowledge Check prior to the actual task roll, the base stat is Education. DL of a knowledge check is at the difficulty level of the task, including the 2 DL no skill negative.

Most combat tasks are resolved using the DEX stat and some that involve quick reaction, such as a vehicle or craft roll to stay on the road or avoid incoming fire.

Some combat tasks, such as say firing artillery, will be more of an intellectual exercise.

Most other 'intellectual' tasks are rolled using INT or EDU. Tasks that are Routine or Easier can use either stat, tasks that are Challenging or harder requires INT for problem solving but can be modified by the knowledge check.

The same relevant skill can be used for the knowledge check AND the task check.

The JOAT 'skill' is handled differently. Having JOAT eliminates ALL 2 DL increases, the character is considered skill-0 in everything.

JOAT can be used at full level for knowledge checks. JOAT however cannot be used for the task check.

So for instance a JOAT-3 character can fire any gun or use any blade but just at base DEX for any he has no skill at, roll EDU + 3 - 6 to drop that DIFFICULT repair reactor check down but have to roll INT straight +/- DL for the actual repair.