CT Only: PCs and TL

[Supplement Four]

This is a topic that I've flip-flopped on, as a Ref, over the years. I've tried several methods.

How do you handle TL and the characters in your game?

Do you ignore TL as far as characters are concerned? This seems to be the "default" position taken in the rules.

Or, do you consider the Homeworld TL to be the basic TL of the character? I've used this, but it causes problems. For example, if the character's Homeworld is TL 6 Aramanx or TL 4 Pysadi, it creates a lot of challenges for that character as a Traveller.

And, even if a character is from TL 6 Aramanx, the character may have spent 18 years on Aramanx and then 12 years in the Imperial Navy. So, how do you reconcile that?

Plus, TL is more important in some areas than in others. If a PC is from TL 6 Aramanx and picks up a TL 12 Gauss Rifle, I'd think that he's got a reasonable chance of operating the weapon correctly, especially if the PC has autorifle skill. But, the reverse might not be true with a TL 6 Medic from Aramanx in the med-bay of a TL 12 spacecraft. Can a TL 6 Aramaxian know how to use the advanced medicines and devices of TL 12?





So, how do you address this in your games?

Just ignore it? Or do you use a House Rule? Or, do you think the rules actually address this somewhere in the various CT materials?

 

[flykiller]

For example, if the character's Homeworld is TL 6 Aramanx or TL 4 Pysadi, it creates a lot of challenges for that character as a Traveller.

think of them as role-playing challenges.

So, how do you reconcile that?

two ways. one, there are lots of low-tech-level assignments available even in a high-tech setting, such as basic mechanics and electronics, ship's troops, and administration. if necessary the recruit can receive narrow training in some specialty so he can better support the high tech navy. two, the imperial navy selects only the best, thus the player character is exceptional and is trained to the standards required. recall that "tech level" is the capabilities of the world and not exhaustive of everything that may be found there - the world may be "tech 6" but have a small tech 12 enclave around the starport, or there may be a special class of citizens or warriors or slaves or something that are raised to supply some imperial service with a contracted number of recruits for thus-and-such. and so on.

the real choke point will be comprehension. a tech level 6 person, transported to the present day, may be puzzled by all these people sitting around ignoring each other and tapping away on their gizmos.

Can a TL 6 Aramaxian know how to use the advanced medicines and devices of TL 12?

not at all. unless the medical care of that time is push-button pill-popping, in which case it can be used by anyone at all. keep in mind that our conception of "the future" is little more than an extrapolation of our present.

How do you handle TL and the characters in your game?

the game presupposes the characters are prepared for it, and thus ignores the issue, and thus most referees ignore the issue ... or seem to anyway. if one incorporates the issue then I think most players will suddenly say their characters are from mora or trin or glisten or rhylanor - not many will say they are from iowa.

 

[McPerth]

As a referee, I'd give more importance to the CharGen than to native planet. After all, unless he/she serves in a planetary service, he would have been years out of it and among standard Imperial TL.

As you say yourself, this same Amaranxian character you say, if he has served in Imperial Marines (and if he has served in Marines, I'd assume they are Imeprial, as I doubt Amaranx, with Tl 6, has Space Marines itself), he is likely to be used to TL 15 equipment, no longer to the TL6 one found on his native planet (though probably will keep some familiarity with it).

As for the doctor you say, again it will depend on where and how did he receive medical training. In any case, even while in Amaranx, at TL 6, he would have heard about more modern medicine (and TL in general), and probably he will have seen it on films (or TV if the TL6 is advanced enough for him to have one). Sitiutation would be different as if you take a medieval healer to nowdays without explaining him anything.

And, after all, being used to higher TL would be in most cases easier than the other way, due to more electronic help and better information. At worst, he will act with obsolete techniques, but he will probably not be de`picted of anything TL6 could offer him (just better drugs, but drugs anyway). This same TL 6 doctor in a TL15 environ would probably be more useful than a TL15 doctor in a TL6 environ, where he will be claiming for tests and imagery that people would not have heard about.

At worst, the TL 6 doctor in a TL15 environ will act with obsolete techniques, but he will probably not be depicted of anything TL6 could offer him (just better drugs, but drugs anyway), and he will be able to use the chirurgical techinques he knows about. OTOH, the TL15 doctor in TL 6 environ will feel blind and deaf, and depicted of most treatments he knows about.

 

[ffilz]

Oh assume PCs are from deeper in the past mperium where TL is more consistent and thus home world doesn't matter. They muster out some the fringe though so limited TL there (TL 12).

 

[flykiller]

If a PC is from TL 6 Aramanx and picks up a TL 12 Gauss Rifle, I'd think that he's got a reasonable chance of operating the weapon correctly, especially if the PC has autorifle skill.

long as he doesn't push the little yellow button on the side.

 

[Axe]

Wouldn't a PC's intelligence, education, and training (in the newer higher TL environment) be more important than the home TL? I think so. The Imperium can bring them up to speed (or close to it). Maybe, a PC from a low TL world would rather fashion a bow for hunting, than pushing buttons on a small handheld computer for enjoyment, but the hunter can still push buttons.

Home world TL doesn't matter to me. There is something exceptional about PCs, regardless of their original TL.

 

[flykiller]

Wouldn't a PC's intelligence, education, and training (in the newer higher TL environment) be more important than the home TL?

if they're adaptable, sure. and if you're not asking them to adapt to too much, sure.

there's the issue of tech adaptation too - instead of asking people to adapt to technology, you design the technology to adapt to them. "tech 15" may be designed such that a tech 4 primitive intuitively understands how to use it. (notice how chewbacca uses a laser-bolt crossbow? and imagine battledress in the form of late high mediaeval armor - cool!)

(heh. chewbacca is in autocorrect.)

There is something exceptional about PCs

lots of people say pc's are not demographically representative. seems excessively unrealistic to me, but there's a lot to be said for it. the pc's are the ones who made it through the process, so whatever the process requires, they succeeded.

 

[Supplement Four]

I think the way to play this in a game is to assume a minimum TL mastery for...the Traveller class.

This would cut down on the number of recruits when looking for a replacement crewmember, for example. Unless the local TL is high, you're looking for those special people--just a fraction of the population--who live and work in space.

PCs can come from low TL worlds, but assume that these people are the very special--the exceptionally lucky--who have risen above their brethren, TL wise, by having parents who worked at the starport (or some such handwave).

And, when the players encounter an NPC on a world, it might be interesting, from a roleplaying standpoint, for the players to all of a sudden realize that the NPC that they just met and liked can't go with them--can't really leave the world--because he'd be next to useless in a higher tech environment.

Or, the Ref allows him to go...but the character is restricted in some tasks that he may be asked to do while adventuring with the PCs.

 

[Axe]

there's the issue of tech adaptation too - instead of asking people to adapt to technology, you design the technology to adapt to them. "tech 15" may be designed such that a tech 4 primitive intuitively understands how to use it.

Yep. (Toddlers using tablets to achieve results they've predicted)

Is there a RAW difference between education 9 on a TL 4 world vs TL A world?

A 18 year old can learn lots (...if they listen...)

Homeworld TL doesn't impact character generation.

The Imperium snagging Einstein from a TL 1 world can teach him long division and Calculus eventually.

 

[Supplement Four]

Yep. (Toddlers using tablets to achieve results they've predicted)

Is there a RAW difference between education 9 on a TL 4 world vs TL A world?

Ooooo, here's an angle I didn't quite think of. How, exactly does a person's EDU stat measure his education?

Is it to Imperial standards?

Or, is an EDU 8 on a TL 4 world mean something different than EDU 8 does on a TL A world, as Axe questions?

Excellent thought to ponder. :coffeesip:





My knee jerk is to say that STR, DEX, and END are measured by the 1G standard, and INT, EDU, and SOC are measured by Imperial Standard at TL 15.

In other words, a person with an EDU 8 has it as TL 15 understanding.

From a Traveller's perspective.




And...if that's so, we can use EDU as a tool to see who, on lower level TL worlds, has enough education to make it in the Traveller class.

A Ref could rule, for example, that character's with X EDU are eligible for the Traveller careers. Otherwise, that character stays on his homeworld.

The question is: What TL is needed, given TL #.

 

[flykiller]

Is there a RAW difference between education 9 on a TL 4 world vs TL A world?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85T2vIV1N-k

if you define the "education level" as constant, then no - but then a tech 4 world may not be able to achieve edu 9 in a tech 12 empire. if you define education in terms of technical ability, then yes - but then you have multiple meanings to "education level" and the stat becomes impossible to implement.

 

[flykiller]

How, exactly does a person's EDU stat measure his education? Is it to Imperial standards?

if not then it becomes excessively difficult to implement. if the edu stat is relative then it becomes like today's college diploma's. today's job applicant may have a diploma, but many companies will subject him to their own tests to see if he in fact actually knows anything. one might say that the edu stat is not education from the traveller's home world, but a test score result from entering imperial service. in that case a low edu stat is not indicative of low education - the pc may have memorized half the bible in school growing up - but rather is a measure of what he knows of subjects relevant to imperial service.

 

[Supplement Four]

So...there is a local EDU for a character that could be higher or lower than his EDU stat...

 

[Supplement Four]

Here's one knee jerk idea...

A character's personal TL is equal to his homeworld TL or his EDU stat, whichever is higher. This could represent the "tech bleed" that happens in a galactic community, where higher tech readily influences lower tech. There's got to be some tech bleed when TL 12 starships visit starports on TL 4 worlds. That TL 4 world is actually higher tech than an isolated TL 4 world that has no contact with the galactic community.

...and, all of a sudden, the Experience rules for raising EDU becomes very important to players. :coffeesip:





By default, some worlds would not serve as PC homeworlds. A PC would have to roll an high EDU to be a Traveller from those worlds (like TL 4 Pysadi).

And, what would be the minimum TL or EDU for a Traveller? TL 8? TL 9? Or, EDU 8 or 9?

 

[flykiller]

...and, all of a sudden, the Experience rules for raising EDU becomes very important to players.

nah, they'll just say they're from mora, trin, glisten, or rhylanor.

 

[Supplement Four]

nah, they'll just say they're from mora, trin, glisten, or rhylanor.

Depends on the options given by the Ref. I usually limit the homeworld choices in my games. Or, I have a selected few worlds and allow a random roll.

Many times, I just pick a homeworld and require that all PCs be from that world.

 

[flykiller]

I usually limit the homeworld choices in my games.

then they'll want to be from a research station or religious mission or something else that was on the world but that had its own school system, etc.

 

[Supplement Four]

You could say that a person's TL focus is made up of his homeworld TL and his EDU.

For example, if Mornen is from Pysadi, a TL 4 world, and Mornen has EDU 8, then his area of expertise is TL 4-8.

Maybe he's not a person you'd want operating on you or fixing your jump drive, but He could be a damn good electrician, cargo hand, or gunner.

Then, there's Zannick, from Aramis, a TL B world, and Zannick has EDU 5. His area of focus is TL 5-11.

Those with low EDUs and high TL's will have broader but more general knowledge.

Those with EDUs close to their homeworld TL will have deeper, more specific knowledge--and generally be better choices for specific TL's.

 

[Condottiere]

It's more likely cultural shock, which can go both ways.

Arts subject shouldn't be too difficult, how advanced do you need to be to understand psychology or the works of Shakespeare?

What kind of teaching materials or equipment for quantum physics?

Could Freud have made his ideas understood by Aristotle?

If you have advantages and disses, a character from a lower technologically developed world just can't figure out how to work with electronic interfaces, or has a psychological block.

 

[Axe]

EDU is the Imperium standard determined after extensive testing, then, recorded on their TAS Form 2 (3"X5" index card). Maybe EDU testing is abstract and measures aptitude for learning info quickly.

I think there is enough tech/culture bleed for a TL 4 PC to do well serving the Imperium. It's unlikely the Imperium simply abducts low TL victims (after shining a green light on them) and applies probes. Low TL level PCs know the Imperium is coming, and they're cool with that.

Does a TL 2 population fail to realize their carved wooden idols resemble Battledress found hundreds of years earlier?