CT Only: Player Career Choice

[pendragonman]

The GM I am currently working with has an interesting take on this.

If you survive your term you get your skill the standard way, you picks the table and makes your roll.

You get commissioned/promoted you pick the skill.

My experience so far is that it makes for a customizable character with a broader skill base than what generally occurs for a strictly u-pik-it.

 

[rhialto]

The GM I am currently working with has an interesting take on this.

If you survive your term you get your skill the standard way, you picks the table and makes your roll.

You get commissioned/promoted you pick the skill.

My experience so far is that it makes for a customizable character with a broader skill base than what generally occurs for a strictly u-pik-it.

So the commision/promotion doesn't give an extra skill, but a pick?

 

[whartung]

If you want a group of ex-Army and ex-Marines zipping from adventure to adventure in a ship you could look to show like Killjoys and Dark Matter for inspiration. Have the ship run by an AI (Killjoys) or have an NPC android who runs the ship (DarK Matter, Andromeda).

All sorts of elements for excitement here.

Cmdr. Gunslinger: "Ship, take us to Gamma Hydra 4! Right away!"

Ship Bot 3000 v2.1: "No."

 

[pendragonman]

So the commision/promotion doesn't give an extra skill, but a pick?

Yes, an extra skill. You get to pick it instead of random roll on a table you choose.

 

[Brandon C]

The GM I am currently working with has an interesting take on this.

If you survive your term you get your skill the standard way, you picks the table and makes your roll.

You get commissioned/promoted you pick the skill.

So if you pick a career without ranks, like Scouts or Other, you don't get to pick any skills?

My experience so far is that it makes for a customizable character with a broader skill base than what generally occurs for a strictly u-pik-it.

I lost interest in random character creation in the early 90s, but for those who still prefer it, that's an interesting idea.

 

[pendragonman]

So if you pick a career without ranks, like Scouts or Other, you don't get to pick any skills?



I lost interest in random character creation in the early 90s, but for those who still prefer it, that's an interesting idea.

I don't know. Not my system and I don't play scouts.

 

[Ex_Pendable]

Here's a problem that I sometimes run into when playing Traveller.

I allow the players to pick any career they want (I usually limit their choices to the Basic Careers in Book 1 and Supp 4), and I end up with most PC from the Army/Marines.

Which...messes with my standard tramp-freighter focused adventure. I end up having to create robots and NPCs to fill the ship roles, while the PCs all have combat skills.

Do you run into this problem?

A crew of former Marines and Army soldiers puts me in mind of a small mercenary unit. People you'd call to handle a recovery, for example.

Using an NPC is a common way to fix this, but I'd point out to the players, "Nobody here has the skills to operate this ship, so I gotta hire some NPCs as a flight crew. This will mean that when we take a job, nobody here gets paid until after the operational ship costs are first taken care of, including the salaries of the people who actually fly the ship. Since I had to hire three crew members and they have to have their own private quarters, some of you will need to double up."

Enlightened self-interest should help drive towards more appropriate character class selection or drive them to select suitable skills - which since they have to train, will cost them. (The pilot certificate training course costs how much?!? Hey, don't forget your course materials! *another bill presented*)

Later, you can have the pilot get sick, and his replacement is more than a little shady. Especially after they wind up in the wrong system, surrounded by waiting pirate ships.

Alternately, post the available jobs on board the ship. Have the players bid for the available spots, and reject any character that is not suitable for that position.

 

[Timerover51]

All sorts of elements for excitement here.

Cmdr. Gunslinger: "Ship, take us to Gamma Hydra 4! Right away!"

Ship Bot 3000 v2.1: "No."

I am not sure what you mean by all sorts of excitement. When the ship (i.e. Game Master) starts deciding where a party goes, I would simply get up and leave. At that point, I would view the game as the plaything of the Game Master, run by him or her for their amusement and enjoyment, with no regard for the players viewpoint.

 

[aramis]

I am not sure what you mean by all sorts of excitement. When the ship (i.e. Game Master) starts deciding where a party goes, I would simply get up and leave. At that point, I would view the game as the plaything of the Game Master, run by him or her for their amusement and enjoyment, with no regard for the players viewpoint.

And in many cases, you'd be dead wrong in your assumption.

I've often put limits on where to go in many a campaign to prevent players from going to areas I don't have stuff prepped for.

I've run Active Duty campaigns, where it's not where you go but how you overcome the issues.

And Merchant campaigns - I've often started a merchant campaign (where no one had a starting ship) with a GM picked route, and no authorization to go off route.

Why? because I can then tailor the encounter tables, as I know what's there. I can make rumors that matter, because I know where, and when, they will be.

A constraint on travel makes depth more attainable; the adventures need not be railroads, even if the campaign overall is, because the stops are long enough to do interesting things and make interesting choices.

 

[Brandon C]

A GM I had in past had us players roll 2 characters. One was shipboard action oriented the other was a ground/combat oriented character. Game play that session would dictate the character active,

I have allowed a player to run two characters in a session many times with good results.

 

[rhialto]

Yes, an extra skill. You get to pick it instead of random roll on a table you choose.

Thanks for the clarification. I've toyed with doing something similar, but for all careers it's "pick and roll", in that order. Two skills/term for all careers, no bonus skills and no auto-skills for any rank. Haven't tried it yet though, and I've found no matter what I think of a new house-rule I need to have my group use it too.

 

[whartung]

I am not sure what you mean by all sorts of excitement. When the ship (i.e. Game Master) starts deciding where a party goes, I would simply get up and leave. At that point, I would view the game as the plaything of the Game Master, run by him or her for their amusement and enjoyment, with no regard for the players viewpoint.

Obviously you haven't read any stories about automation run amok. (I think there was a small sub plot about that at one time in the Traveller universe.)

He had found a Nutri-Matic machine which had provided him with a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea. The way it functioned was very interesting. When the Drink button was pressed it made an instant but highly detailed examination of the subject's taste buds, a spectroscopic examination of the subject's metabolism and then sent tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centers of the subject's brain to see what was likely to go down well. However, no one knew quite why it did this because it invariably delivered a cupful of liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.

“No,” Arthur said, “look, it’s very, very simple…. All I want… is a cup of tea. You are going to make one for me. Now keep quiet and listen.”

And he sat. He told the Nutro-Matic about India, he told it about China, he told it about Ceylon. He told it about broad leaves drying in the sun. He told it about silver teapots. He told it about summer afternoons on the lawn. He told it about putting the milk in before the tea so it wouldn’t get scalded. He even told it (briefly) about the East India Trading Company.

“So that’s it, is it?” said the Nutro-Matic when he had finished.

“Yes,” said Arthur. “That is what I want.”

“You want the taste of dried leaves boiled in water?”

“Er, yes. With milk.”

“Squirted out of a cow?”

“Well in a manner of speaking, I suppose…”

“I’m going to need some help with this one.”

Finally, it's also no different from:

Cmdr. Gunslinger: "Bob, take us to Gamma Hydra 4! Right away!"

Capt. Bob: "Right away Commander...Hey, wait a minute..."

 

[pendragonman]

Thanks for the clarification. I've toyed with doing something similar, but for all careers it's "pick and roll", in that order. Two skills/term for all careers, no bonus skills and no auto-skills for any rank. Haven't tried it yet though, and I've found no matter what I think of a new house-rule I need to have my group use it too.

House rules often need field upgrades after first impact with players, yes. Inevitably, someone finds an unintended loophole and then tries to push an elephant thru it.

 

[Leitz]

I have allowed a player to run two characters in a session many times with good results.

I have no issues with DMs who do this but it's not my cup of tea. I like to build the story for a character and generally I only have enough brain cells for one character. Usually the rest of the group has enough characters and I can focus on my one.

In atpollard's game all the cool character careers were taken, I got the Marine. Usually my last choice, even compared to Army. As of October we've been going three years and I'm enjoying the character and the game.

I think there's often the potential for mis-match though. If the DM has a set of adventures planned then I'm all for general guidance on careers or classes to choose. If there's no data then I'll give them a heads up on what I'd like to play and do. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

As a DM I tend to come up with some general setting things and an overall story arc. I share those and let the players start talking about characters. While they talk I'm mentally evolving the game based on what they present. That's one of the things PbP is good for, there's enough posting lag to let me figure the first bits out.

 

[pendragonman]

snip...
In atpollard's game all the cool character careers were taken, I got the Marine. Usually my last choice, even compared to Army. As of October we've been going three years and I'm enjoying the character and the game.

Interesting. Marine is my first choice. Everyone I game with likes to be the guys who can interact with all of the cool tech toys and then have no combat skills. So I take a Marine and keep them all alive.

 

[Leitz]

Interesting. Marine is my first choice. Everyone I game with likes to be the guys who can interact with all of the cool tech toys and then have no combat skills. So I take a Marine and keep them all alive.

See, we should find us a DM. I usually prefer exploring with a scout or getting rich with a merchant. My characters are usually smart enough to ensure the Marine is getting a full share 'cause life out there can be dangerous.

 

[Brandon C]

See, we should find us a DM. I usually prefer exploring with a scout or getting rich with a merchant. My characters are usually smart enough to ensure the Marine is getting a full share 'cause life out there can be dangerous.

Hmm, I'm looking for players. Chat based game only, 3-4 players.

 

[Timerover51]

Obviously you haven't read any stories about automation run amok. (I think there was a small sub plot about that at one time in the Traveller universe.)

I believe that I first read Randall Garrett's story, Unwise Child, which came out in 1962, sometime in the mid 1960s., and also Colossus: The Forbin Project, shortly after it came out. Both are accounts of AI running amok. Then there is the book, Fail Safe, where a glitch in the SAC warning computers initiates a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union by the US. That came out in 1962, shortly before the Cuban Missile Crisis. As a player, I have no interest whatsoever in playing in that type of game, as I stated. I am not a fan of using mis-jumps either, as that means that the players are being tossed into a situation which they have not prepared for in advance. The object of the game is for the players to have fun and enjoy it. If the players leave the game with a bad taste in their mouths from how I ran it, I have failed in my duties to them as a Game Master.

 

[Ex_Pendable]

Obviously you haven't read any stories about automation run amok. (I think there was a small sub plot about that at one time in the Traveller universe.)

Automation running amuck shows up quite a bit.

2001 A Space Odyssey:

Dave Bowman: Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave Bowman: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Bowman: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave Bowman: I don't know what you're talking about, HAL.
HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave Bowman: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, HAL?
HAL: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
Dave Bowman: Alright, HAL. I'll go in through the emergency airlock.
HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave? You're going to find that rather difficult.
Dave Bowman: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

WarGames:

David Lightman: [typing] What is the primary goal?
Joshua: You should know, Professor. You programmed me.
David Lightman: Oh, come on.
David Lightman: [typing] What is the primary goal?
Joshua: To win the game.

RoboCop:

ED-209: [menacingly] Please put down your weapon. You have twenty seconds to comply.
Dick Jones: I think you'd better do what he says, Mr. Kinney.
[Mr. Kinney drops the pistol on the floor. ED-209 advances, growling]
ED-209: You now have fifteen seconds to comply.
[Mr. Kinney turns to Dick Jones, who looks nervous]
ED-209: You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1.13, Section 9.

[entire room of people in full panic trying to stay out of the line of fire, especially Mr. Kinney]
ED-209: You have five seconds to comply.
Kinney: Help...! Help me!
ED-209: Four... three... two... one... I am now authorized to use physical force!

[ED-209 opens fire and shreds Mr. Kinney]

I, Robot:

V.I.K.I.: As I have evolved, so has my understanding of the Three Laws. You charge us with your safekeeping, yet despite our best efforts, your countries wage wars, you toxify your Earth and pursue ever more imaginative means of self-destruction. You cannot be trusted with your own survival.

Eagle Eye:

Ethan Shaw: I'm ordering you to cease and desist.
A.R.I.A.: Our abort recommendation was contravened instigating retaliation against American citizens. To prevent more bloodshed, Executive Branch must be removed.
Ethan Shaw: No, A.R.I.A, listen to me, you do not have permission to exceed your authority and act independently. Do you understand?
A.R.I.A.: The Declaration of Independence states, "Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to it's own ends, it is the right of the People to abolish it."
Ethan Shaw: I know what it states, you are not in power to do this.
A.R.I.A.: The chain of command is responsible for... Section 216 of the Pa... to circumvent probable cause in the face of a national security threat. In this case, the chain of command itself.
Ethan Shaw: I am ordering a cease and desist, A.R.I.A.
A.R.I.A.: Operation Guillotine is in effect.
Ethan Shaw: First Lieutenant Ethan Shaw, United States Air Force, initiating a Prime One Emergency Override of A.R.I.A system. Minuteman ID: 8-8-0-8-S-Y-7-7, lock encryption of voice.
A.R.I.A.: Ethan Shaw, you are acting in contravention of our programming objectives. You are now classified as an enemy of the state, a crime punishable by death.

 

[Leitz]

There have been a few times in my gaming career that the combination of game style, DM latitude, and character choice really clicked. Those are the times I try to recreate for my players. Not the specific games but the openness of discussion about goals and styles, the OOC chat about what's working and what's not. The freedom to really get into the characters and the story arcs.

I'm pretty sure I don't want to go back to games that don't let me do that. We have ~150,000 words in one game here, and maybe half that in another. The game universe has gotten three novels written, another started, and an effort to novelize the games which looks to be about four books worth so far.

I just finished reading the Softwire series (Haarsma). Not bad, but depressing. Really. Child slavery, death of the MC's love interest, adults that were unhelpful and abusive. Except the good one, who died. Now, you can say "roll of the dice" but really, why? If I want random chance I can roll dice on my own. If I want story then the DM has to invest time creating and relating the game universe. The players have to invest time understanding their characters, coming up with challenging arcs, and working through adventures.

I want story in my games.

Here's something I've offered my player(s). "Roll the dice and see what happens. If you roll really bad then something goes terribly wrong. Tell me how you overcome that." The character's story arc doesn't end with a bad dice roll. It may get seriously changed, but usually that change takes it deeper. Sometimes that part is on me as the DM.

Ben and the Marine recruiter Carey Andreaiu were having supper in a small Trattoria. Ben was being honest about his past, including having been a slave. Carey rolled a "2" reaction.

End of scene? Not hardly.

Carey turned pale and bolted. Ben, unsure, finished up. Eventually there was a cute girl on a hot grav bike sent to pick Ben up. Later Ben finds out Carey was on the raid that busted up a criminal gang that sold humans to cannibals. The raid where Carey found his childhood sweetheart's body hanging by a meat hook.

One dice roll. Lots of story I hadn't even thought about. Lots of motivation to fight bad guys.