CT Only: Questions related to campaign style of play

[jaz0nj4ckal]

It was only a short time ago that I found CT and was able to convince my 1st and 2nd edition AD&D group to play a few modules. CT is great because the system has a similar mechanics to D&D/AD&D (old school gaming). Somehow our group and I overlooked the game in the late 80s, or maybe we were just stuck in AD&D. We tried the Mongoose version, but it lacked the “old-school game feel”…maybe call us old…++laugh++.

Due to the latter, I am looking for suggestions on how to create a campaign style of play. Currently we have only played a few modules by FASA and some others (RPG drive though) downloads; however, I want to start something that will be on an epic scale.

Characters start at older ages then what I am accustom to, and have more established skills. Also, during our games I noticed that skills are not going to rise as often as they do in other games that I play.

Due to the latter, what are some tricks to make campaign style of play? Also, I have toyed around with the idea of limiting my PCs to 1-term career paths. This way I can give them the ability to create and build their character from an early age and still give that sense of improvement, but how would I handle time between the skills they learn and the age of the character?

I am open/looking for suggestions on how others handle these topics since I am starting my first massive campaign.

Thanks
JJ

 

[GypsyComet]

If you want to start them younger, consider using the Homeworld and Basic Training skills from Mongoose even if you are otherwise using Classic, so they still have a body of skills they are passable with instead of having one or two skills and a boatload of non-proficiencies, and will also be different from each other (unless they all come from the same career).

Starting young also means that the chance of starting with a ship is pretty slim unless you go heavy on the Scouts. Ship skills will also be pretty thin.

There are still ways to launch some pretty epic campaigns without a ship of their own, but if you are still going to call it a proper Space Opera, they'll need to travel eventually, and maybe frequently. This can be done with the right approach to Patrons ("Go to Feri and seek out a Vargr named Grzoukh. This envelope has a Medium Passage ticket to Feri for each of you. The "Hirstute Mermaid" leaves tomorrow. Be on it.") or by bending the Muster rolls to get everyone into a TAS membership.

You can also assume that there are Ferry services on some routes, hand your PCs a Modular Cutter with quarters for them all (it's a "Space RV") and let them book a spot with a Ferry when they need to move.

As for the campaign itself, that's really up to you and your players. With a little mobility and a Patron-dependent lifestyle, you can use a lot of the same campaign constructs used in fantasy, with the labels changed: jobs to lead them around the map, clues to the big plot here and there, a slow increase in available resources as their talents call for, and plenty of opportunities to get into trouble. Just remember that combat in Traveller is really deadly, and there are no Clerics.

how would I handle time between the skills they learn and the age of the character?

There are basic advancement rules in Classic, but you can also use the rules in Mongoose (at the very end of the Skills chapter). If you have characters with only 3 or 4 skill ranks, adding skill ranks will go quickly. This is one of the advantages of having a starship, in that downtime comes in week-long blocks.

 

[mike wightman]

You have to play the game for a very long time before you see character advancement in the D&D sense in Traveller. What you have to get your head around is that Traveller characters are already experienced due to their careers.

Instead of getting better skills or characteristics your players can expect their characters to:

get more money

get more fancy equipment

gain in influence

learn more hidden secrets about the setting.

For guidelines about a campaign there are a couple of options:

pick up one of the MgT campaigns (Aramis - the Traveller adventure, Secret of the Ancients, Pirates of Drinax) or look for some of the old CT stuff such as The Traveller Adventure, Adventure 1 Kinunir and Adventure 3 Twilight's Peak.

The reason i suggest the last two is the rumours section of each adventure which can be used to drive a campaign a lot more than the main adventure itself.

If you have the money available I would recommend you pick up the CT cd rom from FFE - every OTU CT adventure and double adventure ever. The double adventures have some real gems amongst them that can be used as interluded between main campaign events.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Like Mike said, Traveller is a bit different than D&D and the computer RPGs where characters keep improving their STR DEX and other characteristics and are constantly gaining new skills and abilities.

If you do want the D&D style, it can be done. Let us know if this is the area you want tips and suggestions.

If you want a more Traveller style campaign, You may need to work with the players to determine the best campaign design because there are numerous other ways.

For some, it's about the ship. Improving weapons, programs, drives. As the campaign progresses, getting a bigger and bigger ship. Operating multiple ships. Controlling a fleet of trade, pirate, or military ships.

For some, it's about the combat. Maybe with ships as above or personal. Fighting small skirmishes and as the campaign progresses the player gains better weapons and armor. They may start leading others. Fight larger and larger battles until the players actions eventually determine the outcome of an interplanetary war.

For some it's about a puzzle or problem that needs to be solved with ingenuity and not might. Political intrigue. As the campaign progresses, the characters may be working for, influencing, or even overthrowing the leaders of cities, planets, subsectors or the whole Imperium.

Players and characters are different. With Traveller, you may have a mix of the above as well as other things to provide everyone a campaign they will enjoy.

 

[JimMarn]

I was running 1e back in the early 1980s as well. Traveller definately has a different feel to it.

 

[Golan2072]

Like Mike said, Traveller is a bit different than D&D and the computer RPGs where characters keep improving their STR DEX and other characteristics and are constantly gaining new skills and abilities.

If you do want the D&D style, it can be done. Let us know if this is the area you want tips and suggestions.

If you want a more Traveller style campaign, You may need to work with the players to determine the best campaign design because there are numerous other ways.

For some, it's about the ship. Improving weapons, programs, drives. As the campaign progresses, getting a bigger and bigger ship. Operating multiple ships. Controlling a fleet of trade, pirate, or military ships.

For some, it's about the combat. Maybe with ships as above or personal. Fighting small skirmishes and as the campaign progresses the player gains better weapons and armor. They may start leading others. Fight larger and larger battles until the players actions eventually determine the outcome of an interplanetary war.

For some it's about a puzzle or problem that needs to be solved with ingenuity and not might. Political intrigue. As the campaign progresses, the characters may be working for, influencing, or even overthrowing the leaders of cities, planets, subsectors or the whole Imperium.

Players and characters are different. With Traveller, you may have a mix of the above as well as other things to provide everyone a campaign they will enjoy.

The main weakness of CT (or of most Traveller products for that matter) is that there is only a limited set of mechanics for "high level play", e.g. running your own corporation, running a fleet running an empire, colonizing planets... I'd love to see more mechanical support for that.

 

[GypsyComet]

The main weakness of CT (or of most Traveller products for that matter) is that there is only a limited set of mechanics for "high level play", e.g. running your own corporation, running a fleet running an empire, colonizing planets... I'd love to see more mechanical support for that.

Mongoose's Dilettante and Dynasty, T4's Pocket Empires, TNE's World Tamers Guide, CT's Striker and Trillion Credit Squadron...

 

[aramis]

Mongoose's Dilettante and Dynasty, T4's Pocket Empires, TNE's World Tamers Guide, CT's Striker and Trillion Credit Squadron...

TCS and PE are the step above that: governments.
Striker doesn't do anything of the sort. It's just minis rules.
Dilettante doesn't either - it does give some investment rules.
And WTH is focused exclusively on small colonial outposts.

 

[GypsyComet]

Striker discusses military budgets, which is why I included it.

The mid-level gap is the realm of boardgames more than RPGs, and Traveller is no longer engaged in the art of the boardgame.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

I want to thank everyone for participating in my discussion. I have gotten some ideas and starting to understand that character advancement in CT is not necessarily ‘stats increase’, but items, and role playing incentive.

thank you
JJ

 

[Golan2072]

TCS and PE are the step above that: governments.
Striker doesn't do anything of the sort. It's just minis rules.
Dilettante doesn't either - it does give some investment rules.
And WTH is focused exclusively on small colonial outposts.

TCS indeed covers government-level naval procurement. Striker covers some finances for mercenaries. PE is close to what I'd like to see but as Aramis has said it is quite high-level - when you actually control whole worlds (and is pretty complicated IIRC). Dark Nebula/Imperium are boardgames which cover the government level as well. WTH is about small colonies with a lot of details. The whole mid-level (i.e. running a corp, a merchant fleet, a crime syndicate, a mercenary unit) is not covered.

 

[aramis]

TCS indeed covers government-level naval procurement. Striker covers some finances for mercenaries. PE is close to what I'd like to see but as Aramis has said it is quite high-level - when you actually control whole worlds (and is pretty complicated IIRC). Dark Nebula/Imperium are boardgames which cover the government level as well. WTH is about small colonies with a lot of details. The whole mid-level (i.e. running a corp, a merchant fleet, a crime syndicate, a mercenary unit) is not covered.

WTH doesn't even cover the operating volume of the crated fabrication equipment, so it doesn't do hostile environment nor orbitals... a most annoying oversight.

 

[Limburger59]

Characters start at older ages then what I am accustom to, and have more established skills. Also, during our games I noticed that skills are not going to rise as often as they do in other games that I play.

Due to the latter, what are some tricks to make campaign style of play? Also, I have toyed around with the idea of limiting my PCs to 1-term career paths. This way I can give them the ability to create and build their character from an early age and still give that sense of improvement, but how would I handle time between the skills they learn and the age of the character?

I am open/looking for suggestions on how others handle these topics since I am starting my first massive campaign.

Thanks
JJ

In a D&D campaign you can have a mixed party grow and advance in levels together - in fact it is essential to have a mixed party (i.e. 3 fighters, a cleric, a mage, a thief, etc.) That is not possible in Traveller because of the different branches of service. The only way to have a "party" start out young and gain skills together is to have them all join the same service at 18 and try to manage them in a platoon/ship's crew as they serve and gain skills. I have heard of campaigns like that, but I don't see how it would work. The charts will send one character to OCS, another to garrison duty, one to Medical School, and another on a raid. If you direct the process yourself, how do you explain the entire party going to OCS and becoming officers, and then being reassigned to the same small unit- too many chiefs and not enough indians.

You could have every PC serve 4 terms in the same service, take the results without mustering out, and then assign them to the same ship; but I'll stick to the system as designed.

 

[ShapeShifter]

Also, during our games I noticed that skills are not going to rise as often as they do in other games that I play.

That's why I've instituted an incremental/decimal skill system. E.g.

Gun Cbt--0
Gun Cbt--0.5
Gun Cbt--1
Gun Cbt--1.5
Gun Cbt--2
Gun Cbt--2.5
Gun Cbt--3
Gun Cbt--3.5
Gun Cbt--4
Gun Cbt--4.5
Gun Cbt--5

If a PC has Gun Cbt--1.5, the first time that skill is used in the session he adds +1 to the throw, and the second time +2, and so on, in alternation. That way the curve is spread out a bit more and the jumps in-between are less startlingly abrupt.

 

[Supplement Four]

If a PC has Gun Cbt--1.5, the first time that skill is used in the session he adds +1 to the throw, and the second time +2, and so on, in alternation.

That seems to me to involve unnecessary bookkeeping. In the heat of battle...,"Did you throw +1 or +2 last time? I don't remember."

Or..what about in between battles. If the last shot a character takes is at +1, how do you remember that the next shot--the first shot of the next combat, whenever that is--will be at +2?

 

[Supplement Four]

Characters start at older ages then what I am accustom to, and have more established skills.

Yes, instead of starting a "Level 1", you are playing fleshed out individuals with years of background created through character generation.

Also, during our games I noticed that skills are not going to rise as often as they do in other games that I play.

Absolutely not. Skill improve at about the same rate as they do in character generation, which is one or two skills per four years.

Note the Experience system mimics the rate of advancement from chargen.

Also note that the Experience system is different than Chargen in that, at least with Gun Combat and Blade skills, your character benefits from improvement immediately--before learning is complete.

For example, straight out of character creation, a character can raise one blade and one gun combat skill by a skill level (if the appropriate throws are made). The character benefits from this skill increase immediately, yet the skill increases are not permanent. The character can play with the increased skill for 4 game years, at which point, the character can try to make them permanent, which takes another 4 game years (8 years total).

In practical terms, this means the character increases skills immediately but may not increase any other skills for 8 years (giving the character one new skill per four years).

Of course, other things can happen, too. The character can fail a roll or simply drop the training for the improved skill (which may be enforced by the Ref...say, if the character is put in prison on some world where he can't train). Then, the character must wait a year, at which point he can begin training two new combat skills.

Remember that no character can have a total of skill levels higher than the character's EDU + INT.

Also, EDU can be improved, too, but it can never be improved higher than INT. If your character is already at a point where his EDU is higher than his INT, then his EDU can no longer be improved.

Read the Experience chapter. There's other things that you can do.

Due to the latter, what are some tricks to make campaign style of play? Also, I have toyed around with the idea of limiting my PCs to 1-term career paths. This way I can give them the ability to create and build their character from an early age and still give that sense of improvement, but how would I handle time between the skills they learn and the age of the character?

Don't get hung up on character improvement. If you limit them to only 1 term, you are going way off the reservation as to how the game was intended.

Classic Traveller is not a game where character improvement is a reward. You have to find other ways to reward players, if that's what you want to do.

Try giving the players rewards in the form of equipment and loot and valuable information. Maybe a player wants a gauss rifle (from Book 4). Make them scarce, then reward a player at the appropriate time when he finds one.

Or, let the players get a headsup display that allows Night Vision and Infra Red--possibly even a targeting system that adds a +1 to hit (though be careful handing out too many pluses in combat as you'll break the system and your characters will never miss).

Don't be afraid to break or damage equipment either. Another reward will be fixing a damaged item or finding a very rare part (the manufacturer is three subsectors away, and there just are not parts for that...). Or, you can replace old items with new, different ones.

Besides material things, what else can give players? Information that they wouldn't otherwise have--maybe leading to new adventures.

Or maybe a Knighthood, if the cicumstances dictate.

A membership to the Traveller's Aide Society.

Improvement in their Vacc Suits: go from TL B to TL D.

You can even invent House rules: Maybe a point system like this-- Fate Points. Spending a Fate Point allows a player to re-throw a dice roll, picking the higher of the two (or, maybe rerolling, but making the character stick with whatever the second roll is).

Put on your thinking cap. As Ref, you know what excites your players--toys, roleplaying situations, mechanics like the Fate Point thing that I just made up--go with that.

I am open/looking for suggestions on how others handle these topics since I am starting my first massive campaign.

Have you thought about going to Traveller 20? The d20 based Traveller rule set? This seems like it might be more to your groups liking--at least more to what they are used to.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Yes, instead of starting a "Level 1", you are playing fleshed out individuals with years of background created through character generation.




Absolutely not. Skill improve at about the same rate as they do in character generation, which is one or two skills per four years.

Note the Experience system mimics the rate of advancement from chargen.

Also note that the Experience system is different than Chargen in that, at least with Gun Combat and Blade skills, your character benefits from improvement immediately--before learning is complete.

For example, straight out of character creation, a character can raise one blade and one gun combat skill by a skill level (if the appropriate throws are made). The character benefits from this skill increase immediately, yet the skill increases are not permanent. The character can play with the increased skill for 4 game years, at which point, the character can try to make them permanent, which takes another 4 game years (8 years total).

In practical terms, this means the character increases skills immediately but may not increase any other skills for 8 years (giving the character one new skill per four years).

Of course, other things can happen, too. The character can fail a roll or simply drop the training for the improved skill (which may be enforced by the Ref...say, if the character is put in prison on some world where he can't train). Then, the character must wait a year, at which point he can begin training two new combat skills.

Remember that no character can have a total of skill levels higher than the character's EDU + INT.

Also, EDU can be improved, too, but it can never be improved higher than INT. If your character is already at a point where his EDU is higher than his INT, then his EDU can no longer be improved.

Read the Experience chapter. There's other things that you can do.







Don't get hung up on character improvement. If you limit them to only 1 term, you are going way off the reservation as to how the game was intended.

Classic Traveller is not a game where character improvement is a reward. You have to find other ways to reward players, if that's what you want to do.

Try giving the players rewards in the form of equipment and loot and valuable information. Maybe a player wants a gauss rifle (from Book 4). Make them scarce, then reward a player at the appropriate time when he finds one.

Or, let the players get a headsup display that allows Night Vision and Infra Red--possibly even a targeting system that adds a +1 to hit (though be careful handing out too many pluses in combat as you'll break the system and your characters will never miss).

Don't be afraid to break or damage equipment either. Another reward will be fixing a damaged item or finding a very rare part (the manufacturer is three subsectors away, and there just are not parts for that...). Or, you can replace old items with new, different ones.

Besides material things, what else can give players? Information that they wouldn't otherwise have--maybe leading to new adventures.

Or maybe a Knighthood, if the cicumstances dictate.

A membership to the Traveller's Aide Society.

Improvement in their Vacc Suits: go from TL B to TL D.

You can even invent House rules: Maybe a point system like this-- Fate Points. Spending a Fate Point allows a player to re-throw a dice roll, picking the higher of the two (or, maybe rerolling, but making the character stick with whatever the second roll is).

Put on your thinking cap. As Ref, you know what excites your players--toys, roleplaying situations, mechanics like the Fate Point thing that I just made up--go with that.







Have you thought about going to Traveller 20? The d20 based Traveller rule set? This seems like it might be more to your groups liking--at least more to what they are used to.

Wow thanks for the ideas - I plan getting the thinking cap on for Sunday, and have a blast.

How do you monitor time or years after the character are created? Do you have a good "rule of thumb" for me?

Nah.... I'm not going to switch to d20 - I have always liked the d6 mechanics, and found a system I really like - just need some insight on how to run it, since we are just starting out.

 

[Supplement Four]

How do you monitor time or years after the character are created? Do you have a good "rule of thumb" for me?

I usually print out an Imperial Calendar. You can make one, or possibly find an electronic copy on the net.

I mark off days has they happen in the game. Weeks fly by while in jump. I'll also mark character birthdays and any time related notes (for example, the date a roll needs to be made for experience).

Nah.... I'm not going to switch to d20 - I have always liked the d6 mechanics, and found a system I really like - just need some insight on how to run it, since we are just starting out.

You're going to use a task system with CT and not go free-form? Which task system are you using?





EDIT: When considering perks to replace the character growth and experience in other rpgs, try to think of benefits to the PCs that are temporary. Equipment can be damaged or lost. That way, your characters don't get too powerful--you just end up rewarding them with replacement items, and the PC power level remains relatively the same.

I don't use any of these "growth" systems anymore, but I have in the past. These days, I just play CT as it is written, pretty much. It's not about character growth. It's about role playing a good story. CT is not a game that focuses on the mechanics of gradually improving a character each game session.

But, here's a good system that works well: I called it "Action Points". At the end of the game session, give each PC one "Action Point". This is a little tick mark the character can record next to the skill. Pick the skill that was the most useful for the character during the night's gaming session. APs can be put on stats, too, when characters makes purely stat based throws.

Whenever the skill or stat receives 5 or 10 APs (you decide on the appropriate number), those APs disappear, and the character is allowed to re-roll a task associated with that skill or stat. In other words, it costs 10 APs to get the re-roll power.

This works out to a decent system because it's not overpowering. It takes some bookkeeping, though. I used to have a box next to skills on the character sheet where APs would be recorded. Each night, the PC only gets one AP, so it does take a while for a single skill to wrack up 10 points. In my combat-heavy games, I found the combat skills being used a lot.

Then, in a firefight, when a character misses while firing at the Big Bad Guy, he can mark off 10 APs from his weapon skill and re-roll the shot.

I found this to be a pretty balanced, rewarding system.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

You're going to use a task system with CT and not go free-form? Which task system are you using?

After reading your posts, I was going to use your 68A rule or something along those lines.

 

[hdan]

After reading your posts, I was going to use your 68A rule or something along those lines.

I've used 68A in a few games, and I recommend it.

I've also used Mongoose Traveller's system, which is very much like the popular BITS Task System, which google finds quickly. I personally like 68A more than BITS, because to me it still feels like CT, though there's something to be said for a "Roll 8+, DM's for skills and stats".