random characters?

[Daddicus]

When my group played our adventures, we noticed that there were frequently times when only one or two people had anything to do, and other times when several could do the task, but one was clearly better at it.

In other words, the random nature of assigning skills left a hodge-podge of characters.

My son and I talked about it, and we think the reason is because character creation is unfocused. In other words, if you want to be an engineer, you roll on the skill column with engineer in it, and hope you roll the right number.

In real life, you target a skill and when you're done training, you "have" that skill.

So, we wanted a system where players could tune their characters to be what they wanted, yet still have a measure of randomness to it.

So, we thought that characters would begin to "learn the system" while being generated, and thus should have higher odds of getting what they targeted the more time they've been rolling on that table.

So, instead of picking a column and rolling a six-sider, they would roll a number of six-siders, based on how many previous times they've rolled on that column.

Using Scout as an example, let's say our hero wants to be very good at survival. So, he chooses to roll on column 4 Exploration. This has

1. Survey
2. Survival
3. Hostile Environment
4. Animals
5. Vacc Suit
6. Navigation

Our hero wants #3, but he rolls a six and gets navigation.

Then he gets to roll two dice and pick his favorite. The number keeps going up, and is tracked by the column. Eventually, he should roll a 3, but he continues to add dice to the rolls as long as he keeps rolling on that table.

So, it keeps a measure of randomness in the system, but also allows a character to tailor his character better.

The same system would be used on all the columns, but the number of dice he gets to roll is tracked by column. Another option is to allow the starting number of dice be 2 when rolling on a different column (in the same profession). After all, processes don't change THAT much between divisions.

What are your thoughts?

 

[coliver988]

I was not quite following that procedure. Sounds like you keep rolling until you get what you want, so that excludes the randomness. But I am pretty sure I did not follow what you were doing.

What I do is let them roll then pick the table - still random but a bit more player-decided as to what they pick up.

And there are always various point-buy systems (which I personally don't like as I actually enjoy getting a random character and watching the PC grow over the terms. It makes for instant back story. Just like getting my players to follow a game - things always go left when you expect right!).

 

[kilemall]

I think a good mix between fortuna and choice is roll the number, then the player chooses the desired skill/stat from the tables available to the character.

Not my idea, read it here.

 

[Fovean]

What I do is let them roll then pick the table - still random but a bit more player-decided as to what they pick up.

Same here, been doing it forever. I also allow players to organize stat rolls as they see fit.

 

[coliver988]

Same here, been doing it forever. I also allow players to organize stat rolls as they see fit.

I let them make 1 extra roll & let them replace whichever stat they want. If they roll low it does not help. I've got the RPGSuite character generator that does as you describe - it makes the 6 rolls and you can pick which stat gets which roll. It also allows you to re-roll the entire set twice more, so you may get lucky. Or not...(I have it set to allow the Psion roll so I sneak in the extra roll that way)

I've read somewhere here some allow to roll 3D and keep the best 2 as well (sort of like MG2e boon roll). Not my thing but everyone has a different way they want to play.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

It all comes down to players liking random chargen or not. Some Traveller rules use point-buy instead.

 

[aramis]

It all comes down to players liking random chargen or not. Some Traveller rules use point-buy instead.

None of the "main lines"... only third party licenses.

 

[robject]

Our games vary based on what the players want.

I'm an experienced Traveller referee (multiple versions), so I know how to give them more or less rope. That sort of advice would be helpful to set down in a Referee's Handbook.

 

[Daddicus]

Sorry, I wasn't clear.

This idea applies to acquiring skills during terms of service in whatever profession they're doing. From the 5.09 PDF, I'm using table C on page 59 (column 4) for my example.

The idea is that when you roll on the table, each time you roll you roll one more die. You still only get one skill per roll, but you get to choose from amongst multiple dice rolled on that column.

So, roll 1 is as normal, completely random.

But, the second time s/he rolls on that table/column, s/he rolls two dice, and chooses which one s/he wants. Third time, three dice. It keeps going up the more times s/he rolls (but, still the player only gets one of the results).

In the example, I only used one roll, which certainly led to some confusion. So, here I'll use several.

First roll is a six, and the character gets Navigation.

Second roll is two dice, a two (Survival) and a five (Vacc Suit). Survival is what s/he was targeting, so s/he chooses to use the two and discard the five.

Still wanting better survival, s/he rolls three dice on table 4, resulting in a one (Survey), a three (Hostile Env), and a six (Navigation). S/he chooses to use the six to get another Navigation point.

Etc.

The idea is that the character learns the system, and gets better at targeting the skill s/he wants, but still not 100%. One thing I HAVEN'T figured out is whether some part of this "learning the system" applies to any other columns.

I like some of those other ideas, too.

 

[coliver988]

Now I get it. I like it and will have to try that technique.

 

[David Johansen]

The correct answer is hire people who have the skills you lack.

That's why Mongoose Traveller's skill packages that ensure you have the skills you need drive me up the wall.

The whole point of Traveller is that you can't do everything by yourself. You need other people to do things. Even a hyper competent merchant captain can't fix dinner, fly the ship, and plot a course for jump at the same time.

 

[Thot]

None of the "main lines"... only third party licenses.

You can easily port that rule over to your favorite flavor, though.

 

[coliver988]

The correct answer is hire people who have the skills you lack.

That's why Mongoose Traveller's skill packages that ensure you have the skills you need drive me up the wall.

The whole point of Traveller is that you can't do everything by yourself. You need other people to do things. Even a hyper competent merchant captain can't fix dinner, fly the ship, and plot a course for jump at the same time.

Having done that for that last game, and having to run half a dozen NPCs, made my life as a referee a bit more complicated. Doable, just juggling a bit. Of course I only had 2 players, one was a scientist and the other missed the survival roll after 1 term with a major injury, so the players already had a dearth of skills for actual traveling.

The 0-level skills, to me and from what I've been understanding from a few other perspectives, are more background skills to help flesh out a character a bit, and just negate the negative DM, no positive DMs get applied.

And in the end, it is the game you want to play. I've found that most groups I game with want the power characters who can't get hurt or engage in any meaningful character development, and that does throw me off. Which is why I do prefer the more random character generation that does limit the skill set: it means I have to play the character, warts and all, and just can't be the Mary Sue some players seem to prefer.

 

[khadaji2002]

The correct answer is hire people who have the skills you lack.

That's why Mongoose Traveller's skill packages that ensure you have the skills you need drive me up the wall.

The whole point of Traveller is that you can't do everything by yourself. You need other people to do things. Even a hyper competent merchant captain can't fix dinner, fly the ship, and plot a course for jump at the same time.

If the group is okay with this (and I stress the if), I as a GM then have to run several NPCs with those skills and juggle NPC skill interactions while trying to avoid taking over the game. Which I've had happen as both GM (I was a beginner and learned a lot of 'don't do that' items) and as a player (the GM seemed to be having fun, but booorrrrrriiiinnng for the rest of us). I like both of the ideas mentioned above as ways to help a player get the character they're aiming for without eliminating randomness. Roll the die, then pick which table to choose from, or get an extra die to roll for each term spent in that career, choosing which die from the pool.

I'm stealing both ideas and running!