CT Only: Skills And The Classic Traveller

[Supplement Four]

I wrote a couple of posts recently (namely THIS ONE and THIS ONE TOO) that made me think that players new to Classic Traveller might benefit by being clued in on some of the game's nuances.

Let's talk a little bit about skills in the Classic Traveller game. In no particular order, I'll go over a few points--some things being obvious, others items not so much.







Skills Listed On The Character's Sheet:

In many games, every skill possible is listed on the character's sheet. Take most d20 games, for example. Every skill in those games are listed on the sheet, and the player can easily see the character's expertise in each area. By contrast, only the skills where a character excels is shown on the Classic Traveller character sheet. The character has other skills that he can use for which he as no bonus modifier.

Example Character: On page 157 of The Traveller Book are listed nine pre-generated characters. For the sake of this example, I'm going to use #2, which is a 26 year old Marine who served two terms:

Marine 95C689
AutoPistol-1, Cutlass-2

Now, is this all the character can do? Is he only skilled with an AutoPistol and a Cutlass and completely useless at any other type of task in the game?

No. That's silly. This is quite a capable character that can easily excel, mechanically, in the game.

Default Skills: The first thing that is not listed on the character's sheet are the default skills that all characters get. See page 29 of TTB. If we add in all of those skills, then the Marine's resume blossoms into this:

Marine 95C689
AutoPistol-1, Cutlass-2, Air/Raft-0, ATV-0, Forward Observer-0, Steward-0, Vacc Suit-0, Brawling-0, Body Pistol-0, Revolver-0, Carbine-0, Rifle-0, AutoRifle-0, Shotgun-0, SMG-0, Laser Carbine-0, Laser Rifle-0, Club-0, Dagger-0, Blade-0, Foil-0, Sword-0, Broadsword-0, Bayonet-0, Spear-0, Halberd-0, Pike-0, Cudgel-0

The paragraph on Default Skills, there on page 29 of TTB, can also be interpolated with the Ref awarding a Level-0 skill to a character because it "makes sense". Background and Homeworld skills grew out of this thinking in later editions of the game. Thus, if our Marine, above, was born on, or stationed on, a waterworld, then awarding him Watercraft-0 might be appropriate.







But, is that all?

Nope. Note that the Marine above does not have the Medic skill, but on many tasks, skill is not required. If a skill is not required, it's the same as having a default skill for that task.

So, even though this character does not have Medic skill, he can easily attempt to make the 5+ throw required to bring a passenger out of low berth. And, he's not bad at it. In fact, there's only a 1 point difference between this Marine attempting the task and a character with Medic-2 or better skill.

In other words, this Marine, with no Medical training at all, needs a 5+ throw to bring a passenger out of low berth, while a doctor, with Medical-5 skill, needs a 4+. Pretty close.

This type of task in the game makes characters with no skill very useful in a number of areas and a number of types of throws.







Let's keep going.

One set of rules in the game that is often overlooked are the character Experience rules. Straight out of character generation, a player can use the (page 103 TTB) Weapon Expertise rule. This allows the player to IMMEDIATELY pick one gun combat and one blade combat skill to IMMEDIATELY raise that skill by one level. It's true. Read the rule.

Thus, our character that came out of chargen looking like this:

Marine 95C689
AutoPistol-1, Cutlass-2

Can be immediately customized to look like this (if the appropriate roll is made):

Marine 95C689
AutoPistol-1, Cutlass-2, SMG-1, Dagger-1

That, right there, plus what I've discussed above about Default Skills and tasks that do not require skill, shows us a well-rounded character that is capable in many areas.







Interpolation and Combined Skills: Book 4 - MERCENARY introduces the concept of combined skills to the game--a skill that serves as two or more skills. For example, the Pistol skill from Book 4 provides a single skill to represent expertise with an AutoPistol and a Revolver. In Book 5 - HIGH GUARD, there is a Handgun skill that includes AutoPistols, Revolvers, and Snub Pistols.

Precedent is set for this type of skill in the basic game Creating New Skills on page 29 of TTB and in the Interpolation responsibility of the Referee (referencing dice on page 16 of TTB but expanded to the entire game in Loren Wiseman's one of the game's designers From The Management article in JTAS #2).

The Classic Traveller game promotes a creative, strong Referee. It is not a game (as some more modern games--especially d20--have come to be) where every conceivable rule is presented for the Ref. In Classic Trav, the Ref is truly the master of his universe. Thus, if it makes sense that combined skills should be used in Classic Traveller games, then follow the examples presented in Book 4 and beyond and use them!

What I do in my personal game is enforce the Interpolation directive by ruling that, if a weapon is similar in operation to another, then the character can use the other weapon at one level lower. This is not unlike the relationship between the Pilot skill and the Ship's Boat skill (or the relationship among some of the Vehicle skills).

Our Marine, above, has Cutlass-2. This means that I would allow the character to pick up a sword and use it as if the character had Sword-1 expertise.

Remember the Maximum Skills rule on page 29 of TTB, which says that no character can have more total skill levels than the sum of his INT and EDU. But, this, of course, does not count towards expanded skills. If a character has the Pistol skill, allowing him to use both AutoPistols and Revolvers at the same skill level, that Pistol skill is counted as one skill at its current level (you don't double it to account for both types of handguns). And, with my interpolation rule, just because the Marine has Cutlass-2, and I would allow the character to use a sword as if the character had Sword-1, we only count the 2 levels in cutlass towards the character's Maximum Skills.







Just which skills cannot be used without expertise?

None. All of the skills in the basic game can be used by a character who does not have expertise in the skill. Now, there may be a hefty penalty to attempting the task, but the attempt can be made. Which skills cite a penalty for no expertise?

Administration
Bribery
Forward Observer (and this is a default skill!)
Streetwise

That's it. Just those four skills. So, it is up to the Ref to implement penalties (or make the target numbers unattainable without bonuses) when he sees fit. And, instead of a blanket rule for this, such as, "There will always be a -4 penalty on those trying to pilot a starship without skill," I suggest taking the situation on a case by case basis. This is where the CT Ref shines. Our Marine, above, from the waterworld, is from a fairly high tech environment, used to piloting vehicles, and has spent much time in surface-to-orbit launches to the world's orbiting starport. Maybe the Ref doesn't penalize this character for no skill. He let's him roll raw dice. But, a like character from a TL 4 agrarian planet, would suffer a -4 penalty on the same task.

 

[Bob Weaver]

May I also suggest the concept of nearest-related-skill. I recall a while back there was a discussion thread about Navy characters being trained in firefighting operations aboard ship. My take on that was, what's the nearest skill in the existing skills list for which you could make a case for firefighting "skill"? Mechanical? Engineering? maybe. If the referee wants, he can allow a DM on a task to control a ship fire based on these skills.
Alternately, if the player can spin a good story about why his character has experience fighting fires, who cares if there's a formal skill for it? That's way too pigeonholed for me. Just take the story and run with it - let the player roll for success!
I remind my players all the time that they can try doing anything - the skills on their sheet only indicate what they're best at.

 

[Supplement Four]

May I also suggest the concept of nearest-related-skill. I recall a while back there was a discussion thread about Navy characters being trained in firefighting operations aboard ship. My take on that was, what's the nearest skill in the existing skills list for which you could make a case for firefighting "skill"? Mechanical? Engineering?

Yes, that's a good point. I think the Ref should refrain from making a skill for everything under the sun. Classic Traveller already has skills that bump into each other: If you've got Pilot-2, you are treated as having Ship's Boat-1. If you've got the Pistol skill from Book 4, then you have AutoPistol and Revolver at the same skill level. The AutoPistol skill from Book 1, the Pistol skill from Book 4, and the Handgun skill from Book 5 are all separate skill, but they all overlap a bit.

When a task comes up that needs a roll, I suggest that the Ref should first try hard to shoe-horn that task into an existing skill before creating a whole new skill for whatever task is at hand.

Sensors is a good example. There is no skill for it in the basic game (LBB 1, TTB, ST). If a Ref needs to simulate a throw of the ship's sensors to see if the pirates are detected hiding in a Gas Giant's atmosphere as the ship approaches to skim fuel, how is that supposed to happen?

When I need a sensors check, I rely on the Navigator. His job is all about reading sensors and interpreting data, therefore, Navigation-1 is as good as having Sensors-1, in my game. (Check out my CT Sensors Rules, linked in my sig.)

Gunnery is also a skill that relies primarily on sensor operation, so, in my game, the Gunnery skill can be used for ship's sensors at one level lower. Gunner-2 is like having Sensors-1.

Cases can be made for other skills that pop up in other supplements, like Recon, Survey and the like.






From THIS PAGE of my CT Sensor rules:

POST Five - Sensor Operation.



Sensor Ops is the skill denoting expertise in operating sensors and interpreting readings. There are several Traveller skills that provide expertise in sensor operation, but GMs may wish to consider replacements on character generation tables with the actual Sensor Ops skill.

Sensor Ops
================================
Navigation at same skill level
Pilot at skill minus one
Ship's Boat at skill minus one
Gunnery at skill minus two
Recon at skill minus one
Survey at same skill level

Thus, a ship's navigator with Navigation-2 is considered to also have Sensor Ops-2. A gunner, on the other hand, with Gunnery-3, is considered to have Sensor Ops-1. And, a small craft pilot, with Ship's Boat-0, is also considered to have Sensor Ops-0.

May I also suggest the concept of nearest-related-skill. I recall a while back there was a discussion thread about Navy characters being trained in firefighting operations aboard ship. My take on that was, what's the nearest skill in the existing skills list for which you could make a case for firefighting "skill"? Mechanical? Engineering?

Another, very "CT" way to handle this is to not use a skill at all. Just about anybody can use a firehose, or hit the button for the auto-fire jets that pop out of the ceiling. Make it a 2D for X or better throw, and throw in a modifier of +1 if INT 10+....or something like that.

You don't always need to reference skill.

As with the low berth example. It's a 5+ throw to pull someone out of low berth. No skill needed. Something like firefighting could certainly fall into a category like this.

 

[rancke]

My take back in the day was that a) CT skill lists weren't nearly bloated enough and b) that better rules for default skills were needed. This eventually caused me to develop my own house rules with skills running from 0-20+ and skill resolution involving D20s.


Hans

 

[manley_t]

Another, very "CT" way to handle this is to not use a skill at all......Make it a 2D for X or better throw, and throw in a modifier of +1 if INT 10+

I do exactly that. The skills are only for things that "stand out" with the character. They can all drive unless they're from a really low tech world, or a super high tech world (public transport). They can all operate a hand computer (hell, look at our kids today with tablets and smartphones). The skill isn't for doing normal stuff, just doing something under stress or extra-ordinary. You can run a game and not have the character's make a skill roll at all, and yet still have them roll to get an 8+ on something they want to do.

I look at the 8+ as the default roll for anything that you'd want to do in D20 (i.e. like spot, search, sneak, hear a noise, climb a wall, etc...).

 

[tim_manley]

I do exactly that. The skills are only for things that "stand out" with the character. They can all drive unless they're from a really low tech world, or a super high tech world (public transport). They can all operate a hand computer (hell, look at our kids today with tablets and smartphones). The skill isn't for doing normal stuff, just doing something under stress or extra-ordinary. You can run a game and not have the character's make a skill roll at all, and yet still have them roll to get an 8+ on something they want to do.

I look at the 8+ as the default roll for anything that you'd want to do in D20 (i.e. like spot, search, sneak, hear a noise, climb a wall, etc...).

BTW I'm also manley_t... apparently I set up a different account on my home box than my work one without realizing it... go figure...

...shakes head....

 

[Supplement Four]

My take back in the day was that a) CT skill lists weren't nearly bloated enough and b) that better rules for default skills were needed. This eventually caused me to develop my own house rules with skills running from 0-20+ and skill resolution involving D20s.


Hans

I like the disparity of the different skill from different books. It's a big universe out there, and different people are trained differently, learning from different sources.

Take the AutoPistol/Pistol/Handgun skills I've referenced from Books 1, 4, and 5. I don't have a problem at all with all three of them in my game.

A character with AutoPistol-2 has primarily just used the autopistol in his training (although, as I say in a previous post, I would allow this character to pick up a revolver and use it as if he had Revolver-1, one level lower).

Then, there's the Mercs. They've got more extensive training. So, I've got no problem with one character having just the AutoPistol-2 skill, and a Mercenary having Pistol-2, allowing the Merc to use both the AutoPistol and the Revolver at level 2.

Those Navy guys train like that mercs, but they also use Snub Pistols a lot, thus, the Handgun skill.

The overlap makes the world a bit messy and realistic. I like it.

I've also go no problem allowing a Marine using Book 1 chargen picking Combat Rifleman as his Gun Combat skill. But, I'll only do this if the Marine's background fits.

 

[rancke]

I like the disparity of the different skill from different books. It's a big universe out there, and different people are trained differently, learning from different sources.

Take the AutoPistol/Pistol/Handgun skills I've referenced from Books 1, 4, and 5. I don't have a problem at all with all three of them in my game.

A character with AutoPistol-2 has primarily just used the autopistol in his training (although, as I say in a previous post, I would allow this character to pick up a revolver and use it as if he had Revolver-1, one level lower).

Then, there's the Mercs. They've got more extensive training. So, I've got no problem with one character having just the AutoPistol-2 skill, and a Mercenary having Pistol-2, allowing the Merc to use both the AutoPistol and the Revolver at level 2.

Those Navy guys train like that mercs, but they also use Snub Pistols a lot, thus, the Handgun skill.

The overlap makes the world a bit messy and realistic. I like it.

So do I. In my system skills could be as broad or as narrow as you liked. Broad skills just took more training to improve.

But isn't that sort of thing the very epitome of skill bloat? Instead of 'Firearm' you have 'Handgun' and 'Autopistol' and 'Revolver' and 'Combat Rifleman' and so on and so forth?

Not that I mind skill bloat, mind you. I approve of it (within limits). Makes for greater realism as you say.


Hans