Has anyone done anything to bring Supplement 4 character creation in line with CT Books 4 through 7?
Here's what you have to remember...
You
CAN use characters from both Basic and Advanced character generation methods in the same campaign
IF you enforce the
Hard Survival Rule.
In other words, if a character blows a Survival roll, he's dead. Start Over. That character is finito.
Those players who choose to use Advanced chargen have characters that as subject to many more (up to 400% more!) Survival Throws. Plus, these characters usually have to roll to see if they can obtain a skill.
Players who go with the Basic chargen method will be subject to a lot less situations where their character may die, and at least one skill per term is guarranteed.
Enforce that Survival Rule, and follow the rules as written (submit to the draft if enlistment is bricked--stuff like that), and you'll end up with characters that are all about the same no matter which chargen method you use.
But...you have to follow the rules as written, and you can't fudge on the Survival Rule. If you do, then you will have your Advanced characters with many more skills than your Basic characters.
It's the increased number of chances that will make you discard that character that is the balancing factor between the two systems.
For example, a player may want to play a Marine. He rolls enlistment and makes it. He's got what he wants.
But, if you don't enforce the Draft rule (miss enlistment, then you have to submit to the draft), then the player is not so afraid of the Surivival throws. Even if you are enforcing the Hard Survival Throw, he may be careless with his decisions because, if this character dies, he'll just roll up another Marine.
But, enforce the rules as written, and it's a whole new ballgame.
The player wants to play a Marine. He rolls and enlists! Now, he's picky about his chargen choices because, if this character dies, he may not be playing a Marine.
I've studied and studied the Traveller chargen systems, and they are intricate rules systems. Change one thing (like not enforcing the draft or not enforcing the Hard Survival Rule), and the entire system alters delivering results that you may not want.
BTW, I've done (and others have done) some intense statistical analysis on many of the Advanced Careers. And, to our chagrin, the average chance of obtaining skills with an Advanced Character typically (there is some variance) is about the same as the career's counter part in Basic Chargen. Chance of Death is about the same (lower numbers rolled up to four times per term or higher number rolled once per term).
Tell your players that you are enforcing all the chargen rules as written, and I think you'll be pleased with the outcome of your game.
