CT Only: Teenagers exposed to Classic Traveller for the first time

[Supplement Four]

Slight build? His max carry load isn't enough to carry a 1-month old infant. He's got roughly the strength of a 6-year old. He's a liability in any fight, can't fight worth anything hand-to-hand and can't shoot anything heavier than a handgun with any decent chance of hitting. He's the sage that you bring along for the knowledge but who you struggle to protect during the fighting.

Traveller's the most forgiving game I've ever seen for character scores, but 2 is definitely a trial.

Actually, it pretty well DOES mean that he's crippled. May still be HEALTHY, but he's definitely also physically disabled to a great degree. He can't even use a dagger effectively. (That requires a 4+, and the penalty is shown as DM-2 on TTB 44.) He can't carry a military load (he's reduced to Str 0 by >4 KG - 11 pounds, not counting clothing). He can't carry a bag with CT Bks 1-8, sups 1-12, and adventures 0-13. Yep, he can't carry a complete set of Traveller.

My grandmother, while dying of cancer, could still walk with a gallon of milk in and a big plate of cookies. A Str 2 character cannot.

No, you guys aren't interpreting the rules correctly.

First off, Load only pertains to relevant items only. You don't count clothing, even if we're talking about heavy winter clothing and a bear skin cloak, with big, heavy leather boots. You wouldn't count a heavy pilot's helmet. You don't count personal armor, and some of that armor can get quite bulky and heavy. And, you don't count incidentals and minor items like scabbards, holsters, belts, etc.

What you do count is the character's major adventuring equipment. You'd count his weapon and ammo, rations, any tools like a communicator--things like that.

So, right there, a STR 2 character can carry a big plate of cookies and a gallon of milk just as easily as anybody else, and he can easily carry a 1-month old infant, like most people can. And, STR has nothing to do with Gun Combat in CT. He can shoot just as well as anybody else with the same DEX.



Now, just about any amount of adventuring equipment is going to encumber him. But, what does that really mean?

It's going to make his hit points smaller by 3 points (1 each to STR, DEX, and END), but that's it.

He gets one less round before the weakened blow modifier kicks in for Brawling, because his END is one less due to encumbrance. No big deal.

His Brawling penalty remains the same as it was when his STR was 2.

And, if he's in the military, he can carry up to 6 kg's of relevant equipment (You can't lower a stat lower than 1 due to Load), which is about average for a human).



So, this STR 2 character is not at all crippled or handicapped. He's just got some negatives due to his weak physique.

There's a STR 2 military character in 1001 Characters. Check out page 5, number 68 in the Navy. 25ABA7. He's a very viable character. He's not crippled in any way.

You want to see a STR 2 character? It's this guy...

Jeremy Davies in Saving Private Ryan 1

Jeremy Davies in Saving Private Ryan 2

Jeremy Davies in Saving Private Ryan 3

 

[aramis]

S4 - you're ignoring the letter of the rules in favor of your otherwise unsupportable assertion.

It's far more consistent to say that the 3I doesn't require nearly as much physical fitness as the current military. A Str 2 character can't carry two gallons of milk. (At eff str 0, characters can't move). He can barely do a standing lift of 20kg, and even with the 2:1 advantage of the front leaning rest, can't do a pushup. He's disabled.

 

[Supplement Four]

S4 - you're ignoring the letter of the rules in favor of your otherwise unsupportable assertion.

I am not. In fact, it is you who are mis-reading the rule. Re-read the section on weight, page 37, of TTB.

A Str 2 character can't carry two gallons of milk. (At eff str 0, characters can't move).

As I said above (you must have skimmed), per the rules, you cannot reduce STR to 0 because of weight. The only way STR can be reduce to 0 is by Aging or Wounds. That's on page 17 of TTB.

Therefore, a STR 2 character, when carrying more than 2 kgs, will have his STR reduced (and DEX and END) by 1 point.

There's a STR 2 military character in 1001 Characters. Check out page 5, number 68 in the Navy. 25ABA7. He's a very viable character. He's not crippled in any way.

This Navy character, from 1001 Characters, will typically be considered to have these stats when he carries more than 2 kgs of equipment.

149BA7

And, since he's in the Navy, he can carry a triple load (being a military character), any time he carries more than 4 kgs of relevant equipment, his stats will be:

138BA7

In addition, these lowered stats are only used for computing wounds and unconsciousness--nothing else.

For ever other application, the character is considered to have full stats. That's on page 37 of TTB.

He can barely do a standing lift of 20kg, and even with the 2:1 advantage of the front leaning rest, can't do a pushup. He's disabled.

You are reading the Weight rules incorrectly. Those rules are there to limit equipment a character can carry, not give an exact amount of weight a character can lift, carry, or pull (though I do remember MT going into this with multiples of STR score...that's not a CT rule, though).

Notice (as I said in the other post), the weight rule speaks to relevant equipment.



Don't think I'm correct (other than the text backing me up on the page numbers I've cited)?

Consider this. We all know that a strong Navy Seal can carry one of his downed teammates across his shoulders. Let's say that the downed teammate is 150 lbs, plus 50 lbs of extra equipment. 200 lbs.

Are you telling me that it takes a Traveller character with STR 30 to carry a downed comrade? (30 kg x triple load = about 200 lbs).

Heck no.

That's because the Weight rules in the game are not absolute. They're there to manage equipment carried on characters--not give a hard total on how much weight a character can carry.

This is way a STR 2 character is not an invalid as you seem to think he is.

In fact, a STR 2 character is more like what I've said. He's a slight character--slim, and fairly weak compared to the average man. But, he's not an invalid. He has no problem carrying two gals. of milk. He doesn't need a wheel chair or anything like that.

He's just a small, weak, dude. And, evidently, somewhere around 1-in-36 people are like this in the Traveller universe (not counting improvement through chargen). You could easily say that 1 out of every 36 18 year old males in the Traveller universe have STR 2.

A character with STR 2 could carry his 200 lb buddy on his shoulders, but when he does so, he's considered STR 1 and -2 to DEX and END while carrying him (for wounding/unconscious purposes only).

 

[Baron]

Kudos, S4.

Although I would never go into that much detail. RPGs are a vehicle whereby we may adventure. We should use however much crunch is fun for our group. But it isn't hard to carry any aspect to an extreme that it cannot support. These artificial constructs are just that. They will never cover every extreme, every eventuality.

 

[mike wightman]

S4 is right.

 

[rancke]

Notice (as I said in the other post), the weight rule speaks to relevant equipment.

But milk and cookies ARE relevant equipment. It says so right there on p. 37. Rations are counted in the weight limit.


Hans