The Other Service

[J Griggs]

Dear Fellow Travellers,

I really like the idea of the "other" service from Book 1 - particularly in regards to startown denizens, etc. - but in my campaign few seem willing to enter into that service without being drafted.

For players: How many of you have had success playing others?

For referees: Have you modified the other service in any way in your campaign(s), or do you leave it as written?

My apologies if this has been covered elsewhere on Citizens of the Imperium.

Best wishes,

J. Griggs.

 

[Nick H]

None of my players ever wanted to touch the Other service. There's no glamour to it: No, they all wanted to be Navy, Scouts and Marines.

The Other service was largely replaced by the Rogue service in MegaTraveller and Citizens of the Imperium. I would like to re-tool it using the MegaTraveller format with special duty and changing some of the skill options in line with MT. The interesting thing about the Other service is that you get an idea of what the character background is as you're generating it.

 

[rancke]

I did once think about doing a writeup of the Imperial Other Service, that mighty organization that receives one sixth of all draftees examined by the Imperial Draft Board, but it never got beyond a few vague speculations.

(I was also going to write up the Imperial Merchant Service, that mighty government-backed rival of the megacorporations, but that didn't get anywhere either.)


Hans

PS. Just in case it isn't clear: I don't believe that the game merchanic known as 'The Draft' is proof of any in-setting existence of an Imperial draft any more than it's evidence of the existence of the Imperial Other Service and the Imperial Merchant Service. Those two writeups were going to be satirical, April-issue type articles.

 

[Sir Brad]

I always assumed that "Merchants" could be anything from tramp freighters to Merchant Lines or Merchant Marine.

"Other" is my view is everything else from Shop Assistants, Mechanics, Clark, Cabbies, Dole Bludgeons various Ne-do-wells and criminals.

 

[pendragonman]

Dear Fellow Travellers,

I really like the idea of the "other" service from Book 1 - particularly in regards to startown denizens, etc. - but in my campaign few seem willing to enter into that service without being drafted.

For players: How many of you have had success playing others?

For referees: Have you modified the other service in any way in your campaign(s), or do you leave it as written?

My apologies if this has been covered elsewhere on Citizens of the Imperium.

Best wishes,

J. Griggs.

Others, strictly as others, I get as players only rarely. Most, instead of using "others" from book 1 choose a career from Supplement 4 "Citizen's of the Imperium"


Back in the early 80's I myself had plenty of successful other characters. Others, being less specialized, allowed for a wider range of adventure choices even though it meant I might not have actual ship skills or weapon skills.

 

[robject]

Until perhaps 30 seconds ago, I thought that "Other" generally meant the same thing as "Rogue".

Now I think that a referee could USE it flexibly. It could represent rogues, but also second-son nobility (or just plain nobility), and -- in the cthonic spirit of Classic Traveller -- as a catch-all for Entertainers, Authors, Agents, Citizens, Politicians, Researchers, what-have-you.

It's highly flexible. The DOWNSIDE is that there are no HINTS in the rules that say that "Other" characters tend to need a little more customized crafting than the other careers.

In fact, if those hints were there -- just a text paragraph, even, not more tables -- I think the product would be significantly improved.

 

[rancke]

Now I think that a referee could USE it flexibly. It could represent rogues, but also second-son nobility (or just plain nobility), and -- in the cthonic spirit of Classic Traveller -- as a catch-all for Entertainers, Authors, Agents, Citizens, Politicians, Researchers, what-have-you.

Here's one more table (Sorry, Robert ). It's one I made up to determine the profession of Imperial expatriates -- NPCs who have left the Imperial life and settled down on a member world for one reason or another (often that his money lasts longer there). It includes all the classic careers except 'Other' (Basic and CotI).

EXPATRIATES

 3 Barbarian 
 4 Belter
 5 Sailor
 6 Diplomat
 7 Bureaucrat
 8 Scout
 9 Navy
10 Rogue
11 Merchant
12 Army
13 Doctor
14 Marine
15 Scientist
16 Hunter
17 Flyer
18 Pirate 


Noble is not on the list. Ref's choice only.

It includes the five original not-Other careers (Army, Navy, Marine, Scout, Merchant), so for the purpose of diversifying the Other career you'd want to replace those five with some other careers. For MgT substituting the the Drifter career for the Merchant seems an obvious choice. I'm not sure what I'd choose for the four other ones.


Hans

 

[Condottiere]

Community Service and/or Peace Corps.

 

[rancke]

Community Service and/or Peace Corps.

Those are published Traveller careers?


Hans

 

[mike wightman]

If you had players like mine that had read the Stainless Steel Rat series then you could find quite a few who opt for other.

One change that is needed post '81 CT revision is to give 'Other' two skills per term like the Scout service grants in order to maintain parity with other careers.

 

[aramis]

At one point, I had a part of 4 others and a scout. Didn't last long - they botched a couple of less-than-legal patron encounters... TPK by the Employer.

 

[Meteoric Assault]

I always used the other as a NPC Generator.

 

[Kpeterson]

I don't use the Other service as-is. I use many of the Supp4 careers and add in a Drifter career inspired by Mongoose's version.

Drifter is basically a dumping ground for those that fail enlistment, can't establish a career in a civilian occupation, and fail to be the drafted.

 

[rancke]

I don't use the Other service as-is. I use many of the Supp4 careers and add in a Drifter career inspired by Mongoose's version.

Drifter is basically a dumping ground for those that fail enlistment, can't establish a career in a civilian occupation, and fail to be the drafted.

One could change the draft roll to 1-2 Military, 3-4 Solid job (like doctor and bureaucrat) and 5-6 Not-so-solid job, with further rolls for each result.


Hans

 

[robject]

One change that is needed post '81 CT revision is to give 'Other' two skills per term like the Scout service grants in order to maintain parity with other careers.

Good idea! <borrowed>

 

[J Griggs]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses.

One change that is needed post '81 CT revision is to give 'Other' two skills per term like the Scout service grants in order to maintain parity with other careers.

I like the way you think, Mike Wightman. I used to give other characters two skills per term back in the '80s, but play things by the book nowadays; I might consider changing things again.

Griggs.

 

[J Griggs]

At one point, I had a part of 4 others and a scout. Didn't last long - they botched a couple of less-than-legal patron encounters... TPK by the Employer.

Thank you, Aramis.

I'm thinking of running an adventure where the party consists entirely of other characters who work and/or live inside a startown and have never been off-world (or at least not out-of-system). I have a feeling they may end up fracturing the law in one or two places...

Griggs.

 

[aramis]

Thank you, Aramis.

I'm thinking of running an adventure where the party consists entirely of other characters who work and/or live inside a startown and have never been off-world (or at least not out-of-system). I have a feeling they may end up fracturing the law in one or two places...

Griggs.

76 Patrons has all kinds of fun hooks suitable for those who "aim to misbehave"...

 

[Genegeorge]

Dregs.

Other really = Imperial Dregs.

Other as written fits in way better for a super-orthodox old school Low to No Empire CT game that is all Dumarest of Terra/ Wages of Fear style grubbing in the dirt. Not a game with Ex-Navy Admirals/Soc F minor Nobles/Army Lt. Col's/ Merchant Free Trader Owners floating around. Unless those Grandees are Foes or Patrons who are standing on the necks/ holding the leashes of folks like 1 term Ex-Other (downport thug) Jaan Dhoe, 22 745334 Brawling-1 Streetwise-1 cr1000. Jaan doesn't stand a chance.

Sure they try and say (paraphrased) "an Other might be an undercover agent and NOT a criminal" or "a civilian occupation" but less than 1/2 (only 10 out of 24) of the skills are "productive" (non-vice/violence) civilian skills, and one (-1 soc) is the only stat drain on any table of any CT career. So unless Law Enforcement Agents are so despised and underpaid in the Imperium all Others are probably some kind of criminal/marginal person. In a system where you can end up in a pinch-toe box before you even start adventuring Other is the only "service" that can kick you for rolling a 6 on Table 1. Oh yeah, AND no retirement pay.

Rogues from S4 can GAIN +1 Soc on Muster Out for crying out loud. AND get TAS memberships!

I've been roiling up CTraveller characters and NPCs lately just for fun and I tend to choose the Other for folks who roll, let us euphemistically say, less than average. Those that the Army won't even take that is.

As for picking Other as a player that -1 Soc on table 1 and the one skill/term thing are sad making. Also the 1/6 chance of not getting squat on the mustering out benefits table. I played a "draftee" Other at some point in the misty past, but not by choice. If I recall I ditched out after Term 1 to try and save myself for Psionics.

Oddly I now want to run an Other "Imperial Dregs" campaign, or play in one.

 

[J Griggs]

Thank you once again, Aramis. 76 Patrons. I have fond memories of Supplement 6, but haven't picked it up in many long years; you have inspired me to revisit it...

Thanks again also, Genegeorge. What you have written reminds me of low level thief characters in the classic version of a well-known fantasy RPG: they are fun and challenging to play none-the-less, although sometimes require a little more role-playing.

Happy Sixday everyone!

Griggs.