The Silurian hypothesis

[aramis]

I could see limiting Edu to TL, but then TL becomes a stat in itself, something avoided outside MT and MgT.

 

[Condottiere]

Going by character creation, Education seems tied to high technology, or advanced knowledge.

It's simplistic, but stuff like Philosophy could be tied to Intelligence, as with most art subjects.

 

[Dragoner]

I don't see what limiting Edu to TL really does in game, except maybe work against a player; basically to me it is a score to know something, do an edu check.

 

[casquilho]

Pure opinion here: a cap on ED based on TL just feels like a solution looking for a problem. It is an added complexity that is not needed in my opinion. I will pass on the idea myself.

 

[mike wightman]

Edu represents schooling based on the TL of the ruling polity.

In the Third Imperium knowledge of up to TL15, so Edu represents schooling within a TL15 paradigm.

 

[kilemall]

Edu represents schooling based on the TL of the ruling polity.

In the Third Imperium knowledge of up to TL15, so Edu represents schooling within a TL15 paradigm.

That seems reasonable.

 

[mike wightman]

Where it gets interesting is for characters from outside this paradigm. By interesting I mean more complicated

 

[whartung]

How do you deal with extremes?

Such as EDU 12, INT 2? INT 12, EDU 2 is much easier.

 

[casquilho]

How do you deal with extremes?

Such as EDU 12, INT 2? INT 12, EDU 2 is much easier.

I was in a class once and the professor pointed out that a passing grade was a c-. So, you could have a degree and still be on the dim side. With that in mind, I think of people who were pulled from school at grade school level to work because of the family situations. They did not even pass High School and get a diploma. That did not mean they were stupid.

So what is my point? I treat EDU more like training and Intelligence as the ability to absorb and use training if received. An EDU 12, INT 2 would be one of those people with lots of knowledge but lack the ability to use it wisely.

 

[kilemall]

How do you deal with extremes?

Such as EDU 12, INT 2? INT 12, EDU 2 is much easier.

Rain Man only knowledge not problem solving, eidetic memory but no problem solving outside retained knowledge.

 

[casquilho]

Rain Man only knowledge not problem solving, eidetic memory but no problem solving outside retained knowledge.

Perfect example. This is what I was trying to say but done better.

 

[Condottiere]

Intelligence/zero - eidetic memory/five

 

[mike wightman]

How do you deal with extremes?

Such as EDU 12, INT 2? INT 12, EDU 2 is much easier.

I have been to university. I met many children of the privileged classes who I would describe as Int 2 Edu 12...
pubs, working men's clubs, women's institutes and the like have many examples of working class folk with Edu 2 but Int 12.

 

[bookwyrm]

I've been thinking about this a lot. In T20 Sydites are a Character Race that have -2 mod to Int, but no mod to Edu, so a little lacking in the thinking department compared to Humans. Using 3d6, the average Int for Humans is 9-12 while for Sydites it's 7-10.

The way I see it, Sydites comprehension and ability to analyze might be a little lower, but Education shows where their interests are focused. So while the average Human could be either a generalist or specialist, the average Sydite tend to specialize where their interests and/or talents are.

Going the other way with low Edu & average to high Int, you could think of that as someone with no formal Education who has 'Street Smarts' as it were.

 

[Dragoner]

How do you deal with extremes?

Such as EDU 12, INT 2? INT 12, EDU 2 is much easier.

A robot is low int, high edu, it knows a lot, except thinks little. Maybe with high int, low edu someone might have a learning disability, though it is not something I'd lean into.

 

[Krikkitone]

Pure opinion here: a cap on ED based on TL just feels like a solution looking for a problem. It is an added complexity that is not needed in my opinion. I will pass on the idea myself.

I think many versions have a mod to lower Edu based on TL which seems reasonable. (mandatory high school wouldn’t be a thing pre industrial)…but no reason for a cap

 

[BlackBat242]

With most of the Traveller players (and Refs) I've gamed with in the last 40 years there was a tendency to list at what TL a skill (or EDU increase) was gained - which affects how that is used.
A PC who learned Electronics at TL 10 MIGHT be able to troubleshoot and repair TL 8 stuff - but any lower and he would know nothing about what those large funny-looking things in there are or what they do (vacuum tubes to a guy who has only learned about integrated circuits). The same goes for TL12 (you put a full PC board's circuits into that little 2mm x 2mm box?) - in either case any success would depend more on the availability of textbooks as well as of repair manuals for the equipment (and also availability of TL-appropriate test equipment) than on the skill level itself.

Personally, I had a "birth - to - becoming an adult" TL assigned to the PC and another for what TL their career was - I have a PC whose base TL was 7 - she grew up on a 1970s-80s TL planet, then managed to get hired aboard a TL-11 small merchant ship where she learned various repair/operation skills for that ship. I didn't break "TL skill was acquired" down to individual skills, just to a general rating for "pre-career" skills/edu and another for "career" skills/edu.

 

[casquilho]

With most of the Traveller players (and Refs) I've gamed with in the last 40 years there was a tendency to list at what TL a skill (or EDU increase) was gained - which affects how that is used.

Wow, that is interesting. I played Traveller for that same length of time and do not remember ever a worry or need for such bookkeeping. Guess ti just depends on the local group(s) and how they approach the game. Very interesting.

 

[whartung]

Guess ti just depends on the local group(s) and how they approach the game. Very interesting.

Did you have lot of folks circa Ancient Greece learning Computer-1 or Gunnery?

 

[casquilho]

Did you have lot of folks circa Ancient Greece learning Computer-1 or Gunnery?

While I find the question a little silly and disingenuous, I will still answer it.

I have never, ever had a player ask to play an Ancient Greek in Traveller, ever. Nor have I ever had a GM run a Traveller game set in Ancient Greece. Interesting game you play sir. Glad you had fun playing your way.