What in the world is "commo"?

[Daddicus]

I'm trying to play Classic Traveller, including the later books (Mercenary, High Guard, etc.) In my paper copies of LBB 4 and LBB 5 (at a minimum), there is a skill called "commo". It's not defined anywhere that I can find.

Does anybody know what "commo" is an abbreviation for?

For reference:

In LBB 4 (Mercenary, 1978 edition) it shows up on page 5 in the table of skills you can get from the special assignment "Specialist School" (entry 3).

In LBB 5 (High Guard, 1980 edition) it shows up on page 8 in the table of "Service Skills". It's under the Shipboard Life column on (entry 8).

On the same page, it shows up twice in the "Branch Skills" table. The first time is under the Flight column (entry 4) and then under the Gunnery column (entry 3).

Thanks!

 

[far-trader]

Welcome aboard Daddicus

Bit of confusing one, not sure how we figured it out originally but it's short for Communications, and the skill is described on page 10 of High Guard.

 

[BlackBat242]

"commo" is general 1970s US military slang for anything to do with radio communications... equipment, people, procedures, etc.

 

[aramis]

I'm trying to play Classic Traveller, including the later books (Mercenary, High Guard, etc.) In my paper copies of LBB 4 and LBB 5 (at a minimum), there is a skill called "commo". It's not defined anywhere that I can find.

Does anybody know what "commo" is an abbreviation for?

Communications. Standard military slang.

 

[far-trader]

"commo" is general 1970s US military slang for anything to do with radio communications... equipment, people, procedures, etc.

It's my suspicion that's how we (our little band) figured it out originally. We weren't any of us serving (too young) in any way except for a couple Cadets, but we all (well I did anyway) pretty much grew up on war movies, comic books, games, and novels. So we knew the slang pretty well.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

"Commo"

1. Communications - specifically of the military type

2. Communications Officer - specifically of the military type

3. Commodore (naval task force leader or academy president); Commodore (civilian marina president or manager)

4. A telecommunications program, written and maintained from 1989 to 1998 by Fred P. Brucker.

5. A company that specializes in gasket manufacturing (Commo Sealing Products)

6. A "party girl" who is especially acommodating to her "boyfriends"


Google is your friend!

 

[david.wendelken]

I recommend #6.

 

[kafka47]

I recommend #6.

Every ship in the fleet must have at least one. Something that MJD omitted from his various versions of Grand Fleet.

Commo seems to me a rather redundant skill based on a time when communications were more LAN based. I wonder what we could substitute with in order to give it a more modern flavour...

 

[pendragonman]

Every ship in the fleet must have at least one. Something that MJD omitted from his various versions of Grand Fleet.

Commo seems to me a rather redundant skill based on a time when communications were more LAN based. I wonder what we could substitute with in order to give it a more modern flavour...

Tech Weenie?

 

[Dragoner]

Every ship in the fleet must have at least one. Something that MJD omitted from his various versions of Grand Fleet.

Commo seems to me a rather redundant skill based on a time when communications were more LAN based. I wonder what we could substitute with in order to give it a more modern flavour...

Communications, Sensors and Electronic Warfare: CSEW, it just gets called "Commo" for short.

 

[shadowcat20]

I wonder if the commo tech in the OTU is still called Sparks? Or with all the laser and maser comm going on are they now called Flash?...

 

[whartung]

I recommend #6.

Sounds more like it should be a Mustering Out benefit than a skill...

 

[Mithras]

Maybe IT Guy?

 

[Frankymole]

Early 1980s-vintage gamers on the British side of the pond were brought into Traveller by "White Dwarf" roleplaying games magazine, more often than not. For some reason, its deck plans insisted on something called a "comm console" or "com console" at various points around the ship (or in front of the pilot). I eventually worked out that this meant "computer" and not "communications" - in the early 80s both were pretty esoteric!

 

[dean]

Book 5, Page 10
The text of the preceding tables reads "Commo", but that's because there's not enough room on a lot of the skills in the table to have the full word written out.

The only thing in the skill descriptions that start on page 10 (the header is at the bottom of page 9) which is analogous to the abbreviated form "Commo" is Communications.

For example, "Gun Cbt" isn't in the descriptions either, but it is fairly obviously "Gun Combat", just as "Engnrng" is a placeholder for Engineering.

It is obviously NOT "Computer", as that appears in the tables spelled in it's entirety, and is in the same column directly below "Commo", therefore mutually exclusive of each other.

It's not all that mysterious.

 

[nats]

I had never heard the term Commo until TRAVELLER, heard of Comms before but not Commo. Easy to guess what it meant but Comms would have been better.

 

[BlackBat242]

I had never heard the term Commo until TRAVELLER, heard of Comms before but not Commo. Easy to guess what it meant but Comms would have been better.

Why would a game written in the US by Americans use a British term that is different (however shightly) from the American counterpart?

 

[Daddicus]

Thanks, gang! That's what I needed!!!

Jim

 

[Vargas]

Why would a game written in the US by Americans use a British term that is different (however shightly) from the American counterpart?

I use comms all the time and I'm American. [shrug]

 

[rancke]

I wonder if the commo tech in the OTU is still called Sparks? Or with all the laser and maser comm going on are they now called Flash?...

IMTU he's called a signals officer. Borrowed from David Drake's first Leary & Mundy story where I first came across it.


Hans