MGT Only: When do you initially roll for a commission ?

[CaptRet]

I recently bought the Mongoose Traveller core rulebook (I played CT back in the 1980's), and I am a bit confused as to when to roll for commissioning for a military/naval character. During the first term (after successfully rolling to enter the career ?) ? At the same time as/instead of for promotion ? In the
real world," both career paths exist (e.g. in the US military you can go to a service school - West Point, Annapolis - or ROTC at a university, and be commissioned as you enter active service; or at times enlisted could go to OCS and obtain a commission; in some nation's military, an individual couldn't be commissioned until he had first served as an enlisted man.).

 

[Spinward Scout]

Roll for Commission first, then Advancement/Promotion.

Also remember, unless you have SOC 9+, you can only roll Commission once per Career.

 

[mike wightman]

Commission is rolled for during the first term.

By the way the abbreviation for Mongoose Traveller is MGT around here, you have tagged your thread as MegaTraveller Only - MT is MegaTraveller

 

[McPerth]

By the way the abbreviation for Mongoose Traveller is MGT around here, you have tagged your thread as MegaTraveller Only - MT is MegaTraveller

[m;]Fixed[/m;]

 

[CaptRet]

Thanks all. I guess if you roll a 10 or higherfor SOC it pays to go into one of the uniformed services (if not the Noble career - or seemingly you then could opt for Noble after having spent a few terms in the Navy, Army or Marines.)

 

[Daidoji Dave]

...instead of for promotion ?

This.

The plain reading of 1e Mongoose is that a commission roll is made in place of the advancement roll not in addition (page 5), and doing so is optional but can be attempted in any term (page 8).

Yes, that is split up across two different pages rather than being restated in full on each page, but in general this is how 1e was written.

However, this is not how Classic Traveller did it, and interferes with the powergamey accomplishment of succeeding at a commission roll and promotion roll in the same term, so I gather it's commonly house-ruled or simply misinterpreted.

Keep in that mind life events which provide automatic advancement or a bonus to advancement rolls also apply to commission rolls (page 8), so if you do have a low Soc character in the military it pays to bide your time as enlisted until you get one of those.