When a Noble is not a Noble

[-Daniel-]

Social Standing need not be tied to nobility – celebrities will also command a high score in this characteristic. A Traveller’s career might point the way to why a Social Standing is so high, perhaps as a war hero or famous writer. However, it is also possible that the Traveller is simply known for being known, much like some celebrities on this world.

I find this small sidebar note to be filled with possible fun. When is a noble not a noble? Other than the few examples already given, war hero or writer, the concept could be quite fun to play with. Vid Star, musical star, or sports star quickly come to mind. Old political person, ex-president for example or retired member of a political organization is another that came to mind.

So I am curious, have any of you had a character or fun NPC that has a high SOC but is not a noble?

[Condottiere]

A noble title is an award or a separate attribute.

It's closely associated with social standing from the way the Classic game worked.

[-Daniel-]

A noble title is an award or a separate attribute.

It's closely associated with social standing from the way the Classic game worked.

Yes, in the classic game you were a noble when your SOC was above a particular number (11), I know how it works. What I am interested in is how have you used it other than Noble per the suggestion in the core rule book? Or have you? If not, that is OK, but I find th eidea offered in the core rule book to be interesting and filled with possible character interaction.

[allanimal]

So I am curious, have any of you had a character or fun NPC that has a high SOC but is not a noble?

I had a player in one of my games that had a high SOC. She was a video star and famous artist. She tried to go incognito most of the time, which meant we treated her SOC as 8 for skill checks whe she was trying not to be known. But if she wanted to use her full SOC (11 I think it was), she could, but it would reveal who she was and, assuming she was near enough to the handful of systems she was famous, would usually get groupies, fans and/or paparazzi following her around. I usually didn't make it bad for her to use the assets she had rolled, instead interesting role play opportunities. The player was the one that came up with the idea of being on the down-low, so I had permission to do this.

There was one time when she was hanging out in a bar, where another PC was trying to swipe the DNA of a mark. She stepped in with the big reveal, causing a minor commotion as people realized who she was, which was enough distraction for the Other PC to sneak past the bodyguards and sample the mark's DNA.

She kind of ended up like Inara on firefly, not the companion bit, but the ability to pave the way for the other social misfits to do their less than legit jobs.

[Tom Kalbfus]

What about a band of pirates that is so successful that they take over a stellar nation? Lets say the pirate leader was a thug, that grew up poor and rose to the top through piracy, an by making excellent decisions which resulted in the acquisition of lots of loot, he then develops a pirate fleet, takes over an entire star system, and then conquers some surrounding ones. Does the pirate leader in this case have a high social standing?

[-Daniel-]

Does the pirate leader in this case have a high social standing?

Among the pirates he does for sure.

Outside that if is a setting call I would imagine.

[alex_greene]

Look up George Ardodet, the Third Laird of Bonitvar, in Cosmopolite. I based him entirely on Aleister Crowley.

[Solomani666]

Look up George Ardodet, the Third Laird of Bonitvar, in Cosmopolite. I based him entirely on Aleister Crowley.

Oh Lord have mercy upon us.
What's next? The "Demon Lords of the Spinward Marches" supplement?

[Condottiere]

The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried the people of his village off into slavery during his childhood. Each novel deals with his pursuit of one of the five Princes.

[-Daniel-]

Look up George Ardodet, the Third Laird of Bonitvar, in Cosmopolite. I based him entirely on Aleister Crowley.

Oh Lord have mercy upon us.
What's next? The "Demon Lords of the Spinward Marches" supplement?

LOL...

Player Characters meeting the Demon Lord....

[-Daniel-]

The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried the people of his village off into slavery during his childhood. Each novel deals with his pursuit of one of the five Princes.

Now that sounds interesting. I'll have to look this series.

[Tom Kalbfus]

What about a noble who is ignoble? What if he is officially a noble, but is a coward, likes to play dirty tricks, is deceitful, and it often villainous Is that assort of noble that would often be encountered in a Traveller campaign. One particular noble that comes to mind would be the Baron Harkonnen from Dune.

[Captain Jonah]

High SOC on it's own does not a noble make, the noble carers do.

It's fairly easy to separate them so the SOC bonus is reputation or charm or social standing where as the title comes from terms in the career. You can have a charter whit high SOC who is well know (or infamous) while being guttter born and common as dirt and a noble of the highest rank who is widely known as utter scum (Harkonen).

You can use the title as a forced DM where as the SOC is a willing one, people love to help out the Tri D star or that woman who single handledly saved a whole liner full of war orphans and is known across the sector, where as everyone treats the scumbag as a noble because he is powerful enough to have you dealt with if you don't.

The DM applies all the time under normal circumstances but can be removed at times, like when Harkonen is in disguise or on a world where he would be killed if identified and so has to use his natural SOC instead. Flip side being that in noble circles away from the media the lords and dukes care less about a boat load of orphans and the jumper up commoner with delusions of being one of them just because the arch duke grabbed some free publicity and made her a knight.

Or to put it another way, Harkonen using his ducal status, +4, being his less than charming self, -1

Heroic type, ex navy, SOC +3 with extra +1 for reputation when playing the media angle at home, or +0 when trying to impress the hereditary lords becasue she's just a knight and from a commoner family.

Note this works when you don't use the cute and fluffy Imperium where nobles are all good and kindly folk who serve loyally and play a more realistic and gritty game where the nobles are just like anyone else only richer, more powerful and a social class to themselves.