Aliens of Charted Space Vol 2 Solomani Character Creation Questions

[Evilutionary]

Pages 126 to 137

Hiya, after digging around through errata and even older sourcebooks on the Solomani back to Classic Traveller there's a few things in Solomani character generation that aren't clear. I was wondering if there's some clarification I just missed or something that could be pointed out. Considering the Solomani character generation stuff hasn't changed much from the GDW days I can't imagine that this hasn't been asked before even if it was in an old yahoo group.

A Solomani enlisting in the Home Forces Reserves serves part-time alongside their main career with only a few weeks commitment each year. "Enlistment requires a commitment t o report for periodic part-time training or duties" (pg 126)

Upon enlistment in the Home Forces Reserves they roll on the Reserves Training tabll and receive the skill shown at level 1 and either Gun Combat 0 or Vacc Suit 0.

"A Traveller in the Reserves additionally rolls for commission and advancement within the Home Forces. Use the standard Army or Navy advancement tables each term, with DM-2... No skills are gained as a result of commission or promotion within the Reserves." (pg 126-`127)

"Risks: If a Traveller in the Home Forces Reserves rolls a natural 2 on their survival roll, it means they have suffered misfortune during a mobilisation or training exercise. Roll on the Army Mishap table for groundside Reserves Guard or Confederation Navy Mishap table for naval Reserves instead of their ordinary career’s Mishap table. It is possible to suffer a mishap in both the Reserves and the Traveller’s normal career, in the same term."

Q1- There is no listed survival target number listed for Home Front Reserves. My assumption is to just refer to the Army or Navy Career and the survival roll is according to assignment. You can't suffer a mishap in both your career and for Home Front service unless you are rolling for survival for both (this differs from the Monitor mechanics which are based on your career survival roll). While you clearly do not get an addition skill roll for the term for advancing in the career, but it doesn't say you don't get a roll on the Army/Navy chart just for surviving the term (as you would normally). Is that the case?

Q2- You are risking as second mishap with a Home Reserves survival roll and as recent RL history has reminded folks in the US Reserves & Guard, service in a reserve can be more than a little eventful. Do you roll for event with a survived Reserves term?

On rare occasions, a monitor may discover information or attract attention that leads to contact with SolSec operatives. If a monitor ever rolls a natural 2 on their survival roll, roll on the SolSec Mishaps table instead of their own career. If a monitor ever rolls a natural 12 on a survival roll, roll an event from the SolSec Events table rather than using their own career’s table and acquire one SolSec agent as a Contact. Mishaps and events are still rolled for the Traveller’s normal career, which can make for quite an eventful term. (pg 127)

Q3- Can a Monitor SolSec Mishap or SolSec Event event trigger if a natural 2 or natural 12 is rolled for a Home Front Reserves survival roll?

Q4- Does a character that served in the Home Front Reserves receive Army/Navy mustering out benefit rolls for survived terms (and ending rank) from service in the Reserves?

A number of the GDW folks did serve iirc and US Reserves/Guards do potentially add to their pensions (and receive other benefits) even if they never served active duty and the Home Front Reserves seems very parallel to RL Guard/Reserve service so I am inclined that they do receive pay and other benes even if they accumulate over a slower time frame for the reservist. Though the source material is silent on this as well.

 

[agentwigggles]

The vollenteer reserves are not a career, ergo, they do not function like a career.
Q1: Its just asking for a roll of 2. Dont even get to add a Stat DM. Just a flat 1/36 chance of failure.
Q2: In the abense of a Reserve event table, and since it is not a career. Than no, it does not get an event.
Q3: RAW, those rolls are for the career. They happen when rolling for the career.
Q4: No. Only careers gain benefit rolls. There are no terms served in them because they are not a career.

 

[Evilutionary]

The vollenteer reserves are not a career, ergo, they do not function like a career.
Q1: Its just asking for a roll of 2. Dont even get to add a Stat DM. Just a flat 1/36 chance of failure.
Q2: In the abense of a Reserve event table, and since it is not a career. Than no, it does not get an event.
Q3: RAW, those rolls are for the career. They happen when rolling for the career.
Q4: No. Only careers gain benefit rolls. There are no terms served in them because they are not a career.

Thanks for the reply but I was wondering more if this was clarified or errata'd anywhere?

Anyway, Home Force Reserves is a unique mechanic in the game as far as I've found nothing RAW that states anything like these rolls are 'for the career' in the core or elsewhere (like in the relevant Solomani section would be a good spot;-). The Monitor mechanics do fit within the career rolls but the reserves are rolling commission, advancement, and survival separate of the character's career (see below).

Q1: No it specifically calls it a survival roll-

pg 127 again-
Risks: If a Traveller in the Home Forces Reserves rolls a natural 2 on their survival roll, it means they have suffered misfortune during a mobilisation or training exercise. Roll on the Army Mishap table for groundside Reserves Guard or Confederation Navy Mishap table for naval Reserves instead of their ordinary career’s Mishap table. It is possible to suffer a mishap in both the Reserves and the Traveller’s normal career, in the same term.

It is not simply asking for a roll of a 2. A natural roll of a 2 always fails regardless of your Stat DM

Q2- You roll on the Army or Navy mishap table if you fail. There is no Reserve Mishap table but you use the standard Army/Navy one by precedence on how to handle army or navy required tables.

Q3 By RAW the monitor rolls on the SolSec Mishaps or Event table on a natural 2 or 12 on a survival roll (see quote above). Home Front Reserve is definitely a survival roll by RAW. This could have (and should have) been easily clarified long ago given that the Solomani generation information should have been looked at by whoever wrote this section or edited it. Especially given this is a 2e book and 1e was only a changed a little from the Classic Traveller Solomani book.

Q4- Again, why in the world would anyone stay in the Home Front reserves given you get no benefit from staying in beyond 1 term since rank is essentially cosmetic...no extra skill roll nor mustering out benefit for higher rank...which even Monitors get at rank 3...but adds an additional chance for mishap? Overall I'm a bit surprised no one has noticed the above before and asked for clarification or clearer language that I can find in all this time.

For additional complications, what happens if a reservist leaves their Career and joins the regular army or navy in regard to rank?

pg 126

Rank: Most Home Forces maintain a rank structure similar to the Confederation Armed Forces. Use Army ranks for the groundside Reserves and Confederation Navy ranks for the naval Reserves. Home Forces Reserves ranks are preceded by the word ‘reserve’ in situations when the Traveller is not on active duty.

Army, Marine and Navy veterans who later join the Home Forces or Home Forces Reserves transfer their military rank over. Thus, a marine force commander with (rank 3) would become a reserve major (rank 3) in the Home Forces Reserves.

Does this work in reverse? Considering it states their rank status changes for a Home Front Reservist when on active duty by RAW I think it does but that would add to mustering out benefits in an Army/Navy second+ career.

RL example US Reserves and Guard (who do sometimes go active and do keep rank in many cases) do collect points the same as active duty folks that is part of their benefits they can collect on retirement (usually over 90 a year where active duty get 1 point a day). Additionally they get education money & VA benefits for the rest of their life after a set qualification (and some other benes as well).