Basic Training confusion
- Thread starter E4MC
- Start date
One of my many favourites of Heinlein quotes.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
Yeah. Many many high-ranking members of government (politians, soldiers, spies, law enforcement, etc) take a job in the private sector after they finish their first career. None of them start as Rank 0 in their new career. I think this is a flaw in the Traveller system. If a Navy Captain gets an "honorable discharge" and switches over to the Merchant career, he is going to be the captain of the ship, not a deckhand.
MarkAlexander
Banded Mongoose
More skills is a good idea and at higher starting levels. I've ended up with loads of skills at 0. The character was pretty useless. It's not like Traveller has a way of increasing skills based on in-game success. You don't "level up" like D&D or tick your skills like Call of Cthulhu.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
No, but you can raise them in downtime.
Okay hold on. You're all saying you ONLY get basic training for your first term in your first career? And you have to choose between pciking a basic training skill or rolling on a table for other careers?
Where is this in the rules? I've been doing it where basic training is what amounts to basic training today, a 6-12 week block of all the basic skill you need for that career, NOT an entire 4-year training regiment. It's not the academy. You then spend the next 4 years in that career, where you might pick up a thing or two outside of that training such as taking an advanced training course. So for the first term, you get all the basic training and a skill roll, and for each new career you get 1 basic training and a skill roll on the first term. I've only played update 2022 so if it's not supposed to be this way I didn't see it clarified that I remember. We struggled with this when we were first learning.
Where is this in the rules? I've been doing it where basic training is what amounts to basic training today, a 6-12 week block of all the basic skill you need for that career, NOT an entire 4-year training regiment. It's not the academy. You then spend the next 4 years in that career, where you might pick up a thing or two outside of that training such as taking an advanced training course. So for the first term, you get all the basic training and a skill roll, and for each new career you get 1 basic training and a skill roll on the first term. I've only played update 2022 so if it's not supposed to be this way I didn't see it clarified that I remember. We struggled with this when we were first learning.
I guess I just read right over it and failed to absorb it. Lol. Thanks.
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
Only means you lose the initial skill roll for the term in return for Basic.
It goes: Skill, Survival, Mishap or Event, Advancement or Commission. You can still get skills from a Mishap or Event plus a possible Connection, and for Advancement*. And for Rank, if warranted. If Rank Zero (not a good name for a deodorant) gives you a skill, you'd get that along with Basic in the first term.
*It doesn't say you get a skill for a successful Commission roll, but's a sometimes gimme in my book except: The wording of the Military Academy graduation says "allows a Commission roll to be taken before the first term of a military career". To me, that means our Ensign (or whatever) can try for Advancement during the first term, but shouldn't get an extra skill for the Commission, because it's before service start.
The fun interpretation (mine, not in any way officially is what happens because it doesn't say so) is that Military Academy grads do not need to go to Basic, because that would be really pointless, but University graduates do need to go, even if commissioned (especially if commissioned out of school: see clueless lieutenant memes).
Another thing that doesn't says so, but makes sense to me is if you're in a Military Academy and you roll 11 for a Pre-Career Event (War comes) then you don't get the graduation skills, EDU or honours benefits, but you're still (automatically) commissioned into your service.
It goes: Skill, Survival, Mishap or Event, Advancement or Commission. You can still get skills from a Mishap or Event plus a possible Connection, and for Advancement*. And for Rank, if warranted. If Rank Zero (not a good name for a deodorant) gives you a skill, you'd get that along with Basic in the first term.
*It doesn't say you get a skill for a successful Commission roll, but's a sometimes gimme in my book except: The wording of the Military Academy graduation says "allows a Commission roll to be taken before the first term of a military career". To me, that means our Ensign (or whatever) can try for Advancement during the first term, but shouldn't get an extra skill for the Commission, because it's before service start.
The fun interpretation (mine, not in any way officially is what happens because it doesn't say so) is that Military Academy grads do not need to go to Basic, because that would be really pointless, but University graduates do need to go, even if commissioned (especially if commissioned out of school: see clueless lieutenant memes).
Another thing that doesn't says so, but makes sense to me is if you're in a Military Academy and you roll 11 for a Pre-Career Event (War comes) then you don't get the graduation skills, EDU or honours benefits, but you're still (automatically) commissioned into your service.
Pretty sure the 3 lvl 1 skills is the intended replacement for Basic, since you only get them if you go into the same service you went to the academy for.
Geir
Emperor Mongoose
Yes, that makes sense, but the way it's written... is kind of odd. Why would you not enter that career? I mean in real life, you might change your mind halfway through the academy experience, but this is even if you graduate, so it seem like you 'unlearn' if you choose not to go into service.
I miss the Book 4 and 5 year-by-year career process, especially with the choice to take DMs for heroism (which at least on the pdf versions I have only appears in High Guard and not Mercenary, which is not how I remember it). That DM is really only practical in an Iron Man process, though.
Yeah, the Bk 4/5/6/7 process was a lot of fun, but it did not play nice with all the careers that did not have that option. It really reduced your options to former scouts, military, or merchants.
You don't unlearn anything. There's no good reason for going to the military academy and not going into that career. But you aren't 'unlearning' anything. You get basic training as your skills for the Academy. Then if you go into that career like a rational person, you get the three skills as a result of doing basic again. It could have been much clearer in how it was written. But the whole Academy thing is kind of awkwardly written with strange incentives. Like if you don't graduate, you definitely do not want to go into that career, because it blocks your chances at commission permanently (since you can't roll for commission in term 1 if you didn't graduate, but you can't roll for commission after term 1 unless you have the high SOC exception).
You don't unlearn anything. There's no good reason for going to the military academy and not going into that career. But you aren't 'unlearning' anything. You get basic training as your skills for the Academy. Then if you go into that career like a rational person, you get the three skills as a result of doing basic again. It could have been much clearer in how it was written. But the whole Academy thing is kind of awkwardly written with strange incentives. Like if you don't graduate, you definitely do not want to go into that career, because it blocks your chances at commission permanently (since you can't roll for commission in term 1 if you didn't graduate, but you can't roll for commission after term 1 unless you have the high SOC exception).
ottarrus
Emperor Mongoose
I do Basic Training slightly differently.
If a Career does not award a Rank 0 skill, I allow the player to roll on the Service Skills table for one skill at level 1. Most military Careers do award an E-1/O-1 skill, of course, so that's moot, but some civilian Careers do not and it seems to me that spending 4 years in a given job will teach you something at a professional level. Even if that skill is Tolerate My Manager-1
If a Career does not award a Rank 0 skill, I allow the player to roll on the Service Skills table for one skill at level 1. Most military Careers do award an E-1/O-1 skill, of course, so that's moot, but some civilian Careers do not and it seems to me that spending 4 years in a given job will teach you something at a professional level. Even if that skill is Tolerate My Manager-1
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
It says you gain these 3 skills upon graduation, not upon entering your next career. Which means, you do not get any skills from the actual career itself in the first term, except for the normal skills you get for survival, events, and advancement. Maybe they need to change how it is written.
