Changing Careers and Specialties

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Page 18, Changing Assignments, Last Paragraph

If you change assignments within the Agent, Citizen etc. careers, you have to restart at Rank 0.

That doesn't make sense in all cases. Most career paths would give you SOME credit for past/similar service. Maybe start at Rank -2 or something, but automatically starting over at Rank 0 seems a bit harsh.

Also, as you mention under the Commissioning section, even though you restart at a different Rank, for purposes of Benefits etc. you should add your two Ranks together. That needs to be explicitly stated.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Page 62, under the description/explanation of Specialties in the 2nd Paragraph.

It currently states "When a Traveller reaches level 1 in a skill, he can take a specialty in that skill."

I believe it should state "When a Traveller reaches level 1 in that skill, he must take a specialty in that skill." (emphasis mine)

In MGT1, it caused a lot of confusion with newbies about if you had to take a specialty or not. Make it very unambiguous that you must take a specialty if the skill as specialties.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Page 18, Changing Assignments, Last Paragraph

If you change assignments within the Agent, Citizen etc. careers, you have to restart at Rank 0.

That doesn't make sense in all cases. Most career paths would give you SOME credit for past/similar service. Maybe start at Rank -2 or something, but automatically starting over at Rank 0 seems a bit harsh.

I think it is ok for citizen. Going from a worker who is maybe a taxi driver and then becoming a corporate lawyer, and then joining a colony as a farmer. Note that I am simply using the first skill of each assignment. The 3 assignments for Entertainer are different enough that I don't see a problem here either - Sculptor, Journalist, Actor. For Drifter also it looks to fit. What does one put on their resume if they are a barbarian or wanderer? If a scavenger somehow got stranded and joined a barbarian tribe would the tribal leaders care about former Piloting skill?

For Merchant, I see broker as being different enough, but free trader and merchant marine... yes, I'd have to agree with you here.

Agent is a bit odd as some changes in assignment make sense and others don't.

But overall, I don't have too much problem with it as the issue already exists elsewhere. You have the former military characters who have to start their law enforcement careers as a rookie. If you over analyze things you start getting into things like a Army support medic with a medic skill of 2 that becomes a scholar physician and they get no credit at all for their medical experience. and so on and so on.

I think is ok that a military character retains their rank even if they change assignments. You really are still working for the same organization and making a change within and not completely changing careers. So this fits for Scouts too. Perhaps even rogue thief and enforcer (but maybe not pirate), assuming you are making a move within the same criminal organization. However Scholar and Nobility... Especially a dilettante retaining "rank"?

 

[CosmicGamer]

Page 62, under the description/explanation of Specialties in the 2nd Paragraph.

It currently states "When a Traveller reaches level 1 in a skill, he can take a specialty in that skill."

I believe it should state "When a Traveller reaches level 1 in that skill, he must take a specialty in that skill." (emphasis mine)

In MGT1, it caused a lot of confusion with newbies about if you had to take a specialty or not. Make it very unambiguous that you must take a specialty if the skill as specialties.

Actually I wish it was even clearer that something with specialties, like Engineer, is not a skill. It is just a title for a group of related skills. A title that does not get a skill level, even at level 0! It's all the specialties under the skill grouping that are level 0.