Character Generation and Equipment

[hogscape]

Hi folks,

I'm loving the character generation of MGT - it really creates the right mood for the subsequent game... except for the stage where the players get to chose their character's starting equipment...

Some players are happy to jump in right away, others want to pour over the book and spend every last cred (we only have one book). This can cause things to either grind to a halt or make for the odd grumpy player.

I can't remember this being an issue in CT (not sure how I got around it then). A couple of suggestions I came up with are:

a) Give each character one of 4 (or so) standard equipment sets, worth roughly 10K and deduct 10K from their starting funds.

b) Let them start with only the kit they get from mustering out!

Does anyone else have this issue? If so what have you tried?

Cheers

 

[Cleon the Mad]

I don't have my books in front of me, and I'm feeling a bit too lazy to get up to go get them, but I want to say there's a line in MGT limiting purchases to 5,000 credits during character generation, rest has to be done while playing. So, if that is the case (or if you want to do it as a house rule) that may help right there.

First time I've seen such in an edition of Traveller (if I didn't just imagine that), but in a way it makes sense...until even an adventurer knows what, where, how and why he's travelling, would he want all of his money spent on gear? Or would he want to buy some basics, but have the bulk still liquid cash so when he does find out where he's going and what he's doing, he can then spend it with a specific goal in mind.

Even if I did imagine it, a figure like that might be handy even if every player gets a book and thus has a list of the equipment tables. Both to make it easier to GM (Okay, I know you can afford it..but how do you justify buying a PGMP-12 on this TL 8 world with a law level of C....) and again from a logical standpoint of someone who did just muster out, and thus is still trying to decide what to do as a new career (or at least how to be a Traveller) before he blows all his cash on gear he might not need.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Maybe you give them a "standard" kit as part of their Skill Package? Standard small arms, med kit, changes of clothes, maybe even light armor for the military types. If they want something special, then they have to find it in-game.

 

[Paladin]

We hit the same snag, briefly. After a delay, we did the basic comm devices, armor and weapons as quickly as possible and then just started into the game. The shoppers were given the book to continue shopping while we started. They were done before too long and there were only a couple questions of interruption. In the end the shopping made no difference in the session.

The cred limit wasn't very well received. Why would a 30 something character with loads of credits not have spent some in the past to start with decent goods. I know it removes some goals, but I vetoed the rule and let them pick whatever they wanted "within reason" since it was going to happen the first opportunity they had to spend money anyway.

 

[Cleon the Mad]

We hit the same snag, briefly. After a delay, we did the basic comm devices, armor and weapons as quickly as possible and then just started into the game. The shoppers were given the book to continue shopping while we started. They were done before too long and there were only a couple questions of interruption. In the end the shopping made no difference in the session.

The cred limit wasn't very well received. Why would a 30 something character with loads of credits not have spent some in the past to start with decent goods. I know it removes some goals, but I vetoed the rule and let them pick whatever they wanted "within reason" since it was going to happen the first opportunity they had to spend money anyway.

Guess it depends on how one wishes to define "mustering out credits". Did the character just liquidate all his assets in order to be able to travel? (I.E. did he own a home, sell it for whatever he mustered out with, and that's why he has the money now?) Is it money that was locked up in the equivelent of a Third Imperium retirment fund that he didn't wish to touch until he actually knew he'd be retiring or quitting his job? Or to say that the person could spend it all, does the money indicate potential total worth, and that could be all in cash ready to be spent, or all in goods already bought, or something in between? I guess that depends on each campaign, and how one sees such in one's own Traveller universe.

Earlier editions of Traveller, I let people spend what they want, within reasons and limits based on prior service, where they mustered out from and so forth. MGT, I've somewhat enforced the limit, but I've allowed exceptions too, as long as the exception isn't to spend ALL of their money. Basically I haven't done a real hard fast rule, just based it on what seems logical for each character's background, both based on character generation and what's written up by each player.

 

[RedBeardSean]

What I plan on doing is giving my PC's a basic kit, personalised for skills possessed, and a list of things they know to be found in most ship's lockers. After that, they can spend up to cr5k on goods from the book.

 

[Infojunky]

Some players are happy to jump in right away, others want to pour over the book and spend every last cred (we only have one book).

Most of the equipement is in the SRD...

I am building a seperate doc to hand out to my players.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

Surely let 'em get a vac suit, too?

Have spacesuit, will travel, after all...

 

[Golan2072]

Do they have a ship at the game's start? If so, just stock its locker with reasonable gear (one vacc suit per crew position, a few long-range comms, some weapons of various kinds, a few medkits and toolsets, flashlights/"torches", and basic exploration gear such as ropes, canteens, some rations and so on). Assume that, in addition to the mustering out benefits, each character has several changes of clothes, personal effects, a handcomp and/or short range comm (cellphone style) and one sidearm as appropriate for his/her skills.

Anything else would have to be bought during the game.

 

[Shiloh]

...one sidearm as appropriate for his/her skills....

I wonder in particular about this. You can receive various weapons as mustering out benefits... assuming that the GM doesn't want "weapon" to be "FGMP-15" most of the time, I'd possibly read that as weapons not being immediately available *without* being a mustering out benefit... Probably too restrictive, that, but assuming a sidearm effectively gives a free (limited) "weapon" mustering out benefit...

 

[RedBeardSean]

...one sidearm as appropriate for his/her skills....

I wonder in particular about this. You can receive various weapons as mustering out benefits... assuming that the GM doesn't want "weapon" to be "FGMP-15" most of the time, I'd possibly read that as weapons not being immediately available *without* being a mustering out benefit... Probably too restrictive, that, but assuming a sidearm effectively gives a free (limited) "weapon" mustering out benefit...

I always thought the mustering out weapon was like a retirement watch; a cut above the standard in looks (though not in stats, necessarily).

"That pearl-handled PGMP hanging over the mantle? I got that when I came out of the Marines in 1089. Mostly for show, but it's always good to have a back-up, too. I keep the power supply on hand, in that magazine rack, there. Seemed appropriate."

 

[Shiloh]

...one sidearm as appropriate for his/her skills....

I wonder in particular about this. You can receive various weapons as mustering out benefits...

I always thought the mustering out weapon was like a retirement watch; a cut above the standard in looks (though not in stats, necessarily).

"That pearl-handled PGMP hanging over the mantle? I got that when I came out of the Marines in 1089. Mostly for show, but it's always good to have a back-up, too. I keep the power supply on hand, in that magazine rack, there. Seemed appropriate."

I thought of them more along the lines of the trophies that come back from any warzone. Items that don't require any licensing in Imperial space.

 

[RedBeardSean]

Ah. Though being from a non-military background, myself, I have heard of this. Makes better sense for non-Officers, at least.

 

[jwlovell]

Ah. Though being from a non-military background, myself, I have heard of this. Makes better sense for non-Officers, at least.

non-Officers? My dad was an enlisted artilleryman in the Army in WWII, and when Japan surrendered, was part of the group that occupied Japan during the surrender. He came home with a Katana, and a rifle, but indicated that he would have had five more of the Katana's if the officers hadn't come along and taken them from the enlisted to keep for themselves.

 

[rust]

Some of the early (= Classic Traveller) adventures included
a list of the equipment the characters could buy at the be-
ginning of the adventure. We handle it in a similar way for
our campaigns, with a short list which includes a "basic kit"
designed for the specific campaign and a couple of additio-
nal items available for purchase at the beginning of the cam-
paign, everything else has to be found and bought during
the campaign.