Jack-of-Trades Heresy

[alex_greene]

The old poem goes
A Jack of all Trades is a Master of None -
But oftentimes better than a Master of One.

In other words, if you are a generalist, it's a lot better than a specialist whose one skill fails them when another skill is called for.

Here's a heretical solution I have implemented in the games I run: nobody needs more than Jack-of-all-Trades-1, ever. J-o-t-1 eliminates the entire untrained penalty.

To that end, in order to reflect every Traveller's derring-do and willingness to try anything once, I offer them J-o-T-1 with their background skills and Basic Training skills in their first term of chargen.

What was it Heinlein once said?

​

 

[Condottiere]

You can't have critical success?

Sort of pass/fail.

 

[Shadowblayde99]

Having jack of all trades 3 negates all the pre-career skills before university and all the first career service skills.

It makes quite a difference if you have 2 players where one has Jack at 3 and the other doesn't have it at all.

My personal view would be to get rid of the skill but reduce the penalty to -1 if unskilled.

 

[alex_greene]

Or to not bother with the untrained penalty. The Travellers have an aptitude for learning new things that their stay-at-home peers lack.

You can't have critical success?

Sort of pass/fail.

I didn't mention criticals. This is about availability of the skill, not the result of skill checks. Besides, Traveller doesn't do criticals now - it has Effect.
If your Travellers have J-o-T-1 under this model, they can improvise or MacGyver a basic solution, but even a skill-0 can do better because skill-0 represents the basic training that J-o-T lacks.
An engine repair built with Mechanic-0 will outlast a jury-rigged repair, often by an order of magnitude: days, rather than combat rounds. In a contest between someone with J-o-T-1 and anyone with a skill-0, the Ref can still rule in favour of the skill-0 because that is competence borne of training, however basic. A skill-0 still knows things about that skill that a J-o-T-1 cannot, until they too acquire that particular skill.
Someone might have a great singing voice, but until they get Art-0 and have a stab at being a Performer, "don't give up the day job."

 

[JustEastOfTheEdge]

All I do is say that a Jack-o-T cannot succeed at difficult+ (10+ or so) tasks, as that need a real pro. Much like they have done for expert software, it can help, but it won't help with the real high end decision stuff.

 

[alex_greene]

All I do is say that a Jack-o-T cannot succeed at difficult+ (10+ or so) tasks, as that need a real pro. Much like they have done for expert software, it can help, but it won't help with the real high end decision stuff.

That's where the characters would shine with skills-2 and skills-3.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Raise the difficulty of the task but allow the full JoT skill.

eg engineering task requiring 8+ becomes a JoT target number of 10+ (DM plus JoT skill, relevant characteristic)

 

[Reisender]

I'm neither a big fan of the Jack-Of-All-Trades skill nor the DM-3 for unskilled usage.
BUT I think that Jack-Of-All-Trades is such a rare skill, let alone more than one level in it, that I don't see any reason to tinker with it.
And DM-3 for unskilled use makes 0-level skills so much more important. So I'm keeping it that way.

 

[Condottiere]

If I recall correctly, Striker mentioned it as requirement for mortars, since Traveller didn't have that specific (sub)skill category.

Personally, I think it's more a get out of jail free card, and more suitable for the roleplaying aspect.

 

[Sigtrygg]

LBB4 Mercenary has the Heavy Weapons skill which may be taken as mortars.