MGT vs. CT Character Generation

[dtom]

I had my group roll up characters using MGT Core. They seemed underskilled, and then I realized that in CT supplements like Mercenary, you roll for every year of a term rather than once a term. So you end up with far more skilled characters. It seems like MGT compensates for this by picking up skills from the Event table, but the characters still seem weaker than in CT Mercenary. Judging by the preview, MGT Mercenary also awards skills for every term rather than a chance of picking them up every year.

My impression of CT is that supplements like Mercenary have become de facto core rules, so characters will tend to have more skills than MGT Core. I'm thinking of having my group reroll characters using CT Mercenary/High Guard/Merchant Princes, and then maybe giving them one roll per term on the event table. However, that still leaves the question of what to do with characters like Law Enforcement or Entertainer. Maybe have them roll skills every year?

 

[Cleon the Mad]

One thing to consider is the value of a skill point in each system. I'm pretty tired so I'll let someone else explain why, but one "MGT" skill point is worth more then one CT skill point overall. They even to a small degree confirm that in the skill descriptions, a medic skill of 2 is enough to be a "doctor" in MGT, while CT and (If I recall right) Megatraveller it was usually a 3 was needed to be up to the skill level (if not have the actual title) of a physician. I think they also equate a skill level of 4 as being one of the top skilled in that ability, what I'd call a skill level of 5 or 6 in CT/MT. (From what I understand, MGT skills don't cap at 4 though, it's just probably a quickly diminishing return to bother getting more then 4 in any one MGT skill)

There's also the connections rule with MGT, that gives two skills if the character can establish two connections during generation, and then the one or more skill points from a career package if your players picked one. Even if everyone used "solo" generation, if I recall right one can still establish up to two connections with NPC contacts/allies, and then pick one skill to make up for a lack of a group package. So, you do have potentially 3 or more skills up and beyond normal character generation to help flesh out a character (either with hobbies, skills you think the character should have but don't, etc.)

My take on it, hope this rambling makes sense.

 

[cbrunish]

One thing about Mercenary and the other books, is that the character must roll to see if he gets the skill. There are very few skills just given out. It could be possible to achieve no skills for a 4yr term. It's unlikely that this could happen. I have found that the character gets roughly 2 or 3 skills a term (on an average).

If it's a problem just give the character an extra skill per term (2 minimum). With the characters being able to advance every term (approx 50% of the time) then they would average approx 2.5 skills a term with the above rule.

 

[Shiloh]

I had my group roll up characters using MGT Core. They seemed underskilled, and then I realized that in CT supplements like Mercenary, you roll for every year of a term rather than once a term.

You get two chances of a skill each term: one for surviving and one for promotion. You also get rank skills and event skills, and you also get rank-0 in all the service's basics, which was never guaranteed in CT. Yes, Mercenary would produce a character with more skills, but compare that with a basic character generation in the same ruleset, where you *did* only get one skill per term...

 

[atpollard]

It should also be pointed out that the CT Book 4 character had both a chance to gain a skill each year and a chance to die each year. So a character surviving 4 terms and gaining 4 skills in MGT would be comparable to a character surviving 4 years and gaining 4 skills in CT B4. It only breaks if you ignore the RISK while granting the REWARD, otherwise CT B4 characters are just younger than their MGT/CTB1 counterparts (22 vs 34 for 4 survival rolls and 4 skills).

 

[Klaus Kipling]

There is another factor. MGT skills are broader in definition than CT ones. In CT Mercenary, each individual weapon has it's own skill, for a start.

In MGT Mechanic has a much wider application than in CT; you can effectively repair anything with Mechanic. In CT, you needed Mechanic, Electronics, and Engineering to be an effective general repairman. Also, MGT has a whole swath of skills that just didn't exist in CT, like Sensors, Persuasion, and Deception.

On balance, and in regards to how chargen actually happens "on the ground", MGT gives somewhat more than Bk1 and somewhat less than Bk4+ (I think using Bk4+ tends to accumulate skills at a higher rate than was intended, as folk ignore the occasional death and go for the specialisms that increase the acquisition rate).

On top of that, MGT is far, far, far simpler than the incredibly elaborate Bk4+ method. MGT 2 or 3 pages per career, CT advanced 4 or 5 or even 6 pages. It also means it takes a lot less time, and time's at a premium in chargen.

Finally, in MGT the player has more chance to get the skills they actually might want (through Events and connections, etc), rather than a myriad of 'unwanted' level 1 skills that CT tends to hand out.

 

[starfleet]

Not to mention from memory CT didn't automatically give you all skills in your first career service chart. You had to roll each and every one.

MGT gives you when you look at it:

a minimum of 3 skills before you start Career (3+int for education)

all service skills in your first career table (Basic training) meaning 6 skills.

1 Skill by Rolling per 4 year term served including your first one.

Any skills awarded through mishap or event (Typically 1 though in the expanded lists I believe there may be one or two that offer more then 1 skill)

1 Skill roll per promotion/advancement gained.
(and i'm not 100% certain if Commishon is meant to also give a roll)

That means that presuming you have a basic character who has served 1 term and not advanced at all and gained no skills from events, has a EDU modifier of +0, you have 10 skills

3 (Education) + 6 (basic training) + 1 (Skill roll for first term).

Now it is highly likely (actually if you check it's basically 95% likely) that you have at laest 1 skill from your Event / Mishap. So by the age of 22 you should have generally 11 - 12 skills with out promotion.

Under Classic Traveller using the CT-CDrom versions, you have:

You start at 18 with No skills, your first enlistment you are entitled to 2 skills, each subsequent you gain 1 roll and each commishion and advancement 1 roll.

There for a CT traveller using the same persumption as above would have:
2 skills on inital term of service 1st year
3 skills for the next 3 years of service 2,3,4th year
Any skills gained per advancement etc.

But that still means a Minimum of 5 skills, that is 1/2 the amount you get at the start of a MGP Traveller game for the first term. In the long run yes CT will grant more skills (it does in the long run) But you have to actually well ... survive that long. for characters in their 30's - 40's generally the total is about even.

edit: oh that's presuming Book 1 use only btw and the rules on page 10 of book 1