More Character Creation Questions from a Newbie

[Zen Infidel]

I've been working through several character creation processes in preparation for refereeing a game for my friends, and I encountered several situations I was not certain how to handle.

First, if a player in a military career rolls for commission and succeeds, what does he roll for survival and advancement in subsequent terms? For example, a naval career requires a Soc 8+ to advance to a commission. If he continues in this career does he return to rolling the same checks he made for survival and advancement before the commission or does he continue using the commission check of Soc 8+?

Second, if a player fails the survival roll while serving a term as a drifter and he continues as a drifter in a subsequent term, does he get a new basic training skill, etc, or is he required to retire?

 

[Greylond]

Look at the Character Generation Checklist on page 5 of the Main Rule Book.

Step 6b is Survival Roll
Step 7a is the Event Roll
Step 8a is the Advancement Roll
Step 8d says "Military Characters may roll commission instead of rolling for Advancement"

So the Order is

Survival
Event
Advancement OR Commission Roll

As for failing Survival Roll if a Drifter, I'd expect that may be a GM call. Personally, I'd let the Character continue on as a Drifter but no extra Skill from Basic Training, the Character still gets a Specialist Skill Roll. There's a good chance of an Extremely "Bad Thing" happening due to failing multiple Survival Rolls as a Drifter...

 

[Zen Infidel]

And what about after passing the commission roll? Does the character go back to rolling the survival and advancement rolls he made without the commission?

 

[Greylond]

No, you follow the Checklist as if it were a Flowchart. You've already Survived and passed through an Event. And the Commission roll is in place of an Advancement. Effectively if you succeed in the Commission Roll that is your Advancement.

 

[Greylond]

Perhaps it would be easier to think of it this way;

Your character is 18 years old and has some Background and Education Skills.

You enlist in a Career(You succeed in your Enlistment Roll).
You go to Boot Camp and get a bunch of skills
You get assigned as per your chosen Specialty where you get 1 additional Skill
During your assignment you may or may not survive(Make your Survival Roll)
If you complete your 4 years without a Mishap then you get a chance for Advancement or Commision
If you get Advanced or Commissioned, you get selected for additional training and get an additional Skill

If you failed your Mishap, then you get ejected from your Career BEFORE you get a chance to Advance or get Commissioned.

 

[Zen Infidel]

No, you follow the Checklist as if it were a Flowchart. You've already Survived and passed through an Event. And the Commission roll is in place of an Advancement. Effectively if you succeed in the Commission Roll that is your Advancement.

No, I understand how it works within a given term; it's the subsequent terms that I'm confused about. So say he makes his survival roll this term and succeeds on a commission roll in place of his advancement. Then the character decides to pursue another term in the same career. When the survival roll comes, does he make the same check he made before he became an officer? And when the advancement roll comes does he make the commission check again to advance on the officer table, or does he get a choice to advance more on the non-officer table after getting a commission? That's what I'm confused about.

 

[Greylond]

So say he makes his survival roll this term and succeeds on a commission roll in place of his advancement. Then the character decides to pursue another term in the same career. When the survival roll comes, does he make the same check he made before he became an officer?

Yes, the Survival Roll is the same for everyone, then modified by Stats

And when the advancement roll comes does he make the commission check again to advance on the officer table, or does he get a choice to advance more on the non-officer table after getting a commission? That's what I'm confused about.

No, once you are Commissioned you roll the same Advancement roll as Enlisted but if you succeed you go up on the Commissioned Table.

 

[Zen Infidel]

No, once you are Commissioned you roll the same Advancement roll as Enlisted but if you succeed you go up on the Commissioned Table.

Ah, ok. That answers my question. Thank you.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

First, if a player in a military career rolls for commission and succeeds, what does he roll for survival and advancement in subsequent terms? For example, a naval career requires a Soc 8+ to advance to a commission. If he continues in this career does he return to rolling the same checks he made for survival and advancement before the commission or does he continue using the commission check of Soc 8+?

I still do the normal survival/advancement/promotion checks after a character is commissioned. Just the rank titles are changed.

Second, if a player fails the survival roll while serving a term as a drifter and he continues as a drifter in a subsequent term, does he get a new basic training skill, etc, or is he required to retire?

What I do is, if Drifter is the first career, all six skills are collected from one of the specialized skill tables. If Drifter is a later career, then only one of the skills is collected.