Officer Commission: What counts as the "first term"?

[OldGuy59]

I was commisioned after 25 years as enlisted in the Canadian Forces. There were a few programs and paths to get a Commission later in careers. The Limited Commissioning program let high ranking NCOs take up specific Captain or Major positions, should there be experience/training advantages to doing so. There was a Commissioning From the Ranks program, to identify NCOs that exhibit leadership qualities and experience that could translate well in the Officer ranks. And there was the University Training Program for NCOs. NCOs could apply for a paid university degree, and become an Officer. This could happen any time, as long as the member could serve long enough to cover the cost of the degree (usually four years, so eight years before obligatory retirement at 55 years old).

So, Traveller appears to be more limited than, at least, the Canadian Military.

 

[rinku]

It is a lot more limited than that, but does at least have three paths to late career commission: Soc 9+ can try any term; any term can result in a 12 result for Event; and pre-career education can be taken as late as 3rd term. So for a random background story generator it does do okay.

For what it's worth, the odds of rolling a 12 by your 7th attempt aren't too bad - about 18%.

 

[CordwainerFish]

pre-career education can be taken as late as 3rd term

I'm too lazy to check if it's RAW, but I'd allow a roll to enter the appropriate military academy without requiring leaving the career. Think of it as applying for OCS.

 

[rinku]

I don't think it's stated one way or the other, but I agree. Treat it as changing assignments within the career.

 

[OldGuy59]

Well, me getting a commission was like a miracle.... So much smaller odds.

BTW: For end of career pensions, I always include Military Academy as part of the career, if the Traveller goes military. At least in the Canadian military, the Royal Military College is part of a military career, and pensionable time. So, not really a "Pre-Career Education".

 

[Vormaerin]

I think that "Military Academy" is intended to also cover things like Virginia Military Institute, which isn't the same as West Point, but also isn't the usual sort of civilian university. That's why you don't *have* to go into the military of the Academy. But YMMV.

But it's not like the pension matters for jack, so there's certainly no harm in backdating it to cover the Military Academy.

 

[Condottiere]

If military academy was free, if you don't join one of the services associated with the polity hosting it, they may expect monetary compensation of the tuition fees.

 

[Vormaerin]

The Military Academy costs exactly the same as University in Traveller. ie some amount between 0 and infinity that is no longer relevant by the time gameplay starts.

You can imagine that 57th century education looks exactly like 20th century education in the US if you want. But there's no reason to think that would be the case.

 

[Condottiere]

Money does seem rather important in the Sixth Millenia.

And, in theory, you don't want to train the opposition for free, since they could join the armed forces of a rival polity.

Gain all Service Skills of the military career the academy is tied to at level 0, as with basic training.

If entering the same military career the academy is tied to, select any three Service Skills and increase them to level 1.

 

[rinku]

Real world pensions vary from country to country and often industry to industry within a country, so any way of doing it is very much YTU territory. Scholar careers might also count University, especially if the course has paid employment in the field as part of it. An example:

"If you study in Australia for longer than six months, and you work while you study, you will need to pay income tax and have a Tax File Number (TFN). You should also receive superannuation payments from your employer. These payments are known as 'super' and are a form of retirement savings."

That's mostly going to be for part time work while studying any degree, but if the course involves paid employment as part of an internship or apprenticeship, it would apply. In particular I'm thinking Medical students that progress to Scholar (Physician) or Law students going into Citizen (Corporate). As a rule of thumb, maybe go with "if the character had a bonus to enlist in a career from their pre-education, and did so, count their pre-education term towards pension terms for that career"?

 

[OldGuy59]

If military academy was free, if you don't join one of the services associated with the polity hosting it, they may expect monetary compensation of the tuition fees.

Yes. If you go through the Royal Military College to get your degree, and decide not to continue with the Canadian Forces, or bail out before five years of 'obligatory service', you have to pay back the cost of the college courses.

One of the big issues Canada had/has with pilots being hired on getting their transport wings (Airbus 310 qualified), and loosing all the time and effort to generate aircrew. The civilian airlines will pay out the education costs as a signing bonus to the pilot. The military looses, but the airline gets an awesome pilot for about half the cost of generating one on their own.

 

[Vormaerin]

Money does seem rather important in the Sixth Millenia.

And, in theory, you don't want to train the opposition for free, since they could join the armed forces of a rival polity.

Gain all Service Skills of the military career the academy is tied to at level 0, as with basic training.

If entering the same military career the academy is tied to, select any three Service Skills and increase them to level 1.

Okay. But neither of those statements are relevant.

This is a character background generator. It has no costs for anything (except maybe getting hurt on the job). Whether they repaid their Academy or not has nothing to do with the question (does it count toward pension) nor is the answer in evidence even if it was. All we know is that they don't owe anything at the point they start adventuring. Even if that's the very next term (unlikely though that is).

As for training enemies, I don't see how that has anything to do with anything either. It just says "Military Academy" and "Military Career". No information on what academy or what military. Your military academy could be a prestigious Imperial War College or "Uncle Joe's Roughneck Leadership Camp". Your "Army" could be a mercenary unit, the planetary Militia of Podunkia Prime, or the Imperial Army. It changes nothing about the mechanics. That's just flavor you apply to your backstory.

 

[Condottiere]

Medical debts have to be repaid.

The way I calculate it, even if your character is one of the poorly educated, and/or not too bright, chances are pretty good that they would qualify for either university, and/or a military academy.

Which should indicate pretty good enrollment.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Medical debts have to be repaid.

The way I calculate it, even if your character is one of the poorly educated, and/or not too bright, chances are pretty good that they would qualify for either university, and/or a military academy.

Which should indicate pretty good enrollment.

Only if you assume that the numbers we are given for character creation are representative of society in general which it isn't. It is only applicable to PCs. One of those PC-facing systems that drive me nuts when trying to worldbuild.

 

[Condottiere]

Superficially, Traveller character generation is supposedly common denominator, lowest or otherwise.

Realistically, most people aren't going to have that kind of access, most aspects of it.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Superficially, Traveller character generation is supposedly common denominator, lowest or otherwise.

Realistically, most people aren't going to have that kind of access, most aspects of it.

Is it though? The Trade Chapter is definitely not like that. It has also been pointed out that the character creation is only for PCs as NPCs are all Rule Zero since they can have any skills or stats the Referee wishes them to.

 

[Condottiere]

That would be plot driven.

Pretty much as a points system would be player driven.

What we have is partially randomized, with players navigating their characters through the shoals of their career(s) labyrinth(s).

 

[rinku]

Is it though? The Trade Chapter is definitely not like that. It has also been pointed out that the character creation is only for PCs as NPCs are all Rule Zero since they can have any skills or stats the Referee wishes them to.

The reverse is true. Any Referee can just hand out pregenerated characters to the players, with whatever stats the Ref wants to impose (not my style, but I have done it sometimes when running a pre-campaign teaser, especially if I want the players to experience lethal combat). And, any Referee can use the full character generation system over and over, until they manage to roll up the NPCs they need for a scenario.

But realistically, if you need a specific, unusual character for a story it's better to go hybrid and use the full character generation system as a guide to making them without rolling, or only rolling when it won't matter or you're not sure.

Also... I know this is one of your bugbears, but anyone that claims character generation is ONLY for PCs misses the text on p.90 under "Other Characters":



Full permission to roll up NPCs using that section for anyone that wants to. And clearly framed as a Referee choice.