Point-Buy Character Attempts

[Golan2072]

Let's check out the Point-Buy generation system.

For starters, let's build a Marine Lieutenant, three terms in service (total points 35).

MARK
Str 6 (0, 1pt), Dex 6 (0, 1pt), End 9 (+1, 5pt), Int 6 (0, 1pt), Edu 9 (+1, 5pt), Soc 5 (-1, 0pt) - Total points spent: 13

Rank: Lieutenant, 2pt

Benefits: 4 rolls, 8 pt

Skills (12pt total): Vacc Suit-0 (1pt), Athletics-0 (1pt), Gun (Slug Rifle)-2 (4pt), Melee (Brawling)-1 (2pt), Recon-1 (2pt), Stealth-1 (2pt)

Final Results:

Lieutenant Mark, Age 30

Str 6 (0), Dex 6 (0), End 9 (+1), Int 7 (0), Edu 9 (+1), Soc 5 (-1)

Skills:
Gun (Slug Rifle)-2, Melee (Brawling)-1 Recon-1, Stealth-1, Vacc Suit-0, Athletics-0.

[Not assigned - 1x mercenary package skill]

Assets:
10k, 2 Weapons

Comments/Conclusions:
1) As it stands right now, point-buy characters cannot receive contacts, enemies, allies or rivals during chargen.
2) Point-but pushes the player towards min-maxing: for example, there is no point of having a characteristic above 6 if you want a DM of 0, or above 9 if you want a DM of +1, and the low number of points makes min-maxing very rewarding, character options-wise.
3) As point-buy characters have no Events, how do they benefit from the Connection rule?
4) Random chargen is, IMHO, much more fun than point-buy; the latter, in comparison, feels more like a chore while the first is a game in its own. That's said, it is still a very simple and straightforward system.
5) Point-buy characters have less skills than their random-generation counterparts, especially 0-level skills. I'd allow point-buy characters to receive homeworld and education skills as usual (at no cost) to remedy this.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

I think the point-buy system is *very* embryonic at the moment, so not all the rules for all aspects of point-buy CharGen are in the document available to us...

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

I think things like number of terms served also needs to be included, which would affect the overall number of points available to buy skills, promotions/advancement, mustering out benefits, etc.

I would like to see a point-buy system based on the following (some of which are already in the available draft playtest document):

To generate your basic character:
X points for characteristics (STR, DEX, END, INT, EDU, SOC);
X points for homeworld skills.

To put your character through one of the careers/services:
X points for: survival, promotion/advancement, skills, terms served, rank, contacts/events, mustering out benefits.

 

[AKAramis]

I suspect connections could be made TO point buy characters, even tho' they wont' generate any.

 

[JimG]

Point buy systems do tend to lend themselves to the min-maxing, but on the other hand a pure random system can lead to some hopelessly weak characters.

I've been toying with the idea of giving players the option of point-buying their characteristics, but always rolling out the careers.

 

[Golan2072]

Point buy systems do tend to lend themselves to the min-maxing, but on the other hand a pure random system can lead to some hopelessly weak characters.

You could always have minimum-bonus rules as in D&D 3E - allowing a re-roll if your stats end up too low. Or you could allow each player to roll up two or three characters and pick up the one he likes the best. I suspect this is how many CT groups used to play; after all, most people played around quite a bit with the chargen system resulting in many, many characters "in stock".

Another option is to combine both methods. Roll the characteristics first and allow several points to be redistributed afterwards (or even allow the addition of a pool 2-3 stat points in total to the characteristics). Let the players point-buy career "blocks" (i.e. Marines Basic Training, Medic School, Flight School, Advanced Flight Training, Planetary Strike, Orbital Assault etc) rather than individual skills using a "block tree" for each career.

 

[Allensh]

As it stands, the point buy system would not be my first choice for generating player characters but it works very good for NPCs.

There was a point system published in the online JTAS awhile back by Anthony Salter. It was in some respects similar to the one in the manuscript. It also included using points to purchase TAS membership, acess to ships (this could be altered to ship credits) passage tickets (which seem to have dissapeared from the benefits tables, much to my approval). It also includes a simple advancement system.

Allen

EDIT: Are the point costs for skill levels in the manuscript system cumulative (i.e. if you want to buy a skill level 3 in Brawling, it costs 1 point for level 0, 2 points for level 1, 4 points for level 2 and 6 points for level 3, for a total cost of 13 points) or does it just cost 6? I am hoping its the latter...

 

[Allensh]

I would suggest allowing point build characters to roll for 1 event per term on the appropriate tables (and that's a call between the player and GM). Connections can be taken instead of events.

Or just give them Connections anyway and they get 2 points per Connection, maximum of 4 points.

Allen

 

[tjoneslo]

My favorite idea for Traveller point buy was to give each character a pool of points (say 10-20). Then run them through the character generation process as normal (roll characteristics, enlist, survive, muster out).

The pool of points acts as dice modifiers. You can add or subtract as many point from any die roll during character creation as you like. But once you use the points, they are gone from the pool.

For example, starting with a pool of 10. I roll a 9 for Social, plus 1 for the pool bonus and I'm now a knight, but the pool is now 9. Miss the navy enlistment roll by 1, pool is now 8 but I'm in the navy. Add one to a skill roll to get pilot instead of Blade Combat and the pool is now 7. Miss the survival roll by 2? Pool is now 5 and on we go.

This lets you have the advantages of the random generation system (cool background, contacts, events, etc), with the advantages of the point buy system (I get the character I envision) and diminish some of the downsides of each (Mongo the barbarian with blade-2 instead of Han Solo, not as much min-maxing).

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Are the point costs for skill levels in the manuscript system cumulative (i.e. if you want to buy a skill level 3 in Brawling, it costs 1 point for level 0, 2 points for level 1, 4 points for level 2 and 6 points for level 3, for a total cost of 13 points) or does it just cost 6? I am hoping its the latter...

I read it as non-cumulative - choose the skill level you want and pay that cost in points only. So that Zero-G Combat-2 skill your Marine needs costs you 4 points only.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

I suspect connections could be made TO point buy characters, even tho' they wont' generate any.

Connections to other characters could be bought? 4 or 6 points per connection? (just thoughts there, btw).

 

[AKAramis]

I suspect connections could be made TO point buy characters, even tho' they wont' generate any.

Connections to other characters could be bought? 4 or 6 points per connection? (just thoughts there, btw).

I'd instead make them automatic: 1 per term.

 

[Allensh]

I suspect connections could be made TO point buy characters, even tho' they wont' generate any.

Connections to other characters could be bought? 4 or 6 points per connection? (just thoughts there, btw).

I'd instead make them automatic: 1 per term.

Point Gen characters would then have more than Random Gen ones, since the random folks get only two per character.

I would just say you get two Connections as per the rules and give the "Free skills" too. The point buy just substitutes for the stat generation and careers part of the process...Homeworlds, Connections and Campaign Package are added on separately

Allen

 

[michael]

Right now there seem to be several missing elements:

1. You should pay different costs for different skills. Some skills (JOT) are more valuable than others (Steward).

2. You should be able to purchase Benefits.

 

[Allensh]

Right now there seem to be several missing elements:

1. You should pay different costs for different skills. Some skills (JOT) are more valuable than others (Steward).

2. You should be able to purchase Benefits.

I really think instituting a GURPS-like scheme where skills are priced by difficulty is more complex than this system needs to be. Traveller characters get all their skills the same way, even if one is more "difficult" than another. There's no good reason to make the point buy system any more complicated.

As for benefits...I think letting people choose their own benefits is opening up a can of worms. I have enough trouble when more than one character gets ship credits as is; letting them CHOOSE those credits would be maddening.

Allen