Skill list modification

[Infojunky]

I always got the impression that Traveller "Engineers" are more like train or ship "engineers" - people skilled at operating and maintaining engines and what not.

Yes, technically Travellers Starship Engineers are Operating Engineers not Engineers in the college sense. Though a Engineering Officer with a college degree might be both (In the maritime and Naval trades this is often the case. I the Star Trek case Scotty was both as well)

I'd say there's overlap in practical terms, but Engineers "keep the engines running" and Mechanics repair things like airlocks and hull damage. Electrical skill is useful for robots, comms units, etc.

Scotty would have many levels in Engineering, Electronics, Mechanics and Science(Engineering). And possibly Carousing and Brawling, if "Trouble With Tribbles" is an indication.

The DESIGNING parts in MgT seem more like the purview of Science(Engineering).

See here I agree with y'all. My biggest issue was what skills were included and or fractionated out. In the case of Mechanical I assume that it is a speciality. And with the 4, the 3 drives and Life Support should be lumped together as one.

 

[dragoner]

IMO, it goes back to what skills are about in theory; are they there to enable the players, or the restrict them? Engineer, mechanic, can both have relevance in how the players use them; though I wouldn't try to map them back to the real world on a one to one basis.

 

[mr31337]

See here I agree with y'all. My biggest issue was what skills were included and or fractionated out. In the case of Mechanical I assume that it is a speciality. And with the 4, the 3 drives and Life Support should be lumped together as one.

So you'd be saying...
Engineer(starship) - M & J drives, power plants & life support
Engineer(electrical)
Engineer(mechanical)

And Science(speciality) does most of the design work?

Works for me, simple and clean.

 

[Infojunky]

See here I agree with y'all. My biggest issue was what skills were included and or fractionated out. In the case of Mechanical I assume that it is a speciality. And with the 4, the 3 drives and Life Support should be lumped together as one.

So you'd be saying...
Engineer(starship) - M & J drives, power plants & life support
Engineer(electrical)
Engineer(mechanical)

And Science(speciality) does most of the design work?

Works for me, simple and clean.

Yep that is it dead on....

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

That works for me too (and I was a Naval Nuclear "engineer" for 8 years before getting an Engineering degree).

By moving Mechanical under Engineer, it allows you to use the cross-specialty (level 0) skill in the other areas and that really works for me.

As a nuclear engineer, I WAS trained to change valves and pumps etc. but there were other Machinist Mates that were part of "A" division that dealt with all the non-engine room stuff. We started out at the same 'A' school but then branched off. I would say that I gained Engineer (Starship) 2 but had Engineer (Mechanical) 0 and Engineer (Electrical) 0.

BTW, Life Support (oxygen generators and CO2 scrubbers) were NOT handled by the Nuclear Machinist Mates, they were handled by the 'A' Gang. But for Traveller, I would include Life Support and Gravitics under Engineer (Starship). HOWEVER, how do you want to separate out the Jump Drive? Most space ships would NOT have a Jump Drive, so many Engineer (Spaceship) people would not understand most of the Jump Drive stuff unless they worked on an actual Starship.

It is similar to separating Pilot and Astrogation into 2 skills. Perhaps there needs to be Engineer (Spaceship) and Engineer (Jump) [or Engineer (FTL)]. Making Jump Drive engineers more valuable and rare than standard ship engineers like an Astrogator is more valuable and rare than a Pilot.

 

[mr31337]

...or just move mechanic to engineer(mechanical).


EDIT: Incidentally, I suppose we could still see something like Trade(mechanic)

 

[sideranautae]

So you'd be saying...
Engineer(starship) - M & J drives, power plants & life support
Engineer(electrical)
Engineer(mechanical)

And Science(speciality) does most of the design work?

Works for me, simple and clean.

That's exactly how I have it written.

 

[sideranautae]

It is similar to separating Pilot and Astrogation into 2 skills. Perhaps there needs to be Engineer (Spaceship) and Engineer (Jump) [or Engineer (FTL)]. Making Jump Drive engineers more valuable and rare than standard ship engineers like an Astrogator is more valuable and rare than a Pilot.

I do it by TL. IMTU Jump drives start at TL 10. If you are from a planet <TL 10, you didn't learn Jump Drives. Otherwise you will. The difference is that having Jump Drive covered makes the skill double cost when 1st obtained.

 

[Infojunky]

HOWEVER, how do you want to separate out the Jump Drive? Most space ships would NOT have a Jump Drive, so many Engineer (Spaceship) people would not understand most of the Jump Drive stuff unless they worked on an actual Starship.

It is similar to separating Pilot and Astrogation into 2 skills. Perhaps there needs to be Engineer (Spaceship) and Engineer (Jump) [or Engineer (FTL)]. Making Jump Drive engineers more valuable and rare than standard ship engineers like an Astrogator is more valuable and rare than a Pilot.

Since the jump drive is essentially a very specialized Fusion Plant I see no problem leaving it lumped in with the other drives.

 

[sideranautae]

Since the jump drive is essentially a very specialized Fusion Plant I see no problem leaving it lumped in with the other drives.

Ah yes. A la the MT paradigm.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Acceptable as long as you have a good explanation if anyone asks.

Not how I would do it, but it still works.

 

[sideranautae]

Acceptable as long as you have a good explanation if anyone asks.

Not how I would do it, but it still works.

I like it because it decouples the JD rating from the needed PP rating. MAke better ships. Like exist in MT