ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
When doing your character generation, do you prefer to have higher skill levels (but fewer skills overall)? Or do you prefer to have more skills, but with lower skill levels?
Skills levels: High but few? Or low but many?
- Thread starter ShawnDriscoll
- Start date
CosmicGamer
Mongoose
Varies.
I like to have a character that fills a role needed in the adventure/campaign.
This could be a single skill, like pilot or a combination of skills that compliment the other characters.
I don't like being just one more of the same thing like "guy with multiple combat skills #3".
I have to admit that the most memorable characters were ones that had a high skill level. I tend to really dive in and role play that skill in depth vs a character with multiple average skills. Sometimes the memory is of them failing despite their skill and how they and others react to it.
I like to have a character that fills a role needed in the adventure/campaign.
This could be a single skill, like pilot or a combination of skills that compliment the other characters.
I don't like being just one more of the same thing like "guy with multiple combat skills #3".
I have to admit that the most memorable characters were ones that had a high skill level. I tend to really dive in and role play that skill in depth vs a character with multiple average skills. Sometimes the memory is of them failing despite their skill and how they and others react to it.
Jak Nazryth
Mongoose
At least one high level skill (+2 or higher)
Several +1 skills (3 to 4), and a lot (5 or more) of +0 skills.
With 4 to 6 player that should cover a lot of skill sets.
Several +1 skills (3 to 4), and a lot (5 or more) of +0 skills.
With 4 to 6 player that should cover a lot of skill sets.
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
I usually try for a balance of a few higher skills, but variety as well.
My son prefers characters with high physical characteristics and less skills. He figures if he can get at least a +1 DM in the physical categories (hopefully with some +2s as well), he can overcome the simpler skill checks with a good roll and a Level-0 or Level-1 skill.
My son prefers characters with high physical characteristics and less skills. He figures if he can get at least a +1 DM in the physical categories (hopefully with some +2s as well), he can overcome the simpler skill checks with a good roll and a Level-0 or Level-1 skill.
I'll be honest enough to say that it depends upon the skill. Some skills, when you get high levels, you feel pretty good about it. A combat skill at level 4 makes you a real badass. Level 4 with Pilot and you're Han Solo. Level 4 with Recruiting (CT, Mercenary chargen) and you're left with a look on your face like you just sucked on a lemon. To stay within the MgT rules, Vacc Suit 4 feels like a waste of space on the character sheet as well.
Might be beneficial if, alongside all the discussion of what level you have to have to be a pro, versus a savant or famous for it, to have every skill broken down by what it means to have it at each level up to a reasonable point (say 4 or 5), maybe even including some things that you can do with a reasonable chance of success that a novice or even a pro wouldn't even try.
Might be beneficial if, alongside all the discussion of what level you have to have to be a pro, versus a savant or famous for it, to have every skill broken down by what it means to have it at each level up to a reasonable point (say 4 or 5), maybe even including some things that you can do with a reasonable chance of success that a novice or even a pro wouldn't even try.
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
JP42 said:
I'm only concerned with the Mongoose rules.
tanksoldier
Mongoose
ShawnDriscoll said:
...but the point is still valid. WHAT the skill is matters.
I'd suggest that one or two 'good' skills are important; it helps define 'I am a professional at [insert here]', whilst lost of ones and zeros means someone who can turn their hand to anything.
I agree that the nature of the skill matters. Even the 'good' skills are bad in the wrong situation (diplomat/4 has yet to talk down a ravenous Chamax to my knowledge), but a lot of skills are vital to have at level zero but don't affect the game much by improving to higher levels (language skills, vacc suit, battle dress, etc). Instructor/4 is awesome but only if you have other skill 3s and skill 4s to match - which is unlikely.
The trick for the GM (and players) is finding ways to make that useful. Vacc-suit/4 guys will be able to crash rig themselves for decompression - or spot that a vacc suit is dodgy, or sabotage one in undetectable ways.
I agree that the nature of the skill matters. Even the 'good' skills are bad in the wrong situation (diplomat/4 has yet to talk down a ravenous Chamax to my knowledge), but a lot of skills are vital to have at level zero but don't affect the game much by improving to higher levels (language skills, vacc suit, battle dress, etc). Instructor/4 is awesome but only if you have other skill 3s and skill 4s to match - which is unlikely.
The trick for the GM (and players) is finding ways to make that useful. Vacc-suit/4 guys will be able to crash rig themselves for decompression - or spot that a vacc suit is dodgy, or sabotage one in undetectable ways.
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
locarno24 said:
I have not come across player characters that have Vacc Suit 4. Do you know of players that choose to do this on purpose with their character?
ShawnDriscoll said:
It's more likely, from what I've seen, in MegaTraveller or T5 (I may be wrong though). If the players are anything like me they'd ask if they could reassign 2 or 3 skill ranks to other skills (I would say a Vacsuit skill of 1 or 2 is about all you need), regardless of system.
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
Jame Rowe said:
Don't care about other editions.
I doubt they'd set out to do it deliberately. However, it's quite possible for a five or more term crewman to end up with a stupidly high vacc-suit skill and nothing else - if you just take a navy crewman through four terms, for example, one in every one-thousand-two-hundred-and-something comes out rolling vacc-suit for his service skills four times in a row...
I doubt you'd see people specifically use skill connections to take vacc-suit skills, though. The HEV suit is the most demanding one I can think of, and even low-tech ones only require vacc suit/2.
I dunno. Maybe set up a vacc-suit design and manufacture business or something.
CosmicGamer
Mongoose
I guess you are not using the default random chargen then if players can choose?ShawnDriscoll said:
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
CosmicGamer said:
If a player showed up at the store to play Mongoose Traveller with a character that had Vacc Suit 4, I'd expect his character to have had a very long Scout Career (the character would be in his 70s). Otherwise, he fudged his numbers.
CosmicGamer
Mongoose
Weapon skills (increased by repetitive weapon rolls on mustering out) is one obvious exception but most skills at level 4 would probably be from a "long" career. If fudging numbers is something that occurs, I'd be more likely to think that is the case for pilot or broker or just about anything else. Who would fudging Vacc Suit? Mistake or unlucky rolling is more likely.ShawnDriscoll said:
There are many career specialty tables that do not have Vacc Suit skill. For those that do, like Rogue Pirate or Scout Courier, it's about as easy to get Vacc Suit 4 as any other skill on the table.
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
CosmicGamer said:
I've been generating characters on my computer for 3 weeks now. Thousands. The computer hasn't shown a Vacc Suit 4 yet that I've noticed. I may have seen a Vacc Suit 3 a few times. There is a career event or two that will let you pick any skill you want, but I don't think Vacc-Suit is one of them.
ShawnDriscoll said:
Vacc Suit 3 is just as "boring" as Vacc Suit 4+, I imagine. And while your simulation may have only hit Vacc Suit 3, it's possible, however unlikely, to get a higher value in that skill, especially if the player keeps rolling on the table that includes Vacc Suit to try to get another more desirable skill that doesn't appear on a table that lacks Vacc Suit.
I will grant you that MgT did a better job of preventing this than CT did. In CT, it was nearly impossible to avoid having your physician have Medic-5+, for example. And yes, I know, you don't care about earlier versions.
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
JP42 said:In CT, it was nearly impossible to avoid having your physician have Medic-5+, for example. And yes, I know, you don't care about earlier versions.
If I did, I'd be on those forums.
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