Traits / talents

[Wims]

After playing Traveller a couple of years, I had the idea to develop a trait / talent system for the game. They would be earned during character creation, and give benefits to die rolls, modify the character's social environment or personality... Many SF games have systems like this one, for example Dark Heresy or Burning Empires.

Then I realised that someone maybe developed this already. So my question is: do you know any published/amateur trait system for Traveller?

 

[far-trader]

Like GT's (GURPS) ads and disads? (first thought that popped)

Or T20's (D20) Feats?

Or something else? Not familiar with either Dark Heresy or Burning Empires.

There were a few that might be what you're after from CT as well, mostly in JTAS articles and such.

 

[Wims]

Not like ads and disads, but a more generic trait system. For example, a character could earn traits like:

Addicted
Big family
Idealist
Public face
Tough
Air of authority
Mimic
Orphan
Nerves of Steel

... and so on.

 

[AndrewW]

Should be able to borrow some from here:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm

Even if not Traveller, could be adapted.

 

[FreeTrav]

Are you perhaps thinking of something like Aspects from FATE-based games?

 

[Treebore]

Yeah, sounds more like aspects to me as well.

 

[Wims]

Are you perhaps thinking of something like Aspects from FATE-based games?

Not Aspects (I dont' think they fit well in traveller), but an easier system. Traits could give characters a bonus (maybe a +1) to some situations, restrict them in some way, allow them to perform special maneuvers...

 

[aspqrz]

Or you could try something along the lines of modifiers to Characteristics - so, for example, someone with INT12 might have +2 to Maths related rolls, and -2 to to reading/writing based ones.

Which is used in BTRC's EABA rules, and possibly similar things in other systems.

Phil

 

[Jame Rowe]

There's also the Crime Network game (and Terror Network) by Bedrock Games. They have a series of traits (Mama's Boy, Weak Will and so forth) that affect gameplay/storyline. Here's a link to a review on RPG.net: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/14/14736.phtml

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

Traits?

Please avoid as much as possible, these sound like a good idea, and always end up flying in the face of good characterisation and role playing.

Once used the personality traits system in Pendragon, that contained various benefits for playing in character, we ended up getting sick of it, ditched it, and concerntrated on role playing instead.

Egil

 

[GamerDude]

A while back I developed such a system with limits on how many could be taken, which wouldn't overlap/add together, etc. I submitted the general idea for an article in S&P but it is quite game changing so it's not quite ready for prime-time.

 

[Bense]

My first thought is that if I want to play with Advantages and Disadvantages I can just go play GURPS: Traveller (which I do sometimes).
Really, not having all of that stuff (and relying on characterization by the players instead) is one of the attractions of playing Mongoose Traveller. It's a throwback to old-style gaming.

 

[FreeTrav]

My first thought is that if I want to play with Advantages and Disadvantages I can just go play GURPS: Traveller (which I do sometimes).
Really, not having all of that stuff (and relying on characterization by the players instead) is one of the attractions of playing Mongoose Traveller. It's a throwback to old-style gaming.

Point noted. OTOH, though, something like FATE's Aspects could very well be helpful, giving a ... less imaginative ... player some ideas FOR the characterization. That's one of the reasons I thought that maybe the OP was thinking of something like them when he asked.

 

[Wims]

Not Aspects per se, but I was thinking about a method that gives some colour to the caracters and influences die rolls in some situations. Again, the best example are Burning Empires' traits.

 

[locarno24]

Sounds interesting.

Dark Heresy Traits and Talents are essentially 'special circumstances' tricks that don't quite fit into the normal skills and skill check rules (which, different mechanics aside, can be considered equivalent to Traveller).

A lot of them are combat based, and these are the easiest examples to give.

E.G.
Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) can have any level of skill, and the PC's accuracy is covered by this skill (plus innate stat bonuses)

A Trait/Talent would be something like Gunfighter, letting him use two pistols at once, or Quick Draw, allowing him to draw a pistol at the start of a combat as a free reaction.

Another one Dark Heresy uses quite often is to limit the maximum difficulty - so, for example, a gifted acrobat might never suffer a DEX DM worse than -4 (provided the task is deemed physically possible)

I suppose it'd be easy enough to put in to character creation - whenever a character already has a skill and gains it again, rather than going up by one level in that skill he can pick an associated 'talent' - agree what exactly that is with the GM.

 

[zero]

Chthonian Stars, when it does come out, will have assets and defects along with the vanilla trav chars, I dont see why they couldnt be reverse engineered into vanilla Trav when its released.

That or play Trav with CStars characters. If the stats on infrno.net and in this months S&P are anything to go by, theres hardly any difference.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

There are also the Special Techniques as found in the Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog supplements. I liked the idea enough to incorporate that as converted class abilities for my D20 to Traveller conversions project. YMMV as putting in for a 4 year term and rolling up a special technique as your skill might not be as much fun for you. It depends on the "power' of the special techniques

 

[steelbrok]

Either Savage Worlds (edges and hindrances) or Firefly (Assets and Complications IIRC) would be worth looking at for something like this.