Traveller Char-Gen Question

[Saladman]

No matter how carefully you choose, there is always a chance at gaining nothing during a 4-year term. So, you have a character who is 4 years older with nothing to show for it except, possibly, aging penalties.

The flat skill 1s only appear on rank and event tables, never on the d6 career tables. Unless you roll on personal development for the stat gain chance you'll always get at least one skill (or basic training) in a term.

On the rank tables, they're clearly meant to provide professional minimums without necessarily bumping skills up to superhuman levels. On the event tables, there's no guarantee you're getting a skill to begin with, and when you do they're often providing breadth of skills with something you might not normally get, but again not pushing those extra skills to higher levels.

The mechanic works just fine, you just don't like it. But not liking it doesn't make it broken.

I would have no problem with your house rule in itself, but I'd probably also set a lower term limit if I were using it. It's definitely in that broad category of house rules I don't mind but don't need to see in the core rulebook some day.

 

[MasterGwydion]

The flat skill 1s only appear on rank and event tables, never on the d6 career tables. Unless you roll on personal development for the stat gain chance you'll always get at least one skill (or basic training) in a term.

On the rank tables, they're clearly meant to provide professional minimums without necessarily bumping skills up to superhuman levels. On the event tables, there's no guarantee you're getting a skill to begin with, and when you do they're often providing breadth of skills with something you might not normally get, but again not pushing those extra skills to higher levels.

The mechanic works just fine, you just don't like it. But not liking it doesn't make it broken.

I would have no problem with your house rule in itself, but I'd probably also set a lower term limit if I were using it. It's definitely in that broad category of house rules I don't mind but don't need to see in the core rulebook some day.

It is just how I do it. I don't have term limits in My games, but that is more due to never needing them. The groups I tend to play with are all older, with the exception of My kids. We are geriatric. We don't want to play geriatrics. lol. So, most of Us never take enough terms to even need aging rolls.

 

[TrooperSJP]

Failures can still happen on survival rolls, advancement rolls, etc.. My problem is that if a character spends 4 years learning a skill, there should be some improvement no matter what. They do not flatine on learning new skills. They flatline on improving skills that they already have and have been actively using for 4 years. This is what I have a problem with.

I just checked, and there is no Career in the Core Rulebook where any of the skills on the tables you roll on has a number next to it. So...if you make it through that term and roll on a one of those six tables, you will level up. They are all +1s.

There only time you "won't get something is an overlap between your background 0 skills from before you were 18 and the huge number of skills you get at 0 for Basic Training. And perhaps some of the bonus skills you get on top of your normal roll when you get promoted.

So...you will learn a skill every term.

 

[swordtart]

It's not spelled out directly anywhere, is it? And it's a non-standard format that doesn't appear anywhere else, and which is a change from earlier editions.

I would rule that it needs to increase a science skill from 1 to 2, but doesn't have to be the same skill you took at rank 1. That's in the spirit, or on the same scale, as the rest of char-gen skill increases.

You could instead read

as setting any science specialization from 0 to 2. Normally I find singling out individual sections of Mongoose Publishing text without seeing what's elsewhere to steer you wrong more often than not, but this one's such an oddball it might fall on the other side of the equation.

Since this only happens with science (which has a lot of specialisms). I would use the rule as written. This could represent the scientist collaborating on a cross-disciplinary research project or simply taking a sabbatical in an new area of science to stretch themselves.

Consider that if you use the post-career study rules it would only take 3 successful study periods to go from a skill you already have at 0 to level 2. That could be as little as 6 months. I have known people take a PhD at work and be paid to take time off to study and took over a year out (on and off). This was sometimes in a field where they had no previous qualification (since they already knew enough of their own field to be effective). Fitting such a study period into a 4 year term is entirely feasible.

Typically a scholar would have high enough education to make those study checks easily and their combined INT and EDU scores would be enough that it doesn't limit their max skill levels.

 

[Condottiere]

Average would be forty two skill levels cap, seven plus seven times three.

That would be one for every year of their working life until retirement, assuming eighteen till sixty.

Should be enough, for whatever career path you're planning.

 

[Shadowblayde99]

Just so I have this right, it takes 8 weeks to go from no skill to level 0 and 8 weeks to go from level 0 to level 1?

 

[Arkathan]

Just so I have this right, it takes 8 weeks to go from no skill to level 0 and 8 weeks to go from level 0 to level 1?

if you pass your EDU checks, yes.

 

[IanBruntlett]

if you pass your EDU checks, yes.

In the Central Supply Catalogue there is the "Personal Trainer" which is skill-specific software which gives you DM+1 to checks to gain or improve skills.

 

[Arkathan]

In the Central Supply Catalogue there is the "Personal Trainer" which is skill-specific software which gives you DM+1 to checks to gain or improve skills.

Having access to a 4 Dton Library helps with a DM+1, too.
So, take your portable computer with the Personal Trainer software on it to the ship's library... if you have a nice referee.

 

[swordtart]

Just so I have this right, it takes 8 weeks to go from no skill to level 0 and 8 weeks to go from level 0 to level 1?

Yes (presuming you make the EDU rolls). Then it takes two more study periods (total16 weeks) to get to level 2. Three more to get to level 3 etc.

 

[Condottiere]

Can't recall that particular process at this moment.

I think it should depend on the type of skill, academic versus practical versus physical.

 

[Tom B]

Can't recall that particular process at this moment.

I think it should depend on the type of skill, academic versus practical versus physical.

For Athletics you use the appropriate athletics stat instead of EDU.

 

[Condottiere]

Muscle memory, depending on which muscle you're exercising.

I was thinking that Groo The Traveller would actually have quite an opportunity to extract the maximum from our character generation.

 

[rinku]

Unlike CT, there's no post career training way to build up physical characteristics in Mongoose, is there? Just the Athletics skill and technological help?
Character with DEX 11 wants to know...

 

[CordwainerFish]

Unlike CT, there's no post career training way to build up physical characteristics in Mongoose, is there? Just the Athletics skill and technological help?
Character with DEX 11 wants to know...

Implants, I suppose, if you allow implants in the first place. (I wouldn't.)

 

[rinku]

Nah, I was looking at old fashioned physical training or a drug anyway. Augments are a little out of her price range and we have time to shop but not major surgery.

On the other hand... Vacc Suit-2 so suiting up in battledress that gives +4 Dex is a sweet spot.

Maybe something that can be worn that might add +1 DEX?

 

[Condottiere]

Don't settle for Siam/eth.

 

[rinku]

Referee has been happy to build and offer a TL13 +1STR +1DEX exosuit. CR 80,000 which seems fair, but still a little out of budget right now.