Traveller Skill Pick Option

[SnowDog]

Hi,

I was yesterday reading the core book and found out an optional rule that instead of rolling for the skill you can choose it.

Have I understood it correctly that you can choose it from those listed in the career package and only from those? I suppose you can't use it to raise abilities? So if you want to raise an ability, you still have to roll what stat is affected?

Thanks!

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Nope, if you want to use the Pick option, just use it. Pick the table, pick the skill (or characteristic increase) and go on. You still only have the same number of Picks as you would Rolls, so the character shouldn't be unbalanced with randomly rolled characters. And the advantage is the Player gets EXACTLY what he/she wants (both good and bad).

 

[SnowDog]

OK, thanks Rikki!

 

[R Arceneaux]

Looking at the two options the selection option is far better.

Reason 1 being that if as stated previously a person wants a character of a certain classification or job description and the random chance gives skills that render that particular character completely useless then what good is the character at all. For example say I wanted a gun slinger, sword expert, hired killer or whatever that requires fighting skills. IF I get random skills and abilities such as advanced basket weaving and the like what am I going to do hit the bad guys with my basket?

Reason 2 and most important is simply that if any player is forced to play a character that they would not rather play then the player themselves will not play the character proper. That is to say if a player wanted to play say some kind of healer character and they got a mercernary instead. That player would probably not care if the character got killed and probably do things to get the character killed so they could make a new character in hopes of their desired character.

ON THE OTHER HAND....

The GM has to be aware that the desired character is not 'Broken' to the point of being too superior. A certain amount of challenge has got to be part of the game picture.

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

Looking at the two options the selection option is far better.

Reason 1 being that if as stated previously a person wants a character of a certain classification or job description and the random chance gives skills that render that particular character completely useless then what good is the character at all. For example say I wanted a gun slinger, sword expert, hired killer or whatever that requires fighting skills. IF I get random skills and abilities such as advanced basket weaving and the like what am I going to do hit the bad guys with my basket?

Reason 2 and most important is simply that if any player is forced to play a character that they would not rather play then the player themselves will not play the character proper. That is to say if a player wanted to play say some kind of healer character and they got a mercernary instead. That player would probably not care if the character got killed and probably do things to get the character killed so they could make a new character in hopes of their desired character.

ON THE OTHER HAND....

The GM has to be aware that the desired character is not 'Broken' to the point of being too superior. A certain amount of challenge has got to be part of the game picture.

Hmm.. If your character gets in the right career, then there should be on real problem, e.g. to be a healer, become a scholar-physician. You won't pick up military skill unless you join the army or the marines. Having said that, with more experieced players selecting some skills (every second term?, bonus skill on promotion?) works well. In experienced players tend to try to get one skill up to level4 (esp gun combat), but that creates a charcter that is pretty useless at anything else.

Egil