Hi all,

With Classic Traveller, a party was very much randomly rolled.  You could have an unskilled army grunt, a retired Naval Commander with a sound pension and a 100k in the bank and a guy with a spaceship.

The issue I'm currently thinking about is the middle guy, why exactly would someone with a 100k in the bank and a good pension adventure?  What's the motivation?

Also, how did (or do) people here cope when the party comes up with a way random mix of skills?  Do you houserule chargen at all?  Last time I ran Traveller I created some pregens and one guy had Vacc Suit 4 and nothing else, I have trouble imagining what possible use that could be or why anyone would ever hire them.

So, how did you deal with all this stuff when running classic Traveller?

Erm I just played a later edition of Traveller? I like the career path idea, but as you've pointed out it can be way to random, the later editions kept the career path but gave players more control, and more flexibility in choice of skills. Not much help with Classic Traveller, I'm just curious as to why you are going with that version?

Quote from: BagpussErm I just played a later edition of Traveller? I like the career path idea, but as you've pointed out it can be way to random, the later editions kept the career path but gave players more control, and more flexibility in choice of skills. Not much help with Classic Traveller, I'm just curious as to why you are going with that version?

Megatraveller has pages of errata, Gurps I just don't like much as a system, T20 is way too complex for me.

So best of a bad bunch really I guess.

Ah I'm running TNE myself. I'm not that familair with Classic Traveller, how hard would it to be to steal the character generation from a later edition and bolt it on to the Classic Traveller rules?

We used to do it the same way we did D&D - each player rolls up a few characters and then picks one.  You get random results but avoid the unplayable characters and are able to put together a group with some cohesiveness.  

Maybe tedious to some but I've always liked rolling up characters.

Yeah, my group got together and rolled up characters until someone got a character they actually wanted to play.  They coordinated to put together a free trader and a complete crew.

Quote from: jrientsYeah, my group got together and rolled up characters until someone got a character they actually wanted to play.  They coordinated to put together a free trader and a complete crew.

We did Best of 3, meaning you could roll up to 3 PCs and could go with the one you liked best.

Quote from: BalbinusMegatraveller has pages of errata, Gurps I just don't like much as a system, T20 is way too complex for me.

So best of a bad bunch really I guess.

Yeesh. Okay.

I don't think any of those are a bad bunch, and I'd play either before I play CT.

MegaTraveller errata is mostly things like shipbuilding tables. Unless you plan on spending time doing that, go with MT.

I would agree T20 is complex, but it exactly addresses the conundrum of vastly different characters. The XP scale tends to make the power spread of characters less telling.


Anyways, its IME if you have 100k and a spaceship, that 100k isn't going to last too long unless you are a scout.

And if you are a scout, it's probably pretty much in your nature to adventure.


Anyways, we usually allowed players to generate several characters and picked one they liked. Usually resulted in a well rounded party.

I think it makes perfect sense.  After a glittering career in the navy, you settle down with a good pension and some money in the bank but before long you start to get wrestless until you find yourself engaging in more and more outlandish acts of sexual depravity in the vain hope of feeling as alive as you did when you were out in the field.

So rather than waste your life in the fleshpots of your home planet, you sign up to crew on a free trader.  You might make money, you might not but one thing that will be true is that you'll feel alive.

I imagine it's a bit like the call of the sea.  No matter how well-off a retired mariner is, he'll miss some part or parcel of naval life.

I could never get anyone to play Traveller.  They saw that you had to roll to see what skills you got and ran screaming in the other direction.  We'd had enough of that nonsense from Villians and Vigilantes.

Do they have that problem with randomly assigned pre-gen characters?

Quote from: MaddmanI could never get anyone to play Traveller.  They saw that you had to roll to see what skills you got and ran screaming in the other direction.  We'd had enough of that nonsense from Villians and Vigilantes.

Well, running through the career chargen is kinda like playing with yourself.

The modified creation of megatraveller actually seemed semi-realistic to me.  You had bunches of "I wanted career X but wound up in career Y so my skills reflect that"  or "I'm a cool marine but spent 8 years behind a desk."  but that kind of reality doesn't mesh with what many people want from roleplaying.

Quote from: BagpussDo they have that problem with randomly assigned pre-gen characters?

Yes.

We were all very much a 'play the guy *I* want to play' kind of group.  Rolling to see what you got was just about assuring you'd get a character you weren't too interested in playing.  Even the old school D&D roll in order was anathema.  So if you rolled 7 strength and 16 int you were supposed to play a wizard.  What if I want to play a fighter?

This was way back when though, we were all teenagers and very focused on the wish fulfilment aspect of gaming.

Quote from: BalbinusThe issue I'm currently thinking about is the middle guy, why exactly would someone with a 100k in the bank and a good pension adventure?  What's the motivation?

Why did I move to Uruguay?


My point being, rather than discarding the character, that's precisely the question you need to find a different answer to, and that different answer will make your character all the more interesting.

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