Quote from: RPGPunditWhy 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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That's pretty much how I look at CT character generation.  Often, I find that I can construct a little narrative from the skill rolls a character gets each turn, much in the manner of the Captain Jameson example in the rulebook.  Not that that necessarily makes for a useful character; occasionally you get the retired Army general with Rifle-1, SMG-1 and Forward Observer-5.  But the process is fast (and fun!) enough to roll up another guy that might work better.

For my game (starting date's been pushed back again due to everyone's schedule), I had my players roll up about 6 surviving PCs and pick their two favorites: a main guy and a backup.  The rest of the characters will be recycled as NPCs.

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?

Generally speaking, that's exactly the sort of person who doesn't go out adventuring, and their (typical) absence in Traveller made prefect sense in that regard.  Now, in my campaigns, I had at least two Bureaucrat characters (a high school prinicipal and one lawyer) and a couple of Doctors.  With the exception of the lawyer, generally none of them used their skills in the course of adventuring -- they just went along for the ride and interacted socially.

In this situation, I think of the movie Something Wild or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where an average, everyday person gets sucked into adventure and intrigue against his better judgement or wishes.  Then part of the adventure is adapting to the situation as a test of character.

!i!

QuoteThat's pretty much how I look at CT character generation. Often, I find that I can construct a little narrative from the skill rolls a character gets each turn, much in the manner of the Captain Jameson example in the rulebook. Not that that necessarily makes for a useful character; occasionally you get the retired Army general with Rifle-1, SMG-1 and Forward Observer-5. But the process is fast (and fun!) enough to roll up another guy that might work better.

That`s the way to do it. BTW, a -5 is a fucking awesome thing to have! Think about all the Ortillery he can direct at the enemy! Also keep in mind, that even a -1 present hell of a lot of professionalism in the given field. Surely, he was "General of the Ortillery School" and Veteran of many a planetary invasion...

Real men play what they roll up, instead of front-loading their egoes with power fantasy. In Trav, you earn your stuff.
And, rolling up different characters is  part of the game, as per RAW.

Quote from: SettembriniThat`s the way to do it. BTW, a -5 is a fucking awesome thing to have! Think about all the Ortillery he can direct at the enemy! Also keep in mind, that even a -1 present hell of a lot of professionalism in the given field. Surely, he was "General of the Ortillery School" and Veteran of many a planetary invasion...

Real men play what they roll up, instead of front-loading their egoes with power fantasy. In Trav, you earn your stuff.
And, rolling up different characters is  part of the game, as per RAW.

Oh, absolutely, the guy would be a whiz at calling in the ortillery on the heads of pesky Zhos!  And he'd probably be a hoot to play, anyway.  My "usefulness" comment was meant sort of in the context of the "default" merchant campaign.  If you were running mercs, that general would be a treasure.

And, yeah, the 2d6 system makes every bonus or malus a big deal, which is why you need to spend 4 years getting a skill level.  One of my players is, like me, a Squad Leader nut; when he expressed frustration at his first PC only having one of his skills at level 3, I said, "Think about it, he's like a 10-3 leader when it comes to piloting/gunnery/computers/whatever!"  He got the concept real quick.

My players were all skeptical at making BtB characters, but every one of them came back and told me how much fun they'd had doing it.  They even rolled up 2 or three new batches apiece in their spare time!

My traveller thoughts:

I've only gotten into gurps traveller as I can't stand "random" characters and like to build my own. I do use other traveller material for source matter, and in fact just bought some traveller stuff from Imperium games.

As to explaining traveller's low tech levels, I point out that as far as game balance goes keeping the tech somewhat limited allows more roleplaying as characters matter and are not simply units designed to let the players use their latesat gadgests and weapons.

I mean, come on guys, look at Rifts for what uncontrolled and escalating tech can do to a game....

As to explaining it in game terms, well maybe nanotech is limited in traveller because there was a 'grey goop" scenario in the past ythat wiped out a planet and they realized nano was too damn dangerous to play with.

Limited AI? How about a Skynet scenario where AI tried to wipe out humanity, or I should say humaniti? After that AI R&D was severely curtailed.

Traveller allows players to roam the stars and explore strange new worlds, boldly going where no man has gone before, but without the risk of the characters becoming irrelevant compared to the tech.

On a final note, maybe automation was limited as too many people without jobs is a bad thing for society, and they finally realized it.....

Quote from: RPGPunditMy 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.

Absolutely!

Still, I like the "best of 3" idea. Then at least no-one has to play the Vacc Suit-4 guy... :eek:

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?

Try asking Richard Branson.

Perhaps the guy is just a thrill seeker, they probably have a type one personality, and are constantly looking for new challenges. Making money isn't a challenge anymore so they are just in it for the thrill and to see how far they can push themselves.

Quote from: Dominus NoxLimited AI? How about a Skynet scenario where AI tried to wipe out humanity, or I should say humaniti? After that AI R&D was severely curtailed.

It was an AI that destroyed the Third Imperium if you follow GDW cannon Traveller. They are very common in the New Era setting.

Quote from: JimBobOzAbsolutely!

Still, I like the "best of 3" idea. Then at least no-one has to play the Vacc Suit-4 guy... :eek:

Hey, now, that could be a great adventure hook!

"Gentlemen, we have a situation in the Spinward Marches!  It seems a small mining colony desperately needs the greatest vacuum suit expert we have...."

OK, so maybe that doesn't quite work...

Hey when your ship suddenly starts venting air and the GM calls for a Vac-Suit test to get into your pressure suit before you die, who is going to be laughing then. When it comes time to buddy-up to check each others suit seals before the space walk, who's going to be Mr. Popular?

Quote from: BagpussHey when your ship suddenly starts venting air and the GM calls for a Vac-Suit test to get into your pressure suit before you die, who is going to be laughing then. When it comes time to buddy-up to check each others suit seals before the space walk, who's going to be Mr. Popular?

And for that ten minutes of play while you make a few rolls your character will matter.

The rest of the campaign, not so much.

It might work as part of an Ars Magica-style character pool.

 - I'm taking the retired naval commander
 - I'm taking the commando!
 - I'm taking the suit tech!

Quote from: BalbinusAnd for that ten minutes of play while you make a few rolls your character will matter.

The rest of the campaign, not so much.

Perhaps at Vac Suit-4, one gains the insight and skill needed to wield one as a deadly weapon.

Quote from: BalbinusAnd for that ten minutes of play while you make a few rolls your character will matter.

The rest of the campaign, not so much.

Well, he's not totally useless.  PCs are assumed have skill-0 (no bonus or penalty for skill use) for all weapons, and as a GM, I'd be inclined to give such a PC a few other skills at 0, too.  S/he still won't be an outstanding addition to the party save for those 10 minutes, but hey, it's something.

Ian Absentia's post a bit further up is also excellent food for though when dealing with such characters.

Quote from: BalbinusAnd for that ten minutes of play while you make a few rolls your character will matter.

The rest of the campaign, not so much.

I disagree.  I've owned games where my character was substandard compared to the rest.  Hell, from time to time I've intentionally gimped legit builds because I didn't need the raw power to make my character awesome.