Quote from: ChristopherKubasik;941865Are you asking about the United States Marines?
Or a fictional space Marines which conscripted a young man during a heated attack on a world?

Because I'm not saying anything about actual Marines. Are you?

Edited to add: When he was conscripted his characteristics were only 222222. So he was even more pathetic. The higher values were earned during his time in the Marines.

No, not really - I was mainly joking. I get that Traveller marines are one or more agencies that aren't the USMC and may have very different requirements and that I wouldn't know as I've rarely looked beyond the original basic classic Traveller books, and also that the system is a generic starting place and if I actually wanted more detail in a real game I could/should add it myself as a GM. I just think it's funny sometimes to joke about what the rules lead to if taken to extremes and applying a higher standard than they were designed for. Really they might be happy to have whoever joins and slot them where they can use whoever it is. If he's really incompetent, he might be great for a role in Intelligence where no one would suspect he was an agent... with Intelligence 2, it might be best not to tell him he's an agent. ;-) And/or a decoy, and not tell him, as in the film _Spies Like Us_.

Quote from: ChristopherKubasik;941866The rule you were using was a house rule. Which I'm not admonishing you about. Just stating a fact.

As to your question about Belters....

Following the change in rules for Scouts skill acquisition in the 1981 edition of the rules, I assume that any service without ranks hands out two skills per term. Thus, if a Belter last three terms, he gets six rolls on the skills table. If he survives four terms he gets eight.

Moreover, using post #58 as an example, the "grit" I was referring to in my talking about Belters who survive is a quality the Player and the Referee get to create in play.

The specific quality of that grit cannot be discussed independent of the other qualities of the character (terms, skills acquired, age, and so on). But it is there, waiting to be sewn into play as the people at the table wish.

And, again, I'm not talking about skill-heavy, mechanically deterministic application of skills that came to dominate RPG design and play after the mid-70s. I'm speaking of a play style that, as far as I can tell, made perfect sense for OD&D, B/X D&D, and Classic Traveller. It was left behind in the dust, so clearly a lot of people had no use for it. But I find it compelling.

That's cool. I get what you're talking about. I think in general it's an interesting concept, trying to interpret what it means or doesn't mean when a series of rolls leads to a remarkable unexpected success. On the one hand, it could mean that "the dice are telling you something" and it can be really fun to see someone survive against the odds and decide it means they have some sort of genius and then try to figure out how to play that. On the other hand, if you interpret it that way, you're sort of also implying that the rules used to see if someone succeeds aren't the accurate chances but include that sort of meaning in them (i.e. it's not the real odds for someone without a special ability - it includes the chance that they have an ability no one knew about till they do succeed like that). And just the general spectrum between wanting explicit detailed consistent rules for everything, and wanting to interpret (or possibly overrule) dice and rules, and use dice as a kind of divination seed for intuitive invention.

Quote from: Skarg;942178That's cool. I get what you're talking about. I think in general it's an interesting concept, trying to interpret what it means or doesn't mean when a series of rolls leads to a remarkable unexpected success.

As an aside, it's also a basic part of GMing without preparations;).

Are there any particularly interesting aliens or abhumans that are worth mentioning? I'm familiar with the Vargr, K'kree, Zhodani, and such, but not anything much deeper than ad copy.

I'm guessing that's a generic Traveller question?

I mean, you're missing the Aslan, 9 foot space lions and the Hivers...which are... um... land starfish with more starfish? But are like, super nice, and as for abhumans.... well, not in teh 40k sense, but there are plenty of 'alt-humans' floating around. LIke... its actually rare to claim to be a human from earth or something.  

Honestly: Much of the aliens suffer from 'space animal' syndrome, though they have enough street cred to avoid too many 'furry' related charges.  The politics and cultures of the alt-humans is where the good stuff is, even if it can be in some cases a bit derivative.  You know; Sword Worlders are Space Vikings, with too much emphasis on the Vikings. Darrians are sort of vague space elves, if you squint. That sort of thing.

Quote from: Baron Opal;942886Are there any particularly interesting aliens or abhumans that are worth mentioning? I'm familiar with the Vargr, K'kree, Zhodani, and such, but not anything much deeper than ad copy.

K'kree and Hivers are my favorites... I've been playing a Hiver in our current game and it's always fun trying to twist my brain into that mode of thought. Communist manipulators with a strange reproductive cycle (they don't care for their young and will exterminate them if born outside of a Hiver enclave).

Quote from: Baron Opal;942886Are there any particularly interesting aliens or abhumans that are worth mentioning? I'm familiar with the Vargr, K'kree, Zhodani, and such, but not anything much deeper than ad copy.

All the major races have detailed background presented through multiple books with multiple viewpoints.

For aliens there are Aslan, K'Kree, Vargr, Droyne, Hivers, Virushi, Bwaps, Vegans.

Also there are the transplanted humans which include Vilani, Geonee, Zhodani, Suerrett, Answerin, Darrians, and others.

I would look at the Traveller Wiki and go from there.
http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Main_Page

Quote from: estar;942914All the major races have detailed background presented through multiple books with multiple viewpoints.

For aliens there are Aslan, K'Kree, Vargr, Droyne, Hivers, Virushi, Bwaps, Vegans.

Also there are the transplanted humans which include Vilani, Geonee, Zhodani, Suerrett, Answerin, Darrians, and others.

I would look at the Traveller Wiki and go from there.
http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Main_Page

I've always suspected that:D!