Quote from: BalbinusI'd probably do something like give the characters a free additional language for each three levels of education, or something like that.

[...snip...]

Not great, but probably good enough.

I was thinking that this might be a good use for the Skill-0 house rule we've been discussing.  There could also be some provision for it in either the Personal Development or the Advanced Education tables, with Language being a cascade skill like Aircraft or Vehicle -- each time you gain the skill, you choose either Skill-1 in a new language or an additional level in one that you already hold.

Am I recalling correctly that T4 introduced a fifth table to the career development format?  Would that help in this situation?

!i!

Quote from: SionEwigJust had to post this link.  I WANT one!!!

http://www.hydroptere.com/index.php4?lang=EN

And it's not a rigid sail.  Holy cats.

!i!

That's a shiny boat! Use it in a post-nuclear setting with no radio technology and you've got an X-boat.

Alright, JimBob's expressed some interest in a game of Mariner over IRC.  Generic system, PM him for those details.  I'll be running.

Who wants to play?

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaI was thinking that this might be a good use for the Skill-0 house rule we've been discussing.  There could also be some provision for it in either the Personal Development or the Advanced Education tables, with Language being a cascade skill like Aircraft or Vehicle -- each time you gain the skill, you choose either Skill-1 in a new language or an additional level in one that you already hold.

Am I recalling correctly that T4 introduced a fifth table to the career development format?  Would that help in this situation?

!i!

That is I think, the best suggestion for Languages thus far.  I like it.

Never looked at T4, but most of the folks on the TML have not been thrilled with it.

What are you thinking about with Skill-0?

Quote from: fonkaygarryAlright, JimBob's expressed some interest in a game of Mariner over IRC.  Generic system, PM him for those details.  I'll be running.

Who wants to play?

IRC... ? Is that like Teamspeak or MSN?

Quote from: BalbinusI looked at those, and actually they don't work as well as I had initially thought.  Characters from the book 4 system often seem to end up with Medic 7 or Liaison 5, which doesn't fit too well with the broader Traveller chargen philosophy.

You are right, the Suppliment 4 characters did not work as well as the ones in Book 1.  Now those character paths were better done in MT, so maybe that should be referenced for ideas.

QuoteScientists rather bizarrely don't have any scientific skills, but there may be some mileage in some of the others.

That showed some of the problems with Traveller, now some got better with the skills added in Books 4-7, and solidly better in MT.  I do think that a Scientist path might be of use, as would a Doctor path.  We do know that it takes a Medical-3 (minimum) to be a Doctor.

Another thing that came to mind was that Pilot should be removed from Navy, Marine, and Army career paths.  Yes, I know that all 3 of those services have pilots, but the way that it is set up it just about any serviceman could have Pilot as a skill.  Let anyone who wants to be a Pilot in the other services use the Air Force tables and simply say that they were in the correct service and use those other ranks.

Quote from: WerekoalaIRC... ? Is that like Teamspeak or MSN?

Internet Relay Channels.  It predates Teamspeak and IM by like a decade.

Google MIRC.

EDIT: JOIN MY MODTRAV GAEM PLX.

I believe that in telling people to PM me for details, fonkaygarry is talking about my system which is rules-light, but not freeform. Aside from that, all the setting stuff is in fonkaygarry's head, not mine

Quote from: SionEwigWhat are you thinking about with Skill-0?

Hrm.  I forget in which thread we were discussing it, but the topic centered on how to handle seemingly incompetent Traveller characters when a specific skill is needed to even proceed with an adventure.  Ah, that jogged my memory.  We arrived at a house rule that, using the classic Traveller career tables, allowed a player to choose one 0-Level skill per term for any skill he hasn't already rolled at random.  Here's the wording Balbinus used in the document he drew up:

QuoteLEVEL 0 SKILLS
At the end of each term characters may pick one level 0 skill.  Level 0 skills may not be stacked and each level 0 skill may only be taken once.  In the event the character later acquires a level 0 Skill at level 1 the level 0 skill is lost but an additional level 0 skill may be taken at the end of that turn.

Also, on the matter of the Scientist career, perhaps an application of the cascade skill rule would work here, too.  The skill obtained could be "Science" and a set of cascade skills such as Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, Geology, etc. could be chosen upon rolling the skill.

!i!

Okay, I have the IRC program - what channel?

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaHrm.  I forget in which thread we were discussing it, but the topic centered on how to handle seemingly incompetent Traveller characters when a specific skill is needed to even proceed with an adventure.  Ah, that jogged my memory.  We arrived at a house rule that, using the classic Traveller career tables, allowed a player to choose one 0-Level skill per term for any skill he hasn't already rolled at random.  Here's the wording Balbinus used in the document he drew up:Also, on the matter of the Scientist career, perhaps an application of the cascade skill rule would work here, too.  The skill obtained could be "Science" and a set of cascade skills such as Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, Geology, etc. could be chosen upon rolling the skill.

!i!

Full agreement on both!  And that's about what most of the groups I know that played Traveller did with Skill-0.

Yeah, admittedly we just kind of set the Skill-0 provisos from the various published adventures in updated, standardised language.  By the way, last night I was reading through the experience rules in Book 2 again.  Man, those were brutally difficult.  Eight years to permanently obtain a +1 skill level.  They also mention the 1/2 skill level, the ungainly precursor to the 0-level skill.

!i!

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaYeah, admittedly we just kind of set the Skill-0 provisos from the various published adventures in updated, standardised language.  By the way, last night I was reading through the experience rules in Book 2 again.  Man, those were brutally difficult.  Eight years to permanently obtain a +1 skill level.  They also mention the 1/2 skill level, the ungainly precursor to the 0-level skill.

!i!

Yeah, it was tough to improve a character during play!  They did have a mention of Skill-0 (sort of) in Book 1.

QuoteAll player-characters have an innate weapons expertise, in all weapons, of zero.  Acquisition of a weapons skill boosts this to level-1.  Additional acquisitions of expertise increase the present level by one.

Emphasis is mine.

Quote from: fonkaygarryAlright, JimBob's expressed some interest in a game of Mariner over IRC.  Generic system, PM him for those details.  I'll be running.

Who wants to play?

While I have an interest in this type of game (obviously ), gaming by Chat is simply something I am not able to do.  Someone please make sure and keep up with what happens during the game sessions and post it somewhere here so people can read the adventures (and probably make MST3K type comments!) and give advice/suggestions.