The Unseen Servant forums

Hvalreki wrote: ↑Sat Jan 29, 2022 11:28 pm Hi all,

Will be using these Rules on Experience (they are the regular game rules but posted there here anyone forgets they exist).

Experience - Characters may choose to embark on a 4 year program of self improvement - Make a dedication throw (8+ 2d6) and you can:

A) Improve EDU: If EDU is less than INT score - increase EDU through correspondence courses up to 2 per week at the end of 50 courses EDU increases by 1 (cost 50 per course)

B) Weapons Training: Pick one Gun and One Blade weapon and increase their skill by 1 in each.

C) Skill Improvement: Increase a non-weapon skill you already know by 1 for 2 different skills.

D) Fitness: Increase STR, DEX, and IND by 1 for the duration of the program (Note +2 to dedication throw if INT is 8 or less; +4 if INT is 4 or less)

Everyone can make the dedication role for training starting from when they left the Third Imperium. If you make the throw you are already into year 1 of the program. The group has been travelling for 9 months from the frontiers of Imperial space to get where they are now. If you failed the throw you can try again in 3 months game time to make another dedication throw.

Can level-0 skills be trained up?

Will you be considering extra level-0s based on our activities as we progress ?

Hi Don,

Current Zero level skills are all weapons, Vacc Suit and Air Raft. You can improve any of those zero skills or something you already have level 1 or more in through the experience rules.

Let's talk about skills a bit and my approach to the game.

The "skills" listed on your character sheets represent your areas of expertise but are far from everything you could know or do after 12 years as a merchant spacer Third Officer. This concept is pretty different in Classic Traveller compared to the systems that came later that for sure have detailed skill and task resolution systems.

When the players get into a "situation" that may require a throw Skills are only one possible input. Anything in your background or that you think may be relevant could be included as a modifier. Stats may be an input, terms of service, etc.

You can find my general take here clipped from Tales to Astound (surprise )



If you take the approach to the game that you are a 12 year veteran and go into situations assuming you're competent at what you do many times you just state you do something and it's done. No need to roll, we move on with the show. I'll let you know during play if someone needs to roll or not. Write your posts like you're going to do X and then I'll "referee" as we go.

More on players character development

The PCs can’t do everything, of course. The character generation tables offer a limited set of skills, and PCs will only have a few of those per PC. But this means that if the PCs don’t have the skill set (or background) available they will have to come up with adventure-driven schemes and shenanigans to keep going: steal the part they need to fix their ship because they don’t know how to fabricate it; get to the professor of ancient languages held against his will on the estate of the noble to translate the alien tablet they found; sneak into the government building using a clever ruse because this group doesn’t have someone with Computer skills; and so on.

Who your character is is what your character does. Using the characteristics of Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence, Education, Social Standing, and your skills, as well as age and career branch, as a springboard for understanding your Player Character, you get to create your character based on what they want, what actions they’ll take to get what they want, and how they’ll go about getting what they want.

If you tabulate our skill sets, then we have almost no overlap.
There is no point in looking at our backgrounds as we are 9-months travel away from anyone we'd have links to.

As a group we are brittle and isolated. We need to find a niche and make contacts quickly.

Hi All just a quick update.

Perry had to bow out for personal reasons. I sent a PM to a person interested when we started who may join. We haven't gotten far so shouldn't change much at this point.

Best wishes Perry! Happy to have you back if circumstances change.

Cheers

Hvalreki wrote: ↑Thu Feb 03, 2022 4:35 am Hi All just a quick update.

Perry had to bow out for personal reasons. I sent a PM to a person interested when we started who may join. We haven't gotten far so shouldn't change much at this point.

Best wishes Perry! Happy to have you back if circumstances change.

Cheers

That's a shame, hope it's nothing too serious.

We've not done anything yet so should be easy to drop another player in.

There goes our chance of running a ship!

Hi all,

Welcoming Thumper to the game! He’ll be taking over Dimitri.

Cheers

Hello Everybody. Thanks for letting me join. Look forward to writing a story with y'all. BTW, I'm in Virginia.

Hi Thumper,

I thought incorrectly that I could edit your post and paste in dimitri - nope.

However you can use the copy button on his post and then paste it into your post.

If you remove the copy tags then it should look normal.

The picture may or may not transfer depending on how he posted it.

Hopefully that will work otherwise just retype it or copy paste the text into your own post.

Cheers

Done,

I saw in one of the posts that our characters began journey from a TL11 planet. Is this correct? If so, is it reasonable that we purchased weapons/gear before embarking?

Also, are laser pistols a referee permitted item? …it’s not in the official rule list. I’m asking after reading the bottom right of pg 48 of The Traveller Book (personal combat section).

Hi Thumper,

The crew has whatever they mustered out with. Equipment can be purchased here in game. The local tech on Port Royal is 11.

Laser pistol' isn't in the 1977 rules but you can buy most other weapons. The local law level is 4 which will govern legal purchases.

Welcome Thumper

As a group we have almost no skills overlap so your stepping in to cover Dimitri is really helpful.

Thanks for the welcome.

While at the gun store, Dmitri will ask around about the availability of a sporting shot gun (an over-under or as double barrel). Is that type of thing available on this rock?

At the blade store, he'll inquire about the availability of daggers made of advanced materials that would evade scanners and suitable for boot sheaths.

Thumper wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 3:04 pm Thanks for the welcome.

While at the gun store, Dmitri will ask around about the availability of a sporting shot gun (an over-under or as double barrel). Is that type of thing available on this rock?

At the blade store, he'll inquire about the availability of daggers made of advanced materials that would evade scanners and suitable for boot sheaths.

For sure, sporting arms are legal as are pistols, rifles, etc. Just not strictly military or light assault weapons like SMGs_

Thumper, your equipment purchases look like you’re using the traveller book. I believe we’re limiting to what’s in the 1977 LBBs

Totalguest wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 1:26 am Thumper, your equipment purchases look like you’re using the traveller book. I believe we’re limiting to what’s in the 1977 LBBs

Thanks. I didn't realize there were such discrepancies between the books. Edits made, and some purchases passed up.

Thumper wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:06 am

Totalguest wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 1:26 am Thumper, your equipment purchases look like you’re using the traveller book. I believe we’re limiting to what’s in the 1977 LBBs

Thanks. I didn't realize there were such discrepancies between the books. Edits made, and some purchases passed up.

I thought we were using Marc's premise that the 1977 books were a basis and anything can be interpolated from there!

Just realised an Accelerator Rifle is also post '81 rules!

I’m not running the game though, so don’t necessarily listen to me haha