Character Generation

[atpollard]

Since there are some people new to Traveller and some people that may be just a little rusty, I thought that creating a SAMPLE Character [named Sam, for “Sample”] might be useful. [Well, that and, it is just plain fun].

STEP ONE: CHARACTERISTICS
There are six, 3 physical Characteristics …

Strength (STR)
Dexterity (DEX)
Endurance (END) = [same as “Constitution” in D&D]

and 3 non-physical Characteristics …

Intelligence (INT)
Education (EDU)
Social (SOC) = [Socio-Economic Status … 11+ is a “Nobleman”]

Each Characteristic starts out between 2 and 12 generated on 2D6. Quick rule of thumb …

2-5 is below average (28%)
6-8 is average (44%)
9-12 is above average (28%)

There are several common “House Rules” commonly used. I have no objection to ANY of them and will demonstrate all of them:

Option 1: Rules as Written 2D6 for each ability rolled in order.
ROLLS on D6: 1+6=7, 5+5=10, 3+2=5, 3+3=6, 6+4=10, 1+1=2
Placed in order: STR=7, DEX=10, END=5, INT=6, EDU=10, SOC=2

Option 2: 2D6 generate 6 scores and rearrange.
SAME ROLLS on D6: 1+6=7, 5+5=10, 3+2=5, 3+3=6, 6+4=10, 1+1=2
Arrange for Physical Combat: STR=10, DEX=10, END=7, INT=6, EDU=5, SOC=2

Option 3: roll 3D6 and keep best 2 of 3.
ROLLS on D6: 1+4+5=9, 3+3+2=6, 2+4+4=8, 3+6+5=11, 4+3+4=8, 4+5+2=9
Placed in order: STR=9, DEX=6, END=8, INT=11, EDU=8, SOC=9

Option 4: roll 12D6 and arrange in groups of 2.
ROLLS on D6: 6+4+3+6+1+3+6+4+4+2+6+6
Placed in groups of 2: 1+2=3, 3+3=6, 4+4=8, 4+6=10, 6+6=12, 6+6=12
Arrange in any order: STR=12, DEX=10, END=3, INT=6, EDU=8, SOC=12
[obviously, the combinations are endless]

On a personal note, I like people to play a character they like. If you don’t like the rolls, then roll again. What do I care. I am also a firm believer that characters do not need great characteristics … they need to be interesting to be worth playing. So, moving on, I will use the OPTION 1 results.
Sam: STR=7, DEX=10, END=5, INT=6, EDU=10, SOC=2
 

[atpollard]

STEP TWO: CLASS
Given the Characteristics: STR=7, DEX=10, END=5, INT=6, EDU=10, SOC=2
What is his Enlistment Roll for each of the basic classes?

Navy = 6+ on 2D6
Marine = 9+ on 2D6
Army = 2+ on 2D6
Scout = 6+ on 2D6
Merchant = 4+ on 2D6
Other = 3+ on 2D6

(Note: These values include the +1 and +2 DM for Characteristics for THIS character.)
So, the Army is guaranteed to accept Sam and Other and Merchant are very likely to accept him. The Marines are the hardest with a 28% chance to roll 9+.
Looking hard at the Army, his EDU will give him a bonus to Survival [3+ on 2D6] and Promotion [5+ on 2D6]. Sam decides to join the Army!

(As a side note, I often don’t care and just go straight to the DRAFT and allow Chance to randomly select a career, or you should look at the SKILL LISTS for each career and select the career whose skills interest you for the Character.)

SAM Term 1:
Roll Enlistment [5+ on 2d6 (+1) DEX (+2) END] = Roll 5+2 (+1) (+2) = 10; Success.
Roll Survival [5+ on 2D6 (+2) for EDU] = Roll 3+5 (+2) = 10; survived
Roll Commission [5+ on 2D6] = Roll 3+6 = 9; Comissioned
Roll Promotion [6+ on 2D6 (+1) for EDU] = Roll 4+6 (+1) = 11; promoted
At the end of the First Term, Sam has successfully enlisted, survived, been commissioned as an Officer [Rank 1], been Promoted [Rank 2] and aged 4 years [from 18 to 22].

Let’s talk about some things that might have gone wrong and what that would have meant.
FAILED ENLISTMENT ROLL: While not possible in this case because of the Characteristic bonuses (you cannot roll a 1 on 2D6 and 2+1+2 = 5; success), a failed enlistment means you roll on the Draft [1D6] to determine where you go. Then either continue in the rolled career or just start over and roll a new character. Note that ENLISTMENT is only rolled ONCE … at the start of the First Term and then never again.
FAILED SURVIVAL ROLL: The famous “I died in CharGen” that Traveller is known for. [LOL]
RAW =Take a moment of silence … then start rolling a new Character.
COMMON HOUSE RULE = He’s just “Mostly Dead”. Treat it as WOUNDED. The Character immediately leaves the service with a permanent injury (limp, one eye, one arm, etc). Creates an opportunity for Robotic Prosthetics.
FAILED COMMISSION ROLL: The character did not become an officer this term. In the basic rules, only Officer Ranks are tracked, so until the character is commissioned, they cannot be Promoted. Failed Commission Roll means no Promotion roll. Note that a character may roll for Commission EVERY TERM and start rolling for promotion as soon as they are commissioned.
FAILED PROMOTION ROLL: No increase in rank, that’s it. Check again next Term.

There is one final roll at the end of each term … REENLIST.
Before the roll comes a player decision: Does Sam WANT to serve another 4-year term, or is he ready to quit the service and begin the next phase of life … the adventures. Each term gains skills, but comes with another chance to fail the SURVIVAL ROLL. That is the “cost-benefit” that the player must weigh. Do you risk the character you have for a chance to make him better or “cash out” and start playing with what you have? In the case of Sam, the risk is minimal and a few more skills are worth the risk, so our Sam will attempt to reenlist in the Army.

Roll Reenlistment [7+ on 2D6] = Roll 6+6 = 12; Success.

Note that (12) is a special case. Even if the character does not desire to serve another term, the player still must roll Reenlistment and on a “12” [double 6’s] the character is FORCED to serve another term (mandatory reenlistment).

FAILED REENLISTMENT ROLL: The Character immediately ends service without serving another term and goes to “MUSTER OUT” before beginning adventuring.

[atpollard]

STEP THREE: SKILLS
Under each class are 4 different “SKILLS TABLES” …

“Personal Development” lists predominantly Characteristic Improvements.
“Service Skills” lists skills typically acquired by doing your job.
“Advanced Education” lists skills acquired at specialized training.
“Advanced Education (Education 8+)” lists skills acquired at Colleges.

ANY character may gain a skill from the first 3 tables, and only characters with an EDU of 8+ may gain a skill from the fourth table. Once again there are several options for how to select a skill to gain.
Remember, under MY house rule, each character gains exactly 2 skill “rolls” each term.

Option 1: Rules as Written
First select one of the four tables. Then roll 1D6 to determine which skill on that table you gain. (repeat)

Option 2: Roll then Choose
First roll 1D6 to determine which skill on each table the Character was exposed to that Term. Then select one of the four tables and apply that die roll to it. (repeat)

Option 3: Wing it.
Select two skills from any of the tables that you COULD HAVE rolled if you had bothered to roll. (This is a game and the goal is to have fun … if you have a specific Character in mind, then as long as it is POSSIBLE to roll it, that is good enough.)

For Sam, let’s go with Option 1.
“Service Skills” – Roll = 4 = Forward Observer
“Advanced Education (Education 8+)” – Roll = 1 = Medical

RECAP SAM TERM 1:
Sam started out with below average END and SOC, average STR and INT, and above average DEX and EDU. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Army and served as a Forward Observer where he was commissioned as a Lieutenant, sent for Medical Training and promoted to the rank of Captain. Sam completed his term at age 22 with [Forward Observer-1, Medic-1] skills and was selected for mandatory reenlistment.

[atpollard]

STEP FOUR: TERM 2 AND BEYOND
For each term after the first, the procedure is similar, but shorter. ENLISTMENT ROLL is skipped and if already a Commissioned Officer, then no further COMMISSION ROLLS are needed. At this point the procedure becomes …

SAM Term 2:
Roll Survival [5+ on 2D6 (+2) for EDU] = Roll 1+3 (+2) = 6; survived
Roll Promotion [6+ on 2D6 (+1) for EDU] = Roll 4+2 (+1) = 7; promoted
“Service Skills” – Roll = 6 = Gun Combat
“Advanced Education” – Roll = 4 = Tactics

RECAP SAM TERM 2:
At the age of 22, Captain Sam served in a combat zone and was nearly killed in firefights [Gun Combat]. Service and attrition resulted in a promotion to the rank of Major and specialized training [Tactics]. Sam completed his term at age 26 with [Gun Combat-1, Tactics-1] skills and chose to reenlist.
Roll Reenlistment [7+ on 2D6] = Roll 5+4 = 9; Success.

SAM Term 3:
Roll Survival [5+ on 2D6 (+2) for EDU] = Roll 2+2 (+2) = 6; survived
Roll Promotion [6+ on 2D6 (+1) for EDU] = Roll 5+1 (+1) = 7; promoted
“Advanced Education (Education 8+)” – Roll = 6 = Admin
“Advanced Education (Education 8+)” – Roll = 4 = Computer

RECAP SAM TERM 3:
At the age of 26, Major Sam briefly returned to combat long enough to secure a promotion to the rank of Lt. Colonel which allowed transfer to a safer Staff position at the Army College. Sam leveraged his time to obtain a Business Degree [Admin, Computer] and completed his term at age 30 with [Admin-1, Computer-1] skills and chose not to reenlist.
Roll Reenlistment [7+ on 2D6] = Roll 6+6 = 12; Forced Reenlistment.

SAM Term 4:
Roll Survival [5+ on 2D6 (+2) for EDU] = Roll 1+5 (+2) = 8; survived
Roll Promotion [6+ on 2D6 (+1) for EDU] = Roll 2+4 (+1) = 7; promoted
“Advanced Education (Education 8+)” – Roll = 5 = Leader
“Advanced Education (Education 8+)” – Roll = 5 = Leader

RECAP SAM TERM 4:
At the age of 30, Lt. Colonel Sam reluctantly returned to service and was promoted to the rank of Colonel. Colonel Sam was placed in charge of the OCS program at the Army College where he trained the next generation of officers [Leader, Leader] until he completed his term at age 34 with [Leader-2] skills and chose not to reenlist.
Roll Reenlistment [7+ on 2D6] = Roll 2+5 = 7; No forced reenlistment.

[atpollard]

STEP FIVE: MUSTER OUT
Characters gain SWAG when they leave the service. Cash or stuff. How many “BENEFITS” is based on …

1 benefit per term of service
+ RANK/2 (round up)

SAM Benefits:
Four terms = 4 benefits
Rank 5 = 5/2 = 2.5 (round up) = 3 benefits
BENEFITS = 4 + 3 = 7 benefits

There are TWO MUSTER TABLES … CASH and STUFF. There is a limit of 3 rolls (max) on the cash table. Read the info at the bottom of the tables about RANK or Gambling giving a +1 to the roll.

For Colonel Sam, let’s do 3 CASH and 4 STUFF rolls:

CASH – Roll = 6 = Cr 20,000
CASH – Roll = 3 = Cr 10,000
CASH – Roll = 6 = Cr 20,000
STUFF – Roll = 3 = +2 EDU
STUFF – Roll = 4 = Gun
STUFF – Roll = 3 = +2 EDU
STUFF – Roll = 3 = +2 EDU

Adding the MUSTER SWAG together, Sam gets … Cr 50,000 cash, +6 EDU [10+6=16, but 15 is the maximum possible for any Characteristic], a Gun
A note on the STUFF table. Sam (rank 5) “may add +1” to the roll. I CHOSE not to. If I had added +1, the STUFF rolls would have been: Gun x 3, High Passage x1.

HOUSE RULE: What do I care if you roll more than 3 times on the cash table.

SKILL ZERO: Remember at the end to go back to the Skill tables for your Career and any skill on any table that you COULD have rolled on [the first 3 tables for everyone, and the fourth table for anyone with EDU 8+] should be added at Skill-0 if you do not already have it at a higher skill level.

[atpollard]

STEP SIX: THE FINAL CHARACTER
Colonel Sam (retired Army) age 34:
STR=7, DEX=10, END=5, INT=6, EDU=15, SOC=2
SKILLS: Leader-2, Admin-1, Computer-1, Forward Observer-1, Gun Combat-1, Medic-1, Tactics-1, ATV-0, Air/Raft-0, Blade Cbt-0, Brawling-0, Electronic-0, Gambling-0, Mechanical-0, Vehicle-0.
CASH: Cr 50,000
STUFF: Ceremonial Pistol (muster out)

History:
Sam started out with below average END and SOC, average STR and INT, and above average DEX and EDU. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Army and served as a Forward Observer where he was commissioned as a Lieutenant, sent for Medical Training and promoted to the rank of Captain. Sam completed his term at age 22 with [Forward Observer-1, Medic-1] skills and was selected for mandatory reenlistment.
At the age of 22, Captain Sam served in a combat zone and was nearly killed in firefights [Gun Combat]. Service and attrition resulted in a promotion to the rank of Major and specialized training [Tactics]. Sam completed his term at age 26 with [Gun Combat-1, Tactics-1] skills and chose to reenlist.
At the age of 26, Major Sam briefly returned to combat long enough to secure a promotion to the rank of Lt. Colonel which allowed transfer to a safer Staff position at the Army College. Sam leveraged his time to obtain a Business Degree [Admin, Computer] and completed his term at age 30 with [Admin-1, Computer-1] skills and chose not to reenlist.
At the age of 30, Lt. Colonel Sam reluctantly returned to service and was promoted to the rank of Colonel. Colonel Sam was placed in charge of the OCS program at the Army College where he trained the next generation of officers [Leader, Leader] until he completed his term at age 34 with [Leader-2] skills and chose not to reenlist.

Any questions?
(like I said, creating a character is fun)

[shaidar]

Seems OK to me. So I had a go and this is what I got. I've put a summary below with some thoughts, and the actual rolls I've hidden in the spoiler tag at the end of the post so it doesn't clutter it.

SUMMARY

NAME ???
Male, aged 30

STR 7
DEX 8
END 12
INT 8
EDU 6
SOC 4

Signed on with a smaller system-wide merchant group.

Enlisted first term. Term was spent as a courier between space ports and delivery hubs, and was given basic weapon training.
Successfully promoted second term, 3rd officer. He caught the eye someone important in his first term after he protected a cargo from thieves. They decided he was wasted as a driver and he got promoted and sent for special training in electronics and sent to work as part of the repair pool.
Third term, after cutbacks in the firm he was moved to the firms emergency response team, as a driver and medical tech. Due to further cuts the company let him go after the third term.

Skills:

Blade - 0
Bribery - 0
Electronics - 2
Jack-Of-All-Trades - 0
Gun Combat(Handgun) - 1
Gunnery - 0
Mechanical - 0
Medical - 1
Steward - 0
Streetwise - 0
Vacc Suit - 0
Vehicle(Wheeled) - 1
Vehicle (???) - 1

Mustering Out:
10,000 credits
+1 EDU (applied)
Low Passage (will cash in for 900 credits)
Gun

With his low SOC and EDU (originally 5) this guy crew up in a poor neighbourhood. I see him being the oldest child and he signed on to escape and also so that his parents had less mouths to feed. I'm also thinking this mustering out cash isn't great so he sent some of his money home the first few terms. I need to decide on a campaign appropriate second vehicle skill. I was thinking grev-vehicle, but a water or air craft might be more appropriate.

I was also thinking could I put one of points of electronics onto mechanical instead?

He's always felt that his low social standing has impacted his progression in the firm.



DETAILS

STR [2d6]=7; DEX [2d6]=8; end [2d6]=12; int [2d6]=8; edu [2d6]=5; soc [2d6]=4

Sign on as merchant.

TERM 1

enlistement +3:
TERM 1 enlistment: [1d6+3]=6+3=9
TERM 1 enlistment 2nd die: [1d6]=3
total 9+3=12
enlisted

survival +2:
term 1 survival: [2d6+2]=9+2=11
survived

commission +1
term 1 commission: [1d6+1]=6+1=7
term 1 commission 2nd die: [1d6]=3
7+3=10
commissioned: 4th officer

term 1 promotion:
term 1 promotion: [2d6]=7
NO PROMOTION

Skills on service skills table this term:
term 1 skills: [1d6]=1;[1d6]=6
Vehicle-1
Gun Cbt-1 (handgun)

reenlistment:
term 1 reenlistment: [2d6]=9

TERM2

term 2 survival: [2d6+2]=10+2=12
survived

Term 2 promotion [2d6]=11
Promoted to 3rd officer

Skills (first roll, service skills, second roll advanced table)
Term 2 skills [1d6]=5;[1d6]=3
Electronics - 2

Term 2 reenlistment [2d6]=8
re-enlisted

TERM 3

Term 3 survival [2d6+2]=11+2=13
survived

Term 3 promotion [2d6]=3
no promotion
Skills (first roll, service skills, second roll advanced table)
Term 3 skills [1d6]=1;[1d6]=6
vehicle (???) - 1
Medical - 1

Term 3 reenlistment [2d6]=3
not re-enlisted

MUSTERING OUT:
First roll cash, other rolls benefits table
Mustering out: [_4d6]=(3+3+6+4)=16
10000 credits
+1 EDU
Low Passage
Gun

[TheMyth]

The ROGUE automatically gains Streetwise-1 upon Enlistment.

Does that count towards the "2 skills per term"? Or is it replaced by the list of 0-level skills?

[atpollard]

The ROGUE automatically gains Streetwise-1 upon Enlistment.

Does that count towards the "2 skills per term"? Or is it replaced by the list of 0-level skills?

Player Choice.
The "2 skills per Term" is a FINAL RESULT limit that makes ALL Characters (no matter the class, luck of rolls or basic/advanced charGen method) more equal.

One of the options is to create a character "Rules as Written" (any version) and then edit the final result back to "2 skills per term". That might give you more chances to gain high skill levels, which creates more options for what the final character will look like.

[Another option, good if you have a specific CHARACTER CONCEPT in mind, is to just SELECT whatever skills you want from the tables to create a total of "2 skill levels per term". An example of this might be "I want an Army Medic that is a Conscientious Objector" ... rolling MEDIC without any Gun/Blade Cbt skill on the Army Tables is POSSIBLE, but hard ... so just "Pick them" instead of rolling since there is nothing wrong with the Character Concept.]

[atpollard]

I need to decide on a campaign appropriate second vehicle skill. I was thinking grav-vehicle, but a water or air craft might be more appropriate.
I was also thinking could I put one of points of electronics onto mechanical instead?

1. Grav Vehicle would be fine. These worlds should be in the TL 7-12 range for this campaign, with more emphasis on multiple locations on a main world and multiple planets within a few systems than a long string of starports along a major trade route.

2. Feel free to change ANYTHING that you want in the ROLLS. As stated, this game is about ROLES not ROLLS ... I want you to play someone that you enjoy (however that Character comes to exist). I never let "Rules as Written" get in the way of fun, so you should not either.

[shaidar]

I'm the kind of guy who usually makes a few rolls and uses that to feed my imagination when creating a new character.

I think grav-vehicle is a good choice then, and I'll tweak electronics-2 into electronics-1 and mechanical-1 in term 2. I'm not sure about the medical skill from term 3, so I'll change that to navigation. I'll also swap the low passage from mustering out into +1 INT.

I'll continue to think about it, but this is where I currently feel his backstory is:

First term: Signs on with the merchant firm to get away from an otherwise dead-end situation (chav/trailer-trash) . Surprisingly he gets a commission, he didn't think he would pass the exam. He mainly spends his year working at the space port, local ground deliveries and security while he learns the ropes.
Second term: Gets the attention of the boss for his part in foiling a theft at the spaceport, gets a promotion and decides he wants to see more of the ships and vehicles so gets transferred to the repairs department.
Third term: Decides he's seen enough of repairs wants to get out and about again. Looking further into the future he realises that he's never going to pilot a spaceship, but there are other ways to get posted to a ship. He sees an opening and transfers to the planetside deliveries department, getting him training in flying grav-vehicles and also in the all important navigation skill (spaceships here I come). Then the company announces that it's not doing so well and will need to make redundancies and his contract will not be renewed.

[Gorethirster]

I've been rolling up stat arrays and a couple have stuck out to me. I wanted to float some character ideas and see which people think would mesh well.

Barbarian, strong and tough but freezer burned (low dex) after he was jammed in a low berth. He was a hunting guide on a trip that went badly and was dumped as his patrons returned home.

Noble, Idiot scion of a noble house. Given a seemingly impossible make-work job by his family to get him out from underfoot, he's on a Don Quixote type quest to see it through.

Bureaucrat, but a field agent. Sent to do in-person audits of "potentially non-compliant" persons of interest. Totally inspired by the fact that the S04 Bureaucrat service skill table includes both blade and gun combat. File your taxes correctly or else!

Any thoughts? Also, I see Shaidar did all his rolling in the dice roller. Should I have done that?

[TheMyth]

I too have been using random rolls for inspiration. First character I tried rolling died in the second term. *womp*womp*

Atpollard, you've given us a nice slice of what the game will be, but can you tell us what our characters' roles will be?

Safe to say we are working for the crazy cat lady with the Micro-Trader...

Are these jobs legit? Sketchy? Varies by job?

[atpollard]

Any thoughts? Also, I see Shaidar did all his rolling in the dice roller. Should I have done that?

Some general thoughts:

DICE ROLLER: Doesn't matter to me. Some Ref's care ... I am not one of them. If you claim to have rolled all 6 abilities as 12, it will snap the suspenders of credibility (1 in 2,176,782,336 chance) ... but even then, it makes VERY little difference in actual play [less than what you choose to do in any situation].

GENERAL: The class is what you did before you retired and became a "Traveler". Someone once described Traveler as "Ordinary people having a mid-life crisis in Space". So you have LEFT your old profession and are starting out on a new chapter in your life. I only mean to point out that you don't need to work hard to link the OLD career with your new ADVENTURES. You retired from that career.

BARBARIAN: Just an FYI that while "Barbarian" can mean "Conan" (plenty of Sci-Fi tropes for that), it actually just means from a more primitive Technology Level. There are lots of other possibilities if you wanted to use one of them:
Amish/Quaker/Mennonite - you belong to a community that has CHOSEN to reject technology for some personal reason. You are not ignorant of its existence, you choose not to use it.
Native American - your people/culture has a deep spiritual connection with the land that causes you to seek out "the Old Ways".
Survivalists - When the world comes to an end, you will be ready. You have no need for any technology that you cannot create yourself so that whatever happens, you can continue to THRIVE off the grid on Jerky and shotgun shells you reload yourself!

NOBLE: Nobles can work as long as two things are kept in mind ... (1) you work with the group, the other players do not work FOR you. Nobody gets to dominate a game unless it is s Solo game. (2) "Idiot" only goes so far. Traveller has a deadly combat system, so STUPID will get you killed and generally just disrupts the game.

BUREAUCRAT: You are retired, so you don't work for the "IRS" any more. On the other hand, having an ex-IRS agent that KNOWS how to deal with other Bureaucrats can be useful when the group needs information from a clerk at City Hall.

So my thoughts are that any of them could work.

[atpollard]

I too have been using random rolls for inspiration. First character I tried rolling died in the second term. *womp*womp*

Atpollard, you've given us a nice slice of what the game will be, but can you tell us what our characters' roles will be?

Safe to say we are working for the crazy cat lady with the Micro-Trader...

Are these jobs legit? Sketchy? Varies by job?

That was just a sample. It will be modified based on the actual Characters that show up. (I am leaning towards the crazy cat lady being trampled by a herd of giant grazers and one of the players getting a letter from Dewey, Cheatum & Howe, Attorneys " ... sad to inform you of the passing of your aunt ... inherited her real property, ten acres of land and the salvage title to HULL ...").

As far as the "legit" vs "sketchy" vs "varies" ... y'all decide that. I am 90% sandbox. So here is what will happen:

You will start out together by fiat because anything else is a P.I.T.A.
You will have access to several "rumors" ... they might not be actual "rumors" as much as they will be some sort of "hook or lead". (I call these "PLOT THREADS")
Each "THREAD" leads down a different path. You cannot do EVERYTHING, so the group will choose to follow some and ignore other THREADS.
ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Good, bad, sometimes neutral (just a consequence). So what happens depends on what THREAD you follow and how you interact with the PEOPLE, PLACES and EVENTS that you encounter along the way.

Here is where things get interesting. PLOT THREADS can intersect. Two unrelated things can later turn out to be related. One person or place may be important to two different PLOT THREADS. Say you are looking for Sam Connor tell you where to find "Fast Eddy" (a mechanic selling PARTS at a good price), and a Loan Shark is looking for Sam to break his Knee Caps. The two are unrelated ... unless you arrive to find Sam as THUGS are beating him with their fists. WHAT DO YOU DO? [Plot Threads have intersected at Sam and your action could drag you into the Loan Shark THREAD].

[TheMyth]

Valencia Meridian

30yo female ROGUE

STR 6
DEX 10
END 9
INT 9
EDU 11
SOC 9

Skills:
Blade Combat-0
Brawling-1 (*bonus)
Bribery-0
Carousing/Steward-0
Computer-1
Demolition-0
Forgery-1
Gun Combat(handguns)-1
Gun Combat(others)-0
Jack of all Trades-1
Leader-0
Medical-0
Ship Tactics-0
Streetwise/Liaison-2
Vehicle(wheeled/tracked)-1
Vehicle(other)-0

Benefits (3terms): 100,000 + (+1SOC)

Valencia Meridian was born into a relatively well-off family on Beau. She excelled at school, immersing herself into the best education her parents could afford, even bolstering it with self-directed study.

But, when she turned 18, Val fell in with a bad crowd (Term #1), choosing a life of crime in lieu of university (Streetwise-1). She excelled at creating fake Ident-cards and key fobs (Forgery-1) for her new friends more larcenous pursuits. In time (Term #2), she became indispensible brokering deals and settling disputes (Liaison-1) while also learning to hack simple computer systems (Computer-1).

Eventually (Term #3), the group coalesced around a new leader who encouraged Val's capabilities as a troubleshooter (Jack of all Trades-1). Under the new leadership, the gang came under attack from several rivals, necessitating the thieves to learn to defend themselves (Gun Combat-1). After several years of violence, the leader of Val's gang ended up dead. To save herself (Muster Out), Val packed up and fled to a Backwater planet far from her past life.

Original stats, before shuffling:
STR [2d6]=11 DEX [2d6]=10 END [2d6]=9 INT [2d6]=8 EDU [2d6]=6 SOC [2d6]=9

S6 D10 E9 I9 E11 S8
Age 18 - Term 1= Streetwise-1, Forgery-1
Age 22 - Term 2 = Computer-1, Liaison-1
Age 26 - Term 3 = Jack of all Trades-1, Gun Combat-1
Age 30 - Muster Out, 3 benefits (1 material, 2 cash) = 50,000 + (+1SOC) + 50,000
BENEFITS. [_3d6]=(5+2+5)=12

[shaidar]

OK. Ive had a think, and a tweak, and I think I'm going to go for this:

Dwight James Dawson

Male, aged 30

STR 7,
DEX 8,
END 12
INT 9
EDU 6
SOC 4

Skills:
Blade - 0
Bribery - 0
Electronics - 2
Jack-Of-All-Trades - 0
Gun Combat (Handgun) - 1
Gunnery - 0
Mechanical - 0
Medical - 1
Navigation - 1
Steward - 0
Streetwise - 0
Vacc Suit - 1
Vehicle (Grav/Air) - 1
Vehicle (Water) - 0
Vehicle (Wheeled/Tracked) - 1

Benefits: 3 terms plus promotion: 10,000 credits, +1 EDU, +1 INT, gun (service snub pistol)

Dwight was born on Beau, the oldest child of a low-income family. In order to escape his dead-end situation he signed on with a smaller, local, merchant firm.

Term One: He surprised even himself when he passed the exam and got a commission. The first term was spent mostly planetside learning the ropes, particularly cargo handling and security. [ vehicle (grav) -1, Gun Cbt (handgun) -1 ]

Term Two: Wanting to see more of the ships, he transferred to the maintenance and repairs department. His time was equally split between planetside and space. He revelled in the new challenges and did well, this was noticed and he was promoted to 3rd officer. [ Mechanical -1, Electronics - 1]

Term Three: Deciding that he wanted even more time on ships, and riding on his promotion, he realised that the company was desperate for Medics and Navigators, so he managed to arrange some cross-training. The majority of this term was spent on ships, and he was happy that his career was finally heading where he wanted it to. Then the company announced it was being bought out by a larger competitor and there would be cuts, his contract was not renewed. [Medical -1, Navigation -1]

DJ feels a little bitter about loosing his job, he feels it was due to where he is from and who he is rather than his potential. He knows the fellow merchant spacer Joe Black from his days in the service. He is a cousin of Valencia Meridian:

The Dawsons and Meridians were once both wealthy respected families related by intermarriage ties, until a Dawson (your Grandfather) was involved in a giant Ponzi Scheme that blew up and made the Dawson name "infamous" in the Business World (you are the Madoffs of BEAU). It is the association with the "Dawson Scandal" that makes the respectable members of the Meridians react so violently at any scandal from Valencia. The Dawson reputation is part of Dwight's motivation for going into Merchant ... it is in his blood. The shared experience of living under the "Dawson Scandal" cloud [DJ by birth and Valencia by family accusation of following the same path] provides a commonality to bind the two cousins together.

Everyday clothes (labourer) x3
Business casual (tradesman)
Filtermask x2
mask cartridge x5
wrist watch
Short range communicator (TL8)
Ballistic armour cloth jacket
Medical Kit (basic)
Electronics toolkit (basic)
sunscreen (5cr worth)

[atpollard]

EXCELLENT!
Now that Characters are starting to roll in, I can start to generate the PLOT THREADS. [PLOT THREADS are typically related to the skills or "personality" of the Characters involved ... a Doctor will have leads on using his MEDICAL skill.]

Time for a shameless REFEREE BRIBE:

Any Character that just happens to originally come from "COBALT" or "TURQUOISE" gains a free VEHICLE (Watercraft)-1 skill that applies to sailboats, motorboats, hydrofoils, submarines ... anything that travels in, on or under the water.
Any Character that just happens to originally come from "BEAU" or "OXFORD" gains a free VEHICLE (wheeled/tracked)-1 skill that applies to wheeled and tracked vehicles ... anything that travels over the ground.

Just for the record, I lump AIR together as well, but you need to roll that skill for Vehicle (Grav/Air) that covers things that FLY (including Hovercraft which "Fly" really low).
The idea that someone is a master at driving a Truck off road, but cannot drive a tracked vehicle because that is a different "skill" is silly to me, so I use BROAD groups. It makes skills useful rather than hyper-specialized.

The Characters will still start out on one of the worlds (probably BEAU or OXFORD to avoid the initial complexity of a world with no land), I just wanted to give the characters ties to the region (a reason to return to this cluster of worlds).

[atpollard]

Let's borrow a concept from later versions of Traveller.
If two players can agree on a story for how their CHARACTERS already know one another from their past service histories ... each Character may gain (select) one additional SKILL-1 or CHARACTERISTIC+1 from their CharGen tables.
This benefit can only be received once ... you cannot know 5 people and gain 5 skills.

The purpose of this is to reward "group cohesion" by creating interlinked backstories. It makes the Characters and the adventures more interesting.

[atpollard]

Vehicle - 0 (not sure about this one)

See Post #18 (Shameless Referee Bribe).

You already have VEHICLE (Grav/Air)-1.
For BEAU, you should gain a free VEHICLE (wheeled/tracked)-1.
That leaves VEHICLE (Watercraft)-0 as the skill that you were "exposed to" but did not "master" (skill-1).

If you were not from BEAU and did not have the Grav already, you would gain: VEHICLE (Grav/Air)-0, VEHICLE (wheeled/tracked)-0 and VEHICLE (Watercraft)-0 for a skill list with "VEHICLE" [in case anyone else has the issue].