This thread will include all of the necessary bookkeeping to help set the campaign up and keep it running smoothly. Right now I'll be using it as a storehouse and discussion thread for Themes and Hooks.
The Major Themes that I've identified so far is as follows:
Exploration - 5 (in true Traveller fashion, this will be the emphasis)
Action - 3 (this will be the dominant mode)
Mystery, Survival, Horror, EPIC, Criminal - all 2 apiece (these will be the major themes within the exploration framework and Action mode)
Subplots:
Military (max_vale)
Mercenary (max_vale)
Political (Baron)
Personal (Pulpatoon)
Science (spanningtree)
Courier (DadsAngry)
Merchant (atpollard)
The exact form of the major themes will be shaped by what the constellation of characters looks like. The individual subplots will be shaped by what the characters in question look like in their mostly-finished form, once we establish their Hooks.
Campaign Setup
Re: Campaign Setup
This post includes a list of Hooks for characters to choose to help integrate them into the metaplot. Use of these Hooks will be organized as follows:
1. You can only select a Hook if I have your character stats completed up through Mustering Out and posted in the character sheets thread. You don't need to have all your fluff determined--Hooks can even help round that out.
2. You must post in this thread indicating which Hook you are claiming for your character.
3. I will add your claimed Hooks to your character sheet in the appropriate thread.
4. You may not claim a second Hook until everyone in the active group has one. You may not claim a third until everyone in the group has two. And so on.
5. You may not claim a Hook once your character has already entered play except when requested. It must be done at character creation.
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List of Available Hooks/roles:
First Officer of This Ship
The Doctor
The Steward
Was Drummed Out of the Legit Services On Shaky Ground
Had a Romantic Entanglement With Someone Who Wants Him/Her Dead (or vice-versa)
Had a Tendency to Shoot First and Think Later
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Please note that claiming one of these Hooks/roles does not depend on ANYTHING on your character sheet (e.g. You could claim the "Security Chief" Hook with not a single combat skill to your name and that would be your job--maybe you wouldn't be good at it, maybe there are some folks that ARE good at it that would resent you, but it's your job anyway and we'll figure out exactly how you ended up with it before we start play and hopefully make it entertaining).
1. You can only select a Hook if I have your character stats completed up through Mustering Out and posted in the character sheets thread. You don't need to have all your fluff determined--Hooks can even help round that out.
2. You must post in this thread indicating which Hook you are claiming for your character.
3. I will add your claimed Hooks to your character sheet in the appropriate thread.
4. You may not claim a second Hook until everyone in the active group has one. You may not claim a third until everyone in the group has two. And so on.
5. You may not claim a Hook once your character has already entered play except when requested. It must be done at character creation.
---
List of Available Hooks/roles:
First Officer of This Ship
The Doctor
The Steward
Was Drummed Out of the Legit Services On Shaky Ground
Had a Romantic Entanglement With Someone Who Wants Him/Her Dead (or vice-versa)
Had a Tendency to Shoot First and Think Later
---
Please note that claiming one of these Hooks/roles does not depend on ANYTHING on your character sheet (e.g. You could claim the "Security Chief" Hook with not a single combat skill to your name and that would be your job--maybe you wouldn't be good at it, maybe there are some folks that ARE good at it that would resent you, but it's your job anyway and we'll figure out exactly how you ended up with it before we start play and hopefully make it entertaining).
Re: Campaign Setup
Keehnelf's Quick Guide To Playing Classic Traveller
Please remember that Traveller is one of the oldest of the old-school games. Therefore, the core rules are designed to be simple and flexible. In most cases, you're rolling 2 dice and looking to roll either above or below a specific number.
If your check is based on an ability score, you want to try to match or roll below the ability score.
If your check is something dynamic and only modified by scores or skills, generally higher is better. In combat, for example, the core roll is 8+ to hit something, modified by your attributes sometimes and by your combat-related skills sometimes.
There are no Hit Points. If you get injured, your physical abilities are damaged by whatever hurt you. If one or more of those attributes hit 0, you're knocked unconscious or worse. The first time you get injured in a combat, it hits all of your physical scores at once and has the chance to knock you out of commission immediately. If you stay in the fight, you can allow further injuries to deplete specific physical attributes to maximize your ability to stay up.
In most cases the GM will be the arbiter of what type of die roll you're looking at and what the applicable modifiers are. Generally a roll (or throw) will be fairly static and the point of interpretation will be which skills modify the roll. Most skills also have some specific uses that allow them to generate actions or modify rolls in unusual ways--I will call those out when they become relevant.
Please note that the currency of success in Traveller is story-based. By the core rules in the 1st through 3rd books of CT, there are very limited avenues for self-improvement. They are slow, risky, and rarely provide a huge benefit. Instead, you are encouraged to focus on amassing resources, reputation, and influence within the game world as measures of your success as a resident of that universe. Basically, assume that you are at the peak of your abilities as an individual at this moment and that the only changes you can expect are the slow deterioration of age, an untimely death, or some clever and lucky strategies to get what you want from life before either of those first two things catch up to you.
Please remember that Traveller is one of the oldest of the old-school games. Therefore, the core rules are designed to be simple and flexible. In most cases, you're rolling 2 dice and looking to roll either above or below a specific number.
If your check is based on an ability score, you want to try to match or roll below the ability score.
If your check is something dynamic and only modified by scores or skills, generally higher is better. In combat, for example, the core roll is 8+ to hit something, modified by your attributes sometimes and by your combat-related skills sometimes.
There are no Hit Points. If you get injured, your physical abilities are damaged by whatever hurt you. If one or more of those attributes hit 0, you're knocked unconscious or worse. The first time you get injured in a combat, it hits all of your physical scores at once and has the chance to knock you out of commission immediately. If you stay in the fight, you can allow further injuries to deplete specific physical attributes to maximize your ability to stay up.
In most cases the GM will be the arbiter of what type of die roll you're looking at and what the applicable modifiers are. Generally a roll (or throw) will be fairly static and the point of interpretation will be which skills modify the roll. Most skills also have some specific uses that allow them to generate actions or modify rolls in unusual ways--I will call those out when they become relevant.
Please note that the currency of success in Traveller is story-based. By the core rules in the 1st through 3rd books of CT, there are very limited avenues for self-improvement. They are slow, risky, and rarely provide a huge benefit. Instead, you are encouraged to focus on amassing resources, reputation, and influence within the game world as measures of your success as a resident of that universe. Basically, assume that you are at the peak of your abilities as an individual at this moment and that the only changes you can expect are the slow deterioration of age, an untimely death, or some clever and lucky strategies to get what you want from life before either of those first two things catch up to you.
Re: Campaign Setup
Looks like my first pick is Captain of this ship (a free trader).
Captain Dars Quade in "On the Knife's Edge"
Re: Campaign Setup
You know, I was laughing to myself a little bit about the idea of someone else picking that first and having your character be the owner of the ship but for some reason not actually being the captain 
Re: Campaign Setup
It's true--just remember that if everyone dies it's all your fault.
Re: Campaign Setup
I can live with that.
Just be sure it's clear when to start Round Two of these hook picks. I'll want to review what's left, before I choose a second time.
Just be sure it's clear when to start Round Two of these hook picks. I'll want to review what's left, before I choose a second time.
Captain Dars Quade in "On the Knife's Edge"
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GreyWolfVT
- Wants a special title like Scott
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Re: Campaign Setup
Chief Engineer would be my selection
Last edited by GreyWolfVT on Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred
"If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
DM - GreyWolf's Mystara Adventures - AD&D 2e
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred
"If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
Re: Campaign Setup
Absolutely--I'll be certain to call it out once everyone has one.
Re: Campaign Setup
Interesting--hoping to use your Jack-of-all-Trades to squeak by?GreyWolfVT wrote:Chief Engineer would be my selection
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GreyWolfVT
- Wants a special title like Scott
- Posts: 33093
- Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:02 pm
- Location: Vermont
- Contact:
Re: Campaign Setup
you know it. 
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred
"If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
DM - GreyWolf's Mystara Adventures - AD&D 2e
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred
"If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
Re: Campaign Setup
Haha excellent answer. We don't even have a crew yet and the drama is already building
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spanningtree
- Ranger Lord
- Posts: 3483
- Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:35 pm
- Location: Las Vegas, NV
Re: Campaign Setup
Amateur Student of Xenoarchaeology With a Famous But Clearly Insane Mentor
Anall nathrack uthos bethos doss yell yenva. -Merlin
Re: Campaign Setup
I can't wait to see how this fits with your former marine force commanderspanningtree wrote:Amateur Student of Xenoarchaeology With a Famous But Clearly Insane Mentor
Re: Campaign Setup
Done! Feel free to come up with a story around what that item is, who it really belongs to, and how you came to be in possession of it. I can help smooth out any rough edges where it connects with other elements of the story once I have a sense of where you imagine this one going.
Re: Campaign Setup
Fluff ahoy:
September Calindarias' grandfather made a fortune from cometary mineral rights. His father lost this fortune—and his life—by going into politics and ending up on the wrong side of a violent coup.
September spent half his life wanting for nothing, and the other half destitute.
September tried to follow his older brother into the Navy, but was not admitted. He was drafted into the Scouts. He felt at home among the Scouts, but after he spilled a carafe of coffee on a mimetic oscillator, he was invited to not reenlist.
September is bright and nervous. He has studied electronics and dabbled in everything else. He has an obsessive knowledge of fine ceramics, and his most prized possession is a single shallow bowl of surpassing beauty.
He is determined to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and rebuild the family fortune. His desire to redress the wrongs done to his family can override his moral code.
The MacGuffin
I'm not entirely sure what the world we live in is like, or what level of technology is typical, so I can't quite judge what would make this object something Amazing. Perhaps a xeno-tech dowsing rod that picks up otherwise difficult-to-detect minerals? Or the secret to containing and transporting some useful variety of exotic matter that typically degrades before it can be processed?
After mustering out of the Scouts, September briefly returned to the capitol, and mingled with some of his childhood peers. He was invited to parties, including those thrown by the children of the people who deposed his father. In the wake of one such party, September waited until his host was thoroughly besotted and started snooping. He came across either the prototype MacGuffin, of a vital element of it, and recognized its potential immediately. The combination of restoring his family's fortunes and hurting his enemy proved too great, and September pocketed the device.
September Calindarias' grandfather made a fortune from cometary mineral rights. His father lost this fortune—and his life—by going into politics and ending up on the wrong side of a violent coup.
September spent half his life wanting for nothing, and the other half destitute.
September tried to follow his older brother into the Navy, but was not admitted. He was drafted into the Scouts. He felt at home among the Scouts, but after he spilled a carafe of coffee on a mimetic oscillator, he was invited to not reenlist.
September is bright and nervous. He has studied electronics and dabbled in everything else. He has an obsessive knowledge of fine ceramics, and his most prized possession is a single shallow bowl of surpassing beauty.
He is determined to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and rebuild the family fortune. His desire to redress the wrongs done to his family can override his moral code.
The MacGuffin
I'm not entirely sure what the world we live in is like, or what level of technology is typical, so I can't quite judge what would make this object something Amazing. Perhaps a xeno-tech dowsing rod that picks up otherwise difficult-to-detect minerals? Or the secret to containing and transporting some useful variety of exotic matter that typically degrades before it can be processed?
After mustering out of the Scouts, September briefly returned to the capitol, and mingled with some of his childhood peers. He was invited to parties, including those thrown by the children of the people who deposed his father. In the wake of one such party, September waited until his host was thoroughly besotted and started snooping. He came across either the prototype MacGuffin, of a vital element of it, and recognized its potential immediately. The combination of restoring his family's fortunes and hurting his enemy proved too great, and September pocketed the device.
Re: Campaign Setup
That all looks great. You'll start out on a TL 14 world (the highest in the subsector we'll start in), and with experience in the Scouts September's bar for Amazing is set pretty high. That being said, you can determine what "Amazing" means--it might just be Amazing to your average Joe, or maybe Amazing even to him...if the thing is valuable/powerful, you can expect plot hooks (dangers) to emerge that are proportional with that, but you're welcome to do what you like with it. It's Your Hook, After All.
