Earlier versions of GDW's Traveller used an annual die-based character generation (CharGen) process which was unique among RPG's at the time. Players determined their PCs characteristics and then proceeded to rolling up twenty plus years of military service. This method created a PC with a reasonability well-defined game history and persona.
Dozens of newer SciFi RPGs have hit the market since, each with their own distinct ideals regarding character creation. The current crop, including “Traveller D20” and “GURPS Traveller”, provides for a pre-determined number of points to be distributed between characteristics and skill sets recorded on a universal career template. This is not synonymous with rolling-up a PC over two or more decades. Actually it's juggling numbers on a form. Some GMs use this method since it creates players with minimal effort or fore-thought. Unfortunately, this also produces a dilemma for the GM.
Without formal background development the PC is limited only to what is presented on their record sheet.
Since no real historical detail is available, the Player is forced to improvise their past. While I've met a few gamers over the years who could create a realistic storyline on the fly; I've met too many others who couldn't. Leaving the PCs history to the player's imagination can cause serious problems in the game. This often leads to a "Monte Hall" style game, or a weak GM.
During the past twenty years I've questioned certain aspects of the Traveller system, mainly the CharGen process. I began to make minor modifications to my own game universe. The concept of an annual workup is based in real world terms and seams to work quite well. Creating a PC using a year-to-year rollup allows enormous possibilities in the PCs storyline. But I felt the game needed some expansion, including an early family life (age 0-12) and childhood phase (age 13-18), along with more detailed in-service and post-service options. So, I expanded and modeled it to my liking.
I decided to open my alternative CharGen system for public dissemination and discussion. My efforts are neither official nor canonical. To begin with, It takes four to five hours to properly develope a PC under my system, but when finished, the player knows where they've been and what makes them tick. I've found the more complex a character is, the more the player will enjoy running them. They'll put more effort into the persona; doing everything they can to keep them alive and prospering. When you have a detailed understanding of a PCs history it provides a sense of direction and perspective for the player. How long would it take you to discuss the details of your life? Hopefully more than four hours.
During the initial CharGen workup the parties will roll and talk out the PCs past, defining critical family events, special friends and family members, personal goals, dangerous secrets, along with a variety of useful information that adds game hooks to the adventuring. For a detailed breakdown of the CharGen sequence see my article: The Rollup Process
Central to this process is a revised list of characteristics. On the physical inventory, we have the classical characteristics of Strength, Dexterity and Endurance, I've added “Agility” (Speed) , “Body Mass” and “Appearance”. On the psychosocial side, along with Intelligence and Social Status, I've added “Charisma”, “Determination” (Will Power), “Perception” (Awareness) and “Integrity” (Loyalty). These are fully explained in my article: Universal Personality Profile.
Yes, I've completely dropped "Education" as a characteristic. Instead, I've re-defined education as a combination of the character’s worldly knowledge along with their formalized academic credentialing. Traveller already allows PCs to attend a four-year college or a service academy, or enroll in a graduate or medical school, so the framework is already in place. Creating a standardized educational hierarchy (i.e., Degrees such as Associate, Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate and Fellows) would appear to be the most rational approach to introduce education into the game mix. IMTU education is a rolled event, not a characteristic.
I do what ever I can to insure that the PC receives a college degree.
In today's world it is essential for career success. This should be even more true in a futuristic society. Therefore, a bachelors degree should be the minimal standard for any endeavor, including a military career. Having a degree provides career opportunities such as holding a commission, attending a graduate school, or having access to the social and political inner circles of power.
I also strive for the PC to obtain an officer's commission at some point in their development. Being an officer is consistent with viewing the PC as a "hero" or "heroine". In most movie plots or TV storylines the central character has more than likely served as an officer in one of the military services. Keep in mind, that in real life, only officers can formally command a naval ship (scout or larger) or a significant military unit (company or higher).
I also begin character development at age 13. Many teenagers that I've know have mastered a limited number of skills and a few have experienced some unique challenges. They drive cars, shoot firearms, play musical instruments, speak foreign languages, fly aircraft, scuba dive, ski, and are often more sophisticated than many adults at using computers and other electronic devices. Some have even lived in foreign countries or received unique honors. Therefore, I put every PC through four years of some type of secondary education, allowing them to acquire some low level skills. Upon getting their diploma the PC can starts the military roll-up process normally.
When Traveller was first published it had a limited number of broadly defined skills. In the future skills will become much more specialized. "Engineering" or "Computer" would never pass muster in today's technological world, so why continue using this method? More detail is needed. "Engineering" would be split up into combat , civil, mechanical, electrical, astronautical, etc., and "Computer" would be broken into specific application suites (Office, or Adobe Graphics or a Programming Language, etc.). Years ago I went through the military's career specialty manuals of all the US armed forces and isolated the tasks associated with every Army and Marine MOS, Air Force AFC and Naval Rating and updated my skill list accordingly. Review my articles: Comprehensive Skill Listing and Skill Descriptive Inventory, then decide for yourself which ones you may want to add to your game.
Breaking down generalized skills into more specialized ones would obviously increase the total number held by a PC. A number of hardcore fans may argue that this would alter the game feel or dynamics. I beg to differ. In Classic Traveller the PC held between 7 and 15 skills on average. Under my system: between 36 and 60; The upper limit being a function of adding together the attribute scores of Intelligence, Charisma, Awareness, Determination and Integrity. I refer to this number as "memory points". Once a PC reaches their memory point threshold the player must voluntarily zero out one "less used" skill. This is quite similar to real life, since we lose knowledge over time if it's not reinforced. The skill dropped is lowered to level zero for possible future refamiliarization – yet it's still at a level that the PC would not sustain a negative DM if they suddenly needed to use it.
I've had enormous fun revamping this alternative Traveller CharGen system. I hope you'll get some enjoyment in exploring my efforts. I’m constantly defining and re-defining ideals, so please check back periodically to witness the evolutionary process.
E-Mail me at: aaingram@peoplepc.com
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