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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: Planet Algol on November 19, 2013, 02:50:49 AM

Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 19, 2013, 02:50:49 AM
I have Classic Traveller, but I'm interested in  more lurid/pulpy campaign.

What products have additional careers? I know about Mercenary, Citizens and Dragon magazine
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Phillip on November 19, 2013, 03:14:16 AM
I can't think of any offhand, but the obvious places to look would be JTAS, Travellers Digest, Challenge, and FASA and Judges Guild products.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Phillip on November 19, 2013, 03:26:32 AM
There are several at the Freelance Traveller site; link to page of links:

http://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/rules/chargen/index.html
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Simlasa on November 19, 2013, 08:47:52 AM
Quote from: Planet Algol;709705I have Classic Traveller, but I'm interested in  more lurid/pulpy campaign.

What products have additional careers? I know about Mercenary, Citizens and Dragon magazine
I wonder if such a thing really needs more/new careers or if a reskin/rename of existing ones might go a long way towards a different flavor (less overtly staid real-world military terminology)?
Like, what would the Lone Sloane version of those careers and skills be called? Bigger and wilder but pretty much the same things mechanically, maybe?
A bit of Arduin, in space (I guess that would be Star Rovers).
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: dragoner on November 19, 2013, 10:17:29 AM
Quote from: Planet Algol;709705I have Classic Traveller, but I'm interested in  more lurid/pulpy campaign.

What products have additional careers? I know about Mercenary, Citizens and Dragon magazine

For CT, all of the alien modules have some sort of chargen; but there is the rub between basic and advanced chargen characters, the modules have both. Once you get to mongoose traveller, you get a lot more careers, plus the 3rd party career books, such as those from spica.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Shawn Driscoll on November 19, 2013, 11:58:43 AM
Quote from: Planet Algol;709705I have Classic Traveller, but I'm interested in  more lurid/pulpy campaign.

Just make up your own careers for the game, using the templates you already have.  Give the careers skills that suit a pulpy character.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 21, 2013, 08:58:13 PM
Thanks for the suggestions!
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 21, 2013, 08:59:52 PM
Quote from: Simlasa;709747I wonder if such a thing really needs more/new careers or if a reskin/rename of existing ones might go a long way towards a different flavor
...
A bit of Arduin, in space (I guess that would be Star Rovers).

Yeah, I'm definitely playing with the career names for the flavour I want.

I'm not so much looking for Arduin in space... ...but you saying that does have me looking at the Arduin "aliens" and monsters for use in the game!
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 21, 2013, 09:03:23 PM
Quote from: dragoner;709768For CT, all of the alien modules have some sort of chargen; but there is the rub between basic and advanced chargen characters, ...
Once you get to mongoose traveller, you get a lot more careers, plus the 3rd party career books, such as those from spica.

I'm not looking for aliens yet. Yeah, the gulf between basic and advanced chargen is something alright. I really dig the advanced chargen, but for starting a game I think I'll have to stay with basic.

I looked at the MT playtest document, and I certainly picked up a couple from it, thanks for the suggestion.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 21, 2013, 09:11:08 PM
Anyways, one thing that really struck me while going over the resources is that both the careers and their names would seem to really set the tone of a campaign. What I've got on my list at this point, aside from the "classic "careers, is:

Assassin
Gladiator (from Athlete/Dragon Magazine)
Dilettante (from Noble/MT playtest document)
Grifter (from Montebank/Hill Cantons blog)
Enforcer (from Rogue/MT playtest document)
Construction Worker (Dragon magazine)
Commando (from Freelance Traveller)

Renamed:
Criminal (Rogue)
Prospector (Belter)

I don't mind having Noble and Dilettante, or Rogue and Grifter, for example, as the chargen for both are significantly different, there's an abundance of military careers in CT, and I like the "seedy granularity."

And with the abundance
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: dragoner on November 22, 2013, 12:53:59 AM
Quote from: Planet Algol;710717I'm not looking for aliens yet. Yeah, the gulf between basic and advanced chargen is something alright. I really dig the advanced chargen, but for starting a game I think I'll have to stay with basic.

I looked at the MT playtest document, and I certainly picked up a couple from it, thanks for the suggestion.

Advanced chargen is cool, but I find that characters with skill level 3 or more can be ringers in a 2d6 system where 8+ is success; mong compounds this some with giving stat bonuses.

Basic is good though, one of the most fun campaigns I ever had was a lowly 22 year old ex-Army guy with only Rifle-1 and Vacc-1, working as a stevedore - redshirt on the Leviathan.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 22, 2013, 01:26:23 AM
Ahh! Good to know. I'll keep advanced chargen in my back pocket if my game ends up needed characters with more skill then.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: dragoner on November 22, 2013, 02:56:54 PM
One thing to remember about aliens in Traveller is that the Solomani (people from Earth - eg. us), Zhodani (space dervishes) and Darrians (space elves) are both Alien and humans as well.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 22, 2013, 07:52:28 PM
Huh?
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: dragoner on November 22, 2013, 08:23:12 PM
Yeah, it is a "huh?" moment. Because of some peculiar setting details, some humans get their own alien modules, because they fall outside of the typical human from the Imperium.
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 22, 2013, 09:21:56 PM
Oh, that. Yeah, I get that. I thought you meant the Solomani had their own Alien modules.

Unrelated, but I found an issue of White Dwarf with the BOUNTY HUNTER career, YES!
Title: Career Resources for Traveller?
Post by: Planet Algol on November 25, 2013, 03:28:27 AM
Our group made a band of Traveller PCs using disparate resources:
Law Enforcement, rank 1 or 2
Marine, rank 1 (deceased Bounty Hunter)
Wastrel, rank 2
Clergy, rank 1, (deceased Politician)
Hunter
Barbarian, rank 1

Going to whip up another set next session.