Traveller Ship's Tickets

[doulos05]

Drawing on information from http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/articles/traveller2.html and from http://www.freelancetraveller.com/fe...t/ratings.html, I have pieced together a GURPS conversion for William Hostman and Jeff Zeitlin's idea of Crew Certifications. Basically, it serves to ensure that the crew has the correct mix of skills to ensure they don't get stuck up the interseller creek without a paddle. Probably not a problem for experienced travellers groups, but I can picture my group going "Ok, who took Mechanic (Reactionless Thrusters)?" "Umm... Isn't that part of Mechanic (High Performance Spacecraft)? Well, *#$@ us."

Unfortunately, although I love computers, I lack the time to put up or maintain a website so I don't have a way to get this out and see if 1) it does what I want it to and 2) to see if anyone else needs it. It's a 5 page document. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get this out?

[Qoltar]

Why don't you just type it as plain text and post it in this thread ?

- Ed Charlton

[Hex]

Originally Posted by doulos05

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get this out?

Carrier pigeons?

[doulos05]

Well, it's 5 pages long. I could paste it in smaller parts. Here's part 1:

Defining the Tickets
(This section and the remainder of the article by the credited author)
In my Traveller campaign, under MegaTraveller rules, I require the following for holding a ticket:
Unrated
Computer 10, Vacc Suit 10, Speak Galanglic. (This rating is a prerequisite for ALL ship crew tickets which follow) There is an exception to the Galanglic requirement made for Droyne. Droyne are required to speak Galanglic to test for Master's licenses.
Rated Tickets:
Pilot
Pilot 12, Electronic Operations(Communications) 10, Electronic Operations (Sensors) 12
Navigator
Navigation (Space) and Navigation (Jumpspace) 12, Computer Operation 12, Electronic Operations (Sensors) 12, Electrionic Operations (Communications) 10
Steward, General
First Aid 10, Cooking 12, Professional Skill (Steward) 12, Administration 10
Steward, Purser
Administration 12, and General Steward ticket
Steward, Broker
Economics or Finance 10, Merchant 12, Streetwise 10, Admininstration 12
Medic
First Aid 12, Diagnosis 10, Electronic Operations (Medical) 10
Steward, Ship's Flight Physician
Physician 16, Administration 12, Electronic Operations (Medical) 12, Professional Skill (Steward) 12
Engineer, General
Mechanic (Fusion Reactor, High-Performance Spacecraft, Jump Drive, and Reactionless Thrusters) 10, Electronics Repair (Communications, Computer, and Sensors) 10, Mechanic (Contragravity) 10
Engineer, Systems
Mechanical (Fusion Reactor and High-Performance Spacecraft) 12, Electronics (Communications, Computer, and Sensors) 12, Computer Operation 12
Engineer, Drive
Mechanical (Contragravity, Jump Drive, and Reactionless Thrusters) 12
Engineer, Weapons
Armoury (Heavy Weapons and Vehicular Armor) 14, Electronic Repair (Electronic Warfare) 12
Engineer, Ship's
Administration 12 and both Systems and Drive tickets.
Gunner
Gunner (Beam Weapons and Missiles) 12, Gunner (Sandcasters and Repulsors) 10
Ship's Master, 5th Class (<=400Td, Non-commercial only)
Complete the prep course, and/or own a ship. See below.
Advanced ("Master") Ratings
Ship's Master, 4th Class (<=400Td)
Administration 10, Accounting 10, Electronic Operations (Communications and Sensors) 10, Merchant 10, and any rated ticket, plus 4 years active merchant service or 2 years as a naval officer, Pirate Officer, or Scout.
Ship's Master, 3rd Class (<=1000Td)
Administration 12, Accounting 12, Pilot(High-Performace Spacecraft) 12, Navigation (Space) 12, Electronic Operations (Sensors) 12, Electronic Operations (Communications) 10.
Ship's Master, 2nd Class (any non-combatant)
SM3c Ticket, plus Leadership 12, Merchant 12
Ship's Master, 1st Class (Combatants)
SM2c Ticket, plus Tactics(Space) 12, Teaching 12, Interrogation 10.
Engineer, Master
Ship's Engineer Cert, plus Engineer(Starships) 12, PLUS any two skills required by the lower engineering ratings at 14.
Steward, Counsel
First Aid 12, Administration 14, Law (Any) 16, Professional Skill (Steward) 14, Merchant 12 (this is the guy who bails you out in Imperial Admiralty Courts) plus 4 years merchant service or Naval Service.

Next post is how to acquire a ticket....

[doulos05]

In my campaign, I have the IISS and the IN both run ticket tests, but the ratings are actually issued through the scouts. You can get rated at any scout base, naval base, or class-A or Class-B Starport within J2 of an X-Boat route, and any class C port ON an x-boat route. You may only test any given skill once per month. Test attempts are included in the actual card's database.

Resolving the Test for Any Rating
Routine Skill check for each skill. 1 Hour per skill, may take your time, you have 16 to complete the test; exceeding time allowed is a failure).

+1 to skill if repeating test taken within past six months.

If you do not have the skill at the required level, apply the difference between your level and the required level as a penalty. For example, if you were taking the Engineer, Drive ticket test and only had Engineer (Jump Drive) at 10, you would test that skill with a -2 penalty.

Taking the test costs Cr100 per skill tested, plus Cr100 to apply for the rating.
If you possess the skills necessary for a ticket, but at insufficient levels for the ticket sought, you may obtain a "Mate's" ticket in that rating. If you fail any skill, you will not pass. If your assessed skills equal or exceed the required levels for the ticket sought, you will be granted the rating proper.
Note: Skill tests are generally available in any language spoken in the local subsector or within J6, plus the following: Vilani, Old High Vilani, Sylean, Galanglic, Aslan, Oynprinth, Newt, Virush, Geonee, Vegan.

Getting the Unrated Spacer's Ticket
Roll against each skill as above, only 15 minutes each skill, the limit is 4 hours.

This test is only issued in Galanglic or Oynprinth; if taken in Oynprinth, it will be limited to ships operated by a known Droyne Population Center (Read as a Droyne government). Any character with Merchant, Naval, Pirate, scout, or Marine background ends the character generation sequence possessing this ticket. This ticket is a lifetime rating, but must be renewed every 4 years. It may be renewed without retest if not lapsed 4 or more years.

Also, I grant every PC any non-masters tickets they qualify for before mustering out, if they have a naval, marine, scout, merchant, or pirate background. Anyone else with ship-specific skills may be rated; they have to ask the GM...

In my campaign, a master's license is required to be a ship's captain. The IISS will run a certification prep course for both the unrated spacer's ticket and the 5th class master's ticket, and a Pilot's Mate Ticket. The combined courses take takes 27 weeks with a one week break between each and grants 1 cp to each of the following skills: Computer Operations, Vacc Suit, Merchant, Pilot (High-Performance Spacecraft), Nav (Space and Jump Space), Administration, Professional Skill (Steward), and Electronic Operations (Communications and Sensors). Take the 3 tests at the end of the course. Cost is KCr5 for the course, it is residential, and intense; no outside communications are allowed during the course. At the end of the course, you get an unrated ticket, a "5th Class Master's Ticket" which is limited to 400 tons Displacement, non-commercial service, and incidental employment as master only.
The 5th class will also be issued to anybody with any other rated ticket who is in a first mate slot, or a department head.

[doulos05]

Wow, shorter than I expected. Looks like AppleWorks has failed me (guess that's what I get for using what came with my computer and not buying something designed to do that). Anyway, let me know what you think. Thanks!

[Qoltar]

Gee, I just always used the Christopher Thrash-written , SJG -published book GURPS:TRAVELLER ; FAR TRADER. Then I used the conversion booklet thats in the 4th edition GM pack and converted the skills to 4th edition GURPS. It works pretty easy that way.

- Ed Charlton

[Captain Midnight]

Originally Posted by doulos05

Ship's Master, 4th Class (<=400Td)
Administration 10, Accounting 10, Electronic Operations (Communications and Sensors) 10, Merchant 10, and any rated ticket, plus 4 years active merchant service or 2 years as a naval officer, Pirate Officer, or Scout.

Now I'm trying to imagine putting time as a "Pirate Officer" on your resume that you submit at the Navy or Scout base. Could you list other "Pirates" as references? "Oh, just ask 'Bloodthirsty Ishuggi', master of the pirate ship 'Booty Chaser' -- he'll tell you I'm the real deal."

[doulos05]

well, from a metagame perspective, it's not fair to penalize players for choosing a life of adventuring (RL considerations aside). From an in-game perspective, I imagine it goes something like this....

"So you served on the Cutty Stark, you were a merchant?"
"Oh yeah, definitely! Merchant work is hard."
"Didn't the Cutty Stark attack a merchant vessel out at Harman Prime?"
(Player rolls Bluff check)
"Merchant vessel!!? Those dirty, lying dogs! They attacked us! You looking at the wrong ship if you're looking for pirates."
"Alright, well here's your certification. Thank you for your time."

[Captain Midnight]

Originally Posted by doulos05

well, from a metagame perspective, it's not fair to penalize players for choosing a life of adventuring (RL considerations aside).

You might also look at it as the price they pay for an "outside the law" experience in their prior career. Being a pirate means that you can never admit to what you did before, unless you're positive that you can totally trust the people around you. You'll spend a lot of time saying things like, "Look, never mind where I learned how to work on turret lasers. You need a gunner, and I need a job, so let's just leave it at that, OK?"

Nonetheless, the "second career" nature of CT always grated on me, which is why I switched over to GT and have no plans to go back.

From an in-game perspective, I imagine it goes something like this....

"So you served on the Cutty Stark, you were a merchant?"
"Oh yeah, definitely! Merchant work is hard."
"Didn't the Cutty Stark attack a merchant vessel out at Harman Prime?"
(Player rolls Bluff check)
"Merchant vessel!!? Those dirty, lying dogs! They attacked us! You looking at the wrong ship if you're looking for pirates."
"Alright, well here's your certification. Thank you for your time."

Also known as the "Jedi Mind Trick" method. Such a method is very useful for making large withdrawals of cash from banks, even when you've never done business with them before...

"I'd like to withdraw my Cr 10,000,000, please. Hundred-credit notes, and place them in this large box, please."
"I'm sorry sir, your account has a balance of Cr87.93."
(Player rolls Bluff check)
"87.93? You must be mistaken! I'll have your job for this, you lowly worm! Bring me my cash at once!!!"
"I'm terribly sorry, milord, we'll have it for you in a moment, please don't have me fired, I can have nude slave girls brought in to dance for you while you wait, I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you."
"Well, just don't let it happen again. You peons always seem to think you can make mistakes and that we'll just accept it. We're more important than you are, and don't you forget it!"
"Yes, milord. Right you are."