Worth it for nostalgia...?

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by swordtart

If you use the full character generation system you will be playing a very different game. Cepheus and Traveller on which it is based assume post service (retiree) adventuring. CW assumes fresh out of school (if there is such a thing). The early versions at least did not really have any experience system, the skills you started with we all you would ever have.

Wrong. There is an improvement system, in book 3.

Given you maybe got a few skills every 4 years in careers that were supposed to be active, giving extra skills after a few game sessions seems inconsistent.

That number is, in CT basic gen, 1 to (T+T1+C+P+S+R) 6 per term, with an average around 1.8 across all careers and terms to 12th.

[quote\Different versions of Traveller had widely different character generation models, some more generous with skills than others. [/quote]
None give less than CT basic gen.
Also, T20 and TNE both use 1d20 for tasks... and T4/T5 use Nd6 <= (Att+Skill).

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

Wrong. There is an improvement system, in book 3.

Not in my book 3 (1977) as far as I can tell, the only mention of experience is with respect to Psions. What page reference?

Do you mean the Self Improvement section (P40-41 in Book 2)? This is not really an "experience" system like D&D (or any other game where your character "learns by doing"). It refers to dedicated training.

As I read the rules on page 40-41, you take 4 years out of play to dedicate to training and if you are successful in the dedication roll you gain a new skill at level 2. You can do this once only in your lifetime which also implies that if you fail the dedication roll you blew your one and only chance - but I'd interpret this as if you continue to stay on the course for extra years until you succeed on a dedication roll then you will get the skill. If you drop out of the course for any reason before you succeed in a dedication roll you don't get another chance (this is like getting a Viva at University and pleading to be allowed to stay on to retake a year). I think this isn't unreasonable as going from unskilled to level 2 is a significant career change and you'd need to put the hours in and not be distracted by this months mortgage payment.

I think the longest traveller campaign I ever played spanned a year at most including all those weeks spent in jump. I doubt that I could have persuaded the rest of the players and GM to effectively put the campaign on hold for 4 years or more just so I could get another skill.

The other sections refer to improving skills rather than gaining new ones. They are however even more time consuming - to the point you stand a good chance that a drop in DEX (for example) due to ageing cancels out any gun skill bonus you might gain. It seems however that in some cases you can continue adventuring at least part time).

[quote\Different versions of Traveller had widely different character generation models, some more generous with skills than others.

None give less than CT basic gen.
[/QUOTE]
So some versions WERE more generous with skills than others? What are you disagreeing about here?

I was really referring to Cepheus though as the rules system (which is based on, but not identical to Traveller and certainly not to Classic Traveller which has many of the sorts of rules inconsistencies that annoy me in CW). Since Marc Miller kept revising the Traveller rules I can only assume he was equally unsatisfied with them at each iteration to some degree or other.

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

They're in ADC... kind of,,,

What I mean is: OG CW uses a "roll 7 or better to succeed"; one rolls 2d6, and adds the relevant skill to try to push it over 7. In essence, it's a glorified "roll 2d6 and pray". .:)

One could work off that, and have stats at 7; altho' this would lead to weirdness like "the higher one's stat number, the *less* competent the character is"....

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by 43Supporter

What I mean is: OG CW uses a "roll 7 or better to succeed"; one rolls 2d6, and adds the relevant skill to try to push it over 7. In essence, it's a glorified "roll 2d6 and pray". .:)

One could work off that, and have stats at 7; altho' this would lead to weirdness like "the higher one's stat number, the *less* competent the character is"....

ADC, they're triple the cost of skills, and apply in addition to a skill on a relevant roll; everyone has them at +0 for free.

[ckosacranoid]

You have been talking about other systems and reading a very extended campaign that some posted about on the facebook group.

The new twilight 4th system is pretty good for a crossover to use and has me thinking about it now.