Traveller, pbta.
Help me with this thing. There's an alpha release of pbta traveller, but it doesn't hit what i want.
Here's what i want: the lifepath system.
Here's what I'm thinking:
1. First, determine stats. The AW standard is Cool, Hard, Sharp, Hot, Weird, right?
-- Traveller doesn't so much have the weird, so let's reskin this to Space. ok?
-- Being Hot doesn't so much matter as does your social standing, so let's change that to Soc.
For now, that gives us: Cool, Hard, Sharp, Soc, Space.
I don't love that three things start with "S", so space becomes Void. That'll work for now.
2. How do we get stats? Standard pbta is an array or point buy, but this is traveller. Instead, for each stat: roll 2d6 plus nothing. On a 6-, you've got a minus 1. on a 7-9, 0. 10-11, 1. 12+, 2.
3. After you've got stats, we need to figure out which branch of service you join. Choose which one you want, and we'll roll an affiliated stat. Maybe:
Marines: Cool
Army: Hard
Navy: Sharp
Merchant: Social
Scout: Void
Join Up
When you seek to join a branch of service, roll the affiliated stat. On a 12+, you join and get a promotion!. on a 10-11, you get into the service you wish. On a 7-9, you are refused service and have to join the service with your worst stat. on a 6-, you die.
During your term of service, you may pick up moves!
Roll with the affiliated stat and on a 10+, gain a move from your playbook. On a 7-9, you do not gain a move and will suffer a minus 1 to your next join Up roll. On a 6-, you are denied re-entry and cannot serve again.
You can choose to reenlist as many times as you want. Roll Join Up, but with the number of times you've served (max +3).
Mustering out. Woot!
When you must out, roll for benefits a number of times equal to the terms you served. Roll with your ending rank. On a 15+, choose from the ship list. On a 12+, choose a piece of equipment from any non-ship list. On a 10+, use the high, medium, or low list. On a 7-9, just the medium or low lists. On a 6-, just the low list.
Ship List - Free Trader, Far Trader, Scout Ship
Fantastic: Traveler's Aid Society, Rocket Launcher, 50k, Stat + 2, new move, etc.
High List: High Passage, , Laser Gun, 25k, Stat + 1, etc.
Medium List: Medium Passage, Auto Pistol, 10k, etc
Low List: Low Passage, Cutlass, 5k, etc
This is, of course, because of this:
http://devilghost.com/software/travellercharacter/
http://devilghost.com/software/travellercharacter/
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What's this missing that seems relevant?
ReplyDeleteDeath from aging, i suppose.
When you muster out, roll + Terms Served.
On a 12+, you die. On a 10+, lose a move and reduce a stat by one. on a 7-9, lose a move OR reduce a stat by one. on a 6-, you're fine you silver fox.
That looks good. I like that you have matched each career with a stat.
ReplyDeleteif you put a \ before the - in -1 it shouldn't do the strikethrough
ReplyDeleteQuick instead of sharp?
ReplyDeleteChanged -1 to minus 1 because G+ hates me.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Marshall Why quick versus sharp?
ReplyDeleteWilliam Nichols Quick means one fewer 'S'
ReplyDeleteA deck of cards: each card has a planet, item, profession (+stat), bad thing that happened, and a move. Deal each player 5 cards. They pick one thing from each card but must pick at least one thing from each category. They can then get dealt as many additional cards as they like but, they have to take what's on the card in order of category, e.g. 6th card they take the additional planet, 7th card they take the additional item, etc. Some cards have a skull icon on them. Three skulls and you die!
ReplyDeleteI've added a couple of things in a google doc:
ReplyDelete1. Associated each branch of service with a "core playbook" from which such things as special moves are derived, as well as 2-3 periphial playbooks. more on that in a sec.
2. Changed the Term of Service advancement to, on a 10+, be a move from a core or peripheral playbook. on a 7-9, a move from the core and a -1 to reenlist.
3. Changed the Muster out to refer to equipment on your core or secondary playbooks.
Guys, (and I notice it's all guys) I might have a one-page Traveller pbta hack that sits on top of AW making small changes and winding up with weird characters who are half the time dead.
This is keen. There's some things that feel vague, but they feel like they're just references to rule elsewhere in the book.
ReplyDeletedocs.google.com - Traveller, pbta
ReplyDeleteThoughts and ideas welcome. I've put comment enabled for anyone.
I had an early go at this in 2012, but IMO Traveller works just fine (despite AW being awesome). Instead of changing the player-facing side I've moved to adopting lots of the good practices in AW for sandbox games (name lists, fronts, ..) and ref/MC moves+principles. I see others are doing this too: See here for a use of AW MC moves in Traveller. talestoastound.wordpress.com - An Improvised Classic Traveller Convention Game
ReplyDeleteBefore you get too far along. Have you checked out Blades in the Dark? There is a SF game that is close to Traveller.
ReplyDeleteMarshall Miller Maybe! I'm gonna try my 2d6 version, and we'll see what happens.
ReplyDeleteRob Brennan I had read this post! For me, I no longer really understand skills as game-bits, and want to collapse them into something akin to moves.
ReplyDeleteBut, agreed, a lot can be done with just MC-facing materials. I've even seen this happen with D&D and, while that's still not my copy o' tea, was pretty neat.
Nicholas Marshall The last I saw BitD was ... a couple of years ago, maybe? I don't know what work has been done there in the last while, but anything you'd like to point me to would be appreciated mightily.
ReplyDeleteThis almost worked. We had a pretty rad time, but a lot of that was brought by the players.
ReplyDeleteI think the following will help:
-- Make chargen less lethal. Instead of 1 strike you're out, three strikes you're out will work fine.
-- Make a system for how ships generate wealth / continue to exist. I'm thinking a single Trade value, and the ship can provide PCs who're crew with that sort of lifelstyle. Where zero is starving, 1 is living in shared space, 2 is living in luxury. This'll be an amalgamation of cargo and passengers.
-- Add a move for doing the boring crap that needs to be done on a ship. Like making the coffee.
-- Increase the stats. (easy). This by itself reduces the chance of death, but I think it needs to go a little further.
-- Move Navy to Social (Hot) and Merchant to Quick (Sharp), which def makes more sense.
-- Make real playbooks. (Do i have too? I probably have too)
-- A bunch of other things, for sure.
I like trade systems where you mostly assume that everything is ticking over as it always has. Each job can give you a good week ashore or let you fix that dodgy maneuvering thruster but then you are back usual.
ReplyDeleteBasically instead of keeping track of how much money you are spending and making, just let the players fix or upgrade something of they complete a good job.
I could see a 'Docked' move where on a 6- you pay your docking fees, refuel and restock the food cupboards but that's it. On a 7-9 you can choose one of pay the crew, repair the ship or upgrade the ship. On a 10+ chose two.
Is that the sort of line you are headed down?
Lifestyle and Gigs: At the start of a session, the Captain of any mercantile vessel roles + Sharp. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 2. On a 6-, choose one:
ReplyDelete-- You pay all docking fees, refuel, and stock food and scrubbers.
-- You pay the crew, providing a lifestyle of your ship’s Trade for all crewmember.
-- You have a profit, distributing kilocredits equal to the Trade value to all officers, and half that (round down) to all other crew.
-- You repair or upgrade the ship.
If you don't have a ship, then you're in the standard gig economy of Lifestyle and gigs as per AW normal rules -- pay 1 for shared living, 2 for private living. Pay zero and you're starving.
Cool. Looks good.
ReplyDeleteIf you are crew on a ship you shouldn't have to pay lifestyle. Room and board is provided.
ReplyDeleteBut the captain (or the profits) may have to pay to support the crew.
ReplyDeleteonly if the ship is able to afford it, Edward Hickcox
ReplyDeleteI've all of you down as readers in a thanks section. If you're like to be referenced by something other than the names presented here, do let me know.
My name presented here is fine.
ReplyDelete