First a totally random and unrelated thing try listening/watching The Piano Guys on Youtube I like their stuff and maybe you will as well.
My view of the Tiber-Beltaine Referendum (TBR) has been changing as I go through this. I had wanted a 3I clone but I am moving away from that. I am currently thinking it is much more like an European Union (EU) as understood by a not very interested American. The 3 big drivers of it are Tiber; Beltaine and Kent. Tiber is the industrial tech engine run by noble scientists. Beltaine is a rich agricultural world run by a plutocracy which I haven't decided if it is a corporate government or a charismatic oligarchy. Finally Kent is a conservative to reactionary culture within the Referendum. The reason they get worlds to join without having to invade or threaten them overtly is the TBR has little power on the worlds themselves. It only controls interstallar matters leaving what happens on worlds to the government of that world. In exchange the worlds get membership in a large open market and someone else has to defend them from anyone else. I am bringing it up now because this means that the Aerospace; Maritime and Surface Defense careers are not Government service as I imagine the draft to be. Not a giant problem as the Cepheus Engine (CE) already allows you to change careers and only the first term is required to be in service to the TBR. Because it is a mandatory draft for the first term I am interested in opinions on whether or not the DM -2 for switching services should apply?
As presented the Aerospace Defense Force operates on a world out to close orbit which I am calling 10 diameters, cases where the world is a satellite it is 10 diameters of the main world. If the world is instead an asteroid belt it covers what is defines by astronomers as the belt and changes all instances if Aircraft to Piloting. To enlist you need a 5+ with endurance as the controlling characteristic however you would also face a DM -2 because of the mandatory draft by the TBR which gives around a 50% chance for an average citizen. Survival is 5+ with dexterity giving a boost or bane. The service has ranks so there is a commission roll of 6+ and a promotion roll of 7+ both of which have education as the characteristic providing a modifier meaning what you know is more important than your physical capacity or problem solving skills. Finally re-enlistment is on a 5+ which seems to mean you can have a reasonable chance to serve long enough to retire. Provided you make it through the term you get Aircraft - 1 which is a cascade skill and then level zero in Electronics; gun combat; gunnery; melee combat; survival and aircraft but you already have that. This implies everyone who enlists is trained to fly an aircraft which is different than today but acceptable. The rest of the skills nicely simulate basic training with electronics being my only possible quibble as comms seems to be a better choice as it covers sensors and comms and electronics is more general. Moving through the ranks at rank 3 (Squadron Leader) you gain Leadership - 1 which makes sense. The mustering out benefits are one of each kind of passage; weapon x2 ; +1 to Edu and Soc (requiring rank 5 or 6). These are all possible awards from the Showcase of Worlds! so I don't see the need to change anything beyond my earlier stated change of +1 Edu being +1 Edu or Int. The cash table has a range of 1,000 to 50,000 so you can expect to come out reasonably set for awhile. If it has been clear before this is not separation pay but winnings as well.
The personal development table offers a +1 to the physical characteristics; athletics; melee combat and vehicle which is fine except a very gameist personal quirk of mine it means that if you don't come into the service qualified for the advanced education table you never get access to it. We covered the srvice skills during term resolution. Specialist skills are comms; gravitics; gun combat; gunnery; recon and piloting. My only current concern is gravitics because on worlds with a tech level below 9 (?) this wouldn't be all that sensible. The advanced education skills are advocate; computer; jack of all trades; medicine; leadership and tactics all are plausible. Again I am satisfied with the individual tables but a little concerned about the range of skills on the whole. I feel like mechanical should be available and computer should be more prevalent. On the other hand with everyone knowing how to fly it isn't hard for me to imagine that the Technician career are the ones who fix the planes. You know I kind of like this idea warriors fight and technicians keep things working. It is a way of the setting not being just like today with starships but without introducing more house rules.
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