I recall reading this years ago I believe it is by Robert Heinlein and was pretty good although I doubt the science holds up. This is the first time I have really looked at an attempt in Traveller to have this as a career the versions I am most familiar with (CT and MT) didn't have one. Right off the bat it seems to me that a distinction between where you are from and what you do for a living needs to be made. Having this as a career means to me that it is a government sponsored job you sign up with a colonial service to populate a world rather than just having a colony as a homeworld I expect this will affect how I view the career as a whole.
Diving into it you need to get a 5+ with Endurance (END) as the controlling characteristic. Which is a reasonable choice as you would want sturdy people on your new world. Survival requires a 6+ with the controlling characteristic being END again. That is not a good omen for a lengthy career. Helping my view of this representing an organization there is advancement in the career. A commission requires a 7+ with intelligence (INT) as the controlling characteristic so it is not easy to start your rise to colonial domination. Promotion requires a 6+ controlled by education (EDU) so quick thinking will get you started by knowing a wide range of information gets you promoted. Re-enlistment is on a 5+ roll which seems to be the Cepheus Engine (CE) standard. Not a guarantee of retirement but not impossible or unlikely either. Completing your first term you get Survival -1 as the base skill and rank -0 in Mechanics, Gun Combat, Animals, Electronics. and Vehicle. An interesting mix; Gun Combat and Survival cover hanging out in a virgin wilderness; Mechanics and Electronics should let you repair most common equipment and Animals and Vehicle cover transport and heavy work. I wonder if Comms shouldn't be here though for both staying coordinated and operating sensors. There is one rank skill earned at Three Council Adviser being Liaison -1 so the service trains you to listen to people on your rise through the ranks. Mustering out offers low passage, middle passage twice, a mental boost, weapon, high passage and for rank 5 and 6 characters a social standing (SOC) boost. None of these are bad but I am thinking it is odd that 4 out of 7 possibilities are traveling opportunities to escape a backwater world. The cash table ranges from 1,000 to 50,000 with 5,000 coming up 3 times bringing to mind for me the deal Amazon offers it's warehouse people. I might have understood this wrong but I believe the deal is something along the lines of try it for a year and at the end if it isn't for you you can leave with 1,000 dollars for at least trying.
The personal development table offers the three physical characteristics and INT, Athletics and Gun Combat. I am really unsure about the lack of EDU on the table as it seems to me that would be in the agenda of any group trying to get a world from zero to break even. The specialist skills are Athletics, Carousing, Jack o' Trades, Engineering, Animals and Vehicle. Huh? I am mystified by Engineering being a skill available to potentially any colonist as it's description specifies starship drives. Carousing seems a bit odd but apparently the Colonial Administration realizes training people to be enjoyable company is a good idea. The advanced education table has Advocate, Linguistics, Admin, Medicine, Liaison and Animals. I am not happy with the skill set overall for the colonist career. Lacking a way to improve EDU doesn't seem right and having no training for operating communication and sensor gear also seems unlikely. Athletics shows up twice and where I can definitely see physical fitness being desired I think that it might be over represented. Animals being on 3 different tables including the advanced education one isn't so far fetched people like animals and they increase in numbers without a manufacturing base although again I think it might be a little to prevalent. I find it odd that Gun Combat is present twice but melee weapon skill would only be available through the mustering out table. Survival and Medicine are only present on one table each and again this strikes me as implausible if you are setting up a new world. I already mentioned Engineering being totally out of left field for me. I suppose I will have to actually come up with the Tiber-Beltain Referendum Colonial Administration (TBRCA) and figure out why they found colonies before I can decide on what I would like for skills available though.
No comments:
Post a Comment