Next up Diplomats

The next career is Diplomat which I had originally limited to Marines and Navy but on further thought it is an option for the Army as well. This has an impact on both the aims of the diplomatic corp and the view of the Imperial Government held by non-members. I am not implying that the diplomatic goals are all militarily oriented but that military posture is the most important thing to the Imperials. Conversely it means outside powers are probably wary at the very least and have a more militant posture than would necessarily be the case if approached differently.

It is not easy to join with a higher education level being helpful but having the right family and friends is much more helpful. Survival is virtually guaranteed with a not very needed bump from having a good education. A commission is not terribly hard to get those who can think quickly have an edge. A promotion on the other hand is very hard equal in difficulty to the Navy again the friends and family plan helps your chances. Your odds of keeping your job are better than all three of the base careers although retiring can't be counted on.

When you muster out you can get low passage; Int; Edu; Weapon; Soc; high passage and/or Traveller's Aid. So the Diplomatic corp competes in the more intellectual Separation Games but also fields teams in marksmanship and fencing. Also working with the right people can get you ahead in society, let you travel in style and possibly get on one of the high prize games. As for cash it is the most lucrative service as of yet. I have expanded my vision of mustering out to be a huge game show spectacle that all services have their members compete in during their final 6 months of duty. The various awards represent training or actual prizes won.

Onto skills with a preamble. Diplomats get Liaison as a default skill and can get Interrogation; Recruiting and Instruction from the skill tables and none of them are base skills. None of these seem valuable enough to me to add to the game. There are only  interpersonal skills in the base skill list. Bribery covers getting someone to do something against their self interest. Leadership is inspiring confidence or at least obedience in underlings. Steward covers operating as or in a subordinate position. Finally Streetwise is functioning in a hostile social group. So I am replacing Liaison with Streetwise to represent being comfortable with strangers and strange customs. Interrogation is replaced with Bribery to represent offer a personal benefit to outweigh any loyalties. Recruiting becomes Leadership as it is being the kind of person that attracts followers. Instruction is replaced by Steward because it is the last one. Seriously though learning a new skill is covered without the need for Instruction and I think Diplomats should be or at least have the opportunity to learn how to deal with any social situation.

The Personal Development table has another add on skill I missed Carousing which I am replacing with Steward. So you get Str; Edu; Int; Blade; Gun and Steward. Strength is a little odd seeming to imply training in resisting abductions attempts perhaps. The mental traits are handy in social situations. The 2 combat options make sense as Diplomats will be outside Imperial borders so self reliance in holding the embassy is a good thing. Steward is good for making your boss think you are a good little drone. The Service Skill table covers those skills the service uses most frequently Int; Vacc Suit; Vehicle x2; Gambling and Computer. Okay, that doesn't make a lot of sense but we'll work with it. Intelligence is thinking quickly so that can be useful, Vacc Suit is plausible because Diplomats spend a great deal of time traveling in space (also it is the same as cloth without being seen as armor). Vehicle can mean the lower ranking diplomats operate as chauffeurs a lot. Gambling is endemic in Imperial service and Computer is valuable in any technical society. The first Advanced Education table is more along the lines of the service skill tables for the services I have done so far. It offers Forgery; Streetwise; Bribery; Leadership; Steward and Admin leaving me with the impression of a service without an abundance of scruples. Forgery and Bribery are both underhanded and illegal ways of achieving your objective, Streetwise isn't necessarily dealing with criminals just those suspicious or hostile to you, Leadership and Steward are more dealing with your own people and Administration is dealing with the multi-part overlords of all. The restricted Advanced Education table has Streetwise x2; Admin; Computer; Soc and JOT. So you are dealing with foreigners more frequently, an increased involvement with paperwork, feathering your own cap and dealing with whatever comes up using what you have at hand.

Meh, I don't hate what I came up with but it doesn't do much for me either. It would appear that the Imperial Diplomatic Corps is a somewhat shifty and paranoid group that emphasizes awareness that you are among strangers and you should look for weak links to exploit. Being one of the few services to offer leadership training they do value bold thinking while also jealously guarding the perks of rank like being driven around and being deferred to.