CHARACTER CREATION CHALLENGE 2023: Classic Traveller (4 of 6)
THE GAME: Traveller (1977)
Citizens of the Imperium (1979)
Time to delve back into 1979’s Supplement 4 - Citizens of the Imperium to generate another Traveller character.
Today’s character will come from the second set of new professions included in Supplement 4.
Traveller Character Generation
Generate Characteristics
Roll to enter Career
Terms of Service
Another term? Go to 3.
Muster Out/Retire
Step 1: Generate Characteristics
Throw 2D6 six times in order: 4649B6.
Well, we can’t all be Sir Matthias Ogutu. What we have here is a character who is physically a pretty poor specimen, with all three physical characteristics being below average. That said, Intelligence and Education are well above average, while Social is a bit lackluster. Meet Aakriti Kanade. She descends from the Marathi-speaking people of India on Old Earth.
Step 2: Career
Aakriti is looking at her career options, and finds her characteristics are pretty poor for Barbarian or Hunter, she does not qualify for Noble, which leaves Rogue, Bureaucrat, and Scientist. Of those three, Bureaucrat has the most potential for skills. The enlistment roll is 5+, modified to 2+ by her EDU and STR. 6. She’s hired.
Steps 3 and 4: Terms of Service
Aakriti Kanade is working 9-to-5, just like Dolly Parton. She survives her term on 2+ thanks to her high Education. 5. Huh, a bit closer than expected. Wonder what kind of business she’s in? She needs a 6+ to achieve a position with her company. Boxcars - boom, she becomes a Clerk. She requires 6+ for promotion, 10! She makes Supervisor by the end of her first term. Bureaucrats have an interesting re-enlistment mechanic- they automatically stay unless they want to leave, then they must throw 3+ to get out of the company before retirement age. On one hand, great, she’s got job security. On the other, once she starts making aging rolls… ugh. So, she’s earned four skills for her first term, two for this being the first term, one for achieving a position, and one for being promoted. She decides to lean into her high education and roll once on the Personal Development table, but the other three on the Advanced Education (8+) table, which her Education of B(11) easily qualifies her for. Personal Development, 1, +1 Endurance. Hey, that’s awesome. Advanced Education, 1, 4, 6. Admin, Admin, Leader. Hey, not too shabby for a first tour. She elects not to try to leave the company, and rolls into her second term.
Her survival roll is a 7, she easily succeeds. 6+ for promotion, 11. She is promoted to Assistant Manager. She automatically re-ups unless she tries to leave, which she won’t. She earns two skills for this term, and takes them in Personal Development and Advanced Education (8+). 5 and 5. She learns Carousing and Jack-of-All-Trades-1. This latter skill is a neat ability that gives her a decent chance to try to do just about anything without a non-skill penalty. This effectively gives Aakriti Level-0 in every other skill. She decides to go on to a third term.
Survival 6, another not-too-dangerous term, and a 7 for promotion, she makes Manager. Two more skills comin’ at her. This time she goes Personal Development and Service Skills. 4 and 3. Brawling and Blade Combat. Wow. Umm… things get rough in the karaoke bar after hours? She chooses Dagger for her Blade Combat skill, and decides to go for a fourth term.
Term 4, with an 8 survival is routine. She is promoted to Executive with a roll of 7. She gets two skills, and goes with Personal Development and Service Skills again. 3, 5. +1 Intelligence, and Vehicle, choosing Grav Vehicle as her expertise. One term to retirement, let’s go!
For her fifth term, she throws a 3 and very nearly doesn’t survive! An 8 for promotion means she makes Director, maxing out in rank for the Bureaucrat service. Since this is her fifth term, Aakriti must roll to avoid aging. 5, 11, 7. She loses a point each of Strength and Endurance. Ouch. For her two skills, she rolls for Personal Development, and Advanced Education (8+). 2, +1 Education. 3, Computer. After taking a hit to her already weak physical characteristics, she decides to retire after five terms.
Step 5: Muster Out/Retire
Director Kanade is 38 years old, and has 8 benefits coming. 5 from terms, and 3 more for rank. She elects to roll 3 (the maximum allowed) on the Cash Table, which receives a +1 modifier as she is retiring, not simply leaving at an earlier career point. 4, 4, 6. 60,000 Imperial Credits total. Because she has Rank 6, Director, she may add +1 to the Benefits die rolls. This will come in handy as some of the entries in the Benefit table for Bureaucrats are blank. She can use that +1 to move off the blank spots. The dice roll 4, 2, 6, 1, 4. The 1 would be a Low Passage, we’ll take advantage of the +1 and make that a Middle Passage. No freezers for Aakriti. 2 is a Middle Passage, the +1 would make it a blank, so we’ll take a second Middle Passage. The two 4s represent either a Watch given in appreciation of service, or nothing. We’ll take the Watches. They are worth (rolls dice) 600 credits each. Probably a 10 year and a 20 year watch. The 6 can either be a High Passage, or a +1 Social. She takes the +1 Social.
Beginning her adventuring career, Aakriti Kanade isn’t much for physicality, but she’s extremely intelligent and well-educated, and has a broad range of skills with her Jack-o-T skill. She also has a fair amount of cash, and always knows what time it is!
