So I've been doing a few Traveller characters in a row. They're easy, and fun, as the process generates the character story, which I like.
I noticed the Traveller characters I've posted, and a couple of others I've generated in the wings to cover some travel this week, have not had many weapons/combat skills. In fact, I think Blade - 1 is the sum total of personal combat skills I've posted! I know there are tons of Traveller campaigns and players out there where combat is infrequent at best. But I have to admit, 90% of my teenage RPG memories are of combat (in general, can't remember specific details at this point. It's been over 40 years!). So a combat-centric character is what I remember the most. I think that is why I loved Book 4 Mercenary, because it was easier to generate the Delta Force guy I was usually looking for. I've had fun with the characters I've created for this challenge, letting the dice roll how they may, and crafting a story around the results. And I can envision playing that character in that form.
But I'm itching for a combat guy.
So this time I rolled characteristics, praying for decent Str, Dex (especially, for gun combat), and End, and was going Army! It's easy to enlist (5+ roll), easy to survive (5+), VERY easy to be commission (5+, compared to 10+ for Navy, 9+ for Marines. Only Merchants are easier at 4+, but they are then conversely very hard to get promoted in at 10+). Army promotion is then a relatively easy 6+. So more skills rolls!
Comparing the Personal Development Tables for combat skills...
Navy - None
Marines - 2
Army - 1
Scouts - 1
Merchants -1
Other -2
Army doesn't stand out.
But comparing the Service Skills Tables for combat skills, you see where I'm headed...
Navy - 2
Marines - 4
Army - 3
Scouts - 0
Merchants - 1
Other - 3
I'm hoping the Army Commission/Promotion rate gives me more skill rolls, and then the Service Skills Table will give me more combat skills.
Plus every Army enlistee gets Rifle-1, and Lieutenant gets SMG-1, so I could be flush with combat skills after one term!
Let's roll some dice!
Starting characteristics aren't too bad:
Str - 6
Dex - 8
End - 10
Int - 4
Edu - 7
Soc - 3
Let's call him MacIntosh Barney, a dumb kid from the wrong side of the tracks, enlists in the army instead of going to jail. He's one of those wirey guys that isn't overly strong, but can run forever and take a beating.
Mac easily enlists and survives his first term. Shocking himself and everyone in his unit, he earns a battlefield promotion. He doesn't understand it, but is happy pulling the trigger, and a natural leader in a lead-from-the-front way.
In this first term he earns his basic rifle qualification in boot camp (Rifle -1), is focused in Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) and improves to Rifle -2, and also gains Blade - 1. After being promoted to LT he earns a qualification in SMG at 'knife and fork school' (basic officer training for non-standard commission source new officers). His first assignment is as a Forward Observer (which he didn't really understand and only passed the training with alot of help from some smarter battlefield promote new LTs). At the end of his term he is promoted to Captain! A D-average high school barely-grad - who would have thought? Even Mac is dumbfounded at his early success in the Army.
He reenlists and begins his second term as a new 22 year old Captain, competing with older college graduate Captains. But Mac has 4 years of real Army training and experience under his belt, and the troopers respect that. His unit readily bonds to him, and since his orders and leadership style are straight forward, he shines as a small unit leader. So of course this term the Army promotes him to Major! He was required to take an advanced Training course, and managed to pass an Electronics course with lots of help. He vowed not to take any more courses like that if he could avoid it!
But this term was a rough one off duty, as other officers were resentful of this not-bright, backwater world guy getting promoted so fast. Mac found himself in many fights, which earned him a Brawling-1 skill.
Easily reenlisting and surviving once again, Mac was promoted to Lt Col! He was really starting to feel like he didn't fit in, with a bit of imposters syndrome. The command groups were larger, with more paperwork and less trigger pulling - none to be exact. Mac found himself having to study self improvement books, management books, and software how-to books to try and keep up, resulting in a plus 1 to his Education rating. In his off time working out, he sparred with his Blade and improved that skill to Blade - 2.
But the fun of Army service was quickly evaporating for Mac. He could only see desks, paperwork, and more feelings of being lost in a sea of smarter people in his future. That did not sound like fun.
So Mac mustered out of Army service after his third term. On paper he was a rockstar, going from enlistee to LtCol in just 12 years! However, the Army wasn't very generous as he departed, with his benefits package being only 7,000 credits, and a Low Passage and a High Passage ticket. The Army did grant him an ex-service rifle in recognition of his service and leadership though.
MacIntosh (Mac) Blarney. Ex Army LtCol. 30 years old, with 7,000 credits, a low passage, a high passage, and a rifle.
STR - 6
DEX - 8
END - 10
INT - 4
EDU - 7
SOC - 3
Rifle - 2
Blade - 2
SMG - 1
Fwd Obsvr - 1
Electronics - 1
Mac is looking for private security work. He doesn't really broadcast that he is an ex LTCOL, as he knows he doesn't really fill those shoes on the intellect side of things. He's a trigger puller, and happy to do that, and bonds well with other ex-enlisted types. Some, maybe even most, think he's joking when he ends up telling them he was a LTCOL.
#CharacterCreationChallenge
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