Traveller Character Professions Explanation and Notes

http://flynnwd.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/missing-traveller-ogc-career-paths.html

The core career paths from Classic Traveller:
Army
Navy
Marines
Merchant
Scout
Other

The career paths added to Classic Traveller via the Citizens of the Imperium supplement:
Barbarian
Belter
Bureaucrat
Diplomat
Doctor
Flyer
Hunter
Noble
Pirate
Rogue
Sailor
Scientist

The core career paths from MegaTraveller:
Army
Barbarian
Belter
Bureaucrat
Diplomat
Doctor
Flyer
Hunter
Law Enforcer
Marine
Merchant
Navy
Noble
Pirate
Rogue
Sailor
Scientist
Scout

The core career paths from Traveller T20:
Academic
Army
Barbarian
Belter
Marines
Mercenary
Merchant
Navy
Noble
Professional
Rogue
Scout
Traveller

There are only 9 base classes – Academic, Barbarian, Belter, Mercenary, Merchant, Noble, Professional, Rogue, and Traveller. Then there’s 4 “service classes,” Army, Navy, Marines, and Scouts. And there’s three unexciting prestige classes, TAS Field Reporter, Big Game Hunter, and Ace Pilot.

TAS Field Reporter
Big Game Hunter
Ace Pilot

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10077.phtml

The core career paths from Mongoose Traveller:
Agent
Army
Citizen
Drifter
Entertainer
Marine
Merchant
Navy
Nobility
Rogue
Scholar
Scout

Given the commonalities, I am inclined to start with the following core career path list:
Academic (Doctor, Scholar, Scientist)
Central Security Service (Agent, Law Enforcer)
Colonist (Barbarian, Citizen, Hunter, Professional)
Merchant House (Merchants)
Public Service (Bureaucrat, Diplomat, Noble)
Republic Rangers (Scouts)
Stellar Navy (Navy, Marines)
System Defense (Army, Flyers, Sailors)
Traveller (Belter, Drifter, Rogue)

https://web.archive.org/web/20090206015503/http://web.tampabay.rr.com/gsvenson/mtcg.html

Notes on non-Standard Human Careers:

Attorney:
Civilian career adapted from TNE. The requirement is that you
have graduated from Law School.

Technical Priesthood:
Government career adapted from TNE. The requirement is for the
homeworld to have TL of Pre-Industrial.

Entertainer:
Civilian career adapted from TNE. No special requirements.

Farmer:
Civilian career adapted from TNE. No special requirements.

Wealthy Traveller:
Civilian career adapted from TNE. The requirement is that the Soc
must be at least 9.

Journalist:
Civilian career adapted from TNE. The requirement is for the
homeworld to have TL of at least Industrial.

IRIS:
Base on article in Challenge #34. Requirements are that the
character be Imperial with Soc between 5 and A. Also, Str & End must
be at least 5 and Dex must be at least 7, Int & Edu must be at least A
or Str, End, Int & Edu must be at least 8 and Dex must be at least 9.

Spica books

so spica character book 1 has these :-
Adventurer:
Bounty Hunter:
Clergy:
Colonist:
Corporate Citizen:
Militant Religious:
Space Patrol:
Worker:

Tom Tyson
3 Nov 2013

Career Book 2

Athlete:
Chancer:
Cosmonaut:
Enforcer:
Insurgent:
Media Practitioner:
Mystic Warrior:
Politician:
Port Authority:
Prisoner:
Puppeteer:
Secret Police:
Slave:

Tom Tyson
3 Nov 2013

Career Book 3

Assistant
Broker
Field Researcher
Free Trader
Inheritor
Journalist
Mariner
Merchant Marine
Physician
Psionic Guild
Renaissancer
Scientist
Wastelander

Different Worlds 15
Also, I use Paul Montgomery Crabaugh’s “More Citizens” article from Different Worlds #15 (he adds cavalry, artillery, technicians, engineers, reporters, and citizens).

I’ve used point buy for years — using Jeff Swycaffer’s “Plotting a Course for Choosy Players” article from Dragon #51
And for MegaTraveller I created my own point-buy based on Jeff’s article, http://dmckinne.winterwar.org/pdfs/MTPointBasedCharGen.pdf .

Pegasus magazine did advanced careers for Flyers and Sailors, Different Worlds converted some of the mercenary service branches back down to Basic careers, a White Dwarf article expanded the criminal careers, FASA had the MoJ career…

In some cases.
FASA’s additions were in the short runs of High Passage and Far Traveller. I think the MoJ were in HP#1.
Pegasus was Judges Guild’s magazine, also a short run, and now all on RPGNow (search for the bundle). They did flyers and sailors as advanced.
Adventure Gaming was yet another short run magazine from the early 80s. It had an article on “Rebels, Insurgents, and Partisans”.
Dragon Magazine did IBIS in March 1980. Another horribly overpowered career.
White Dwarf tended to visit Traveller every other month in those first 60 to 70 issues. An article on Criminals and another in the ISS were among them.
Different Worlds did Cavalry. Artillery. Technician, Engineer, and Civilian as Basic Careers in the October 1981 issue.
JTAS had the Port Authority and a Scientist.

in products other than magazines
Paranoia Press’ “Scouts and Assassins” had, you guessed it, an Assassin career. They also did a very Soviet-inspired Zhodani spy service in “SORAG”.

Ok, the JTAS index file I achieved from somewhere has a Skyport Authority by John M. Ford 19 – 37 so that looks like that one.

and Scientists…(29-28?)!?

Different Worlds #15
Magazine of Adventure Role-Playing Games
October 1981
Cover price: $2.50
Cover: Rick Becker
“More Citizens: Six New Classes for Traveller” by Paul Montgomery Crabaugh

http://www.diffworlds.com/dw_13-24.htm
High Passage, Issue 1
©1981 FASA, 56pp.
Periodical

Justice Special Branch, by Craig Johnson………………..32

http://www.travellerbibliography.org/fasa/hp1.html

http://heldenhaufen.de/Tx/WorldCreation/RandomWorld
http://heldenhaufen.de/Tx/Animals/RandomAnimal

1
Adventure Gaming #6
Generic 0
Manzakk Publishing
1981

Contents

Magazine Contents
[ Add Existing Content | Add New Content ]

P.
Title
Type
System
Author
Rating

32
RIP’s In The Traveller Universe
Stats
Traveller 1
R. D. Stuart

http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=6171 

1

The Dragon #35
Generic 1
TSR
1980

9
IBIS: Profit and Peril
Other Rules
Traveller 1
Kenneth Burke

http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=9924 

White Dwarf No. 19
©1980 Games Workshop
Periodical
Price: $2.50

TRAVELLER ARTICLES

Criminals: Traveller Bad Guys, by Trevor Graver …………. 8
http://www.travellerbibliography.org/whitedwarf/19.html

White Dwarf No. 27
©1981 Games Workshop
Periodical
Price: $3.00

TRAVELLER ARTICLES

The Imperial Secret Service, by Robert McMahon …………. 17
http://www.travellerbibliography.org/whitedwarf/27.html

Classic Traveller Character Creation

I put a spreadsheet together to put them all in one place, having finally found them all :-

Navy Marine Army Scouts Merchant Other Pirates Belters Sailors Diplomats Doctors Flyers Barbarians Bureaucrats Rogues Nobles Scientists Hunters Politics Finance Arts Academia Admin Athlete MOJSB Cleric Bounty Hunter

Classic Traveller Character Creation

FASERIP – Crime Does Not Pay

Villains and NPCs and mooks are not the stars, so a suggestion is to adjust the rank numbers when creating them to be inferior. This gives some numeric variety, too.

Feeble (1)
Poor (3)
Typical (5)
Good (8)
Excellent (18)
Remarkable (28)
Incredible (38)
Amazing (45)
Monstrous (70)
Unearthly (90)

For normal people and mooks you could take that further and actually go the minimum starting route:

Feeble (1)
Poor (3)
Typical (5)
Good (8)
Excellent (16)
Remarkable (26)
Incredible (36)
Amazing (46)
Monstrous (63)
Unearthly (88)

FASERIP – Rank Numbers and Character Creation – Advanced

Rank Numbers and Character Creation

One way character creation is done in 4CS and predecessors is to assign the lowest of the numeric range to starting characters. Here’s an option:

The game should be about the characters, so have them start on par with their predecessors with regards to abilities and powers.

So that you have:

Feeble (2)
Poor (4)
Typical (6)
Good (10)
Excellent (20)
Remarkable (30)
Incredible (40)
Amazing (50)
Monstrous (75)
Unearthly (100)

for starting characters, to put them on par with Shellheads and Women Without Fear.

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