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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 8151283" data-attributes="member: 42582">Classic Traveller was published in 1977. Characters in that game have a stat called Intelligence. At the beginning of the PC gen process it can range from 2 to 12 (depending on the roll of two dice). By the end of that process it can range from 1 to 15. During play it may go up (eg if a PC undergoes high-tech brain enhancement) and also may go down (mostly if a PC fails aging rolls). If it ever reaches zero then the PCs is suffering a health crisis of some sort and may die.Intelligence is described in the rules (Book 1, p 4): "Intelligence corresponds to IQ".There is also an Education stat, which corresponds (Book 1, p 4) to "the highest level of schooling attained".Traveller does not have any general framework for transforming stat values into adjustments in action resolution (in this way it differs from a number of systems, including D&D from 3E onwards, Rolemaster and its cousins like MERP and HARP, RuneQuest and other BRP systems, etc). In given situations the referee may impose a modification that is extrapolated from a stat value.A player is also expected to roleplay his/her PC - including characterisation, actions declared, etc - in a way that reflects his/her stats.In our current campaign we have had two PCs  with striking contrasts of INT and EDU - a retired soldier with INT 3 and EDU 9 and a former Imperial Naval officer with INT 2 and EDU 10 and a number of technical skills. In each case the way this PC has been portrayed has been as not very bright but having excellent knowledge of all the training and procedural manuals.My reason for spelling out this example is to make the point that there is a long history in RPGing of expecting players to be prepared to play characters whose mental lives differ from their own.</blockquote>

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