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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 7244840" data-attributes="member: 92305">Mmmm.  Classic Traveller.  Amazing game.  One of my favorites.I'd advise against this.  The reason is not so obvious, but MT made a change in the way skills were used.  In MT, Skill-1 means a +1 on a skill throw of 2D6.First off, on a 2-12 scale, with only 11 outcomes, and a pyramid distribution skewing towards a 7, a +1 modifier is a very good bonus.  +2 is an excellent bonus.  +3 or more is an outstanding bonus.With Classic Traveller, the impact of skill levels are weighted, depending on the task at hand.  If throwing 8+ in combat, then a +1 per level of skill is used.  Most engineering problems are thrown using a +2 bonus per Engineering level.  When throwing to avoid problems in Zero-G, the task uses the Vacc Suit skill at +4 per level.  Then again, the throw to revive a passenger from low berth is +1 and only +1 if the operator has Medical-2 or higher.The MT rule for Special Duty does two things--it makes a characters skills higher, and it gives the character more skills.And, this has a strong potential to break the system.Note how in books like Supp 1 - 1001 Characters and Supp 4 - Citizens of the Imperium, there are plenty of characters with few skills.  Many have only two skills.This is because Classic Traveller does not always penalize a character for not having a skill.  For many skill attempts, having no skill at all is the same as having Skill-0.  You just throw 2D6 with no modifier.In order to keep the system healthy, you should not add rules from other editions (or House Rules) that increase skills.  You should also use the hard survival rule--meaning, if a Survival roll is bricked, then that character is dead.  The player must start again with a new character and go through character generation.The Survival Rule and the way CT awards skills are a finely balanced system that is easily broken if you start adding things to CharGen like the Special Duty roll.Continuing from the above, I suggest that you do not use this (called the soft survival rule), which is optional.  Using it means that there is no reason, ever, to stop generation.  If a character is trying to get a pilot and finally gets one, he might stop at Term 1 or Term 2 for fear of losing the pilot character.  Using that optional rule, there's no reason to stop.  If the character fails survival, he'll just muster out right then.  And, that again leads to character skill bloat.Hard Survival also make Scouts real heroes--men in a very risky profession that demands respect.I suggest using the rules as written.  Use the Hard Survival Rule.  Don't add Special Duty.  And use the Draft--PCs only get one attempt at enlistment, and if they fail that, they must submit to the draft.With a 2D6 system, a Skill-2 is a hard core professional, especially if the character is getting more than +1 per skill level.Classic Traveller characters look like they don't have a lot of skills.  But, think of CT characters has just showing the areas where they excel.  Their skill list is not a complete list of everything the character knows as in many other RPGs.Likewise an attribute of 2 or 3 does not mean the character is handicapped.  Instead, it means the character as at the lowest point of human ability in that area--lowest healthy point.  Think of Jeremy Davies playing Corporal Upham in Saving Private Ryan.  He's probably got a CT stat of STR 3.  Still healthy.  Still in the Army.  But, not one of the bulked out Recon guys.I think that you're just used to modern games where a character is rated on every skill--instead of just those skills where he excels.Look through Supp 1 - 1001 characters.  Your PCs should look more like that.Experience - Also, look to the Experience chapter in the Traveller Book.  A player can use those rules to immediately improve skills by 1 level, or learn new skills, straight out of character generation, using those rules (though the bump in skill level is not made permanent for several years).For combat, use armor if you can find it.  Move from cover to cover (using the cover rules from The Traveller Book), and use Evasion when out in the open.Remember, it takes TWO PHYSICAL STATS at zero to get a Serious Wound (like a gunshot, knife stab, or broke bone).  One Physical at Zero is just something Minor, like a bruise--Minor Wounds can be healed completely in 30 minutes if a Medic is around.</blockquote>

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