DCC Level 0 Character Funnel is a Bad Concept

[payn]

Maybe you could clear up a myth I once heard about Traveller. Is it true you can die in character creation? The only time I ever saw that in a game was Deadlands...and even then, you just come back weirder.

It is possible, though you really have to push the limits for it to happen. During the careers of character generation (4 year stints) the character can get caught up in failure. These failures can sometimes net enemies, or loss of benefits, but can also cause severe physical damage. Combo that with old age, which can lower physical stats, and yes the Traveller can die in chargen.

 

[Von Ether]

Maybe you could clear up a myth I once heard about Traveller. Is it true you can die in character creation? The only time I ever saw that in a game was Deadlands...and even then, you just come back weirder.

Yes. It was a push your luck mechanic in character creation. You roll up your career or switch in careers ever four ears or so. Sure you could come out of it as an old military badass - or just dead as you tried for that last career roll for a few more mechanical bonuses and got unlucky.

LOL! This is one of those classic gaming things, where it sound crazy until you get the context. Then again, those versions of Traveller, never spelled out WHY you were dying until you pieced together on your own.

 

[dragoner]

Maybe you could clear up a myth I once heard about Traveller. Is it true you can die in character creation? The only time I ever saw that in a game was Deadlands...and even then, you just come back weirder.

Cepheus Engine does it too, you fail a survival roll in your career, though tbh it has been optional since the rules re-print in '81. Usually we take injury, and out, though for my last character, they did a stint in prison, and lost all their bennies. I wrote it up as a pro-soccer player got patriotic, joined the army, and found out the war was bunk, deserted, and then was caught, and did time.

 

[Parmandur]

Maybe you could clear up a myth I once heard about Traveller. Is it true you can die in character creation? The only time I ever saw that in a game was Deadlands...and even then, you just come back weirder.

Yes, but only original Traveller. It was actually an escape valve to allow for dumping an undesired character.

 

[payn]

Yes, but only original Traveller. It was actually an escape valve to allow for dumping an undesired character.

It's still possible in Most Traveller editions.

 

[payn]

Yes. It was a push your luck mechanic in character creation. You roll up your career or switch in careers ever four ears or so. Sure you could come out of it as an old military badass - or just dead as you tried for that last career roll for a few more mechanical bonuses and got unlucky.

LOL! This is one of those classic gaming things, where it sound crazy until you get the context. Then again, those versions of Traveller, never spelled out WHY you were dying until you pieced together on your own.

It is also one of the reasons Traveller had the nickname of "geriatrics in space" because players would often make very old character that had lots of skill points. "Try for just a few more... Damn. The Traveller died"

 

[aramis erak]

Maybe you could clear up a myth I once heard about Traveller. Is it true you can die in character creation? The only time I ever saw that in a game was Deadlands...and even then, you just come back weirder.

It's true. At least for most editions. But it's only standard in 1st & 2nd edition CT

There is a roll called "survival" in all non-point-build editions...

CT1E (aka CT-77) and CT2E (aka CT-81) the standard is "Fail the survival roll, character dead" In CT 2E, there's an option for failed survival to be short term & out.
Mega, New Era, T4 (aka Mark MIller's Traveller), T5, T20 all have short term and out as standard, with option for death.

GT, GTIW, and HT are point build

Mongoose 1e is short term and out by default, with death being an option that gets compensation for doing "ironman mode"... but it's also got a point build option as well....

 

[aramis erak]

Indeed. I do wish Mongoose would work on making the event tables a little more interesting. They certainly could do more player's guides like Paizo does for their APs. I just find those specific touches to really give life to characters. Traveller could use it because often players have a little trouble getting into character, IMO. Though, its a fantastic system that allows random chargen to still be a thing.

The Spica Career Books expanded MGT1 out with better tables.

 

[harliequin]

So I had the misfortune recently of playing a Level 0 Character Funnel for my first experience of Dungeon Crawl Classics. I'll describe the ordeal for you.
1) Six players. Four characters each. Two actions a turn. For a ridiculous 48 actions per turn (plus the monsters actions.) Keeping up with positioning of 24 characters, what they're doing, etc.
2) Random character creation is awful in the system, because your class/background has no bearing on your ability scores. So I had an elven sage with a 4 Int. Even if he survived, what would I have wanted to do, play a worthless elf who couldn't even use magic.
3) Random die rolls to kill characters. If you're going to use a character funnel with a stable of characters, the player should be able to volunteer the character to be killed as "tribute" - or at least have their actions lead to the character death. My best characters died before I got a chance to make a single decision and I was left with garbage tier random generated losers unfit to adventure.
The experience has completely soured me on the game system.

Sounds like you didn't use the mechanic of burning luck to save your better characters. Or that you tried to swashbuckle your way through. Usually DCC adventures favor the clever player who doesn't just barrel straight in, who uses their surroundings and meager items available to them to MacGyver their way through. Player intellect rather than character ability.

 

[harliequin]

That's more a flaw of having race-as-class baked into the system, I think.

It's only certain ones though. Elf, dwarf and halfling. Race strictly as race is pretty irrelevant in the game.