Subject: TRAVELLER digest 254
Date: 95-04-13 19:24:50 EDT
From: traveller@mpgn.com
Sender: traveller@mpgn.com
Reply-to: traveller@mpgn.com
To: traveller@mpgn.com (Multiple recipients of list)

			    TRAVELLER Digest 254

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) TAS and Terra/Solomani Rim	by djohnson@frame.com (Dane Johnson)
  2) Re: TRAVELLER digest 253	by kejohnson@ucdavis.edu (Keith Johnson)
  3) 	by gdw.support@genie.geis.com
  4) RE: Alternate PC Definition	by Robert.Brennan@isocor.ie
  5) RE: Alternate PC Definition	by chrisb@MPGN.COM (Christopher Beattie)
  6) Re: TRAVELLER digest 250	by Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
  7) Re: TRAVELLER digest 244	by kejohnson@ucdavis.edu (Keith Johnson)
  8) Re: Alternate PC Definition	by John Bindas <jbindas@u.washington.edu>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 16:15:55 -0700
From: djohnson@frame.com (Dane Johnson)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM, xboat@MPGN.COM
Subject: TAS and Terra/Solomani Rim
Message-ID: <9504122317.AA09080@fmcuro>


Earlier this week I was at the AIIM show down in San Francisco.  As I was
trundling through SF Airport (down in Burlingame), dutifully following the
arrows and signs, I spotted a sign directing me to (wait for it)...

Traveler's Aid

<Grin>  They misspelled it, but it was still amusing.  Presumably this is
some organization upon which TAS is based.  Either that, or the Vilani base
at Barnard's Star is already aware of the Minor Human Race at Terra/Solomani
Rim.


Dane "That Workflow Guy" Johnson  <djohnson@frame.com>
Frame Technology,                 (206)990-2043
Curo Division
"We have tamed lightning - and now use it to make sand think."


------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 17:16:25 -0700
From: kejohnson@ucdavis.edu (Keith Johnson)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 253
Message-ID: <199504130016.RAA02852@franc.ucdavis.edu>

>I've always felt that most RPGs tend to produce rather
>2-D characters. It remains the responsibility of the
>player to add variation beyond the six digits of attributes.
>I'm not saying that players shouldn't have to do this.
>I am just looking for house rules which other gamers have 
>developed to add diversity to their characters. Topics like
>alternate attributes, different skill definitions, and 
>additional personality rules spring to mind.  

	We can only wait for White Wolf's "Centinium" next year.


=====================
"Turn off, Zone in, Burn out."
Rev. Keith Johnson
kejohnson@ucdavis.edu
=====================


------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 01:01:00 UTC
From: gdw.support@genie.geis.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Message-ID: <199504130127.AA272316437@relay1.geis.com>

 Traveller Game Availability.
 
 We've received an increasing number of letters, calls, and
 EMail concerning the difficulty in finding Traveller material in
 local stores. This is a real concern for us, and one we'd
 appreciate your help with. Here's what you can do for us, if
 you're interesting in getting the products in your store.
 
 1) Ask your retailer. Retailers want to stock the games you
 want to buy. That's why they're there. If you bug them regularly,
 they will find a way to get the stuff.
 
 2) Send us the name, address, and phone number of stores that
 are having trouble getting the material. We can easily hook them
 up with a distributor who has the material or, if they are
 already hooked up with one, find out what went wrong in the
 communication chain.
 
 Thanks. This could mean a lot to us.
 
 Frank Chadwick,
       GDW, Inc.

------------------------------

Date: 13 Apr 95 09:34:40 +0100
From: Robert.Brennan@isocor.ie
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (Non Receipt Notification Requested)
Subject: RE: Alternate PC Definition
Message-ID:
<ZED-950413093147-0E4B*/G=Robert/S=Brennan/PRMD=isocor/ADMD=eirmail400/C=ie@MHS>


Hi All,

about time for a contribution I think, I've been lurking for a 
couple of months now.

in TD253 Glenn said:
[snip]
>I am just looking for house rules which other gamers have 
>developed to add diversity to their characters. Topics like
>alternate attributes, different skill definitions, and 
>additional personality rules spring to mind.  

Well one commercial solution of which I am aware is the 
"Central Casting" series by Paul Jaques(spelling?).  These 
books are a long series of random event tables used to 
generate a character's backround, by the time you're finished 
you will know all about a character's life and be provided with 
several adventure hooks (enemies, unresolved events in the 
characters life etc) for later use.  At the same time 
personality traits are generated, these are loosly linked to the 
events, eg a good event produces a random "good" 
personality trait.  This means that people who've had a hard 
life will tend to be nasty etc.

All of this may sound good, however in play I have found 
several drawbacks.
1) it takes hours to make all the die rolls required.
2) after the random events are generated someone has to 
weave them into a consistent story for the character, this 
also takes time(although it's enjoyable).
3) characters are too well defined, my players feel they have 
little scope for further development.
4) some players don't care for this type of thing and all my 
work generating an interesting PC is wasted as he is played 
as just another 786A59 !

My solution to these problems has been to just use the 
proceedure defined for generating NPC's.  This gives plenty 
of variety and a player gets something to hang their ideas on 
rather than a full detailed character.

The Sci-Fi book in the series is called "heroes for tomorrow", 
although the modern-day book"heroes now" is good to, as it 
has extra procedures for personality generation.

end of plug
Rob

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 09:01:55 -0400
From: chrisb@MPGN.COM (Christopher Beattie)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RE: Alternate PC Definition
Message-ID: <199504131301.JAA11686@Central.KeyWest.MPGN.COM>

In TRAVELLER digest 253 , Glenn Myers <gem188@ansys.com> stated:

> Is anyone out there interested in discussing alternate 
> player character definition?

Unlike  with some other gaming systems, I never really  have
seen  my  traveller  NE  (or  even  GDW's  Dark  Conspiracy)
characters  as just a six digit number.  I think the  reason
for  this is I tend to personally emphasize the life history
generated when the character is generated.  This is probably
a  good  reason  why  I  usually  do  not  play  very  young
characters as they are not fully fleshed out to get  a  good
role-playing feel.

Sometimes  the  skills most useless in  play  are  the  most
important in defining the type of character.  As an example,
I  present a character that I have played, Dr. Paul Nunsome.
Dr.  Nunsome's primary skill is in robotics, but he has some
skills  in  Xeno-biology  and a minor  skill  in  sculpting.
After  all, a robot's got to both look good, work well,  and
not  be  confused with a human. He also has minor skills  in
marketing, but so far no one has been buying.

As  can be seen in the above example, I place an emphasis on
combinations of skills rather than new skills to  flesh  out
the  character  in  all his dimensions.   I  also  place  an
emphasis on his actual play time history, which can mold and
shape the character in accordance with the player, the other
players and the GM.

Glenn Myers <gem188@ansys.com> also stated:

> I've always felt that most RPGs tend to produce rather
> 2-D characters. It remains the responsibility of the
> player to add variation beyond the six digits of attributes.

However, in general I do agree with the statement that  most
RPG's  tend  to produce 2-d characters.  It  is  up  to  the
players  to add the 3rd dimension through their roleplaying,
and  any  attempts  by the system tend only  o  create  more
detailed 2-d characters.  How the player sees the numbers is
more important than the numbers themselves sometimes.


|     _____         |Christopher Beattie |Tantalus Incorporated|
|  ___ |[]|_n_n_I_c |Tantalus @ Key West |        P.O. Box 2310|
| |___||__|###|____)|Development Division|   Key West, FL 33045|
|  O-O--O-O+++--O-O |chrisb@mpgn.com     |Phone: (305) 293-8100|
| Opinions expressed here belong to me!  |  Fax: (305) 292-7835|


------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 09:12:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 250
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.950413091134.15877A-100000@brahms.udel.edu>

>From TRAVELLER Digest 242

 Mark Clark
 >  Well, I got my copy of H&I, and I thought I'd say a few words
 > about it.

 Hmmm...a few more reviews like this and I might be put off
 writing Traveller stuff completely.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 13:52:55 -0700
From: kejohnson@ucdavis.edu (Keith Johnson)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 244
Message-ID: <199504132053.NAA19615@franc.ucdavis.edu>


>   For God sake, I stated (and you can check the record) that IF you
>wanted to use the Primordials in your campaign, GO AHEAD.  BUT, that
>the current orthodoxy does not recognise the Primordials storyline.  

        Since I don't buy Traveller very much (dissapointing when you pick
up a technicle manual or a book stuffed with rules) I am not familiar with
the Primordials? Are they in a Traveller product, or something I can get off
of the net?


=====================
"Turn off, Zone in, Burn out."
Rev. Keith Johnson
kejohnson@ucdavis.edu
=====================


------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 15:18:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Bindas <jbindas@u.washington.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Alternate PC Definition
Message-ID:
<Pine.A32.3.91i.950413151538.21034B-100000@homer01.u.washington.edu>



On Wed, 12 Apr 1995, Glenn Myers wrote:

> 
> Hi All,
> 
> Is anyone out there interested in discussing alternate 
> player character definition?
> 


Way back in Challenge 35, there was an article, "The Spice of Life", about
adding a personality profile to the UPP.  Using the tables you came u with
the numbers of parents, siblings, acquaintances.  Then you created the
perosnality: allegiance, devotion, stability handle, leadership, respect
for authority, intolerance.  A freind modified the character background 
gereration for Cyberpunk to use in Traveller.

John "no sig" Bindas


------------------------------

End of TRAVELLER Digest 254
***************************
