Date: Sun, 19 Jan 97 18:05:57 -0600 From: eris@pen.net (Eris Reddoch) Subject: Eris' Alternative Tasksystem (long) Hi, I'm been tinkering with the T4 task system for some time now. This is what I've come up with. There's a lot of text here, but please take the time to wade through it. The changes I'm proposing are significant, but don't involve major changes in the way the game is played. Anyway, please take a look at my proposals. try them out, and let me know what you think. Eris - -- A REVISED TASK/SKILL/CHARACTER GEN SYSTEM for MARK MILLER'S TRAVELLER Problems I see with the current system: 1. Impossible tasks aren't all that impossible for competent characters, and are fairly easy for exceptionally competent ones. This might not be a major problem if the GM insists on several small tasks to accomplish a goal, rather than on one major task, especially when the Multiple Task rules are applied. However, simplicity sake, GM's often specify a single Impossible task rather than 3 or 4 Formidable tasks. 2. Attributes (STR, INT, DEX, etc) play too important a part in determining a character's asset level for a skill. With the average Attribute level of 7, the Attribute contributes: 88% of an 8 Target Number (Skill 1); 78% at Skill 2; 70% at Skill 3; and 64% at Skill 4. Higher Attribute levels compound the problem, Attribute 10: 91% at Skill 1; 83% at Skill 2; 77% at Skill 3; and 71% at Skill 4. Training, ie Skills, should play a larger role in determining a character's Asset Level. 3. All characters learn every skill equally well. This is unreasonable, as people certainly have varying aptitudes for each skill: some people will pick up a skill very easily, some will find a skill extremely difficult to master, and most will be about average. A character should have a specific *aptitude* for each skill they learn that determines how easily they can learn that skill. 4. All increases in skill are in fixed steps. No matter how apt a character is, there will be times when she learns more than normal and times she learns less. Each increase in skill should have a random component that reflects the variability in a character's ability to learn, reflecting changes in the environmental, personal, and professional conditions affecting the character. My proposed solutions: 1. A. Increase the number of dice rolled for each difficulty level, and remove the .5d from the standard levels. B. Change the number and descriptions for the task levels. I propose that there be 6 difficulty levels: Automatic (1d6) - only unskilled characters need worry about these tasks. Simple (2d6) - unskilled characters will find these difficult, PCs with some skill will find them easy to trivial. Average (3d6) - unskilled PCs will find these almost impossible, PCs with some skill will find them challenging, and PC's with high skill levels will find them easy. Difficult (4d6) - unskilled PCs will almost always fail, PC;s with some skill will have problems, highly competent PCs will still find them easy. Formidable (5d6) - these are challenging tasks for even competent PCs, where they will often fail. Impossible (6d6) - only exceptionally competent PCs will have a good chance with these tasks, for most PCs an attempt at an Impossible task is an act of desperation. C. Tasks of difficult *between* the listed levels are modified by the addition of a 1d3. Ex: Very Formidable (5.5d); Above Average (3.5d); Very Simple (1.5d). 2. Increase the number of points that Skills contribute to the Asset Level (or Target Number). On average, each increase in Skill will contribute 2 points to the Asset Level, but that is only the average. The actual number can vary from 0 to 4. 3. Include a new Aptitude factor to the game. When a PC acquires a new skill (or uses a default skill for the first time) they will determine their aptitude for that skill with the following ranks: Low Aptitude (-1) - finds this skill naturally difficult, will have trouble advancing in this area Average Aptitude (0) - like most people this skill is of average difficulty for this PC, will advance normally in this area High Aptitude (+1) - finds this skill naturally easy, will advance quickly in this area To determine Aptitude Option 1: [Equal chances] Roll 1d3-2 (-1 to 1) Option 2: [Weighted to Average/Low, realistic] Roll 2d3 (2 to 6) and consult Table Roll Aptitude ================= 2 Low (-1) 3 Low (-1) 4 Average (0) 5 Average (0) 6 High (+1) Option 3: [Weighted for Exceptional Characters, cinematic] Roll 2d3-3 (-1 to 3) An Aptitude of 2 makes an Exceptional Character, and one of 3 makes one of Legendary proportions. Option 4: Use method 1 or 2, but allow a player to increase their aptitude for a limited number of skills by 1. I suggest the number of skills that can be increased be limited to no more than 6. This allows for *some* tailoring of the PCs skills. 4. Each time a Skill increases during Character Generation the player will: A. Roll a 1d3 B. Add that Skill's Aptitude to the roll C. Add the total to the Skill's current level Example 1: Sol is learning Streetwise for the first time. 1. Determine Aptitude (1d3-2), Sol Rolls 1, and subtracts 2. His Aptitude is -1, or Low, he will have trouble learning Streetwise. Sol writes Streetwise (-1) on his Character Sheet. 2. Learn the skill (1d3)+Aptitude, Sol Rolls 3, adds -1, giving him 2, he learned a lot this term. He then adds 2 to his Streetwise total: Streetwise (-1) _2_. 3. Later Sol increases his Streetwise Skill. A. Rolls 1d3+Aptitude, 2 + (-1) = 1, he didn't learn as much this term. B. Adds 1 to his total of 2, giving him Streetwise (-1) _3_. 4. Again Sol learns Streetwise. A. Rolls 1d3 and gets 1. 1 - 1 = 0. Sol learned *nothing* this time, no matter how hard he tried. B. Adds 0 to his total of 3 and Streetwise remains 3. Example 2: Min is learning Gravitics this term for the first time. 1. Min rolls for her Aptitude (Option 2) and rolls a 5, consulting the table she she's that she is Average (0). She writes Gravitics (0) on her Character Sheet. Now Min rolls for her skill increase, 1d3=3, adds her Aptitude (0), and enters Gravitics (0) _3_ on her Character Sheet. 2. Min learns more Gravtics, rolls 1d3=1, adds her Aptitude (0). She reflects that she didn't learn much this term, as she adds 1 to her total of 3 giving her Gravitics (0) _4_. Comments: If you use any of these rules, you should use them all. The increase in difficulty levels is *too* steep if you don't also increase the number of skill points. Increasing the number of skill points without increasing the difficulty levels just makes the current problems worse. Simply mandating an increase of 2 for each skill increase approximates the changes introduced by using all the above rules, but leads to more boring characters. These rules make unskilled (and low skilled) PCs less capable. This doesn't bother me, because IMO unskilled characters *should* have problems. Players occasionally will "load up" on certain Attributes that are used most often in certain classes of tasks. Frankly, I don't like this kind of minmaxing, and apply the following rule to combat it. Instead of having a specific Attribute attached to each skill, I choose an appropriate Attribute for each use of the skill. Gravitics usually uses EDU or INT, but under my system I might use DEX (fine tuning a part), STR (pulling a stuck gravitor loose), or CON (you've been up for 40 straight hours and are exhausted) instead. If you use these rules, it's best to use a fairly random method of choosing skills. A minmax'er can concentrate on a few skills and produce PCs with exceptionally high Target Numbers...of course they can do that with the original rules too. Example of a Character (I did this as randomly as possible) MIN LEE, 46 year old MERCHANT CAPTAIN ATTRIBUTES MONEY: 41,000cr STR 6 DEX 5 EQUIP: LASER PISTOL END 4 CUTLASS (mustering out gift from company) INT A EDU 8 SHIP: 2 shares in a 200ton Free Trader SOC 9 (I didn't include SF here) T4 TARGET 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 SKILLS APT PTS ATTRIB NUMBER SIMPLE AVG DIF FORM IMPOS =================================================================== PILOT (1) 13 DEX 5 18 100 100 90 60 28 ASTROGATION (1) 7 INT A 18 100 100 90 60 28 GRAV CRAFT (1) 7 INT A 17 100 100 99 84 21 GRAVITICS (0) 6 INT A 16 100 98 76 40 14 SENSORS (-1) 0 INT A 10 92 50 16 3 <1 COMPUTER (-1) 3 INT A 13 100 84 44 15 4 ENGINEERING (1) 2 INT A 12 100 74 34 10 2 MECHANICS (-1) 1 INT A 11 97 63 24 6 1 MEDICAL (1) 3 INT A 13 100 84 44 15 4 TRADER (1) 6 INT A 16 100 98 76 40 14 BROKER (0) 2 INT A 12 100 74 34 10 2 LANGUAGE (0) 3 INT A 13 100 84 44 15 4 ADMIN (0) 1 EDU 8 9 83 38 10 2 <1 LAW (-1) 2 EDU 8 10 92 50 16 3 <1 FAST TALK (1) 4 INT A 14 100 91 56 22 6 BRIBERY (1) 2 INT A 12 100 74 34 10 2 CAROUSING (-1) 1 INT 9 10 92 50 16 3 <1 CRAFTMAN (-1) 2 EDU 8 10 92 50 16 3 <1 EQUESTRIAN (1) 3 SOC 9 12 100 74 34 10 2 MELEE CBT (1) 2 STR 6 8 72 26 5 1 <1 PISTOL (1) 4 DEX 5 9 83 38 10 2 <1 JOAT (1) 4 [Notice how many times INT and EDU are called as the Controlling Attribute! In many cases of play I'd use other attributEs, foex. DEX or STR as the Controlling Attribute. This will tend to lower or raise the target numbers Min *actually* uses.] - -- - ----------------------------------------------------------- eris@pen.net (Eris Reddoch) using MR/2 ICE #245 - -----------------------------------------------------------