Friday, November 27, 2020

Traveller Careers: A Bibliography

While Classic Traveller had all of 6 career paths, with Mercenary, High Guard, Scout & Merchants additional career paths within those careers got expanded out, and the characters started getting a lot more skills. The original LBB characters were still comparable in some ways, as they automatically had a weapon 0 skill in all weapons, and the skills were more broadly defined. Some of the later skills (looking at you, broker) could break parts of the system (always getting to add a DM to the actual value price table is a sure fire way to get rich quick. While I never played any characters with that skill, I do think it could be tempered based on distance from where you gained that skill: i.e., broker assume connections and knowledge of how the local economy works. I'd start reducing the skill by 1 for each system away from where it was picked up. But that is not in the rules).

Anyway, when Mongoose, and later Cepheus, expanded the career paths even more, there were even more career options. I have several books now with various career choices, and thought a bibliography may be a useful thing. My players may want to play something far outside the traditional path (hey, we're gamers, and while gaming is now a popular thing, for most of us it was far more niche than it is today: we're not "normal" to begin with. Thank goodness!)

I have an earlier post here about the careers, but pretty sure I've since bought even more books or PDFs. I am a Traveller hoarder! But I'll try and and make this list grouped and give the source material, and which version of Traveller it goes with. Many of course are available in all the versions.

I'm going to have to go through my books: I made this list a few years back but never added the source. I need to have the source listing so I can find them! And I'll probably be updating this post as I find more of the things I've got stashed away (for some reason I cannot find my SORAG book, pretty sure it is still in a bag I was taking to the game sessions for some reasons. Probably just to show off my ancient collection).

Abbreviations are:

  • CT - Classic Traveller LBB
  • MT - Megatraveller
  • T5 - Traveller 5th edition
  • Mg - Mongoose Traveller, either 1st or 2nd edition. Core rules unless otherwise noted
  • Ce - Cepheus (and I'll try and include the publisher)
  • JTAS - Journal of the Travellers Aid Society (Classic version)
  • JTAS-Mg - Mongoose version
Breaking the career choices down by military, paramilitary and other. And when there were specific sub-careers, including those. I've also got a bibliography by version at the end. For the most part, with the exception of T5, all the versions I have are mostly compatible. T5 is special in a lot of ways, but mostly compatible if you adjust skill levels (and I'll need to find that, but it was something like divide by 2 as T5 has even more skill bloat than the classic expanded character generation!

Note that these are for rules and books I actually have. There are a lot more out there I don't have. Yet.

And I've added some house rules for character generation at the end of this post.

Careers

Pre-career options

College (in most versions)

University: Mg

Medical College (somewhere I've got rules on that)

Military College: Mercenary (CT), Mg

Navy College: High Guard (CT), Mg

Other Pre-Career Options (Mg, Traveller Companion) [similar to background skills]

  • Colonial upbringing
  • Merchant Academy
  • Psionic Community
  • School of hard knocks
  • Spacer Community

Careers

Military

 Army

  • CT basic career
  • CT Mercenary (book 4):
    • Artillery
    • Calvary
    • Infantry
    • Marine
    • Support
    • Commando
  • Mg Core:
    • Support
    • Infantry
    • Calvary
  • T5 (Soldier)
    • Army
    • Operations
    • Commando
    • Technical

 Navy

  • CT basic career )book 1)
  • CT High Guard (book 5)
    • Technical Services
    • Crew
    • Line
    • Engineering
    • Gunnery
    • Flight
    • Medical
  • Mg Core
    • Line/Crew
    • Engineer/Gunner
    • Flight
  • T5 (Spacer)

 Marine

  • CT basic career
  • CT Mercenary (book 4; see above in Army)
  • Mg Core:
    • Support
    • Star Marine
    • Ground Assault
  • T5 Marine

Paramilitary / Police

Agent / Law Enforcement (world based)

  • Mg Core: Agent
    • Law Enforcement
    • Intelligence
    • Corporate
  • Mg Agent (1st edition)
    • Law Enforcement
      • Patrol
      • Special Operations
      • Customs
    • Investigator
      • Private Investigator
      • Inspector
      • Undercover Agent
    • Spy
      • Field Agent
      • Operative
      • Infiltrator
    • Analyst
      • Political Officer
      • Technical Expert
      • Handler
    • Corporate
      • Security
      • Espionage
      • Bodyguard
    • Bounty Hunter
      • Ship Tracer
      • Bondsman
      • Thieftaker
  • Ce - Investigator (Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games)
    • Forensics
    • Inspector
    • Private Investigator
  • Ce - Police (Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knight Games)
    • Beat Cop
    • Patrol
    • Strike Force
  • T5 Agent

Space Patrol / Space Police (space based)

Space Patrol

  • System Guard (Ce, Foreven Worlds, Careers Beyond the Claw)
    • Crew/Line
    • Inspectors
    • Planetary Patrol
  • Space Patrol (Ce, Space Patrol, Stellagaming)
    • Secretariat
    • Investigation
    • Marshall
    • Operations
Port Authority
  • Skyport Authority (JTAS 19)
    • Administration
    • Passenger Service
    • Freight Handling
    • Ship Servicing
  • Port Authority (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games)
    • control
    • inspection
    • stevedore
  • Starport Authority (Starport Planetfall, Cargonaut Press / Apocrypha 3)
    • Port administration
    • Port Services
    • Ship Services
    • Customs/Security

Other Sort of Legal Things

Bounty Hunters
  • Manhunters (Ce, Gypsy Knights Games)
    • Bail Enforcement
    • Bounty Hunter
    • Thief Taker
    • Repossession
    • Uplift Hunters
    • Skip Tracers
    • Debt Collectors
    • Marshalls
  • Bounty Hunter (hunter, repossession, support) (???)
  • Bounty Hunters (Moon Toad Publishing - see DriveThru)

Other Career Options 

 Science/Exploration

 Scout

  • CT Book 1
  • CT Book 6: Scouts
    • Survey
    • Exploration
    • Communications
    • Detached Duty
    • Technical
    • Operations
    • Detached Duty
  • CT Scouts And Assassins
    • Technical Support
    • Surveillance
    • Exploration
  • Mg Scouts, Core 2nd
    • Courier
    • Surveyor
    • Explorer
  • Mg Scouts, 1st ed
    • Contact
    • Courier
    • Exploration
    • Special Ops
    • Survey
  • T5, Core

Scholar 

  • Mg Scholar (core)
    • Field Researcher
    • Scientist
    • Physician
  • Medical Professional (Ce, Foreven Worlds, Careers Beyond the Claw)
    • Surgeon/Nurse
    • Long term care giver
    • Physical Therapy
  • T5 Scholar
Scientist (CT, Supplement 4 Citizens of the Imperium)
Doctor  (CT, Supplement 4 Citizens of the Imperium)

Everything Else

Adventurer (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games) Hunter, Pioneer, Relic Raider

Arts (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games) artist, collector, critic

Assassin (CT, Scouts and Assassins)

Athlete (Electronic, Physical or Vehicle Sports) Foreven Worlds Careers

Barbarian (CT, Supplement 4 Citizens of the Imperium)

Belter 

  • CT Citizens of the Imperium
  • Mg Beltstrike
    • asteroid miner
    • prospector
    • worker
    • researcher
  • Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games

Citizen 

  • CT - Citizens
  • Frontierist (Ce, Archeologist, prospector, Terraformer) Foreven Worlds Careers
  • Mg Core
    • corporate
    • colonist
    • worker

Clergy (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games: evangelist, minister, monk)

Craftsperson 

  • Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games:  architect, tradesperson, labor
  • T5

Corporate Shipper (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games) crew, engineer, gunnery

Customer Service (Ce, Company Rep, Company Prostitute, Wait staff) Foreven Worlds Careers

Drifter/Rogues

  • CT: Other(book 1)
  • CT: Citizens - Rogue
  • Ce: Gambler (Gypsy Knight Games, Diverse Roles: casino, sports, track)
  • Mg Core Drifter
    • Barbarian
    • Wanderer
    • Scavenger
  • Ce, Organized Crime (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games: hitman, enforcer, operator)
    • Ce, Outlaws (Ce, Outlaw; Gypsy Knights Games
      • Cleaner, Driver, Drug Dealer, Forger, Hitman, Smuggler, Prisoner

    Engineer Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games: Aerospace, biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Space

    Entertainer (Mg, artist, journalist, performer)

    Fringe Marketer (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games: professor, teacher, tutor) black market, fence, pawnbroker)

    Gambler  Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games; casino, sports, track

    Hunter CT, Citizens of the Imperium (and adventurer for Ce)

    Instructor (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games: professor, teacher, tutor)

    Merchant

    • CT - Book 1
    • CT - Book 7 
    • Mg Merchant
      • Merchant Marine
      • Free Trader
      • Broker
    Noble requires 10+ social 
    • CT Supplement 4
    • Mg (administrator, diplomat, dilettante) 

    Other (rogue: thief, enforcer, pirate)

    Politician (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games) candidate, manager, operative

    Prostitute (Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games) prostitute, hetaerae, streetwalker. here for completeness?)

    Psionic (*)

    Rebel/Insurgent/Partisan - Adventure Gaming, December 1981

    Scavenger Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games: junker, picker, restorer

    SORAG (Zhodani intelligence *)

    Surface Navy

    Thief Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games: con artist, hacker, intruder


    Bibliography By Version

    Classic

    Book 1 Characters and Combat: Navy, Marines, Army, Scouts, Merchants, Other

    Book 4 Mercenary: Artillery, Calvary, Infantry, Marine, Support, Commando

    Book 5 High Guard: Technical Services, Crew, Engineering, Gunnery, Medical, Line, Flight

    Book 6 Scouts: Survey, Communications, Exploration, Detached Duty, Technical, Operations, Administration

    Book 7 Merchant Prince

    Supplement 4 Citizens of the Imperium: Pirate, Belter, Sailor, Diplomat, Doctor, Flyer, Barbarian, Bureaucrat, Rogue, Noble, Scientist, Hunter


    Mongoose

    Cepheus

    Diverse Roles: Adventurer, Arts, Belter, Bounty Hunter, Clergy, Corporate Shopper, Craftsperson, Fringe Marketer, Gambler, Instructor, Investigator, Organized Crime, Police, Politician, Port Authorit, Prostitute, Scavenger, Thief, Engineer

    T5

    T5 Careers (I've not gone through these enough to generate characters easily; they are included in the above list)

        Craftsman

        Scholar

        Entertainer

        Citizen

        Scout

        Merchant

        Spacer

        Soldier

        Agent

        Rogue

        Noble

        Marine

        Functionary

    Notes for Port Authority

    High Passage #3: Port Authority Handbook, Arriving in system

    High Passage #4: Port Authority Handbook, Interdicted Systems

    High Passage #5: Port Authority Handbook, Convoys

    House Rules In Character Generation

    As with most games, over the years I've added a few house rules that I can optionally use when generating characters. Mostly for players who want more agency over their characters, which seems like the antithesis of Traveller generation for me. I also use several systems when letting players generate characters. While mostly the expanded character generation, if someone wants to run through the Classic, that's perfectly fine. They do get all weapon skills at 0 as per the book (which I glossed over for years until joining up at COTI a long, long time ago & finding that rule). Most of my games are fairly rules-light anyway, and for my group it is about the role-playing more than the mechanics. It really does not matter too much if you have that 1 term barbarian playing with the 6-term extended character generated that has a bazillion skills. It is what you bring to the game. I also try to wrap my games around the characters where I can so everyone gets a chance to do something interesting.
    • an extra roll. I'll allow for 7 rolls, and you can swap out any 1 roll if you'd like. Sucks though if the 7th roll is worse than the others. I sometimes let the player try again
    • Sill rolls: you may roll then choose which table to pick your skill from. This allows for better control over what skills you get
    • swap a benefit roll for a promotion. Got this from Deluxe Cepheus, and I like the idea. Not sure how well that would play with the Noble career but that is its own can of worms
    Things I do insist on though:
    • roll stats straight. Roll for STR, DEX, END, INT, EDU, SOC in that order
    • if running Classic generation, failed survival is death. 
    There are lots of house rules other referees use as well, I'll try & post links if I get permission (so I am old school and like to get permission even for what is already public. Perhaps enough ethics courses back in college, and come to think of it, my master's program, which was liberal arts, had a lot of ethics classes. Hopefully some of it sank in!)



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