RANGER'S BLOG

Ranger

Firefly Traveller: The crew as characters
Friday, July 9, 2004

After a long Hiatus, I am getting back to the Firefly Traveller project...

Ok, been ruminatin for a long while about how to mesh Traveller CG with the Firefly ‘verse and here’s what I came up with. I take the original prior service careers and drop a couple and add a couple new ones. I also came up with a couple of special rules that are setting specific.

First, the setting specific stuff. The big one is the unification war. It starts 12 years before the first episode of Firefly. That works out to be 3 Treveller 4 year terms. Now, the war lasts 6 years, but we can fudge it so that you have a 1 year build up before it starts and a one year demobilization after the battle of Serenity Valley. That leaves you with one term after the war to fill up.

So at the beginning of each term before doing anything else roll one die for the war. On a 5+ the unification war starts. Add +1 for each successive term (this should give you a max of 4 terms before the war begins). If you want players to have a chance to get more than 7 terms total, then don’t lower the war roll next time if the player rolls a 1. This gives you the chance to get a character as old as Book. If you want the chance of really young characters, then you can start the war half way through if the player rolls a 6 before the first term.

Once the war begins players can choose to join up or sit it out. Enlistment is automatic for the Army if a player chooses to join up and no player in a service needs to roll for retention at the end of the term. All other Enlistment Rolls are unchanged. If a player joins up they have to choose Browncoat or Alliance. Players already in the service have to make the same choice. If you are using Classic Traveller, then Browncoats rolls for promotion get a +2 during the war and one additional skill for each term they serve in the war. If using an MT/modified CT system then Broancoats get a promotion and special duty/challenge roll bonus of +2 (these bonuses for Browncoats are intended to counter balance the loss of benefits when mustering out at the end of the war). In all systems Survival rolls get a -2. Players who roll exactly their survival number are captured and spend the rest of the war as a POW (basically a wasted term with no skill rolls). Characters already in service must choose a side. Service can continue on either side in any branch except Marines, who can only serve with the Alliance. Marines who wish to become Browncoats must switch over to the Army.

At the end of the second term of the Unification War peace is re-established. Browncoats are automatically discharged. Alliance characters must roll for retention as normal. When mustering out, Browncoats loose all cash payouts but keep any weapons or other benefits they achieved (if you want to be really rough, you could knock a couple of points off of Soc as well to give that Browncoat stigma). Characters must now choose a new profession for an additional term before adventuring begins.

Players who choose to sit out the war just continue the CG process for three more terms.


This should put the players starting adventuring just about the time Mal buys Serenity, about a year before the first episode of Firefly.

The second question is how to deal with prodigies. Simon clearly had three terms of service (one term of college, one term of med school, and one term as a doctor) before the show begins, but he’s in his mid 20s, so, he must have started before he turned 18. Simple rule here, anyone with an Intel of A(10) or higher rolls two dice at the beginning of their first term. If they roll natural doubles, they can start the CG system at 14 and go straight to college. For each level over A(10), they can re-roll one of the two dice again.

Another note. I’m replacing the Barbarian career with a Settler career that can also start CG at 14 instead of 18 (they grow up fast on the frontier).

So, what does this give us as a framework for the crew of Serenity as Traveller characters.

Mal UPP 88B966
5 terms. 2 peacetime Army, 2 wartime Army (Browncoat), 1 Rogue or Merchant
Total Skill Points: 15
Rank: E-4 (Platoon Sergeant)

Zoe UPP 99A865
5 terms, 2 peacetime Marine, 2 wartime Army (Browncoat), 1 Rogue or Merchant
Total Skill Points: 12
Rank: E-2 (Corporal)

Wash UPP 697877
5 terms, 1 college, 1 peacetime Scout, 2 wartime Air Force (POW), 1 Merchant
Total Skill Points: 9

Jayne UPP A98644
5 terms, 1 term Settler (starting at age 14), 4 terms Rogue
Total Skill Points: 12

Kaylee UPP 676955
2 terms Settler (starting at age 14)
Total Skill Points: 5

P.S. Anyone interested in my previous posts can fine them here: Just noticed that all the log enteries are on the right hand side of the screen, so I deleated the redundant links here...

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