Some ask you to add your skill level, at least one asks to double your skill level. Some demand a default roll of 5, others 11. Some examples are littered throughout the skill descriptions but they are varied and inconsistent.

It's 'make-it-up-as-you-go-along' time and it really strains the gameplay. Players are advised to roll 2d6 and the GM sets the difficulty number as well as the skill to be added and may or may not award a bonus for a relevant characteristic if it's over a certain (to be decided) level. Characteristics are rated 2-12, skills rated 1-6 (or higher). Frustrating for those used to points allocation and clear visions of their characters to be, but a fascinating approach nonetheless. In actual fact, the character generation system is a game in itself, players try to create a useful, useable character without dying or getting too old. There is a rule for default skills that a GM can utilise if need be - but you get the feeling of a brilliant system concept with some holes shot through it. On the downside the system can throw up some bizarre results: a spaceship engineer without electronics skill, a pilot without navigation skill, a space marine without firearms training and a 30-yr old Army major with no skills at all. Still, you can produce some very interesting characters. The careers on offer and the skills available are pretty limited - no journalists, no scientists or cops, for example, and seem orientated toward the military or military-style organisations. This is an unusual approach to say the least. In fact you might not even get it because you have to make a 'survival roll' every four years. It involves randomly determining six characteristics (Strength, Intelligence etc.) and then running the character through a career path, picking up a random spread of skills based on time served and on promotions. Both inspired and flawed at the same time. Character creation in Traveller is bonkers. This is a magnificent little volume.īook 1: Characters and Combat provides a character creation system, task resolution rules and the all-important combat system. Advice I read there over a decade ago still comes in useful. Book 0 provides a comprehensive introduction to role-playing and to Traveller. If you're new to role-playing and want an SF RPG, how does Traveller shape up? Well. I'm going to review Classic Traveller as if it had just come on to the market. 'The Classic Books' includes reprints of Traveller Books 0 to 8 and in total costs less than they did twenty years ago! OK, so it's twenty-four years old, but is Classic Traveller (as opposed to re-vamped later versions) actually any good? Reprinted virtually unchanged from its original incarnation the Far Future Enterprises offering is undoubtedly good value for money based on simple arithmetic. In contrast to 'Daniel's' review, this piece will not make any allowances for Traveller's hoary antiquity.

Classic traveller rpg