> > An alien race in 2300AD grows various useful devices. One that all PCs wear
> > constantly is bio-contacts.
But the cutest must be the food-samplers!
> ... The system I used to
> generate my character didn't mention any "robotics" skill, and I ended
> up with an Electronics-4 and Mech-2. My computer skill is more than
> enough to program them (level 6). In response to my initial query "I
> want to build some little rat robots-" the GM answered "You need
> robotics skill." to which I replied "There isn't any." To which he
> replied "It's in Citizens of the Imperium." Fun, eh? Well, he says I
> can't design the robots without robotic skill.
There are two ways to tackle this, depending on whether or not you think
the Navy (or Army, or whatever your character is from) uses robots. If it
does, then you could substitute Robotics for Electronics, the nearest
available equivalent. If it doesn't, tough - your character never met a
robot, and wouldn't know what to do with one. You might substitute it for
Computer skill instead.
Mind you, I'd think that actually building the thing, as opposed to using
or programming it, would use Electronics anyway. After all, the world's
best computer programmer (Computer-10?) couldn't design and build even a
simple microcomputer, unless he had some Electronics skill.
> [I liked the open-endedness of Traveller skills, but one thing I've
> always disliked about them is the fact that many skills only show up in
> later books, and that there is no easy way to work them into the
> character generation tables in earlier books. Personally I preferred
> just using general skills instead of breaking things down like that.]
So where no specific skill is available, use the nearest one to it. If
necessary, have a word with the referee during character creation, and
substitute the new skill for an old, similar one.
"Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott
Adrian Hurt | JANET: [email removed]
UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian | ARPA: [email removed]