I realize that I have overlooked something about what it means to play a Noble PC in Traveller. Having high status confers more benefits than just money.
Elites
Know People. They go to the same schools, they belong to the same clubs and Orders of Knighthood. They go on vacation to the same places. They
Know Each Other. Think about how many European royalty used to be in fact related to one another back in the day. They met at diplomatic functions and at exclusive resort spots.
I work in higher education. It is common knowledge that the quality of education is not necessarily better at an Ivy League school. What the Ivys offer is connections. Mention that you went to Harvard and all kinds of doors will open that would not otherwise. This confers advantages that people will pay top dollar to acquire.
I translate that into contacts for Traveller Nobles. Whenever a PC Noble arrives on a new planet, they can check if there's anyone that they know on planet. Such people might lend direct aid. Contacts can provide information to assist the PCs in their endeavors. Starports will have records of off-world visitors. A simple Admin throw (6+) will get the PC access to the records.
When the player announces that his PC is looking for Contacts, the player gets a number of throws equal to SOC-10. For each success there is one Noble Contact on the planet.
 |
| As you walk into the Starport Lounge, you recognize this man from that time with the Thing and the Guy in the Place. Good Times. |
Base
throw is 5+ (83.3% likelihood of success)
DMs
- Starport:
A: DM+0, B: -1, C: -2, D:-3, E: -4
- If not
on Trade Route DM -3
- If
planet population code is 5- then DM -2
- If not
in the PC's 'star nation': DM -2
- If on
PC's home planet: automatic success
- DM
+Liaison skill
The further away from home, or off the beaten path the PCs go, the less likely it is they will meet a friend. But you never know.
The Referee then makes a throw on the Patron tables to determine what the Contact is, and what he's doing on this planet. As I noted elsewhere, many of the entries on the Patron tables are explicitly or likely Nobles. For the rest, like the Clerk entry, the Referee can assign a reason why a person with a title is in this role. For example, the Clerk might be a Knight who works for a higher Noble.
Each contact gets a Reaction throw to determine the Noble's attitude towards the PC. These NPC contacts are a means to Adventure Encounters, so it should be possible that the Contact turns out to be an enemy! Allow Liaison or Carousing skill as a DM on the Reaction throw.
The Contacts should not, in most cases, appear before the PC. This happens to John Carter all the time, but he is a character in novels. Burroughs had to keep the plot going. Traveller players should take action rather than rely on handouts.Finding Contacts once their presence is known could be an adventure in itself.
The Referee decides on each Contact's purpose for being on-planet. Perhaps the Contact is on his own Adventure and will want the PC's help. In this case he becomes a Patron. It is always possible that the Contact is on vacation, or a dilettante. Many of the Patron table results will suggest an activity or purpose.
Whatever the reason, the PC must seek out the Contact and persuade him to give assistance. A positive Reaction throw means friendship and willingness to help. A negative Reaction must be overcome by persuasion with social skills. What follows after the initial encounter will be determined by the flow of the adventure.
The
player should keep record of the Contacts they have encountered. It
is always possible to encounter them again elsewhere. In that case, the
Referee determines what the Contact has been up to during that time.
NPCs should not be static.
If the PC is meeting a Contact for the second time, a simple 2D throw will randomly determine the Contact's success. Low results means the Contact has experienced failure, setback and loss. A seven means no meaningful change in situation, and higher results indicate gain, success and progress towards goals.
What notable NPC contacts have made an impact in your game? Share stories in the comments section.
I might roll that all up in advance, but even learning how many members of "society" are on planet would take some effort.
ReplyDeleteSince I do MT, I'd probably make it a Routine Task, then build +2 into the Starport DM (A is +2, B is +1, C is 0, etc) to get the same effect. It would look like:
ReplyDeleteTo Find a Friendly Noble Contact
Routine, Liaison, Special, 1 min (Safe, Unskilled OK)
Referee: Roll up to once for each point of SOC above 10, no other retries; Additional DMs: Starport A +2, B +1, D −1, E −2; Not on Trade Route = −3; Planet Population Code 5- = −2; Not in Noble's Home Polity = −2; On Noble's Home Planet = automatic success; character may attempt this Task each week
(For those less familiar with MT notation, a Routine Task starts at 7+, the "1 min" notation means that it takes an average of about 10 minutes or so—specifically 3d6 minus the Liaison skill level minutes—of perusing the database to find each contact; not an appreciable amount of time, usually, but it might come up, a "safe" Task won't cause injury or damage on a Mishap, and "Unskilled OK" means that the Difficulty doesn't increase if the character lacks relevant skill levels, Liaison in this case. I threw in the once/week because that seems right, to cover people showing up; the Referee should probably have people check after 1D days to see if they leave, maybe on a 7+. I haven't done the math to see if that'd keep them from collecting an ever-increasing entourage, though my intuition is that it should be fine.)