Social Standing and Class Consciousness

It seems that I am on a quest to make Social Standing a more important aspect of Traveller. Not sure why this is. I tend to play and write more plot-heavy and action-driven games, and have never gotten a PC into a 'comedy of manners' type situation. Pride and Prejudice is a great novel, but not a good model to base a Science Fiction adventure upon. (If you think I'm wrong, please do comment and explain your idea.) But as I look back across my now five years of writing posts for this blog, I see that I've spent some time trying to integrate Social Standing (SOC) into my favorite game.

Some players may consider SOC a 'dump stat'. I don't. I think it deserves its place in the UPP, because it can tell a player some interesting things about the PC. In the hands of an experienced player, SOC can be a useful tool in the arsenal for getting things done.

What's All This About Class Consciousness?

I assume in my TU that each planet has a mostly unified culture, even if the governments are not unified. There is not one monolithic 'Galactic Culture' or even an 'Imperial Culture'. Planets are like islands. Most residents don't ever leave, and don't ever interact directly with folks from somewhere else. This results in planet-based cultures.

Some cultures rate highly on what is known as the 'Power Distance' scale. These are socially stratified or 'class conscious' cultures. It matters what class you come from, and you stick with 'your people'.

Expanding the Reaction Table

Classic Traveller's reaction table is very simple, and not much detail is given in the rules on how it is to be applied. I have written before on this blog about ways to up the role-playing when interacting with NPCs.  A while back I was thinking about how different results on the table might be interpreted by the referee, depending on what the PCs are trying to do.

Should I go with Bribery or Carousing in this situation? My goal is to not be eaten.

What kinds of things will the PCs try to do?  I decided that the categories would be:

• General (the random encounter)
• Hiring hirelings/retainers
• Querying NPCs for information
• Asking NPCs for assistance
• Negotiating a business arrangement

and then worked out what each die roll or result on the table would mean in that circumstance.

	General	Hireling	Information	Assistance	Business
2D	Encounter	Job Offer	Informal requests	Need action or gear	non-patron activities
2	Violent, immediate attack	Declines. DM -3 to other hirelings reactions	Deliberatly gives false information	Refuses to provide action or gear	Refuses, requests legal action against PCs
3	Hostile. Attack on 5+	Declines. DM -2 to other hirelings reactions	Gives mistakenly false information	Refuses action or charges 200% cost for gear	Refuses, threatens legal action against PCs

And so on down the list, each reaction being in some way more positive than the one before. 

Stop! In the Name of the Law! - Legal encounters in Traveller

I AM the Law!

I got to thinking a while back about bringing the forces of Law and Order into my Path of the Lioness campaign. Not because my boys are playing lawless characters, far from it, but because they've already been involved in a few situations where the Law should properly have appeared, and I left them in the background.  There are mysterious forces dogging the steps of my PCs, and sooner or later their going to need some official help. 

The Traveller Book, in the Encounters section, specifies that the referee roll once weekly for a Legal Encounter. Other than that, the play of the encounter is left to the referee to work out.

What does Game Balance look like in Traveller?

As I understand it, in many current RPGs, of various genres, there is a concept called game balance, by which the Referee/GM scales the size and capability of monsters or NPC groups to the capabilities of the PC group, so that the PCs have an even chance of being victorious in the encounter.

Classic Traveller . . . has none of that. That concept is nowhere to be found. I have reviewed 35 Amber Zone adventures on this site, and I own all of the GDW Adventures and Short Adventures. None of them have any discussion in the preparation section for how many PCs should be part of the crew, or what skills or weapons the PC group should have. There's usually a pre-generated list of eight characters in the standard Traveller short form, but no indication that all of them need to be included.You've just got to be prepared for anything.

Over on the Facebook Traveller-RPG page, there was a discussion last month about this matter. A new member asked the group if there was in Traveller an analogue to D&D's challenge rating. Several posters replied that Traveller just don't work that way. I won't quote, since I don't want to take the time to ask permission, but several responders gave advice like this:

• Running away may sometimes be the PC's best option. You can and will be outnumbered or outgunned.
• In-game aspects like Tech Level and Law Level will influence how hostile NPCs are equipped, but that's an aspect of the game world, not game mechanics.
• Avoid encounters with NPCs that have fusion guns and Battle Dress.
• Learn to negotiate. Use the Reaction Table!
• Traveller PCs are not meant to be super heroes or demi-gods. They're talented and adventurous, but normal people. More Dominc Flandry and Slippery Jim DeGriz than Conan the Barbarian or Gandalf. 
• Remember that NPCs should also have motivations beyond being an obstacle for the PCs. 

 For all of the assertions that Traveller combat is deadly, I have to note that a while back on the Citizens of the Imperium board I asked how often did players have PCs get killed in a game, and most of the answers were "not that often". Perhaps they just heeded the advice to Run Away, or depended more on sneaking about than fighting. 

However, the following weapons, if encountered, should be avoided:

The PGMP/FGMP series of 'high energy' weapons.  The least bad of this lot will dish out 12d damage, enough to kill an average PC twice (average 42 dmg vs stats 777[21]). 

The VRF Gauss gun. This is a fully automatic hopper-fed rail gun spraying 10 round bursts. Whole squads can get mowed down in one round by this one. Duck and cover!

The Gauss rifle. One of the most popular weapons in the game. Semi or full auto, integrated electronic sights, 4D damage with autofire bonuses and an Armor DM profile to make the lowly shotgun jealous. 

The LAG (light assault gun). A modern rifle in old flintlock calibers (.60+). Multiple ammo types and good range. 

Laser Rifles. They've got good armor DMs, except against Reflec, and great range, and are available by TL 9. 5D damage has almost a 1 in 4 chance to kill an average PC in one shot.

The lowly shotgun. Nothing says Traveller like Shotguns in Space. Range isn't great, Armor DM's aren't great, but against weak armor a 4D blast will put you on the mat in a hurry. And they're legal just about everywhere, and so low-tech that you can find them anywhere.

Please note that with even the basic, simplified CT rules on wounding and recovery, if two stats are reduced to zero [777>bang> 070], the PC is unconscious and without Medical-3 care recovery is not possible. Auto pistols are capable of inflicting this level of damage, so treat the big guns with respect.  With the advanced medical rules detailed in JTAS 11, we get the deterioration rule which ticks off additional wound points if aid is not rendered pronto. So the advice to sneak and run is well worth heeding.

Equipping the Effective Villain

Bad Guys!  Every hero seems to need a bad guy to fight. There’s a great scene from the Justice League cartoon series where Superman’s arch-villain Lex Luthor rubs his nose in the fact that Supes just couldn’t put Luthor away for good – he couldn’t be the hero without a villain to oppose.

But what is a villain?  In a roleplaying game, a villain is an NPC whose goals or plans are contrary to the PC’s interests, or to the society as a whole. A villain is an OPFOR, an obstacle to overcome and moreover, a villain is a recurring, ongoing problem. Villains frame an adventure, and that can then develop into a campaign. Villains are a challenge and a reason to go adventuring. GDW published a lot of adventures, but very few of them had a specific villain. So, adventure is possible without them, but it can be a whole lot of fun with them.

What makes an effective villain? (I can’t bring myself to say a ‘good villain’). Villains need a motivation, of course, and usually it is an ignoble motive behind the goals they pursue, but that does not always have to be the case. The classic archetype of the Noble Enemy can make a terrific challenge for players. The PCs don’t want him to succeed, but they can completely understand and maybe even sympathize with why the villain is acting that way. Or maybe the villain is an immoral scumbag who eats puppies and steals candy from children, and the PCs can’t wait to deliver the well-deserved beatdown.

Uh, guys?  I think I know who this game's villain is . . .

But before you get to that point, remember motivation alone is not enough. They need two other things as well. They need Power or Influence or both. What do I mean by this?

Defining our terms

Power is ‘hard’; is the capability to get things done, without the consent of those you do it to. My fleet invades, you surrender or I smash your cities until you do surrender. Direct. Alternatively, I buy up all the available stock of Unobtainium which your business depends upon. Your business collapses. 

In fantasy RPGs, Power is easy and readily available. A character can have large attack bonuses, carry about piles of magical weapons or equipment, and cast mighty spells. In some ways, it seems that the whole goal of a fantasy RPG is the accumulation of Power.  Past a certain point, high level fantasy characters are effectively immune to the myriad dangers that threaten mere mortals. In addition to having lots of personal power, high level characters may even establish strongholds, and start raising armies. Eventually they could rule countries. 

In a sci-fi setting like Traveller, where PCs do not evolve into demi-gods, it is a lot harder to acquire Power that sets one apart. The FGMP-15 is a terrifyingly dangerous weapon, and the battlefield Meson Accelerator (see Book 4, Mercenary) will ruin your day in a 100 meter radius, but they are technological devices. That means that if your PC has one, so do the Imperial Marines sent to take yours away from you! Armed starships are common, and millionaires and Barons seem to be everywhere. 

Money and hierarchical position are also Power. When the CEO or the reigning noble speaks, people listen. Hierarchs who are part of the government have the Power of the state to bring to bear. That’s what makes dictators such fun villains – they have all the machinery of the state at their disposal to harass the PCs and foil their plans.

Influence is ‘soft’ and therefore less visible or tangible than ‘hard’ Power. Influence makes things happen indirectly, and more often with your consent.  I show up in your capital with my diplomats and the run-down on my fleet capability. Through display of force and persuasion, you surrender to me. I haven’t fired a shot, nothing has been destroyed, but I still win. Perhaps I persuade you to financially support my expedition. The decision is yours, but you would not have made it without my Influence to bring you to the point of deciding. An elected executive may not be able to simply decree “execute these PCs” but he can certainly use Influence to get their starship impounded, their assets seized and their every move scrutinized by the police until they decide to leave. 

Influence is often harder to counteract, because you don’t always see it at work. If I want you do to something for me, I might use my Power in the form of my own weaponry, or by arms bearers loyal to me. But, then you can easily counter by calling out your arms bearers to meet mine.  If I prefer to avoid that, I might use my Influence to get one of your subordinates to do the thing in your name.  That way, I get what I want, and you may never know that it happened. If you do, your subordinate may present it as being something in your best interest, and never mention that I wanted it to happen. 

Influence can be very open, as well. The street-corner preacher or politician is trying to Influence the public. In some societies, open public debate is the main way of moving public opinion. Contests of Influence, public or private, will be less violent, and involve a lot more role-playing as the opposing parties try to find the points at which their Influence can counter their opponents’ most effectively. 

PC’ Influence comes from their social skills. See my post on the Reaction table for a list of those skills. Contacts and reputation are all forms of Influence. I plan to discuss those two concepts in a later post. 

What has all this to do with my original point? Without Power & Influence, an NPC won’t be much of a villain. Sure, the nebbish clerk (UPP 555555, Admin-0) can interfere with the PC’s lives by denying a permit, but he won’t be much of a long-term problem, no matter how evil his intentions are in denying the permit. 

If you create a villain for your PCs to oppose, take the time to establish how much Power or Influence the NPC has, and of what sort it is. As I have tried to demonstrate, Power and Influence come in many forms; make sure that your PCs can at least attempt to counter the Villains P&I. A PC with Liaison-5 will not have much chance against armed goons with orders to shoot on sight.

So who has Power & Influence?

The obvious answer in the Official Traveller Universe is that the Imperium has the power. The Imperium’s power is vested in the Aristocracy, particularly the Archdukes and Dukes. It is stated in the Library Data that the Imperium maintains stability by insuring the balance of power on the local level. Any side that gets too powerful, or if an extra-planetary force tries to exert destabilizing influence, the Imperium sends in the Marines to keep things balanced. The Imperium tolerates Nobles having their own private ‘security’ forces, both armed guardsmen and armored ships, but only so far. A subsector Duke who has too much Power will be watched carefully by the other Dukes and the Archduke, to keep the Duke in check. 

In my TU, where there is no Imperium, things are looser. Each of the Big Four has its own sphere, and the points at which those spheres overlap are where a lot of the conflicts in my setting will take place. Holtzmann’s Corridor is mostly in the Sphere of the Talaverans, but The Trade Protectorate is trying to move in and claim a share of the markets. 

Standing over against what I said earlier about fantasy characters, is the Psionics rules for Traveller. Telepathy, Clairvoyance and the rest can all be used as Influence that's particularly hard to counter, even if you know it's happening. A few Psi talents can be considered Power as well - the telepathic Assault, and many applications of Telekinesis.

 

One of these people is using Telepathy to steal valuable trade secrets.

At the PC's level, because Power & Influence are easily accessible, just about anyone could become a villain to thwart the PC's plans. Here are just four possibilities, which I have rolled at random from Patron List One in the Encounters section (a villain is likely to be someone's patron, after all).

• Noble - a landed but credit-less Noble (Influence but no Power) embarks on a plan of crooked business deals, including sabotage of the PC's ship to benefit businesses in which he has holdings.
• Assassin - This killer (Power but no Influence) wants to make a reputation for himself, and has targeted people close to the PCs.
• Governor - The local potentate is trying to discourage explorers, like the PCs, from visiting the border region he controls. Perhaps he has black market projects or a secret pirate base that he does not want to be discovered. The PCs face progressively more and more bureaucratic obstruction (Influence, then Power) aimed at convincing them to leave the region.
• Tourist - A dilettante with Psi powers and few scruples (Influence) decides to start following the PCs around, using his ability to cause them trouble by using his Telempathy to antagonize all the people the PCs meet for his own amusement. He hires the PCs as companions/bodyguards to mask his self-serving motive.  

A villain does not need to be a world-conquering megalomaniac, just someone who uses his Power & Influence to further goals that the PCs will wish to stop. So get out there and stop them!

Photo credits:
Villain - photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/daniel_gies/4898461733/">~dgies</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a> 
Board meeting - photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9110880@N04/13756154804/">le temple du chemisier</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a> 

How to Win Friends or Antagonize People - The Reaction Table

 

His Liaison-5 skill means you're doing it his way.

The Encounters section of Traveller is simple yet flexible, like the rest of the rules, leaving a lot of room for creativity and customization.  Whenever the PCs encounter a significant NPC, whether a patron, law enforcement or fellow adventurer, the referee must determine how that NPC will respond to what the PCs say or do. While some times it helps the adventure along to determine by fiat how an NPC will react, the referee should in most cases consult the Reaction table and just work with what comes.