GM Tarondor's Secrets of the Ancients - Traveller

Game Master Tarondor

@Malaxius Harvel Have you decided on your Engineering specialty? I'd like to co-ordinate. Zirelle has Engineer(Life Support)-1, and is the only Engineer in Group 1, Linc has no engineering, that leaves us. Any preference on your part?

Ok, I'll take J-drive.

A question to the DM: If I understood correctly "Allies" should be left more or less "blank" for you to determine during gameplay.
Does that also go for Malaxius' spouse/wife, or can I determine who she is, how they met etc.?

Ok, I updated the profile to the best of my understanding.
Concerning connections:
the life event could be a possibility - maybe Malaxius got introduced to one of you as a colleague or close friend of his wife?
And Linc - are we doing this connection with the classified excavation?

Great Max, then I'll take Engineer(Power Plant), makes sense because all vehicles and space structures need power.

Okay overlooked the proceed to completion, for all terms, trying to remember everything. Will need to roll for aging at end of 4th and 5th terms measuring from age 18 i.e. at age 34 and 38.

Nic's going to try to get away from it all by joining a Merchant Ship. Will he succeed?

Nicholas Kaya - 8975B7
Modifiers STR:0,DEX:+1, END:0, INT:-1, EDU:+1, SOC:0

Term 4/Career 4/Career - Citizen(Worker) 3 (concluded)/Career Merchant(Free Trader) 1 Age:31-34
Current Position: Rank 0 Merchant Crewman

Career: Citizen
Qualification: Career 2 Merchant INT 4+; -1 DM one previous Career, -1 DM for Int.
Assignment:Free Trader

Qualification: 2d6 - 2 ⇒ (3, 4) - 2 = 5; INT:4+

Success! Nic is accepted by a free trader.

First term in post first career pick one off of Table:Merchant/Service
at 0.
Skill awarded
Steward 0

Survival Roll: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (6, 4) + 1 = 11; DEX:6+; +1 DM for DEX MOD

If failed then Mishap;
Mishap Roll: 1d6 ⇒ 5; If and only if Survival Roll is failed. Leave career unless instructed otherwise.

If Survival Roll succeeded then Event;
Event Roll: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 5) = 6

If Life Event is rolled then roll for life event;
Life Event Roll: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5 If and only if needed.

If Life Event is rolls unusual(12) then roll for Unusual Event;
Unusual Event Roll: 1d6 ⇒ 6 If and only if needed.

Roll for Advancement:
Advancement Roll: 2d6 - 1 ⇒ (1, 3) - 1 = 3; INT 6+ -1 DM INT

Roll on Advanced Education table: 1d6 ⇒ 6 If and only if needed.

Aging Roll: 2d6 - 4 ⇒ (5, 6) - 4 = 7 -4 DM for 4 terms age 34

At end of Term 4

Nicholas Kaya - 8975B7
Modifiers STR:0,DEX:+1, END:0, INT:-1, EDU:+1, SOC:0

Term 4/Career 4/Career - Citizen(Worker) 3 (concluded)/Career Merchant(Free Trader) 1 Age:34
Current Position: Rank 0 Merchant Crewman
Career: Merchant/Free Trader

Qualification made by 1; Barely makes it in but they are short handed.

Term 4; But first term in Merchant/Free Trader career; One service skill at 0.
Skill: Steward 0 Bartender/Cook/Dishwasher/Scully Maid Lowest guy on the ship.

Survived by 5 , Nic performs well, Captain is pleased.
Event: 6 : You make an unexpected connection outside your normal circles. Gain a Contact.
Referee will decide.

Advancement: Failure by 3; But not that pleased.

Skills at end of term 4
Art 0, Athletics 0, Medic 0, Vacc Suit 0
Drive 0, Mechanic 1, Electronics 0, Engineer(all) 0,Engineer(Power Plants) 1, Profession 0, Science 0
Streetwise 1, Deception 1, Flyer(Grav) 1, Flyer(all) 0
Melee(Unarmed) 1, Melee(all) 0
Steward 0
Pending approvals.

Ageing roll: 7 ; Positive no effect; at 34 looks boyish.

Term 5 of 5

Nicholas Kaya - 8975B7
Modifiers STR:0,DEX:+1, END:0, INT:-1, EDU:+1, SOC:0

Term 5/Career 5/Career - Citizen(Worker) 3 (concluded)/Career Merchant(Free Trader) 2 Age:35-38
Current Position: Rank 0 Merchant Crewman

Career: Merchant(Free Trader)
Qualification:N/A continuing as Free Trader
Assignment:Free Trader

Roll on Advanced Education table: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Skill awarded
Electronics 1

Survival Roll: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (3, 6) + 1 = 10; DEX:6+; +1 DM for DEX MOD

If failed then Mishap;
Mishap Roll: 1d6 ⇒ 2; If and only if Survival Roll is failed. Leave career unless instructed otherwise.

If Survival Roll succeeded then Event;
Event Roll: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7

If Life Event is rolled then roll for life event;
Life Event Roll: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4 If and only if needed.

If Life Event is rolls unusual(12) then roll for Unusual Event;
Unusual Event Roll: 1d6 ⇒ 4 If and only if needed.

Roll for Advancement:
Advancement Roll: 2d6 - 1 ⇒ (6, 1) - 1 = 6; INT 6+ -1 DM INT

Roll on Advanced Education table: 1d6 ⇒ 2 If and only if needed.

Astrogation 1

Aging Roll: 2d6 - 5 ⇒ (3, 5) - 5 = 3 -5 DM for 5 terms age 38

At end of Term 5

Nicholas Kaya - 8975B7
Modifiers STR:0,DEX:+1, END:0, INT:-1, EDU:+1, SOC:0

Term 5/Career 5/Career - Citizen(Worker) 3 (concluded)/Career Merchant(Free Trader) 2 Age:38
Current Position: Rank 1 Merchant Experienced Crewman
Career: Merchant/Free Trader

Term 5; Roll Advanced Table.
Skill:Electronics 1

Survived by 4, Nic has not quite as good a review but still performs well, Captain is satisfied.
Event 7 Life Event:Ending of Relationship: A romantic relationship involving you ends. Badly. Gain a Rival or Enemy.
Referee will decide.

Advancement: Success by 0; Captain is reluctant but with his Astrogator leaving he needs a backup at least, to his surprise Nic is studious and learns.

Skills at end of term 5
Art 0, Athletics 0, Medic 0, Vacc Suit 0
Drive 0, Mechanic 1, Electronics(TBD) 1, Electronics 0, Engineer(all) 0,Engineer(Power Plants) 1, Profession 0, Science 0
Streetwise 1, Deception 1, Flyer(Grav) 1, Flyer(all) 0
Melee(Unarmed) 1, Melee(all) 0
Astrogation 1
Pending approvals.

Ageing roll: 3 ; Positive no effect; at 38, grey hairs are appearing but still looking good.

I'm done with the way too many posts.

If Linc approves the Connection then all that's left is Referee stuff and then I'll complete the profile.

Hope the New Year sees you Tarondor returning to full health. Good year for everyone, we need it.

Benefits Summary

Roll one TAS membership

Roll two 50,000 credits up from 10,000 Zirelle's right, crime does pay.

Last two rolls 2 ship shares for a total of 4 ship shares. Weird.

STOP waiting on referee approval before selecting new career and attempt to enter.

Unique to this campaign is that Ship Shares won't really mean a thing. Take those in cash as if you'd rolled the same number on the Cash line.

Then feel free to proceed.

A question to the DM: If I understood correctly "Allies" should be left more or less "blank" for you to determine during gameplay.

Does that also go for Malaxius' spouse/wife, or can I determine who she is, how they met etc.?

Yeah, feel free to leave the "Allies" line blank! And feel free to determine your own spouse's role-playing information.

Please correct my understanding if I'm wrong, but I think that Nicholas and Malaxius are done and we're waiting on Lincoln. Is that right?

Linc also did his 3d and 4th term.
I'm waiting for answers concerning connections to write up the fluffy part, but mechanically, I did: 1st term: college, 2nd-4th term: career as field researcher.

Benefits

(any cash rolls are at +1 from Gambler)
one roll for each term: 4
bonus rolls for rank 3: 2
one roll for event: 1
Seven rolls for Benefits...

Benefits: 1d6 ⇒ 1 =>Personal Vehicle (Air Raft?)
Benefits (cash): 1d6 ⇒ 1 =>Cash 5000
Benefits (cash): 1d6 ⇒ 1 =>Cash 5000
Benefits: 1d6 ⇒ 2 =>INT +1
Benefits (cash): 1d6 ⇒ 1 =>Cash 5000
Benefits: 1d6 ⇒ 2 =>INT +1
Benefits (cash): 1d6 ⇒ 5 =>Cash 50,000

I guess this leaves the group Skills Package to be selected.

@Lincoln "Linc" Forgrave - I need your approval of our connection in Term 3, if you so choose. Repeating the story below:

The story is vague on exactly what you did so you can fill it in. But first how do you like it?

@Traveller Referee Tarondor - Re:Failed Romance, I suggest a romantic triangle aboard the Free Trader that did not go Nic's way. The Rival/Enemy need not be the object of the Nic's affection.

I think we are mostly done, I have done my aging rolls, so all that's left is skill package and the Tarondor Bonus skill. Plus final approvals of Connections, from everyone involved and the final write-ups in story form of events.

Rather a lot all together. Working on it, I'll try to be ready for Skill Package choice by end of today.

Of course it wouldn't be me if I didn't forget something would it?
I have to muster out my years in Merchant. Yeesh!

2 Terms successfully completed in Merchant(Free Trader) 1 advancement = 3 benefits. 1 of 3 life time cash rolls used or 3 of 3 are used not sure.

@Traveller Referee Tarondor the translation of ship shares to cash does not count as a life cash roll does it? I'll just roll the muster out out 3 times on the benefits side

Roll 3 times on benefits side of the Mustering Out Benefits Table(MOBT) for Merchant.

MOBT(Benefits): 1d6 ⇒ 5 Roll 1
MOBT(Benefits): 1d6 ⇒ 1 Roll 2
MOBT(Benefits): 1d6 ⇒ 5 Roll 3

Summery of mustering out

For Citizen(Worker)

Benefits Summary
Roll one- TAS membership

Roll two 50,000 credits up from 10,000 Zirelle's right, crime does pay.

Roll 3 and 4 roll 6 twice. 2 ship shares for a total of 4 ship shares. Per referee ruling acts as same roll as on cash table 50,000 each for 100,000 cr.

Total for Citizen(Worker) - TAS membership and 150,000 credits. Not bad.

Roll one - Ship Share - convert 20,000 Cr.

Roll two - Blade - I'll decide later but Nic's got a shiv, turn to life of crime complete!

Roll three - Ship Share - convert to 20,000 Cr.

Totals 3 cash rolls 2 by convert so okay either way, I guess.

Total for Merchant(Free Trader)

40,000 Cr and a blade.

total cash 190,000 Cr.

Have RL stuff to do, will update profile a.s.a.p.

@Lincoln "Linc" Forgrave - I need your approval of our connection in Term 3, if you so choose.

I approve, this is a good connection with my ship being in a combat action.

And Linc - are we doing this connection with the classified excavation?

Yes, that is a good connection for me and Malaxius. Serving as escort/muscle for a classified archaeological expedition with Max as one of the science eggheads.

Nicholas Kaya wrote:

@Lincoln "Linc" Forgrave - I need your approval of our connection in Term 3, if you so choose.

I approve, this is a good connection with my ship being in a combat action.

Malaxius Harvel wrote:

And Linc - are we doing this connection with the classified excavation?

Yes, that is a good connection for me and Malaxius. Serving as escort/muscle for a classified archaeological expedition with Max as one of the science eggheads.

Great! Nicholas, do you want to be an old buddy/colleague of Malaxius wife? If you have an idea how it would work, I could flesh her out around that idea.

Sry that I'm slow again. I have to do a bit of reading up how the mustering out works and have difficulty finding time for that. Somehow that's more difficult during the holidays, when I'm out of my daily routine.

@Lincoln "Linc" Forgrave - Great! All that left is for you to say what you did and what skill you are taking for it(more the latter really).

@Malaxius Harvel - That could work, I have all the connection skills I'm allow but you can still get one. But I would also ask if you would consider a link to someone in group 1 because we have only one, right now.

As for an idea between a link for your wife, you went four total terms to my five so maybe a link to my event then. Failed romance, maybe your wife is the sister to the object of my affections, and I met my romantic partner through her and that's how I got the job on the free trader;the romance started and ended years later. You and your wife stayed friends with me afterward. I met you then (my earlier idea about the college thing doesn't line up timewise at all), and we hit it off, thereafter. Not sure what skill for you logically follows though. I'll think about it or you can toss an idea about that, it would be all about you anyway.

Have to run, RL calls.

Can we please wrap this up in the next day or so? Let's get back to playing!

What is missing?

Malaxius needs to muster out.

Okay then, I'm largely complete except for choosing the skill package, and final bonus skill up allowed.

So before we choose the skill package we need to know how Max, Linc, and Nic got together as a group. Aside from leaving our former jobs we don't have that much in common. I'll suggest that we agree to meet at a TAS facility on Regina, either on the highport or the lowport, and we are looking for some opportunity to work together. Not much better than we all met at the inn but I not sure how to do a more flavored meeting. Suggestions welcome.

Now Group 1 took the Investigator skill package, the only one with 9 skills, all others have only 8. Investigator doesn't seem like our group, however, we don't have much to really set a theme for us together. I'll volunteer for having only two skills, with 3 for Max and Linc, if we pick an 8 skill package.

The packages are on page 48 in my book, the update book may be different. The packages are: TRAVELLER, EXPLORER, MERCENARY, DIPLOMAT, TRADER, INVESTIGATOR, STARSHIP, or, CRIMINAL. Traveller or Explorer seem the most reasonable, given our collective past. Investigator is possible but somewhat overlaps Group 1, does have some good skills in it.
Mercenary seems wildly inappropriate but it does have two Gun Combat skills in it. Both Linc and Nic got into some shady stuff at times so Criminal seems reasonable as well.

I'd like a gun combat skill myself but it's not a requirement. Max has no combat skills at all, not always important but it does come up every so often.

Linc should pick the skills he got from connections.

Mal should take whatever connections he is making and also select the skills.

Both should make aging rolls.

Each of us should nominate what package we want to have and talk it out.
I nominate Criminal or Traveller. There are other reasonable choices so please look at how you want to play and make choices accordingly.

Each of us should pick the bonus skill after we take the package skills.

I'll write a very brief and generic description of my failed romance, referee can fill in later.
I'll note that I have a contact out of normal circles, referee decides when he needs it. Leaving it undefined is good for now.

Start play.

Edit: Post script: And don't forget equipment.

I'm really sorry that I'm holding things up. I was looking for a time window to write things up in a fluffy way and it's just not happening atm. End of term is coming in rl (I'm a teacher) and I'm just getting flooded with stacks for marking and conferences.

So here just the bare bones. We just assume that after a bumpy start things worked out rather well for Mal: he was able to become good at the job he had dreamed about, is happily married - one lucky bastard all around. So the question remains why is he taking to the stars. Two possible ideas come to mind:

1. Even if he was successfull and happy for a long time in his job, he started to resent the rather strict rules and restrictions he was working under as an official imperial researcher, feeling that a new level of understanding of the ancients would be possible if he could work on their artefacts by himself. Maybe that could be our coming together - he could have been calling up old contacts with the vague idea of starting a private expedition (however unrealistic this endeavor might be) - the lab ship benefit makes this version rather fitting - what do you think?

2. His wife - let's name her at least: Galya Harvel, born as Galya Halee - asked him to help Nic, who we already established as being connected to her, with something he needed help with (your call)

or some other reason fitting better into the campaign, if you prefer.

For one of those reasons he decided to end his career...

Mustering out benefits:
benefit: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 - lab ship , yeaah!
benefit: 1d6 ⇒ 1 - INT+1
benefit: 1d6 ⇒ 5 - scientific equipment
cash benefit: 1d6 ⇒ 5 40000Cr
cash benefit: 1d6 ⇒ 2 10000Cr

Aging:
aging: 2d6 - 4 ⇒ (5, 3) - 4 = 4 - no effect

Concerning the connection skills: maybe Linc did give Mal a bit of self defense training (-gun combat: energy weapons) and the connection with Nic probably gave him some insight into economics (- so Broker or Diplomat) - do I take them at 0 or is it a +1?

Am I up to date now?

So much to unpack here will have to think about this overnight, I'll have more to post tomorrow. First the Lab Ship changes things, if the GM allows us to have it and has support for it available, Lab Ships cost a fortune to run every month, worse because the basic model does not have fuel processors or scoops so pay big for fuel. More costs:

Running Cost Summary
Item Monthly Cost
Ship cost around 135 Megacredits.
Mortgage Varies on ship %25 paid off, only 30 or so years to go!
Life Support Cr1000 per stateroom, Cr3000
for double occupancy, Cr100 per
low berth, Cr1000 per person
Fuel Cr500 per refined ton, Cr100 per
unrefined ton
Repairs and
Maintenance
0.1% of purchase price, divided
by 12
Salary: Pilot Cr6000
Salary: Astrogator Cr5000
Salary: Engineer Cr4000
Salary: Steward Cr2000
Salary: Medic Cr3000
Salary: Gunner Cr1000
Salary: Marine Cr1000

And that doesn't account for the other scientists aboard. We'll need support and a lot of it to use it or it's just according to rules as written 25,000 credit/year to you.

However it does make taking Starship Crew a more attractive option.

@Malaxius Harvel - You are a lot closer, check over what you have done and then tell us which skill package you like, and pick the bonus the Referee generously offers.

Edit- I accept all connections in principle, will detail tomorrow.

You popped quite a big pink bubble there for me. But can't say I haven't been warned that Traveller is "realistic" sci fi.

But why not turn this into an in game problem? So let's suppose Malaxius has got his hands on a discarded lab ship, because he got the harebrained idea to put his own private excavation-"show" on the road. It's collecting dust in some hangar on Efate, while he is trying to make this happen somehow - probably accompanied by a lot of eyerolling from Galya. During his endeavors he is calling up old contacts - Linc, because he hopes to recruit him as crew, Nic, because he thinks he could have connections to help with the funding. And that's how we meet and then things start to happen - does that make sense? And wouldn't the starship-package then be fitting?

@Malaxius Harvel

Lots to go over but I'll need more time to do some of it.

Nic, because he thinks he could have connections to help with the funding

Nic doesn't have the type of connections to get megacredits in funding, TAS membership isn't enough for that, chances are when he meets other people in a quality TAS hostel, the treat him, in his Turban and Robes, as a servant not a member. He's really out of place, lacking almost all social skills in addition to being not all that bright, and only of average social status. On the other hand Group 1 contains two Nobles with connections and appropriate skills. And I also note that Nic, for the past 8 years has actually been a starship crewman, so recruiting him for crew is trivial.

So this lead up to why don't you try to make a connection to one of our esteemed nobles? Note you do not need to get a skill to make a connection. It's a bit weak but maybe one of them presented you with the science award you won in your third term, may be a friendship was born or even patron/client relationship. A much better bet than Nic.

If a player has a ship then it's hard to not see Starship Crew as fitting just for that reason, they need crews. But the package choice isn't just about the skills you want, it also tells the referee what type of approach to the game the players want. Group 1 essentially voted for investigation as a major component of how the game would be approached. And that happened to Group 1, I don't know how much of that was built into the commercially produced adventure and how much was the referee leaning things that way.

My deliberately barebones connection to Mal and his wife.

Sorry for not getting further, RL issues including Conjunctivitis, is eating up my energy. It's the non-contagious version so I hope to be over it soon. Till then any comments, questions, approvals, or oversight is welcome and will be responded to, A.S.A.P.

Sorry for not getting further, RL issues including Conjunctivitis, is eating up my energy. It's the non-contagious version so I hope to be over it soon. Till then any comments, questions, approvals, or oversight is welcome and will be responded to, A.S.A.P.

Seeing that in print, it occured to me (said the doctor character), that another advantage of PbP is that players are VERY unlikely to infect each other ;)

Sorry for not getting further, RL issues including Conjunctivitis, is eating up my energy. It's the non-contagious version so I hope to be over it soon. Till then any comments, questions, approvals, or oversight is welcome and will be responded to, A.S.A.P.

Best wishes to get well soon!

Can you point me to the post where you got a lab ship? Or was it ship shares? You're assuming I'm reading every word of all that. Probably not a strong assumption...

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that you don't need a ship (for reasons), but you know what? You do you. If you want to make those payments on a lab ship, feel free. It would be a cool base at the very least. Just be warned that this story is about titanic forces sometimes beyond your ability to control. I make no guarantees about the safety of anyone or anything.

Can you point me to the post where you got a lab ship? Or was it ship shares? You're assuming I'm reading every word of all that. Probably not a strong assumption...

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that you don't need a ship (for reasons), but you know what? You do you. If you want to make those payments on a lab ship, feel free. It would be a cool base at the very least. Just be warned that this story is about titanic forces sometimes beyond your ability to control. I make no guarantees about the safety of anyone or anything.

About 8 posts above these: Tuesday at 1:31

Can you point me to the post where you got a lab ship? Or was it ship shares? You're assuming I'm reading every word of all that. Probably not a strong assumption...

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that you don't need a ship (for reasons), but you know what? You do you. If you want to make those payments on a lab ship, feel free. It would be a cool base at the very least. Just be warned that this story is about titanic forces sometimes beyond your ability to control. I make no guarantees about the safety of anyone or anything.

Timestamp already mentioned. It was my first benefit roll during mustering out. With the +1 of the prizewinning-event, I got a 7. Just says "lab ship", nothing about shares or anything. So I assumed it was the whole tincan.

So bottom line: if I understood Nic correctly, it would take half my money to keep the ship in action for a year. If Linc and Nic are "on board" (literally and figuratively), we could just take off as different crew-roles of that ship, take the starship skill package and cross our fingers that new funds turn up during the game. If not, it could get interesting rp-wise, when the money runs out.
If that is a stupid idea for reasons my noobie-brain can't fathom or if you (Nic, Linc), just don't like it, I would opt that the ship is sitting somewhere and play getting funds for this endeavor as a character-goal of Mal.
Nic, Linc, what would be your preference?

And something I can't find anymore: how does that generous bonus work, you grant, DM?

To put it a more fluffy way. Nic, Linc, you may decide who wins this argument:

Maybe that is why you join up with us, because you need money to keep the ship going. Along the lines of the old firefly line... need a job, don't care much what it is.

Maybe that is why you join up with us, because you need money to keep the ship going. Along the lines of the old firefly line... need a job, don't care much what it is.

Exactly my thinking. But if we actually have the ship in use also depends on, if Nic and Linc want our group to be crewing this ship.

Usually what I do in cases like that is make a call and say "unless there are objections" we move forward with whatever it is. :)

(Play by post can get SUPER bogged down if we all just choose to wait on someone else and no one is in there actively moving it forward, so things like that can be important to the life or death of the game.)

Granted. But the next logical step was choosing our group skill-package. And that kind of hinges on that decision.

Sorry guys, the costs I listed only show, incompletely, the costs of running the ship. The mortgage is what kills you. A long standing Traveller trope. According the the Rules in Starship Operations, Buying a Ship and Career Benefits subsection, the mortgage is 1/240 of the purchase price of the ship per month, payed over 40 years. A Labship has a listed price of MCr135.9018 in my copy of the MgT Core Rulebook. Let's add the cost of a Pinnace as well because a Labship is near useless without one(it cannot land on a planet, and it's meant to be an exploration ship, going to places without local support). A Pinnace is listed as MCr10.287 with a maintenance of Cr857/month. So combine the two equals 146.1888.

The roll of the Lab ship benefit gives two options related to the payment amount of the mortgage. One is the continue paying the full monthly amount for 30 more years. The more "affordable" option is to discount the price of the ship by %25 and the calculate the mortgage as a 40 year more with a smaller monthly option. Let's figure that. So 146.1888 megacredit x.75 =109.6416 divided by 240 equals MCr0.45684 or 456,840 per month. That will be the big expense, the rest is much smaller by comparison but not insignificant. If we go ahead with this I'll total up all the costs involved but you get the idea. Just the mortgage means paying Mcr5.48208 per year. So when I said we would need massive support in Megacredits I was not exaggerating.

In light of the expenses involved, I do not see a Lab ship as viable without full buy-in from the referee which I take it we do not have. Looking for financing would in itself be a major component of play with a high likelihood of failure if not wanted by the GM. And by wanted I mean full support not just tolerated. Labships don't really make money any more than they do in the real world. I suggest just taking the 25,000 Cr/year pension it alternative gives you is the more reasonable option.

With the referee not unreasonably wanting to focus on the main storyline as he has indicated, this could be a rabbit-hole we should not go down.

Hate to burst your bubbles but that's the way I see it.

Edited: To do the %75 calculation first as I said I'd do. But it doesn't change my conclusions.

And something I can't find anymore: how does that generous bonus work, you grant, DM?

Player's Guide. Page 10. Link at the top of the page.

So, I hate to do previews but: you're close to the end of Book 1. If you're willing to wait to the end of Book 2 the whole "we want a ship" thing may resolve itself in-game.

Nah, it's not "we want a ship." At least from my perspective. It's more trying to roll with what the dice are giving, which this type of character-creation is all about as I understood it. So if you don't mind, I'll just keep this as a character motivation. Meaning: the benefit rolled for is the possibility to pick up such a vessel, that somehow turned up. Mal is excited and starts to make plans to get his own expedition on the way. The dialogue with Galya, that I've written this morning, happens and ends with her convincing him that he can't afford this. He drops it, but can't really get it out of his head. He calls up Linc and Nic, chatting them up about the whole story. They sympathize and somehow recruit him to their common endeavor - maybe suggesting to him, that one of the nobles in group 1 could possibly be persuaded to become an investor. Whatever will get the asses of our group moving, finding someone who can finance his dream will be Malaxius main goal for adventuring. At least at the beginning. Which doesn't mean that he has to reach it ever.

So in terms of character creation: you just pick the skill-package, I just go along. I'll try to finalize the rest (equipment and such) asap.

That's a good reminder to review the Player's guide.

Full body Image

Torondor bonus: Pilot 1 => Pilot 2

Another Full Body Image.

And change of avatar image.

So, I'm taking the referee-bonus for my basic scienceskill, raising it to 3.

From the mechanical side, only the packageskill is missing and the equipment.
And there I stumbled into the next issue: Because I rolled for scientific equipment as a benefit, I was looking for some and couldn't find it in the core-rulebook. Do I need some supplement for that? And if yes - which one?

That's a good reminder to review the Player's guide.

Full body Image

Torondor bonus: Pilot 1 => Pilot 2

Great picture - did you create that yourself? That's also something, I will have to find, cause I'm not much of a painter myself.

What's your word on the skill package? Since the labship thing is out, we are back to Nichs original suggestions.

Because I rolled for scientific equipment as a benefit, I was looking for some and couldn't find it in the core-rulebook. Do I need some supplement for that? And if yes - which one?

Probably leave that for the GM.

Great picture - did you create that yourself?

Nope, I just looked through Pinterest until I found something that approximated my mental image.

What's your word on the skill package?

Unless otherwise directed, I think the skill package should be assigned by the GM, who is the one who knows the general story if anyone does.

Ok. I was under the assumption that this is for us to work out in connection with the way we want our group to "take off" to go adventuring together. But maybe that was also me confusing stuff again.

I couldn't find anything on starting equipment (I have to say - the combination of no index and a very vague table of contents is suboptimal for a core rulebook), so I just assume, I can buy stuff from the lists with my starting credits. Correct me, if that's wrong. I don't know if we are supposed to do that yet, but I started to put together a shopping-list, if things just do work that way:

a portable computer for communication, collecting data and research
I would take the TL 10 version (500Cr)
+Comms
+specialiced for research +2 (+250cr)
+TL10 security (200cr)
+Database specialized on ancients history and archaeology (10-10000cr - I suppose the prize here is up to the referee?)

A basic medikit TL8 (1000cr)

Binoculars TL8 (750cr)

Environment suit (500cr) + breather mask tl 8 (150cr).

Tent TL7 (2000cr)

Stunner TL8 (500cr)
Laser pistol TL9 (2000cr)
Which comes together at: 7850Cr (+whatever the data storage costs)

Which would leave him 42150cr (minus prize for the data storage)

@Linc and Mal
RE: Choosing the Skill Package
According to our referee's player's guide, he says to follow the rules.
In the core rulebook introduction, Players and Travellers, Travellers are the players in the campaign and not the referee. In the Skill Packages section, the rules state: As a group, all Travellers select one of the following skill packages. Later, it notes: When you have collectively decided which skill package is most suitable for the style of play and campaign you will be embarking upon...

So it's up to us, this campaign is "Bottled" and will focus on the main storyline so it can finish in a reasonable time, according to the referee and as such, it appears to involve a lot of exploration, with some intrigue, mysteries, and diplomacy involved. So the generic Traveller, or Exploration, Investigator(Group 1 chose this), Starship or Criminal seem the most applicable. But any would likely be useful.

My three favorites in order are Exploration, Traveller, Investigator.
Investigator is the only one with 9 skills the others have 8. I'll volunteer for the one to get two skills. In respect for all the characters make sure that whoever get the last skill(s) can actually take it, remember that it it not a +1, to get something you must not have it at 1 or more. If you have the skill above zero, already, you get zip instead.

Let's talk.