The next few months

I'm redeploying from Afghanistan and then moving right into clearing the Army and moving to Pennsylvania from Colorado.

I think I am going to shoot for Monday and Thursday posts here.

The rest of this week may be a wash, however.  Depends on internet access.

The Day That Changed My Life

Nine years ago, I was sleeping on my buddy Dan's couch.  I wasn't what you would call a contributor to the common good.  I was technically homeless (although I was pretty much allowed on the couch at will), collecting unemployment, and taking one class at the local college.  It had been a pretty hard night of drinking the previous evening, so I was not terribly pleased when Dan's roommate Robin woke me up.

"Dennis, your mom is on the phone.  She sounds pretty upset," Robin said.  I took the phone.

"Turn on the TV.  We're under attack."

As I turned on the TV, the second tower collapsed.

The next few days were a bit of a blur.  I remember the bars being packed.  And silent.  Everyone wanted to be around each other, but we were all glued to the news.  I tried to give blood, but getting there three hours early wasn't enough to beat the lines.  I gave some cash here and there.  None of it was terribly satisfying.

I realized that the world was no longer about me and I wanted to contribute.

About a week later, I watched a W. speech and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  "I need to join the Army and get in this fight."  That night, I went to my parents' house and told them this much.  The next day, I went into the Army recruiting station.  The day after that, I signed some papers.  The following day, I took my ASVAB.  The next day a physical and a meeting with the career counselor.  I raised my right hand that afternoon.  It was September 24th, 2001.

Nine years on, I am coming to the end of this stage of my military career.  I'm in Afghanistan for the second time, involved in the war I enlisted to fight.  I can add to that five tours to Iraq, the war I am not sure we had any business fighting.  Only time will tell how that plays out.  I have a greater understanding of so many things.  I can call myself a paratrooper and a veteran now, whereas before the words more commonly used to describe me were dropout and drunk.

I realize that this post is all about me, when today should not be.  Today is about the dead we mourn and the families they left behind.  Today is about the images that are forever seared in our minds.  Today is about remembering that there is something larger than each of us individually.

There was a run today on Bagram.  9.11km.  The t-shirts provided to the participants reminded us to "Never Forget."  For some of us who grew up close to or in New York City and Washington D.C., that's never going to be an issue.  Colin Stewart, a Long Island native who I went to basic training with, attended 37 funerals between September 11 and when he shipped to basic.

 You can wrap up things in tidy slogans--Never Forget, Let's Roll, Freedom Endures--but we must remember that there is a greater truth that cannot be summed up in a catch phrase.  Today has a different meaning to each of us.  I guess what is important is that it does have a meaning.

Traveller Sandbox: A Troupe

While watching an Afghanistan morning unfold from the Bagram East Green Bean, I was thinking about Traveller.  I don't recall the exact thought chain but the result was an idea for troupe play.


Each player generates a five or six term character.  If they bust out or choose to retire after five, they stop at five.  If they bust out at six, they're done at six, if they don't--they're still done at six.  These will be the Primary Characters.

Then each player will generate a pair of two or three term character.  Similar rules apply as above.  These will be the Secondary Characters.

Then each player will generate two one term characters.  These will go into the Crew Pool.

I'll fill in the gaping holes in the crew with one term characters which will also be part of the Crew Pool.

If this sounds a lot like Ars Magica's troupe play, you're correct.  I never claimed to be original.

The Primaries will be the main determinants of where the ship goes and what large-scale business it undertakes.  They will drive, early on, the main plots of the campaign.  Each adventure will feature one Primary and the rest Secondaries and Crew.  I'll give players the option to play a Crew in addition to either their Primary or one of their Secondaries.  The Crew characters are, for all intents and purposes, old-school D&D Hirelings.  Sure, some can advance to become Secondaries, as Secondaries can eventually become primaries.  Look at Miles O'Brien on the different Star Trek series he has been on.  What began as what may as well be a named extra, he got more roles on ST:TNG and eventually branched off onto ST:DS9.

A few other thoughts...

• Primaries need to have a Connection with another Primary and a Secondary, run by a different player.
• Crew do not get Ship Shares as mustering out benefits.
• I'm thinking of giving Primaries 3 free Ship Shares and Secondaries 1 free ship share each.  If I have a group of four players, that WOULD give the PCs a 20% discount on the ship on top of what Ship Shares they generate through Character Creation.  This is worth MILLIONS.  I get that.  I think that given the vagaries of this particular style of play, it might be worth giving the players a break, since they aren't exactly set up for success.
• Trade would occupy a few of the characters who aren't on an adventure.  The rest would get to do something like the Character Catch-Up from Cities, but specifically geared for this milieu.  Since the group as a whole will cover the job aspect with trade/adventure, this would be more of a reflection of what kind of trouble they get into on liberty.
• I've got several people who I know would love to play, but can't do so all of the time.  This would work very well for them, as they can be assumed to be in the background when they aren't around and email sessions of the CCU would keep them current.

I think this paradigm will result in a much more episodic campaign than an epic sweep.  It sacrifices the singular development of a character for variety of play options and scenarios.  If a group wants to strike out on their own, that would be an easy thing to do.

Who has played troupe games before?  Any advice or criticism?

I Don't Care Who You Are, This Is Just Cool.

For those of you who love the old school, may I present to you the TSR Mystery Machine...

Props: Bad-ass Orcus Labyrinth Lord Cover.

Over at the Labyrinth Lord blog, there is a BAD-ASS old school poster.  You need to check it out.

Miscellany

Between downloading the season premiere of Sons of Anarchy and dealing with the (hopefully not literal) fallout of Rev. Terry Jones' shenanigans here in Afghanistan, I haven't been too busy with games.  I think I'm going to put off redoing the Career Catch-Up until I have a better idea of what kind of game I'm going to be running in Pennsylvania.

I'm at a pause, then.  Any of my six or seven readers have any suggestions before I find a shiny object to distract myself with?

The Toolbox: Character Catch-Up as a Party Generation Tool. (INTERMISSION)

I found pretty quickly that there are some tweaks needed for this to work.  Apparently as swimmingly it went with the first example, I made myself some characters that do not fit quite so nicely in the system.

Plus, I want to work out some of the costs to get them in line with MRQ.

You'll see this thread return, but not until I can get some work done on it.  (Which won't be for a bit, that's going to be some serious tinkering going on)