By Russell Bornschlegel with much help from Jeff Zeitlin

Overview

Classic Traveller's Supplement 4, Citizens of the Imperium, introduced the Rogue character career, "a member of the criminal element... familiar with the rougher and more illegal methods of accomplishing tasks." MegaTraveller additionally covers the Law Enforcer career, but in both cases only the brief Book 1 style of character generation is provided. Another oversight is that the staple character of countless adventure stories, the Private Investigator, isn't covered at all. This expanded, High Guard/Mercenary style character generation system attempts to rectify these oversights, highlighting the common elements of these three careers along the way.
 

Enlistment

Start by generating a standard, age-18 character. Select Rogue, PI, or Police service, and roll 2D for enlistment with DMs from the following table. If enlistment fails, select an alternate service as usual, either by draft or by attempting to enlist in other services. Enlistment is for a term of four years. After each term, the character may either leave the service voluntarily or roll 2D for Reenlistment. Failing the reenlistment roll results in discharge.
 

Service	Rogue	PI	Police
Enlistment Roll	6+	7+	8+
DM +1 if:	Soc 8-	End 8+	Str 8+
DM +2 if:	End 7+	Int 8+	Int 8+
Re-Enlistment Roll	5+	5+	5+

Under the Sohl Cluster house rules, a character discharged from one service may attempt to enlist in another, with a DM of –1 applied to the enlistment roll for each full four years of age over age 18.

Automatic Skills

Certain skills are gained automatically by characters in these services. Once enlisted in the Rogue, Police, or PI services, the character gains the following skills: Streetwise-1, Gun Combat-1 (usually with a pistol), and Vehicle-0.  Police gain Leader-1 upon attaining rank 2 (Sergeant) and Liaison-1 upon reaching rank 3 (Lieutenant).

Automatic skills are never cumulative. For example, if a Police Officer with Leader-2 reaches Sergeant, he or she does not gain Leader-3.

Assignment

Once enlisted in Rogue, PI, or Police service, the character rolls 2D and consults the following table to determine duty assignment. Once assigned to a particular duty, the character remains in that duty until he or she opts to change in a given year and makes the Change Assignment roll associated with the duty, or until the Change Assignment roll is 10+ whether the character wishes to change or not. The following year, roll again for assignment. Assignment is retained from year to year and across a term reenlistment unless the change roll is made.
 

Service	Rogue	PI	Police
2	Hits and Terrorism	Down Or Out	Disciplinary Action
3	Protection and Extortion	Acquisitions	Detective
4	Protection and Extortion	Acquisitions	Detective
5	Vice Work	Missing Persons	Desk Job
6	Vice Work	Missing Persons	Beat Cop
7	Robbery and Burglary	Investigation & Shadowing	Beat Cop
8	Robbery and Burglary	Investigation & Shadowing	Beat Cop
9	Fraud and Finance	Private Patron	Elite Force
10	Fraud and Finance	Private Patron	Elite Force
11	High Tech Crime	Nasty Business	High Tech Investigation
12	High Tech Crime	Noir Adventure	Internal Affairs

 

Assignment Resolution

A result of Down Or Out indicates that the character immediately leaves his or her current service and must either muster out or become a Rogue, without having to make a reenlistment roll. In such cases, a roll is immediately made on the assignment table for the new career.

For all other assignments, consult the appropriate table for event rolls.

First, make a 2D roll for Survival; failure of this roll results in a severe injury sufficient to discharge the character from service. The referee determines the injury and its results; the character should be rendered "interesting" rather than "unplayable" as a result. If both Intelligence and Endurance are 8 or over, there is a +1 to the survival roll.

Next, roll 2D for Skill; if the roll is made, the character gain a skill from one of the eligible tables. The Service Life table for the service is always eligible; the Advanced Education table for the service is available to characters with an Education score of 8+, and the Assignment Skill table corresponding to the current Assignment is eligible. The character is not eligible for a skill roll in any year in which they obtain an automatic skill, including their first year of enlistment. Cascade skills allow the player their choice of the listed skills; Gun Combat, Blade Combat, and Vehicle are the standard cascades for the game system in use. The skill of Hacking is a selective combination of Intrusion and Computer, and covers both unauthorized accesses to electronic systems and detection of the same.

Third, roll 2D for a Special event; if the roll is made, consult the Specials table below.

For Police only, roll 2D for promotion. Police characters start at rank of Rank 1 (Officer/Detective) and advance one rank every time the promotion roll is made. To be promoted from Rank 3 to Rank 4, or Rank 4 to Rank 5, there is a DM of –1; to be promoted from Rank 5 to Rank 6, there is a DM of –2.Only one promotion is possible per four-year term. Police gain automatic skills of Leader-1 at rank 2 (Sergeant) and Liaison-1 at rank 3 (Lieutenant).

Finally, roll 2D for Change of Assignment. If the roll is 10+, the character’s assignment changes the following year, like it or not. If the indicated number or above is thrown, the character may change assignment if desired.

Hits & Terrorism: The character kills people, either for political reasons or simply criminal ones.

Protection & Extortion: The character is involved in threatening people for money; the threat can be physical or informational.

Vice Work: The character is involved in so-called "victimless crime" such as drugs, gambling, and prostitution.

Robbery & Burglary: The character steals money and goods in a relatively straightforward manner. This can include everything from simple mugging to bank heists.

Fraud & Finance: The character is involved in the discreet redistribution of wealth. This includes embezzlement, securities fraud, and the like.

High Tech Crime: In effect, usually similar to Fraud & Finance, but generally executed via computer; this also includes the illicit information trade.

Acquisitions: The character is in the business of locating and obtaining particular properties discreetly, occasionally in technical violation of the law (e.g. by smuggling) but rarely via simple theft.

Missing Persons: The character locates individuals who typically do not wish to be located. Locating involuntarily-missing people is generally done by police.

Investigation & Shadowing: The character investigates and follows individuals. This is frequently used to gain evidence for divorce proceedings and other civil proceedings; if a criminal activity has occurred, this is generally done by police.

Private Patron: The character is retained by a specific employer; this may be as a bodyguard, "rent-a-cop", hotel detective, "cleaner", or the like. The character may be called upon to perform slightly illegal acts by the employer.

Nasty Business: Whatever the PI’s regular specialty is, he or she becomes caught up in a complex and dangerous situation. Perhaps the PI learns of a crime that the police cannot or will not address, or becomes a target of criminal activity him- or herself.

Noir Adventure: Similar to Nasty Business, but on a larger scale, possibly involving police or government corruption, conspiracy, or priceless artifacts; the sort of thing movies are made of.
 

Disciplinary Action: The character has been accused of misconduct. This results in a Beat Cop type of assignment, but the character is on probation, and must keep squeaky-clean. Resolve as normal for Beat Cop, but do not roll  for promotion, and apply the following changes:
    - When rolling for special, ignore results of 4+.
    - When resolving On Trial or Corruption, DM-2.
    - Do not roll for Change; next assignment will be Beat Cop  without these modifications.
This character henceforth has a permanent DM-1 for promotion. This DM is cumulative.

Detective: The character is assigned to investigate major crimes: murders, grand thefts, grevious assaults, and so on.

Desk Job: The character does not do a significant amount of field work.

Beat Cop: The character patrols the streets, doing a significant amount of deterrence as well as criminal investigation.

Elite Force: This assignment includes special units such as the Vice Squad (or Public Morals Division), Anti-Terrorist/Hostage Rescue teams, and task forces targeted at any specific crime that's excessively popular.

High Tech Investigationt: The character is assigned to combat High Tech Crime. In this realm, the police are usually under-equipped and under-trained compared to their criminal counterparts.

Internal Affairs: The character investigates the activities of other police. Who watches the watchmen?

Assignment Resolution Tables

Rogue Assignments Table
 

Assignment	Hits & Terrorism	Protection & Extortion	Vice Work	Robbery & Burglary	Fraud & Finance	High Tech Crime
Survival (+1 if Int 8+ and End 8+)	7+	4+	5+	6+	3+	3+
Skill	7+	9+	9+	8+	8+	7+
Special	8+	9+	8+	9+	8+	8+
Change	5+	5+	5+	5+	6+	5+

Rogue Skills Tables
 

	Rogue Life	Rogue Advanced (Edu 8+)	Hits & Terror	Protection & Extortion
1	+1 Strength	+1 Education	Gun Combat	Brawling
2	+1 Endurance	+1 Intelligence	Intrusion	Gun Combat
3	Gun Combat or Blade Combat	Medical	Demolitions	Bribery
4	Vehicle	Recruiting	Vehicle	Streetwise
5	Brawling	Leader	Brawling	Intrusion
6	-1 Social	Legal	Interrogation	Leader

	Vice Work	Robbery & Burglary	Fraud & Finance	High Tech Crime
1	Blade Combat	Gun Combat	Computer	Computer
2	Medical	Burglary Cascade: Demolitions or Intrusion	Forgery	Hacking
3	Vehicle	Vehicle	Bribery	Electronic
4	Carousing	Streetwise	Streetwise	Jack of all Trades
5	Bribery	Electronic	Admin	Streetwise
6	Gambling	Recruiting	Interrogation	+1 Education

Rogue Specials Table
 

1	On Trial
2	On Trial
3	On Trial
4	Big Score
5	Big Score
6	Patron

PI Assignments Table
 

Assignment	Acquisitions	Missing Persons	Investigation	Private Patron	Nasty Business	Noir Adventure
Survival (+1 if Int 8+ and End 8+)	6+	4+	5+	6+	7+	7+
Skill	7+	8+	8+	8+	7+	6+
Special	7+	8+	7+	8+	7+	6+
Change	6+	5+	5+	6+	5+	4+

PI Skills Tables
 

	PI Life	PI Advanced (Edu 8+)	Acquisitions	Missing Persons
1	+1 Strength	+1 Education	Streetwise	Streetwise
2	+1 Endurance	+1 Intelligence	Liaison	Liaison
3	Gun Combat or Blade Combat	Computer	Intrusion	Admin
4	Vehicle	Admin	Computer	Computer
5	Brawling	Interrogation	Bribery	Bribery
6	Carousing	Legal	Forgery	Interrogation

	Investigation	Private Patron	Nasty Business	Noir Adventure
1	Vehicle	Gun Combat	Gun Combat	Medical
2	Electronic	Liaison	Blade Combat	Interrogation
3	Recon	Intrusion	Brawling	Vehicle
4	Computer	Forgery	Demolition	Jack of all Trades
5	Legal	Legal	Vehicle	Wilderness Survival
6	Jack of all Trades	Leader	Leader	+1 Social

 
 
 

PI Specials Table
 

1	On Trial
2	Vendetta
3	Big Score
4	Hero
5	Journey
6	Patron

Police Assignments Table
 

Assignment	Detective	Desk Job	Beat Cop	Elite Force	High Tech	Internal Affairs
Survival (+1 if Int 8+ and End 8+)	6+	3+	5+	6+	3+	4+
Skill	7+	8+	8+	7+	7+	6+
Special	7+	9+	8+	7+	7+	5+
Promotion (DM –1 if Rank 3 or 4; DM –2 if Rank 5)	8+	10+	10+	8+	9+	9+
Change	6+	7+	8+	6+	5+	6+

Police Skills Tables
 

	Police Life	Police Advanced (Edu 8+)	Detective	Desk Job
1	+1 Strength	+1 Education	Streetwise	Admin
2	+1 Dexterity	+1 Intelligence	Gun Combat	Admin
3	Gun Combat or Blade Combat (standard service weapon)	Computer	Interrogation	Forgery
4	Vehicle	Leader	Computer	Computer
5	Brawling	Interrogation	Blade Combat	Legal
6	Streetwise	Legal	Brawling	Instruction

	Beat Cop	Elite Force	High Tech	Internal Affairs
1	Streetwise	Medical	Computer	Liaison
2	Brawling	Demolitions	Liaison	Interrogation
3	Vehicle	Gun Combat (referee's discretion)	Streetwise	Admin
4	Carousing	Vice Cascade: pick one of Bribery, Forgery, Carousing, Gambling, or Intrusion	Hacking	Computer
5	Jack of all Trades	Vehicle	Electronic	Leader
6	Interrogation	Interrogation	+1 Education	Legal

Police Specials Table
 

1	Corruption
2	On Trial
3	Vendetta
4	Hero
5	Journey
6	Patron

Police Ranks Table
 

1	Constable or Officer (called Detective, if character has ever been given a Detective assignment)
2	Sergeant
3	Lieutenant
4	Captain
5	Inspector
6	Chief or Commisioner

 

Special Event Resolution

When a special event is indicated, roll 1D on the service special table for the character’s service. Consult the following descriptions for the special events.

On Trial: The character is arrested on suspicion of a serious crime. The character may or may not actually be guilty, particularly if the character is a PI. The character allocates legal fees if he or she has any money (from Big Scores, previous careers and the like) in increments of Cr5000. 2D are rolled. The character’s current Social standing and (legal fees/Cr5000) are added to the roll. The number of terms the character has spent in Rogue service (including the current term) and the number of previous trials the character has faced are subtracted from the roll. If the law level of the world involved is known, (5-law level) is added. With all modifiers totalled up, consult the following table. If a sentence is indicated, go to Prison Time, below. Add or subtract the indicated modifier to the character’s Social Standing. Social Standings below 2 should be retained for posterity and amusement; the minimum social standing is 0. For the most extreme sentences, the referee should either simply write off the character or explain how the character gets out of jail. The player should have the option to write off a character and start over if the sentence would make the character too old for the player’s taste.

If a Police character is tried, and does not end up either Jailed or Acquitted, his or her next assignment is automatically Disciplinary Action.

Trial Resolution Table
 

Result	Sentence	Social Standing Mod
0 or less	Cruel and Unusual Punishment, referee’s discretion and explanation	-10
1	Death Sentence or Life Sentence, referee’s discretion and explanation	-8
2	1D x 10 Year Sentence	-6
3	1D x 5 Year Sentence	-5
4	1D x 2 Year Sentence	-4
5	1-6 Year Sentence	-3
6	1-6 Year Sentence	-2
7	1-3 Year Sentence	-2
8	1-3 Year Sentence	-1
9	1 Year Sentence	-1
10	6 Month Sentence	-1
11	Guilty of Felony; 90 Day Sentence or less; no jail roll.	-1
12	Guilty of Misdemeanor; fines 1D x Cr1000.	0
13	Guilty of Misdemeanor; fines 1D x Cr500.	0
14	Acquitted.	0
15	Acquitted.	0
16 or more	Acquitted with publicity	+1

 

Prison Time: If the character is found guilty of a Felony and/or jailed for any length of time, they are discharged from service in Police or PI and can only reenlist in the Rogue service or become an adventurer. Optionally, the referee can determine what effects a criminal record has on other enlistment opportunities. After the first year of jail, and every 4 years in jail thereafter, roll 1D to see what skill is gained while in jail:

Jail Skills Table
 

1	Brawling
2	Brawling
3	Streetwise
4	+1 Strength
5	+1 Endurance
6	+1 Endurance

Big Score: A job pays off beyond all expectation. Roll 1D:

Big Score Payoff Table
 

1	Cr10000
2	Cr10000
3	Cr20000
4	Cr20000
5	Cr50000
6	Cr100000

Patron: Someone with money and power, possibly a major underworld figure, owes the character a small favor, or considers him or her trustworthy enough to consider for a future job. This special may be "traded in" and lost to cancel a Prison Time special received later in the career process. The referee determines any other effects of the Patron.

Vendetta: The character has made a mortal enemy. The referee determines if, when, and how the enemy will strike.

Hero: The character did something brave and hazardous, and had his or her fifteen minutes of fame as a result. +1 Social standing is gained, as well as the result of 1D rolled on the following table:

Hero Result Table
 

1	+1 Social (total +2)
2	1D x Cr500 reward money
3	High Passage
4	Medal, Plaque, or such worth 1D x Cr10
5	Busy Year (See below)
6	Traveller’s Aid Society Membership

If Busy Year is rolled, the next chronological year of the character’s life is resolved as if it were two normal years.

Journey: The character’s career takes him or her to several other star systems – a fairly unusual occurrence for these career paths. The character gains +1 Education and a skill rolled on the following table.

Journey Skill Table
 

1	Gunnery or Commo
2	Liaison
3	Vehicle or Ship’s Boat
4	Vacc Suit
5	Carousing
6	Zero-G Combat

Corruption: The character becomes aware of corruption on the force. The player has a choice; he or she can either Blow The Whistle or Join The Party. If an enemy is made from Blowing The Whistle, or if money is gained from Joining The Party, roll 1D; on 4+, the character's next assignment will be Disciplinary Action.

Blow The Whistle Table
 

1	The character is discharged at the end of the current year.
2	The character is falsely imprisoned; resolve a Prison Term special as above.
3	The character makes an enemy; resolve a Vendetta as above.
4	The character makes an enemy; resolve a Vendetta as above.
5	The character becomes a Hero as above.
6	The character becomes a Hero as above.

Join The Party Table
 

1	The character is caught and jailed; resolve a Prison Term as above.
2	The character is caught and jailed; resolve a Prison Term as above.
3	The character pockets Cr1000.
4	The character skims Cr5000.
5	The character scores Cr10000.
6	The character heists Cr20000.

Mustering Out

When leaving a service, the character makes rolls for mustering out benefits. One roll is allowed per four year term served or portion thereof; Police of rank 3 or 4 gain an extra roll; Police of rank 5 or 6 gain another extra roll. Rolls on the cash table gain a +1 if the character has Gambling skill; rolls on the material benefits table for Police of rank 5 or 6 gain +1. No more than three rolls may be made on the cash table in any event.

Material Benefits Table
 

	Rogue	PI	Police
1	Low Passage	+1 Intelligence	Low Passage
2	+1 Social	+1 Education	Middle Passage
3	Gun	Gun	Gun
4	Blade	Middle Passage	Watch
5	High Passage	High Passage	+1 Education
6	Traveller’s Aid Society	Traveller’s Aid Society	High Passage
7	n/a	n/a	Traveller’s Aid Society

Cash Benefits Table
 

	Rogue	PI	Police
1	--	Cr1000	Cr2000
2	--	Cr5000	Cr5000
3	Cr10000	Cr10000	Cr10000
4	Cr10000	Cr10000	Cr10000
5	Cr50000	Cr10000	Cr20000
6	Cr100000	Cr20000	Cr30000
7	Cr100000	Cr20000	Cr40000

 

Author: Russell Bornschlegel, kaleja@estarcion.com. Last revision: 1999/11/28.

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