I think Classic Traveller’s most overlooked character “service” is the “Other”.

Admittedly, it is a “weak” background as far as potential for skill acquisition. There’s no Commission, no Promotion, and unlike the Scout Service, after getting two skill table rolls for term one you only get ONE roll per term thereafter. And there are no rank or service skills. So if a character goes 5 terms in Other, they’ll get six skill table rolls, and that’s it.

So one might think “that really sucks.”

However, Other can produce some fun characters. With skills like bribery, forgery, gambling, streetwise, computer, etc, you have all the makings of a top-notch scoundrel. You can have a really interesting character with the Other background.

Tonight I rolled up this character. No fudging. No rearranging of the UPP. I rolled 2d6 and wrote them down in the order I rolled them. No fudging on the skill tables. I picked a table and rolled on it. No fudging on the Aging Effect rolls. He lucked out and only lost 2 point of Dexterity even with two aging rolls for each of the physical characteristics.

Introducing….

Leon Saturnalia
Age 38
Service: Other - 5 terms
444889
electronics-1, forgery-1, gambling-2, air raft-1, streetwise-1
30,000cr.
shotgun

Probably some solid family’s “bad seed”, judging from his weirdly high social standing. Physically below average in every way, he’s smart and well-educated (mustered out with a +1 Ed). This is the kind of scum that could get into all sorts of amazingly fun trouble! With his low dexterity and mustering out roll with a gun, the shotgun pretty much picked itself.

In addition to his shotgun, I’d start him with a hand computer, an electronics kit, some nice dice and deck of cards, and some odds and ends useful in forging document.

Classic Traveller really convinced me that a character sheet need not be complex and full of stuff to be interesting and fun.