Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Characters & Combat, page 13

Okay, continuing on with the weapon skills, there’s a note that ‘Blade’ is a specific weapon, and not choosing a specific blade weapon with this skill defaults to ‘Blade.’ Okay, then. I like the idea of blade combat in a sci-fi game, just because space pirates are awesome and cool, and the idea of using a sword in space hand-to-hand combat is fun. After all, a sword that can cut through a spacesuit makes boarding actions even more exciting and dangerous.

Next up is Gun Combat. Unlike Blade Combat, there’s no generic ‘Gun’ skill to default to. There are ten possible gun weapons, which are definitely different enough to require specific training. Nobody is going to say that a revolver and a shotgun are the same thing. As with blade weapons, gun skills can be cumulative, or can be spread around to different weapons. So, there are the specialists (like JR, with Rifle-2), and the generalists, who can handle any weapon, just not as well.

Finally, there’s Gunnery, which as I thought, is about using spaceship weapons. More detail will come in Book 2, so there’s not much more to work with, except that having this skill grants the title of ‘Gunner.’ Well, alright then.

Now we get into the general, or basic, skills. If it’s not related to using a weapon of some sort, it’s a basic skill. I find it quite amusing that the skills aren’t listed alphabetically, and in a game about spaceships, interstellar travel, space opera and exploration, the very first skill discussed is…gambling. Well, I guess we know what was on the designers’ minds at the time…

Betting levels depend on whether the game is organized or private, and having this skill gives a better chance to win, obviously. It also affects Mustering-Out cash allowance rolls, but since JR didn’t get this skill, it didn’t affect him personally. Really good gamblers may be suspected of cheating and get thrown out (or beaten to a pulp) because they’re so good at what they do. They can also tell when someone is running a rigged game, which can be handy as well.