Do you use a skill system?

vivsavage · Post by **vivsavage** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:53 pm

Have you devised some sort of skill system for your C&C games?

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:58 pm

Yes and no. I have a training system where a character can learn something they do not begin with, and I have a few different class construction systems, but none of these are, per se, a "skill system." In my Ruins and Radiation spin-off, the training system will be a de facto rule.
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:10 pm

Indeed I do use a skill system. I think it is a valuable way to differ characters mechanically, and gives lots of room for roleplaying purposes (be those background details for a PC, or in game effects that the player can play off of).

-O
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:07 pm

I voted no, because though I want to, I haven't done so yet. I'm thinking of a way to devise one that will work with current SIEGE/attribute system. I have been toiling away with it, though, and have it pretty close to presentable.

In the meantime I have been fooling around with the secondary skills from 2nd Edition AD&D. If the character has a secondary skill that is pertinent to a given situation, I allow a +1 to any attribute checks.

Buttmonkey · Post by **Buttmonkey** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:17 pm

No.

Skills = crunch = bad because I'm too lazy to deal with crunch.

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:18 pm

I chose 'No' and fully adopted the Siege method to heart. However, I have toyed with notion of specialized skills supplemented with something akin to what's in the Yggsburgh hardback but I've never needed to do it since I picked up the game a couple of years back.

M
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Maliki · Post by **Maliki** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:31 pm

I am getting ready to kick off a new C&C campaign, (I hope) and I will be using a skill system that I found on line. For myself I would go without one but my most vocal player(a long time 2E player) really liked NWPs as a way to flesh out PCs. So to keep the players happy, I'll use it.
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Craig C · Post by **Craig C** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:12 am

We use the 2E NWPs- mainly as fluff but the players wanted to be able to write skills down

Craig

DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:14 am

noop.

AslanC · Post by **AslanC** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:33 am

I voted "yes" because I will be using NWPs from 2e when I start up. I like the way they work without making the game all about skills. I am no fan of the 3/3.5 skill systems.
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The Pugilist · Post by **The Pugilist** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:29 am

In a related question, do any of you have "implied class features"?

For example, the Bard's Legend Lore ability should not be overrun by another class, but the Wizard should probably be able to add his level to checks related to arcane topics. Similarly, the cleric should be able to add his on religious checks(and those ideas pertaining to their god, such as a fertility goddess' priest understanding farming techniques).

dachda · Post by **dachda** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:30 am

Nope. Just asked the players to pick (or roll) backgrounds, like woodsmen, blacksmith, merchant, sailor and so on that they were exposed to as a youth. Then its up to them to suggest that background would help them with a siege check for some in game purpose.
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gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:42 am

The Pugilist wrote:
In a related question, do any of you have "implied class features"?

Of course. Implied class abilities are entirely what the siege engine is for.
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CKDad · Post by **CKDad** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:45 am

I voted no as I'm not currently, but I've thought of adding some sort of background system - probably cribbed from the 1E AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide.
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Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:37 am

No, but I don't make stuff up.

I would allow a secondary (or primary for that matter) skill system a la CZ Yggsburgh, but I see that as a SIEGE system rather than something separate.

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Frost · Post by **Frost** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:40 am

Nope... that sort of defeats the point of the SIEGE Engine to me... I have enough skills in my 3.5 game.
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Hrolfgar · Post by **Hrolfgar** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:42 am

I voted yes because the secondary skills options are available in my CZ Yggsburgh campaign. The most of the players want skills ( 2 out of 3) and are not too keen on spending XP to pick up skills. I hope after tomorrows game they will see that skills are not necessary.

Frost · Post by **Frost** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:40 pm

Hrolfgar wrote:
I voted yes because the secondary skills options are available in my CZ Yggsburgh campaign. The most of the players want skills ( 2 out of 3) and are not too keen on spending XP to pick up skills. I hope after tomorrows game they will see that skills are not necessary.

I'm confused... I thought you had to expend XP to obtain a Secondary Skills per those guidelines?

edit: I was assuming you were talking about this method: http://www.trolllord.com/downloads/pdfs ... skills.pdf
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moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:12 pm

gideon_thorne wrote:
Of course. Implied class abilities are entirely what the siege engine is for.

Yep... same here. Just because they skills aren't itemized doesn't mean they aren't implied by the class. In gray areas... the player ends up telling me 'why' it works for his character or class.

M
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gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:28 pm

moriarty777 wrote:
Yep... same here. Just because they skills aren't itemized doesn't mean they aren't implied by the class. In gray areas... the player ends up telling me 'why' it works for his character or class.

M

I do use the CZ bundles as a template though. ^_^
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Luther · Post by **Luther** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:18 pm

No skills in my games. In fact, I'm really leaning towards never using skills again in any game and I'm most inclined toward games that leave them out or relegate them to a few categories that encompass a sort of career package, like Barbarians of Lemuria and StarSIEGE (if what I've been told is correct).

In my C&C games, your ability to do something comes from one of three areas: your class, your background, or a general, everyone-can-do-it-to-some-degree type ability (like jumping). I use implied skills from classes, like minor armour repair for fighters and the ability to endure extreme environments for barbarians, as well as from backgrounds, like the son of a fisherman knowing how to fish. The player is allwoed to add his level to most of these rolls.

It's easy, there are no extra rules to worry about or points to fiddle with, and the players spend more time thinking about the character of their character than the numbers. We're all perfectly happy with the system and even our other, more detailed games (like WFRP) will lean more towards this direction in the future...
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:45 pm

Luther, I do know where you're coming from. I'm running nearly straight out of the book, but there has been a call for skills. I guess it just varies from group to group.

The players in my group have admitted that they have lost a little identity with the characters - they lack a little of the ability to flesh out the characters. I had to agree that in one sense that is true, but I've been trying to convinve them that skills and feats (ala 3.x) really limit the character...it "defines" them, but in a negative way. I've been trying to work on a simple, non-abrasive skill system that works with the C&C rules, but honestly I'm hoping that they open their eyes so I won't have to incorporate it.

Hrolfgar · Post by **Hrolfgar** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:32 pm

TheFrost wrote:
I'm confused... I thought you had to expend XP to obtain a Secondary Skills per those guidelines?

edit: I was assuming you were talking about this method: http://www.trolllord.com/downloads/pdfs ... skills.pdf

They want skills without spending XP