Need some help with Secrets

[Four Skulls]

I'm thinking about running my next game with the TSoY system, but I'm not quite sure how to use secrets to model my character's abilities correctly (I hope that doesn't sound to awkward).  My game setting is a sci-fantasy/pulp, with super high tech and magic.  One of the characters in the gameworld has the abilities of a starship.  He can travel unprotected through space, project a forcefield, fire destructive bolts, take on a crew (through a special sub dimension), etc, basically all the stuff you could expect from a starship.  Now my question is, if I was to model this character, would I need to make each ability a secret (which would take a lot) or make one secret that covers all the aspects, and just give each ability a different point cost?  What would be the best way to cover this?

[RPL]

I'm no TSoY guru but here's my take on it.

Make it a single secret that gives the player all those abilities (the ones you expect a starship has), and use that secret has a steping stone to allow the player to buy other secrets that build on that.

Example:
Secret Of Starship: gives the character (among other things) to fly around in space just like a starship would with reactors and such. No cost.

Secret Of Warp Speed: gives the character the ability to travel at super speed in space. Cost: X and requires Secret Of Starship.

Then you can make some abilities in order to bring it all together, something like: Flying, Laser Fire, probably a new inate ability like Force Shield, that represents the amount of punishment the character can endure.

[Twobirds]

Are there other starship characters in your game-world?  You could model them like the races in Near.  Have a set of innate abilities that only makes sense for them to have.  Then there can be a lot of differentiation in characters who are starships.

Then you can, and I agree with RedPissLegion about the Abilities, automatically have certain skills.  Flying can have related secrets, like Secret of Ridiculous Speed and Secret of Ludicrous Speed (if you're modeling speeds and all that) or Secret of Exhaustless Flight (to give penalty dice to ships that are trying to track you) to support them.  Also:

Secret of the Hidden Pocket Dimension: As a starship, you can hold up to ten people inside yourself and transport them safely.  Additional people can be carried at the cost of 1 Vigor per ten people.

(Useful for evacuations and stuff)

That's what I'd do, anyway.

George

[RPL]

Sorry forgot to ask about something, is that character part of a specific culture or race, in wich all have starship-like abilities?
If so you can use the corebook's example of cultural or race abilities and secrets to flesh out the culture or race of that character.

[Four Skulls]

Nah, this guy would be unique.  It would take up too much resources to make another.

Right now, I'm just starting looking over the rules, so alot of this is going over my head.  How do Secrets and Abilities work with one another?

[JMendes]

Hey, :)

How do Secrets and Abilities work with one another?

Some Secrets require specific Ability rolls to activate. All Abilities, however, should be useful in some way or another, regardless of any Secrets.

Anyway, there are a great many alternatives to do what you asked originally. You could go Diogo's (RedPiss) route, or you could go the way you originally proposed, with many a different Secret required. It all depends on how powerful and how expensive you want that type of stuff to be in your campaign.

If that character is completely unique, as you say, and especially, if those abilities are important to your campaign (like if your "party" will be moving around a lot, using that one particular character), then do Diogo's suggestion, using a single Secret. If there is a great many other ways to move around and you feel that those abilities are going to allow that player to upstage the other players, then make them into  multiple Secrets, so that the cost brings them into balance somewhat.*

Cheers,
J.

(*) Not that "game balance" is all that important a consideration for TSoY, anyway, but protagonism balance is and that's what you should be considering.