Doubling Up on Skill Packages...

[Shadeling]

What is the advantage of this? What have any of you done?

[Spartan]

I'd use the rule for having the same skill in different packets:  Drop the TN by one for any doubled skills.  Therefore, doubling a skill packet would drop all skills in question by 1.

-Mark

[Lance D. Allen]

The rule that Spartan referred to is not in the main book (at least, not the pre-revision copy) so if you've the same one I do, don't bother looking for it. It was an issue which was addressed on the boards. It definitely ought to go into an errata sheet if it didn't make it into the revised print-run.

[Shadeling]

The rule that Spartan referred to is not in the main book (at least, not the pre-revision copy) so if you've the same one I do, don't bother looking for it. It was an issue which was addressed on the boards. It definitely ought to go into an errata sheet if it didn't make it into the revised print-run.

Yeah it didn't make it into the revised printing. Neither my revised or pre-revised copy states anything about it.

[Spartan]

The rule that Spartan referred to is not in the main book

Well, it's not specific about doubled up skill packages, but it is specific about skills that are doubled between two different packages, page 29, five lines up from the bottom. :)

-Mark

[Mike Holmes]

I was thinking of doing this with a character that I was making for a game with Jake. He said that it works just like Mark is describing. It's just as though you'd taken two different packages that have the same skill. As stated in the book you get the skill with the reduce TN. In the case of doubling up, all skills are reduced.

Note that I decided in the end not to do it. It would make a very tight and potent character in his small range, however.

Mike

[Valamir]

I DID do this with a character I ran with Jake at GenCon and that was how he told me to handle it (drop TNs by 1)

Its basically a way to get decent TNs if you make skills a low priority at the cost of breadth of knowledge.

[Mike Holmes]

Yeah, the skill system is much more flexible than it might at first seem. Add a few new packages in and you get a huge bump in number of interesting combinations. It's fascinating to note that Rolemaster was heading this way with it's design (See Run out the Guns).

Mike

[Valamir]

I suggested to Jake that very high on my wish list is Culture specific packages and more narrowly defined packages.

Soldier is great for a quick "throw a character together" type session.  But I'd be much more interested in seeing a package for Stahl Heavy Horse seperate from Stahl Pikeman.  Etc, for each nationality or region.

[Lyrax]

I would actually not advise making too many skill packets.  Narrowly defined skill packets (IMHO), defeat the purpose of a skill packet.  Sure, a Stahlnish heavy cavalryman will have riding in his skill packet, but so will the Cyrinthmeirian light cavalryman.  Both will also have first aid, tactics, strategy, etc. etc.

People aren't all that different all over the world, and the skills required of a man in this or that position aren't all that different either.

[Sneaky Git]

I would actually not advise making too many skill packets.  Narrowly defined skill packets (IMHO), defeat the purpose of a skill packet.  Sure, a Stahlnish heavy cavalryman will have riding in his skill packet, but so will the Cyrinthmeirian light cavalryman.  Both will also have first aid, tactics, strategy, etc. etc.

People aren't all that different all over the world, and the skills required of a man in this or that position aren't all that different either.

I agree.  I think it would be a mistake to create too many new packets.  A few (as suggested by Mike Holmes) could add some flavor, but too many would unnecissarily complicate/hinder the system.  When trying for some variety, I have simply "tweaked" a packet to suit my needs.  For example,

...a package for Stahl Heavy Horse seperate from Stahl Pikeman...

simply remove riding from a packet for a pikeman, and give him something else.  Or not.  I just make certian that each packet adheres to the 5-15 skills per guidelines (and difficulties of no greater than + or - 1).

[Valamir]

The point is not to have a zillion packets.  The point is to use the packets to capture the cultural flavor of the different regions.  Personally I find the idea that Soldier comes with "Riding" to be a bit unlikely.  The vast majority of "soldiers" would be drawn from social classes that would be highly unlikely to have ridden a horse and would serve as infantry.  In other cultures Riding should be a part of just about every packet.

I'm a big believer in tieing game mechanics into setting color, and while the generic packets in the core rules are eminently useable they are, just that, generic.  This is because Jake initially did not intendy Wyerth to be any sort of "official" setting for RoS.  He envisioned (and largely still does) RoS being a system useable in a variety of settings (RoS Greyhawk anyone?)

But since Wyerth has become largely accepted as a legitimate setting (because it is pretty cool on its own right), there is ample opportunity to use packets to indicate differences between a peasant or sailor in Savaxen
and one from Yone for instance.  If Driftwood ever comes out with a Wyerth book, this is the sort of thing I'd want to see in it.

[Lance D. Allen]

I'm all for a variety of Skill Packets, for any reason. Any I don't like, I won't use/allow. Works for me, so I suppose it should work for the rest of ya'll too.

[Lyrax]

The point is not to have a zillion packets.  

Definitely.  This is very key.  I don't want to sit at my computer for hours on end, making packet after packet just so that some munchkin can look through them all and decide which one to take in order to avoid using his precious MA bonus skills.  I mean, that defeats the entire purpose.

In other cultures Riding should be a part of just about every packet.

Those cultures recieve the Riding skill for free (and probably at a decent modifier), so we're all cool.  No need to fret.