Hi,

I've received complaints from my playtesters that my skill system is a bit hard to follow and I want help making it easier to understand

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-CYp-IEEIl7ZGY4ZGY1MTQtNzExNy00NGExLWI2OTYtNmE1NmVjYzc0Y2Yx&hl=en

Here is basically how it should work and the information I want to convey (think d20 for a basic idea of anything not detailed in the above link)

• You can roll any master skill
• master skills can do anything an expert skill can and many things they can't
• expert skills do one specific task but let you do it better
• expert skills let you use other attributes besides the standard one (basically allowing someone who's wise but not fast to pick locks just as well as someone who's fast)

I want to know if these things are easy enough to read and understand in the rules above and the part of the character sheet I cut out (also in the link).

I would prefer any ideas as to how to convey the message better

I would high appreciate and prefer any ideas how to achieve the same things in a simpler manner

It does seem a bit confusing but I think I got it. The problem stems from the "if this than that, but if not that than this" style of rules. Rules based on exceptions and if/or decisions often complicate things. The best way to drive a point home in this situation is to provide ample amounts of examples. I think a few more good examples would clear things up for you. Also, maybe some bullet points? Such as...

When Rolling a Skill...
- Roll D10
- Add Master Skill Rank
- Add Expert Skill Rank if Any
- Compare to Target Number

I guess my question for you is what's the point of having broad and narrow skills? My gut reaction would be to say "so you can represent your character having some broad knowledge, but also specific knowledge of a topic below that broad knowledge". I suppose in a way it can be an attempt at realism, but does this make the game more fun? Do you feel happier with your character when they have Diplomacy of 5 and Intimidate of 3? Would it hurt your system to drop the two tiered skill mechanic in favor of a simpler one?

This reminds me a lot of the specializations in Shadowrun, such as Longarms(shotgun).  The shotgun specialization gave you two extra dice to roll if you were using a shotgun over other longarms.  The main differences between this and your skill system are a) your system allows multiple specializations, and b) your system allows varying modifiers for specializations.

I would recommend, assuming you want to keep the expert skills, cutting out either A or B above.  It will simplify the system a bit, but still keep it a little more crunchy and distinct.  (This also assumes you want simplicity in mechanics as opposed to just editing/proofreading input.)