MGT Only: Expanded Background Skills

[Spinward Scout]

Would you add this to CharGen? Or is it too much? I'd add the Homeworld skills back in Mongoose v2. Zero level skills could add a tiny bit to the character and make it different than other characters.

Expanded Background Skills

All applicable Homeworld Skills
EDU Bonus in 0-level Background Skills

1 0-level Imperium Knowledge (History, Law, Races, Worlds, Banking and Currency, Starships and Starports, TL-14 Technology, Nobles and Celebrities, etc...)
1 0-level Known Space Knowledge
1 0-level Background School Skill
1 0-level Background Hobby Skill

Level in Language (Galanglic) equal to your EDU Bonus
EDU Bonus in 0-level Language Skills
_____

What do you think?

 

[kilemall]

I would tie Imperial knowledge to SOC bonus and personal hobby to INT. Negative bonus means no skill, except negative bonus in SOC translates to positive skill in underclass skills like Streetwise/Bribery/Brawling equivalent.

 

[McPerth]

Well, some comments:

1 0-level Imperium Knowledge (History, Law, Races, Worlds, Banking and Currency, Starships and Starports, TL-14 Technology, Nobles and Celebrities, etc...)
1 0-level Known Space Knowledge

I use to make knowledge about this as an EDU roll, without the use of any skill (unless the player has some related skill), assuming everyone has some (non-professional) knowledge about it (not unlike the Salvage Worlds General Knowledge skill).

After all, I guess every one of us has some basic knowledge about most those fields in current world (at least on own country), even if out of our “skill pool”, so to say…

1 0-level Background School Skill
1 0-level Background Hobby Skill

Those may be perfectly included in the background skills (why would anyone have athletics 0 as background skill if not as a hobby, just to give you an example)

Level in Language (Galanglic) equal to your EDU Bonus
EDU Bonus in 0-level Language Skills

So, if you character has a -1 EDU bonus he will have skill -1 in Galanglic? How are negative skill levels handled?

And, of course, you’re assuming Imperial background for you character on this (htough it may easily be adapted to any other citizenship, just changing Imperial by Solomani, Zhodani, or whatever your character background is). For any Zhodani character I’d add psionicology at level 0, as I guess everyone in the Consulate has some understanding of how do they work.

 

[Ulsyus]

Would you add this to CharGen? Or is it too much? I'd add the Homeworld skills back in Mongoose v2. Zero level skills could add a tiny bit to the character and make it different than other characters.

Aaah, another million-credit question!

I use to make knowledge about this as an EDU roll, without the use of any skill (unless the player has some related skill), assuming everyone has some (non-professional) knowledge about it (not unlike the Salvage Worlds General Knowledge skill).

After all, I guess every one of us has some basic knowledge about most those fields in current world (at least on own country), even if out of our “skill pool”, so to say…

Good drills, that was our take on things after we chewed the problem over.

While I like the level 0 skill option from backgrounds, I’m always skeptical about it being able to replicate skills developed during, er, development. People can become quite skilled at a number of things, it seems that it all comes down to focus and time.

 

[Daidoji Dave]

Would you add this to CharGen? Or is it too much? ...

I see what you're going for, and its a common impulse in making the game your own. I'm certain some of my own house rules would seem even more "too much" to a neutral observer.

Since you're asking though, I myself wouldn't use it. In one light I take a broad view of skills to begin with ([Skill] + Edu works for anything up to and including Gun Combat at times), in another light I'm not worried about player characters having access to every possible NPC skill and knowledge as long as they're generated with playable skills, in another angle still I don't like the modern rpg impulse to roll "Do I Know [X]?" for every single thing.

And as a tangent, I've redone languages somewhat. Instead of every language being its own skill, every level of Languages (including 0) grants fluency in another of the player's choice. Then it's only rolled for to get across very simple concepts in a language a character isn't fluent in, or to translate without errors with access to a reference work. I don't like the book approach as it makes it disappointing compared to more typical adventuring and combat skills.