Medical Skill

[CosmicGamer]

How do you think most people would react if you suggest using this system also for gun combat :CoW:?

I would not presume to know how others would react but from the discussion elsewhere about gun specializations, it seams that many people feel that the the line between certain weapons is a bit of a blur and the system I'm thinking of would just push that blurry line up to a higher skill level and then only at that level would people specialize. <shrug> I know any mechanic will not be perfect for all people. I doubt there is any mechanic that is perfect for even one person.

 

[McPerth]

I always thought that Traveller Computers could bring up any specialty information a doctor needed to diagnose or treat anything previously encountered. So then a doctor would need less specialization in his training/experience.

As I already said, a computer may give (or raise) you knowledge, but not skill. As most skills, in Medic, the knowledge is only part of the skill, while the other part is given by the experience, something a specilist would have only (o at least mainly) in his field.

Likewhise, a car mechanic trying to fix an airplane engine, even with the knowledge given by a computer, is likely not to do it as well as an aircraft mechanic.

I would not presume to know how others would react but from the discussion elsewhere about gun specializations, it seams that many people feel that the the line between certain weapons is a bit of a blur and the system I'm thinking of would just push that blurry line up to a higher skill level and then only at that level would people specialize.

That's why I gave you this example :devil:.

<shrug> I know any mechanic will not be perfect for all people. I doubt there is any mechanic that is perfect for even one person.

Fully agreed here.

 

[MCEvans]

The funny thing is with all the medical specialization going on today one "specialty" is being overlooked and is in a major need today that of the General Practitioner or Primary Care Physician some even can do General Surgery. These are the gateway doctors to the specialists.
I have always viewed the Traveller Medic/Doctor as a GP.
For the sake of argument, if a PC has a Medic skill over 5-6 (rare) the only specialty I would allow should be xenomedicine pick the specie and it starts at level 1 maxes out at 3 if you need another specie repeat otherwise medic (-4) for non specie. If medical training was through the IN or IISS the adjustment would be -2.

As usual see sig

 

[Bob Weaver]

Then you really wouldn't like The Imperial Academy of Science and Medicine article in JTAS #22, which details how to generate higher education and skills for doctors and scientists.

I found it rather fun.

BlackBat, how did you use the specialties from IASM in adventures? Most of the science skills look narrow enough that an adventure would have to be tailored to those skills for them to come into play. If the players want to run scientific research adventures, that's awesome. But one character with Paleontology-5 is going to be hard pressed to be useful with a group of PC spies/mercs/free traders.

Cheers,

Bob W.

 

[aramis]

I find the IASM skill list to be too narrow - but many of the skills have applications outside their academic uses, so I've never had to adjust adventures to include them.

Most of them should have "serves as ___ at -1", but don't.

 

[BlackBat242]

A few years ago I ran a CT adventure "on the fringes".

One of the PCs (4 players with 2 PCs each) was a scientist, generated with that article - he was an Astrophysicist. (Most of the rest were ex-military, and they had incorporated into a merc company, although they did mostly non-combat contracts).

He had multiple levels of Astronomy and Physics, and a scattering of other skills. He hired on as the Ship's Navigator. As they were heading out away from well-charted space he made a perfect fit - every port they made he hit up not only the port's navigation support offices for starcharts, but would seek out local astronomical facilities for copies of their studies... then spend days in jumpspace correlating all the data and preparing new starcharts showing possible new routes and waypoints, as well as systems not shown on their existing charts.

He also got into trouble on-planet with his quests for knowledge, adding extra adventuring fun to the party (extracting him from local LEOs for "stealing intellectual property" or "violating religious taboos" seemed to be a recurring theme ).



Another was a general lab assistant, although she had ended up with lots of "physical" skills as well (see below). She was actually originally an NPC member of a archaeological/paleontological research expedition that had chartered their ship for transport, but one of the players took her on as a PC* when a random "event" roll came up "trouble with the cargo" and I decided she had gotten fed up with one of the scientists and had quit her job.

She was a heavyworlder (as per Anne McCaffery), and resented being assigned to menial heavy labor and "security" work in the "after arrival duty schedules" despite having been hired as a lab assistant for one of the scientists.


One other character used the article for the "college" part of his Navy career generation - he enlisted into the Medical branch after college, having already acquired some medical skills at the "Academy".


Those all worked well, but I haven't refereed for, or played, any other PCs generated with that article.



* The player was a Traveller noob, and had been playing one PC, but decided she could handle a second.