The Engineer's Conundrum

[opensent]

MGT’s handling of the Engineering skill forces technical types to split skill points among a number of specialties, five in all. What Engineering skills do you consider essential to allocate points to? Which specialties can be left to rely on the default level zero? How would you allocate a limited number of skill points to Engineering specialties?

Here is my line-up, rank ordered by point priority:

#1 Electronics – Useful for general adventuring without a starship. Overriding electronic locks, security systems and airlocks. Fixing sensors, computers, etc.

#2 M-Drive – Ship’s take external damage first and these are the only drives exposed to attacks before a ship takes internals.

#3 Power - The critical path to life support, M-Drive, and J-Drive functionality. A strong argument can be made for putting this first.

#4 J-Drive – A point here is never wasted, since a check is required for every jump. Still, the task is routine, which helps.

#5 Electronics

#6 Electronics

#7 Life Support

 

[Echo]

I still kinda wish they called this skill 'starship engineering' or similar, as there can still be some confusion. In terms of starship operations, it depends a bit upon the starship you operate on, but I'd rank:

1) Power
2) M-Drive
3) J-Drive

...in that order, above the other ones. Electronics can be picked up by the Physical Science skill in most instances, instead.

 

[Jame]

I handle this by going back to the CT/MT version of Engineer, which is to say that Electronics covers itself and Engineer is J-Drive, M-Drive, PP and LS.

 

[atpollard]

It reminds me of EXACTLY the same 'wierd' as the CT Engineer-3 who can rebuild a Maneuver Drive under fire with his bare hands, but cannot repair the broken refresher (that takes "Mechanical" skill).
Five points of Engineering are needed to be 'fair' at the job of Engineer on a Free Trader?



To answer your question more directly, a Military Ship should have multiple 'specialists'. A civilian 'Free Trader' seeking adventure should concentrate on Electronics (Elec-7 in your example). You are 100% correct that 'Electronics' is where the adventure is. The rest will need to live with a skill-0 default since the ship cannot afford 5 engineers.

 

[iaincoleman]

I'd be inclined to put J-Drive a lot higher up the priority list, on the grounds that it's the skill roll that's most likely to get you killed.