The "Missing" Skills...What to Do?

[Nathan Brazil]

As I have said in other threads I like doing conversions from one game to another. Cepheus is a great port of the Mongoose SRD and the other sources listed in its OGL statement.

Cepheus did a pretty good condensing the skill list to retard skill bloat. Some Mongoose skills were omitted in Cepehus and I want to put them into my Kit and Kaboodle ruleset. In keeping with the "spirit" of retarding skill bloat where might the following Mongoose SRD skills go, or is it more appropriate to bring it out as its own skill or Cascade?

Art - I thought this might go into Carouse or Social Science or both but it involves the creation of works as well as direct audience entertainments.
Deception - "allows a character to lie fluently, disguise himself, perform sleight of hand and fool onlookers".
Trade - A character with a Trade skill is trained in producing some useful goods or services.

From the Mercenary SRD
Combat Engineering - Thematically this one makes sense but the specialties seem all over the place.
Instruction
Interrogation - Somehow Liaison just does not seem right.
Recruiting
Seafarer (Personal) This skill is for any manpowered craft (canoes, kayaks, rowboats, etc.). Maybe Athetics?
Weapon Engineering - Shouldn't this be like the Trade skill and it specialties.

From High Guard SRD
Engineer (Naval) - This is essentially the CT Naval Architect skill with standard Engineering uses with a -2 DM
I already know how much everone "loves" the Discipline skill so we are not gonna talk about it. :CoW: :rofl:

 

[kilemall]

Just some input from that CT thread I did on mooshing together CT, CT+ and MgT/CE skills relevant to the ones you mention here-

Deception is a big one, and it subsumes Bribery in my schema, in addition to acting misdirection or otherwise lying.

Persuasion took the place of Recruiting.

Interrogation I subsume in the skill Investigation.

Investigation is another powerful skill I use for Law Enforcement, Intel officers, but also business opportunity analysts, scientists, journalists, etc.

I blew off weapon categories or indeed most specializations, and have a per character familiarization mechanism. That means that maybe they aren't going to be able to be full skill in using/repairing whatever, but they get some time with it and they'll be at full skill mods in weeks rather then years.

 

[infojunky]

Just some input from that CT thread I did on mooshing together CT, CT+ and MgT/CE skills relevant to the ones you mention here-

Another vote to go read those threads.

I am tempted to make a Macro list of skills from all the various iterations of the rules, just as central reference.

 

[Ulsyus]

Can I ask when they'll add to the dramatic action during a scenario, or are they mainly there for colour and completeness?

Engineering (Naval) would be pretty handy if the team are stuck doing their own major fittings or repairs at a D-class starport, but it may not be much value outside of the engineering deck. That said, it could be useful in breaching into a vessel...

How much is a ref going to modify the tests and challenges in a scenario for players who acquire niche skills?

 

[LiNeNoiSe]

I already know how much everone "loves" the Discipline skill so we are not gonna talk about it.

No Butterfly Skill?

 

[robject]

Since MGTv1 borrowed some concepts from T5, I would humbly suggest taking a page from Traveller5 to reduce the skill count:

Art
Deception

I suggest that both of these fall under one umbrella skill "The Arts", along with Acting (Impersonation), Artist, Disguise,Writing (Counterfeiting), Cooking, Dancing, Music, and so on.

Combat Engineering

I'd call this Demolitions or Explosives.

Interrogation

Pin interpersonal skills like Bribery, Persuasion, Interrogation, Carousing, and Command on other aspects of the player, instead of making it a skill.

Investigation

Investigation / Forensics / Research can be a useful skill.

 

[Timerover51]

I am tempted to make a Macro list of skills from all the various iterations of the rules, just as central reference.

That would be very helpful, actually. Would you like some help with it? I have a lot of the early books in digital format for copy and paste work.

 

[kilemall]

I'd call this Demolitions or Explosives.

I subsume Demolitions into Combat Engineering, which is a larger skill.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Some of these are pretty good. My ultimate goals is to write a direct conversion guide of MgT SRD and other Traveller OGL /Open Content to Cepheus. My most desired solution to simply substitute one word for another in whatever career table then copy/paste sort in all remainng text.

An example of this is the Social Sciences (Theology) specialty found in Spica Publishing's Career Book 2. Most of that book is Open Content. Because of previous patterns in Cepheus, it seems a slam dunk to change all occurrences the Social Sciences (Theology) and other specialties as simply as Social Sciences. Write the additional specialties in the Cepheus Engine skill and be done.

Another is that Combat Engineering in the SRD has the specific thematic specialities (non Melee/Gun/Gunnery military support functions)
• Fortifications: The character is trained how to build field defences from trenches to bunkers.
• Camouflage: The character is trained to camouflage vehicles, fortifications and field sites.
• Land Mines: The ability to place, search for, and remove land mines.
• Sensor Surveillance: The use and placement of specially crafted ground sensors.
Using this paradigm. it actually may make more sense to subsume Demolition into Combat Engineering. Change all occurrences of Demolition Skill to Combat Engineering, write a definition for Combat Engineering which includes wording from the old Demolition Skill. Maybe Sensor Surveillance goes into Comms as Cepheus had placed all other "using sensors" the Sensors Skill and the Remote Operations Skill into Comms.