[Torg] New Basic Skills

[Benjamin Grant]

Sam, thanks for your response.

Sam wrote:
>>Empathy: I don't have a better name for it, but I wouldn't really call it
Empathy. The ability to read someone is a skill, I'd probably catorgize it
>>under Evidence Analysis or test of wills as your read into another's
mannerisms. I also wouldn't say it cannot be turnned off. Sure the base
skill
>>might show something about someone, but only if that someone is under the
characters skill value.

I have seen this kind of skill called "Folk Ken" before, if that seems
better to you.  It's more about intuition and perception/right brain than it
is about left brained analysis - like catching a "vibe" off of someone.

>>Determination: I don't like it. Faith I could understand as a substitute
for Willpower in certain circumstances, but not another skill in another
>>attribute that does the same thing. If someone of low intellect is very
stubborn, perhaps they have alot of adds in the Willpower skill or lean upon
>>their fiath for those certain sircumstances. This seems like a skill to
get around those non-intellectual types. Bad idean IMHO.

How do you then solve the problem of having characters with high
self-control but low Mind values?  Because of the people I know in real life
who exhibit high levels of what is colloquially called self-control,
willpower, determination, grit, etc - most of them do not have above average
Minds.

Another note: in our current game world of 1.5 years, there is no magic or
miracles, the only powers are superpowers.  So there is no Faith skill
taken.

>>Notice: Change the Find skill to be Notice skill. MMmmm Gee I don't care
if you change it in your game. We have the same problem with Find and
>>Perception from all the years of playing Shatterzone (A next generation
TORG system for one cosm) where you had Mind and Intellect as Attributes,
and
>>Perception was the Find skill. Everytime we swap from SZ to TORG I make
the mistake of asking for Perception totals when they should be Find totals.
>>I'd leave it alone or more confusion will ensue. My opinion.

We do not play Shatterzone - I don't think that will be in our future
either, so no worries on that score.  To my way of thinking, most any time
you roll a total in Torg, there generally ought to be a related skill that
you can purchase to become better at the activity.  You can come up with
exceptions, but I don't think naked Perception checks should be one.  There
should be some trainable skill that improves your ability to take note of
details even when you are not actively searching.  I suppose I could have
simply expanded the Find skill to include it and kept the same name, but I
felt replacing Find with Notice seemed more accurate, naming-wise, since
Find to me implies an active search, and the skill I am in need of is one
for passive note of detail when one isn't necessarily hunting for any.

>>Moveing Art Skills: This is one of those like the Science and Scholar
skills. Dance could be Dex or Charmisa based depending on the type of dance,
>>Storytelling could be more Perception, more Mind, or more Charisma
depnending on Fact, Fiction, or flatterizing. I agree on this. It depends on
what
>>the character is going to do with the skill.Of course as a GM, I find I
must smack my characters for attempting to use the skill in a way that would
>>cover another attribute. E.G. Dance with Dex to charm an NPC. While I
usually take the modpodge skill adds + different attribute + bonus roll like
in
>>that one game that does that, I frown upon it heavily. It does lead to
abuse among those who'd use the Determination Skill to keep their MIND at 7
and
>>their Dex at 13 and Spir at 10. Be careful. Don't be charmed (plays
supporter card).

The biggest worry if one is going to get more complex is to not make certain
attributes much more useful than others.  Right now I believe, with
exception of Spirit, they are fairly well balanced:

Str = Melee Damage and Encumbrance (potentially)
Dex = Physical skills of control, Maneuver
Tou = Damage Soak
Mind = memory and analysis, as well as mental attack/defense, Test
Per = well, perception, noticing things, gut instinct and intuition, Trick
Cha = first impressions, social aptitude and manipulation, Taunt
Spi = lasting impressions, Intimidation - not much else

By the way, this is something else I like about Determination - in our games
we find the utility of Willpower resistance highly important, opening up
another route to get that protection, through Determination and Spirit,
incentivizes people to consider an option apart from Mind.

Also, as far as our game goes, I do not think we will stray from the basic
idea of each skill being based on one and only one attribute.

>>I have a small write-up/review on your Weird Science, but I'm not done
with it just yet.
>>
>>SDF II

Cool, I look forward to it (assuming that you are gentle, grin.) We are very
proud of our implementation of Weird Science.

Thanks.

-Benn Grant
eFix Computer Consulting
benn at 4eFix.com
603.283.6601