Touch and Reading Books

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Because the OP is asking for the ability to read books instantly by touch, not the ability to temporarily acquire skills?

Understood, but that was brought up as a possible benefit to the ability (and one whose utility would make it worth more than a Perk). In my own case, I'm not talking about the ability to temporarily acquire skills -- I'm talking about cutting down on the time to acquire them permanently, for which rapid reading speed is very relevant. (I won't speak for David or anyone else, though, as to their own intentions.)

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

I'm talking about cutting down on the time to acquire them permanently, for which rapid reading speed is very relevant.

Modular Ability wouldn't do that, however.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

I'm not sure what you are saying though. One books worth of information still doesn't therefore equate to a full point in a skill.

But there is no reason to stop at one book. (Besides, one books worth of information may very well equate to a full point in a sufficiently narrow skill. A spell, for example. Or Expert: Joyce's Ulysses)

It doesn't matter how fast you can read, it is still only a single book.

How fast you can read does matter when it comes to learning a skill. Since that's the most important game effect of being able to instantly read books, its what the character write-up should concentrate on.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

But there is no reason to stop at one book. (Besides, one books worth of information may very well equate to a full point in a sufficiently narrow skill. A spell, for example. Or Expert: Joyce's Ulysses)

How fast you can read does matter when it comes to learning a skill. Since that's the most important game effect of being able to instantly read books, its what the character write-up should concentrate on.

There are things to be gained from reading a book that do not equate to gaining basic knowledge of a Gurps Skill. Therefore focusing only on a single particular use for reading books is not satisfactory.

In other words, you've taken a left turn on what the OP wanted.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

But there is no reason to stop at one book. (Besides, one books worth of information may very well equate to a full point in a sufficiently narrow skill. A spell, for example. Or Expert: Joyce's Ulysses)

The latter isn't a valid skill, IMO and it's not clear to me that regular GURPS spells (not Book Rituals) can be contained in a single volume. In any case you can't normally learn any skill (even spells or Expert [this book] by simply reading a book, unless that book alone takes 400 hours to read.

How fast you can read does matter when it comes to learning a skill.

Not directly, no. The time use rules don't specify a number of books required to learn a skill, only a period of time.

Since that's the most important game effect of being able to instantly read books, its what the character write-up should concentrate on.

I disagree. The most important game effect of reading a single book is usually acquiring a specific piece of information contained therein.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

The latter isn't a valid skill, IMO and it's not clear to me that regular GURPS spells (not Book Rituals) can be contained in a single volume. In any case you can't normally learn any skill (even spells or Expert [this book] by simply reading a book, unless that book alone takes 400 hours to read.

To memorize. And yes, it's very possible that it would take 400 hours to memorize every word of a book.

Not directly, no. The time use rules don't specify a number of books required to learn a skill, only a period of time.

Uh-hunh. It's a convenient oversimplification, particularly since you can actually learn a skill in under a minute if it's a combat skill.

I disagree. The most important game effect of reading a single book is usually acquiring a specific piece of information contained therein.

I meant important in the sense of "game destroying".

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

To memorize. And yes, it's very possible that it would take 400 hours to memorize every word of a book.

First, the OP never specified the ability to memorize a book by touch only to read one. Secondly, I don't think memorizing a book is a required function of learning a skill in GURPS. If it is most people don't have skills at all, as they haven't memorized entire books.

Uh-hunh. It's a convenient oversimplification, particularly since you can actually learn a skill in under a minute if it's a combat skill.

Isn't that the purpose of the Quick-Learning Under Pressure, and Intensive Training rules?

I meant important in the sense of "game destroying".

I'm not sure were you got the idea that the OP wants a "game destroying" ability. Can you explain?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

To memorize. And yes, it's very possible that it would take 400 hours to memorize every word of a book.

To _memorize_ a book it takes full Photographic Memory. No amount of ordinary study will do.

If you have that though it only takes enough time to read the book. For modern, professionally printed books call it around 1 page per minute, possibly adjusted by Speed-Reading Skill.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

To _memorize_ a book it takes full Photographic Memory. No amount of ordinary study will do.

That's silly. Plenty of people who don't have "Photographic Memory" in any meaningful way have memorized books like the Bible just by reading them again and again. When I was 5 I memorized Green Eggs and Ham and while my memory for the written word is good, it is far from superhuman. It's just that people rarely devote 400 hours of study to a single book.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

That's silly. Plenty of people who don't have "Photographic Memory" in any meaningful way have memorized books like the Bible just by reading them again and again. When I was 5 I memorized Green Eggs and Ham and while my memory for the written word is good, it is far from superhuman. It's just that people rarely devote 400 hours of study to a single book.

Green Eggs and Ham isn't long enough to count as a "book" and the Bible or Koran take more than 400 hours.

The rote repetition that results may not count as memorization the way Photographic Memory provides unless they can recall individual passages at will and out of order.

Memorization of any book is rare and not a normal feat of 400 hours of self-study (and this is going even farther off on a tangent).