03-23-2014, 09:12 AM | #11 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
That would be Professional Skill (Fire Fighting) for actual firemen, I think. The Expert Skill would be for scientists who study fires and their effect on buildings - which is a real, if small, field.
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03-23-2014, 01:46 PM | #12 | |
Banned
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Europe
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
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But would the Expert Skill be useful for arson investigations? And would the Professional Skill be likely to be useful during a GURPS Action campaign? |
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03-23-2014, 02:58 PM | #13 | ||
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
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03-23-2014, 06:07 PM | #14 | |
Banned
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Europe
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
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Nevertheless, I do find the Background Lens concept fascinating, both on its own (although there really is no good way to squeeze it into my homebrew RPG system) and as a flavourful component of GURPS Action. In itself, a Lenses-upon-Lenses thing is also an interesting thought exercise, although unlike GURPS Action's simpler approach, there's a very real risk of ending up with a low-usefulness character. |
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03-23-2014, 06:13 PM | #15 | |
Banned
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Europe
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
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It's just a question of making sure that it is in fact attractive to playes. That there is a high likelihood that players choosing that Lens, instead of one of those from the core PDF, will end up being happy with their choice, rather than feeling that they have wasted most of their 20 CP. If there is a mandatory skill in the Blue Collar Worker Lens, I think it should be 2 CP Scrounging. Either that, or some kind of mechanic, possibly as much as 2 CP each in three or four different mechanics-related skills (or just 8 in one and then you rely on defaults for related ones). But then again, spending 6 or 8 CP that way shapes the Lens too much, relative to its initial concept, so I think Scrounging 2 CP is the way to go, everything else being optional. For that matter, Brawling 2/4/8 CP should be in the Lens too. It fits the lower class rabble concept, with some specimens being brawlers or otherwise troublemakers. Wrestling too. Even though the Lens isn't Former Fire Fighter, fire fighters are quite popular, at least here in Denmark. Popular with the girls, but also generally well regarded, so that could be an option in the Social section of the Lens. Would that be 1 level of Social Regard? And is Social Regard even appropriate for GURPS Action? |
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03-29-2014, 06:10 AM | #16 | |
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
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Oh, and one other skill that probably should be an option: Sewing/TL. The garment industry isn't as big as it used to be, but it's still fairly important, and it could be a useful cover if you follow the traditions of the secret entrance to headquarters being located in back of a tailor shop, or hiding the villains among the factories and warehouses of the garment district.
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-- MA Lloyd |
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03-30-2014, 12:07 AM | #17 | |
Banned
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Europe
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
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I think it's better to leave it as optional and then make Scrounging mandatory, representing the deep experience of a blue collar-worker at re-purposing scrap and getting things done on a tight budget. Players can still pick Mechanic if they like, choosing a specialization, or even two or three different ones, but they don't have to, if they're more into Demolitions and so forth. Good point about Sewing, and I actually think that 2 CP in Sewing can be useful in a GURPS Action campaign, if the PC party needs to modify or make clothes in a hurry, or on a budget, or both. Also, I don't think GURPS Action is - or should be - too strongly tied to the present day. Clearly some of the core PDF Templates require some modification for an 80s or 60s campaign, and more for a WWII or pulp or Victorian era campaign, but leaving out Sewing just because it's not as big as it used to be... Well, GURPS Action PCs can also come from 3rd world countries, being recent immigrants, or perhaps the campaign takes place there. |
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03-30-2014, 06:09 AM | #18 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
I presume you do have Machinist as an option? That's a neglected skill, since it implicitly covers using just about all TL5+ machine tools, and that's a huge part of skilled industrial employment at those TLs.
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03-30-2014, 12:21 PM | #19 |
Banned
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Europe
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Re: [Action] Other background Lenses?
Yup, I was very sure to include that in my original list, up above.
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