Age of Sail: Identifying Skills for a Midshipman

[hal]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

IME, junior officers (and it doesn't get more junior) don't actually do this with any particular proficiency and what they do know is probably reasonably covered by professional skill. Senior officers probably do pick up some Writing (or more often staff with Writing) but that is about the same time they start pickin up Politics.

Perhaps Admin-2?

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

I agree that Guns (Musket) should be replaced with Guns (Pistol) - which per Low-Tech and High-Tech, is the skill to use black powder pistols.

It also looks to me like he's missing Broadsword, Shortsword, Smallsword, or Saber, and while I'm not 100% sure what his melee weapons drill would involve, it's going to include at least one of those (Martial Arts suggests that 1780 is well into the French Smallsword period, for what that's worth). He might have some Brawling or Wrestling, picked up as a street style in melees with other midshipmen, or even Boxing or Judo if he got semi-formal instruction in Bare-Knuckle Boxing or Combat Wrestling.

I don't think Accounting is the appropriate skill. He's not really expected to go over the pay books and reconcile the accounts; he's expected to know roughly what that involves but more importantly, what accounts and what should be in them to supply a ship. That's Administration, not Accounting, and most GURPS books about the military make Administration a primary skill for officers.

In real life swordfighting was coming out of fashion among English speakers. Most of the famous duels at this period were fought with pistols. But there is no reason against him having smallsword appropriate to his age and enough reason for; no one would be surprised at a boy of good family having been taught fencing. Broadsword works for cutlass and the cutlass was in favor for naval war because not only is a good edge often needed when there is more then one opponent and no time to be pretty but in boarding actions something that can cut cordage is often useful.

[jason taylor]

I should think that the Midshipman's berth is rather like high school politics with some modifications. Some of the stereotypical cliques won't be there or will be replaced, it will be smaller and it will be all male(officially*).

That would have it's own kind of Savoire-Faire perhaps.


*An "illegal" might associate herself with the Middies and be ignored by the officers.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by hal

Perhaps Admin-2?

Log entries and the like should probably just use Ship-handling or Sailor at no modifier. Orders, action reports and so on should probably be Writing with maybe Administration as a complimentary skill, but these are the province of very senior officers (many of whom have people to do these things for them anyway).

[jason taylor]

Wouldn't some of the time in boats be spent rowing?

He needs something to reflect enduring the, um, "pragmatic" rations. Especially if he is a high-class boy used to something else.

A perk point or two in Diplomacy if he is expected to handle prisoners. Not all of his negotiations can be done with a belaying pin.

Savoire-faire for attending a vip celebration as a tag-along. But a high class boy probably got that with his mother's milk.

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by hal

He's VERY keen on being able to introduce Flintlock firing mechanisms for the cannons - yet, for the large part of what I've read, most ships armed with those firing mechanisms were equipped at the expense of the captain.

Wikipedia says the English introduced gunlocks in 1745 and that they were widespread by 1805. He may be a little late in his goal.

[Fred Brackin]

Put 1 pt into Carpentry. He doesn't have to be anywhere near the Ship's Master Carpenter in Skill but for iron men living on wooden ships it's just to basic. It'll come up all the time in repairs and jury-rigging.

He probably has to repair his own uniforms and probably will still have to until he reaches Captain and rates a servant. So 1pt in Sewing or split a Dabbler Perk between Sewing and Carpentry (I/2 pt in 3e).

Sword skills could be Broadsword, Shortsword or Saber depending on the details of the "cutlass" in question. I've seen weapons so labeled that went into each category though shortsword is probably most common.

The (usual) RN Officer's sword of c. 1780 is generally within the category of a "cut-and-thrust sword" which is an actual thing and not just something swords do. :) Note that the "C+T" verbiage is mentioned in the Skill text for Saber. Actual sabers don't come into fashion until after 1800.

[Kalzazz]

Savoire Faire (Military) seems probable

[benz72]

For my $0.02

I'd add Boating skill to cover usage of the ship's boats, a distinct skill from shiphandling.

Area Knowledge for his home port is probably in order unless they are conspicuously absent on a very long deployment.

Instead of Sewing, I'd put the point into Housekeeping and let the uniform repairs fall under that. A midshipman will need to keep his berth and watch station clean and also know how to supervise the cleaning duties of his watch team.

Things that don't belong on the template but would be good to have are:
The surefooted (Naval) Perk
Dabbler points from among these lists:
A) Carousing, Games, Musical Instrument, Public Speaking or Singing (getting along in the wardroom)
B) Current Affairs (politics), Heraldry, Philosophy, Psychology (applied), Law or Theology, . (non-technical academic skill expected of an educated man)
C) Freight Handling, Carpentry, , Swimming, Riding (equines) or some other tangentially professional skill likely to be useful in a nautical or military profession.

[hal]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Wikipedia says the English introduced gunlocks in 1745 and that they were widespread by 1805. He may be a little late in his goal.

It isn't that he wants to introduce them to the navy in general, but if/when he gets his own ship, he wants to insure that his ship is one of those with them.

After looking at the order of battle for 1790, that works out to about 40 SOL's (inclusive of the 74's), about 42 frigates, and about 12 unrated ships.

Based on the same wiki that you referenced, it looks as though the gunlocks were hard to adapt to the older guns. Now that is in turn, going to cause me to start looking up the naval gun design information from several books <sigh>

The gunlocks probably cost no more than about maybe 2x the cost of a flintlock pistol at a guess. Same components as a flintlock - adapted for use on a cannon, but with some other design issues not present with ordinary hand held fire arms. 2x should be a sufficient ballpark. Multiplied by the number of cannons involved, and keeping sufficient stock of flints available etc - should be doable. :)

Thanks for the hint to check the wiki...