[Question] Making Cordage/Rope

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Rupert

According to the chart on this page, the Ropemaker(s) was senior to the Sailmaker, and both were directly under the boatswain in the Royal Navy.

Thanks for the link.

I somehow missed that one when I was trying to figure out who the petty officer in charge of cordage/rope would be aboard an sailing ship.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Bruno

GURPS has Knot Tying, which is pretty much the same thing. People I think get stuck on the name (as usual), imagining that somehow it covers tying knots in a length of rope attached to nothing, and not the various uses one ties knots for? I blame it on qualifying for a badge in Scouting.

There are very few ways to use cordage without tying a knot in it. Not "zero", but certainly vastly outnumbered by the uses involving a knot.

The knot, while vital, is only a part of the proper use, and the skill (and its defaults - Climbing and Seamanship) implies a fairly narrow use. Rope use would seem to be part of others skills, rather than one of it's own.

[scc]

I'm surprised that no one has pointed this out yet, but the skill that DnD 3.x had for ropes was Use Rope, not Rope Use.

Originally Posted by Bruno

GURPS has Knot Tying, which is pretty much the same thing. People I think get stuck on the name (as usual), imagining that somehow it covers tying knots in a length of rope attached to nothing, and not the various uses one ties knots for? I blame it on qualifying for a badge in Scouting.

There are very few ways to use cordage without tying a knot in it. Not "zero", but certainly vastly outnumbered by the uses involving a knot.

There are very few knots that can be tied without something to tie the rope to.