Steve Jackson Games Forums

Page 3 of 4

Show 80 post(s) from this thread on one page

Steve Jackson Games Forums (https://forums.sjgames.com/index.php)

- GURPS (https://forums.sjgames.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13)

- - Expert Skills (https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=62643)

nanoboy

09-21-2009 10:41 PM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by nerdvana (Post 854491)

Sorry to derail the conversation about philosopies and webcomics, but anyone have anything to add on the topic at hand? :)

It really depends on the setting. People can be experts in all sorts of things. What setting are you running?

nerdvana

09-22-2009 05:31 AM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanoboy (Post 854505)

It really depends on the setting. People can be experts in all sorts of things. What setting are you running?

My setting doesn't matter for this discussion any more than people's settings matter for the perks thread...

I simply would like people to share how they've used expert skill in their games... this way everyone might gain something new. I made the post I did last night trying to bring the thread back to that topic.

Mgellis

09-22-2009 07:02 AM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by nerdvana (Post 854592)

One thing I like about Expert skills is that they are so open-ended. Effectively, along with all the -ology skills, you can do almost any "people, places, and/or things" topic, assuming it is complex enough that you need an Expert skill (as opposed to a Hobby skill, which would be more appropriate for something like an "expert" knowledge of a celebrity).

Expert (Foxhounds), for example, covers the different kinds of hounds, their history, famous bloodlines, what a particular hound might be worth on the market, folklore associated with the foxhound, hunting techniques and traditions, the care and feeding and breeding of hounds, hound behavioral problems, etc.

(Yes, I've been reading those stupid Rita Mae Brown books. They're freakin' addictive...)

Dinadon

09-22-2009 07:52 AM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mgellis (Post 853815)

While we're on the subject, is this a reasonable use of the Expert skill...

Expert (France). Substitutes for specialties of Area Knowledge, Current Affairs, Geography, History, etc. relevant to France (which would include other countries when they were trading with or at war with France, French colonies, great French scientists and inventions, etc.) Appropriate penalties apply for questions about specific regions (e.g., Geography of a particular village fifty miles south of Paris, History of Avignon, etc.)

This seems like a good way to handle the kind of multidisciplinary knowledge that some people have on certain topics, and certainly avoids the problem of which of dozens of possible specialty skills one might get, and it seems like a good match for things like Egyptology. Does it seem fair?

Mark

Compared to Area Knowledge (France), not really. That does all the above but History, and is an Easy skill. History(France) is also a hard skill, so another hard skill that is also broader again makes for a bad comparison.

nanoboy

09-22-2009 11:27 AM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by nerdvana (Post 854592)

It sort of does, but okay... For fantasy settings, you can use some of the Hidden Lore examples as Expert Skills, if they are not really all that secret in the setting. For example, if every educated mage knows about ghosts and stuff, he can have Expert Skill (Spirits.)

Also, if you have Magical Styles in the setting, someone might be an expert about them, too.

nerdvana

09-22-2009 02:21 PM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanoboy (Post 854729)

It sort of does, but okay...

Only if you are assuming I am asking for campaign/setting help. I'm not. I'm asking for people to share the Expert skills they use for their campaigns. Just like how the person who started the perks thread I linked to wasn't asking for help making perks just for their campaign/setting but for everyone's favorite or frequently used perks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanoboy (Post 854729)

For fantasy settings, you can use some of the Hidden Lore examples as Expert Skills, if they are not really all that secret in the setting. For example, if every educated mage knows about ghosts and stuff, he can have Expert Skill (Spirits.)

Also, if you have Magical Styles in the setting, someone might be an expert about them, too.

Those are good ideas too, yes.

simply Nathan

09-22-2009 03:33 PM

Re: Expert Skills

Monsterology - Knowledge of warped creatures such as dire animals, cryptids, and some alien races, but only if they are intended to be used as things to kill in the game. Applies as Physiology, Psychology, Hidden Lore, etc. for such purposes.

Bacontology - Knowledge of cured pork products (despite the name, it applies to ham and some sausages as well). Acts as History, Hidden Lore, Occultism, Connoisseur, etc. for such purposes.

Latranology - Knowledge of coyotes, coyote based anthro- or therio-morph races, and cartoon coyotes. Acts as Biology, Physiology, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, and Theology...but only for coyotes.

capnq

09-22-2009 07:32 PM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth (Post 854465)

Dresden Codak's Dungeons and Discourse.Ah, beaten to it.

Thanks to both of you; I knew someone here would remember where to find it again.

"Bayesian Empirimancer". I would have never remembered the word constructions that the author coined.

David Johnston2

09-23-2009 12:37 PM

Re: Expert Skills

Expert: The Guy I'm Impersonating.

Flyndaran

09-26-2009 01:23 PM

Re: Expert Skills

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Johnston2 (Post 855393)

Expert: The Guy I'm Impersonating.

Expert: The guy that's impersonating me

Might work for a hidden king and the pauper game.

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:59 PM.

Page 3 of 4

Show 80 post(s) from this thread on one page