Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Like we did in practice: Rehearsing bonuses for skills

oneofmanynameless · 04-08-2021, 09:39 PM

It's basically my understanding that for most skills the default assumption of a skill use is unrehearsed. That is to say: for dancing or performance or singing or musical instrument you would roll unpenalized if you're asked out of the blue to give a performance and you do. Most real people, even decent performers, can't reliably bust out performances without preparation. A professional performer might have a 12 skill, but take a lot of time practicing one particular piece in preparation to give a performance. And once they move on to the next performance their ability to deliver on the first performance will fade a bit, or a lot.

That's my understanding of how skills in GURPS compare with real life skill levels. Thus a cheerleader might have a 11 dance skill, but rarely mess up a performance, as a result of having it carefully choreographed and extensively practiced ahead of time. While Itzhak Perlman probably has a much much higher skill, in the 18+ range, because he can bust out recording worthy masterful performances without preparation.

Anyways, in that context, how would you handle rehearsing giving skill bonuses? How much time for a bonus? How big can the bonus get for one particular task? Etc.

04-08-2021, 09:39 PM	#1
oneofmanynameless Join Date: May 2012 Location: New Hampshire, USA	Like we did in practice: Rehearsing bonuses for skills It's basically my understanding that for most skills the default assumption of a skill use is unrehearsed. That is to say: for dancing or performance or singing or musical instrument you would roll unpenalized if you're asked out of the blue to give a performance and you do. Most real people, even decent performers, can't reliably bust out performances without preparation. A professional performer might have a 12 skill, but take a lot of time practicing one particular piece in preparation to give a performance. And once they move on to the next performance their ability to deliver on the first performance will fade a bit, or a lot. That's my understanding of how skills in GURPS compare with real life skill levels. Thus a cheerleader might have a 11 dance skill, but rarely mess up a performance, as a result of having it carefully choreographed and extensively practiced ahead of time. While Itzhak Perlman probably has a much much higher skill, in the 18+ range, because he can bust out recording worthy masterful performances without preparation. Anyways, in that context, how would you handle rehearsing giving skill bonuses? How much time for a bonus? How big can the bonus get for one particular task? Etc.