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Old 03-29-2014, 09:21 AM   #7
Jetman123
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Default Re: DJ's Gaming Blog

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gollum View Post
But for some others, this is very strange. Why does a scientist who takes Physics know all topics of this very wide science while an archaeologist will have to learn different skills for History? And why is a man who knows Saber so clumsy when using a cavalry saber (which requires the Broadsword skill)?

This sound strange, very strange, and eventually gives a very huge skill list which is not at all intuitive.
As a brief aside here, the reason is is that the fencing saber used with the Saber skill really is unrelated to all other weaponry, even its predecessor. Heavy cavalry sabers are basically just a Broadsword with a curve, so they use Broadsword. However, Kromm and others (as I recall) have stated that the inclusion of the Saber as a fencing weapon with its own special skill was a mistake and an anachronism - any such 'Saber' should be used like a curved rapier, with the Rapier skill. I'll find you the post if you really need it.

Aside from that though, I think you summed up the issue perfectly. I love how GURPS lets you represent anything under the sun and all, but I think a lot of the skill list was grandfathered in from 3rd Edition and they didn't consider which skills could be merged or rolled together. While I disagree with a few of Erhnam's proposed changes, (for instance, I like the diversity of having different classes of melee weapons with their own skills, with some exceptions like Polearm and Two-Handed Axe/Mace which I think have poor distinctions between each other) I think he has a very sensible method of rolling things like Falconry into Animal Husbandry.

I myself had a hard time learning all of the skills in GURPS purely because sometimes the leaps in logic required don't make any sense. I still don't fully understand how the writers intended me to use skills like Soldier, Leadership or Observation - I have my own definitions of those skills for use in my games, but it would be really nice if they were named more clearly or rolled into skills that explain them better.
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