[House Rules] Crakkerjakk's Reduced Skill List

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by warmachine

I commend this kind of thinking but I think skill granularity is part of the GURPS gameplay philosophy. For example, a police procedural will have a number of investigators who have different methods of investigation, some scientific forensics, some mundane clue analysis, some face-to-face interviewing, some database research, some following the suspects etc. The Investigate skill stomps on too much of this difference whereas the natural science skills aren't that important. However, Investigate would be fine in, say, a space exploration where an investigator is just one of a broader team but the natural sciences are more commonly used. That is granularity and redundancy depends on the campaign.

To get differentiation, you could let component skills be bought up as techniques, or if that's too cheap, use the buying skill up from default rules.

e.g. A PC buys Natural Sciences up to skill 18, then spends 4 more points to get Physics at 19.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

To get differentiation, you could let component skills be bought up as techniques, or if that's too cheap, use the buying skill up from default rules.

e.g. A PC buys Natural Sciences up to skill 18, then spends 4 more points to get Physics at 19.

The problem there is that buying Natural Sciences up to 19 would also cost only 4 points. Physics would have to be a technique for there to be any incentive to specialize.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

The problem there is that buying Natural Sciences up to 19 would also cost only 4 points. Physics would have to be a technique for there to be any incentive to specialize.

Oops, good catch. I think I was trying to avoid a point crock if the game was using mixed regular skills and Crakker-skills. If you compare a guy with Natural Sciences 18 and another guy with Physics only at 18, why would it cost only 1 point for the generalist to go to Physics 19, but the specialist needs 4 pts?

Other skill comments-

Herb Lore Skill eliminated. This is jusst a different name for Pharmacy(Herbal)/TL1-4

Based on the skill name, maybe, but the skill description makes it am alternative to Alchemy, so it would be an alternative specialisation for Alchemy instead of Pharmacy.

Esoteric Medicine Skill eliminated. This is just a different name for Physician/TL1-4

Like others, I disagree here, especially in cinematic wuxia games.

Group Performance One example of a professional skill

Should be a technique of Performance.

Persuade (IQ/VH) contains Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Interrogation, Intimidation, Savior-Faire, Sex Appeal, and Streetwise

I don't consider Streetwise so much as a social skill (although it looks like the skill description is against me) but as more of a knowledge skill, substituting for Area Knowledge ("this is 5T Triad territory"), Criminology ("they cut the tongue out, that's the Columbians"), Law ("you know cops don't need a warrant for that"), Pharmacy (knowing how to cut a batch of dope properly) or anything else that a criminal would generally know.

And to muddy the waters, Parachuting would best be done with Aerobatics.