[Basic] What skills for a long con or ...

[Donny Brook]

What skills would a character need to use to devise and carry out a long con or an undercover operation?

[Polydamas]

Many different skills depending on the nature of the con! I think Acting is the skill for long-term deception, and Fast-Talk is important for covering up mistakes. Savoir-Faire and Diplomacy are also important. Psychology can be valuable for finding a target's weakness. Propaganda lets you target mass audiences with fundraising scams like We Charity ("give us money and we promise we will use it for good / stop the thing we just spent months telling you to be scared of"). Accounting and Finance are important for financial swindles, and Law is important if you want to make sure that your scam is not technically a crime (or when your undercover agent is asked to do something shady). A science, engineering, medical or academic skill is important for scams like Theranos which are based on bafflegab, Soldier can be important for posing as a soldier of fortune who just needs a bit of money to raise a crack team and solve the client's problems.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Off the top of my head, I'd say you're looking at a Boeski, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever...

[whswhs]

Explicitly written up in Pyramid 3.54, where "The Long Con" is one of two social interaction styles for con games (akin to a martial art). The skills are Acting, Body Language, Leadership, and Psychology (Applied). Persuade is treated as a cinematic skill. There are also three techniques.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Off the top of my head, I'd say you're looking at a Boeski, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever...

Excellent, but what skill is the speaker using to know those needs?

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

Excellent, but what skill is the speaker using to know those needs?

Tough call. I'd probably err on the side of giving Danny and Rusty Expert Skill: Con Artistry. :)

(Can sub for any other skill, such as Criminology, Psychology, History, etc, but only for answering abstract questions like, "How many guys running how many separate cons at the same time could pull off a job like this, and which specific cons would they be running?")

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Tough call. I'd probably err on the side of giving Danny and Rusty Expert Skill: Con Artistry.

That doesn't seem to be Rules As Written. Expert skills, by definition, enable you to KNOW things but not to DO things.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Tough call. I'd probably err on the side of giving Danny and Rusty Expert Skill: Con Artistry. :)

This could also conceivably be a Professional Skill, although it wouldn't give you comprehensive or academic knowledge of cons you haven't personally pulled/seen pulled.

ES (Con Artistry) is more appropriate for corporate security types who "advise rather than do." Arguably, it's the same as Criminology optionally-specialized in Con Artistry.

I'll join the chorus to say that the most important initial skill for any con artist is Psychology - to spot potential marks and figure out how to play on their psychological and ethical weak points.

Streetwise would be a handy complementary skill to recognize fellow con artists and to recognize the sort of criminal marks best avoided or handled with utmost caution.

Research skill might be handy to dig up personal information on potential marks or create convincing backstory for the scam or the scammer. Very useful for scams based on "lost treasures" or "hidden knowledge of the ancients."

Criminology skill would be handy to "con the cons," like in The Sting, by figuring out how criminal marks think and are likely to act.

After that, use the usual gamut of Influence skills: Carousing to put the mark at ease, Sex Appeal to manipulate them romantically, and Fast-Talk to tell a convincing tale.

Acting skill is important initially if you're misrepresenting who you are or faking credentials you don't have, after that it's vital for stringing the mark along.

Fortune-Telling might be useful for "cold-reading" marks and making them believe that you have uncanny powers of predicting the future - handy for stock market and rigged gambling scams.

Theology skill is vital for religious-themed scam artists, like cult leaders or dishonest preachers who quote scripture in order to gull the rubes into giving "love offerings" to their "ministry." It's also handy for faking religious devotion when attempting to fool people who believe that anyone who shares their faith is automatically honest and moral.

Public Speaking is also vital for religious frauds, as well as hucksters who deal with mass audiences of suckers, like old-time snake oil salesmen, or modern time-share condo, MLM, or penny stock hustlers.

Ignoring the Pyramid article referenced above, you could treat a long con as a regular Contest of Skill, where multiple success rolls are needed over a period of time to successfully pull off the scam, including the "blow off"/getaway. Play out vital scenes where the scam might go bad.