[Basic] Skill of the week: Administration

[benz72]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

Actually, that brings up an interesting point -- are there other skills that could reasonably give a default Administration roll besides Merchant?

Strategy? I can make an agrument for any reasonable implementation of strategy requiring competent administration.

Politics/Propoganda? Organization of teams for specific goals involves administration.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Kromm

In my current campaign, I've allowed these uses:

I'd also allow it (and many other professional skills) to work as a complementary skill when trying to pass yourself off as such a professional.

The first thing that comes to mind is an episode of MASH in which Hawkeye spouts some military style alphabet soup to pass Radar off as a Corporal-Captain so he can drink in the officers' club.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

The same thought occurred here. And I'm sure some of us are rolling at default. :)

Actually, that brings up an interesting point -- are there other skills that could reasonably give a default Administration roll besides Merchant? For example, as a reporter, I've covered governments at various levels (city, county, school board, legislature) for about 16 years. That's a lot of budgets and procedures negotiated and translated into English. But I think giving myself a point in Administration would be an overly generous assessment of my management abilities!

I see three alternatives in my own case:
1) Make me a Dabbler in Administration.
2) Set my IQ high enough for this to be covered as part of the "general knowledge" IQ default.
3) Allow a default from Professional Skill: Journalist, given the context. (Or maybe from an appropriate Current Affairs skill, instead.)

I'd guess you might have administration. Its a pretty common skill for just about every white collar job. I mean, even though some management goes to school for it, a lot of low level corporate management just comes out of the worker level. Its one of those skills, like computer operation, that is just drilled into our society. No, not everybody in you office at work has it, but it is all over the place.

Of course, there's a difference between good leadership and good management. And some of what we've been calling administration might be better called saviore-faire (office)

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Of course, there's a difference between good leadership and good management. And some of what we've been calling administration might be better called saviore-faire (office)

Likely there is a default between the two for this very reason... and if there isn't there probably should be.

[Kromm]

Many knowledge-oriented skills would benefit from a conditional default like that for Research (p. B217): "At the GM's option, when researching material connected with a 'book-learned' skill [...] you may roll against that skill at -2 instead, if that would be better [...] (but this is not a general default level)." I would say that if you're attempting to hack a bureaucracy pertinent to some field at which you're a learned professional, Administration ought to default to your professional skill at -2. For instance, I'd let a banker roll against Finance-2 for Administration to deal with a fiscal bureaucracy, or a lawyer roll against Law-2 for Administration to deal with a judicial one.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Many knowledge-oriented skills would benefit from a conditional default like that for Research (p. B217): "At the GM's option, when researching material connected with a 'book-learned' skill [...] you may roll against that skill at -2 instead, if that would be better [...] (but this is not a general default level)." I would say that if you're attempting to hack a bureaucracy pertinent to some field at which you're a learned professional, Administration ought to default to your professional skill at -2. For instance, I'd let a banker roll against Finance-2 for Administration to deal with a fiscal bureaucracy, or a lawyer roll against Law-2 for Administration to deal with a judicial one.

That makes excellent sense. Perhaps it should go into 5/e if the day comes for 5/e.

Bill Stoddard

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by whswhs

That makes excellent sense. Perhaps it should go into 5/e if the day comes for 5/e.

I should live so long :\ :)

House rules now are often the RAW of the future. Be an early adopter!

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by whswhs

In my upcoming fantasy campaign, when the PCs recruit sailors for their ship, I plan to offer them an Administration roll as one of the options. Of course, if they go that way, they'll get assigned a crew by the seafarers' guild, rather than getting to pick—probably meaning that I'll roll randomly on the list of possible crew and give them the first half dozen.

However such an assigned crew will have and advantage of already being a working unit.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

However such an assigned crew will have and advantage of already being a working unit.

Well, no, not entirely. The mariners' guild has maybe two hundred members. For a new ship, the crew is going to be made up of members who don't currently have a berth on an established ship and route. They are accustomed to the guild style of working together, but this particular crew may well not have worked together.

Bill Stoddard

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Well, no, not entirely. The mariners' guild has maybe two hundred members. For a new ship, the crew is going to be made up of members who don't currently have a berth on an established ship and route. They are accustomed to the guild style of working together, but this particular crew may well not have worked together.

True but because they all using the same style they know their duties and how they interacted with others, The Guild will also make sure sure you have all the relevant berths are filled with people that have the right skills. So the only variable you need to deal with crew wise on the shakedown crew in interpersonal compatibility.