For general discussion of issues Out Of Character.

I still need to do some tweaking for the game mechanics, mostly with regard to the characters skills which I hope we can sort out before the game gets under way.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:26, Wed 13 Oct 2021.

Welcome aboard folks, have a read through the character generation thread and roll some dice, and please ask any questions before we get started :)

Looking forward to the game.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:51, Wed 13 Oct 2021.

Do I work the character up in public or private?

I'm not entirely sure how the skill thing works I'm afraid.

I think we get 3 primary skills (from any of the primary categories), 1 vocational skill, 1 hobby skill, and 1 language though I'm not sure if that's in addition to our native language or IS our native language. No idea how to figure out how many skill points we have or what level the skills are at yet.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Wed 13 Oct 2021.

In reply to Mr. Strauser (msg # 6):

I understand the language, hobby and vocation bit but it's the other bit I was confused by.  Since many of the other skills are called subskills, I wondered whether what we got was for example, classical education, and two subskills or whether the choices was three of four skills or just three subskills.

This is correct, I am adapting the skills from another home brewed game where there were 'classes' for the skills, for this game I am not going to worry about those 'classes' (which is where the sub-skills reference comes from, treat each individual skill or sub-skill as a skill).
With regard to languages , everyone will start with their own native language however if you want to be able to read and write your 'native' language you will need the literacy skill.  So you have the option at the start of the game to be literate or you culd have a second language.  Make sense?

You will be starting with level 1 skills and as you earn X Points you can use those points to spend on new skills or improving existing skills.

You can do this whichever way you are most comfortable with however I have made a change to the ability scores as the previous version as for a much more combat oriented type of game and I realize my description was not very clear.

"Roll 4d100 once for your Ability pair.
Keep rolling until you have at least 2 scores of 50 or more."

So roll your 4d100 and apply the 4 dice rolls to the table to see what your scores are.  This means you will need to have rolled at least 56 or greater.  If you don't get that with your first set of dice rolls, then roll all four again.  Keep going until you get at least 2 dice rolls of 56 or better.  This will ensure your character has at least 2 scores higher than average.

I have tweaked the Skills structure so that characters can essentially be one of 5 'classes'.  There are 4 Professions as well as a Practical class.  Once the game is under way you will be able to learn skills from all classes under the appropriate circumstances.

I have added a new map to the Main Game map, there are 4 double berths below the Captain's quarters.  When you have completed your character sheets you can select a berth.  It would be unseemly in 1809 for unmarried men and women to share a berth.

Sophie will take the sternmost and portmost berth (furthest back and on the left - ship's left, not page's left)

Is there steerage passage? If so, Strauser sleeps in a hammock in the lower deck hold.

Also, suggesting a "class" for gentlefolk - those who make money from their land (or family holdings) rather than a profession; gentlemen and women who never expect to have to work a trade or learn practical skills, spending their days in hobbies, leisure, and social maneuvering.

Q: What's the difference between a level 1 and a level 2 skill?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:02, Thu 14 Oct 2021.

Oh yes, I echo Herr Strausser's question.  I imagine the answer to be level two being two skill points and level one being one (and presumably the professionals are all one level)?

I imagine the Classical Education is as much a 'profession' for gentlefolks as for Lawyers and bankers.  That's how I saw it anyway.

I used the term 'class' as in 'character class' like in D&D i.e. Fighter, Cleric, Thief etc, not Social Class.  It is a grouping of similar skills, so there are 4 'Professions' for want of a better terminology and then all the other skills I grouped as Practical and divided them into Vocations and Hobbies.

So the Upper Class characters have access to the "Classical Education" skills for the nobility etc  Military types get the weapons skills and then We have the Medical Profession and the Scientists.

The Lower Classes have the more 'practical skills'.

Not all of the 'Practical skills' require more than 1 skill level however the ones that do have more levels enable characters to gain a higher chance of success in that skill. e.g. BLACKSMITH: EQUINES only makes horseshoes etc so only 1 level is required.  BLACKSMITH: MAKE TOOLS: Success Rate: 70% + 10%/skill level gains a higher chance of success at second level

So if you have a skill, you get x+10% (or whatever it says) or x+20%  if it's two level?

Additional question:

I'm going practical, which gives me 2 skills at level 2. However, only one of my practical skills actually uses skill levels. Can I put the other level towards one of my other skills?

This is the case with many skills however there are some skills that are calculated based on an attribute e.g.

BAKER: Success Rate: 60% + half INT
Training Time: 3 months

This character is qualified to work as a baker. With a skill of 80 or higher, they could work as a desert chef in a restaurant or hotel.

You cannot put the additional level to a Professional skill as Professional skills cost more.

You can have extra levels of Ability based skills and add 10%/level so you can have Carpenter or Bricklayer level 2 and add 10%

Or you could consider a different skill to take advantage of the extra starting level.

Ah, I didn't know ability-based skills could be improved, good to know. Thanks!

I am still tweaking the skills for this game, trying to use some common sense.  Second level in those kinds of skills would be like being a master tradesmen.

I am modifying rules I developed for a much more combat oriented game set in the civil war era so I have removed a bunch of engineering skills from that game and fleshing out some of the non-combat skills which will be much more useful in this kind of game  There are still a few inconsistencies that I will try to sort out before we launch into the game proper.

I am hoping we can get at least a couple more players to join before we kick off but you guys have been a big help just ironing out some of the details in character generation.

I have added Skill List thread to make looking for skills a bit easier than having to scroll through the entire list of skills and have also added the following modifications to the Start Up for characters.

Military characters automatically start with MELEE WEAPONS Level 1
Natural Sciences characters automatically start with FINDING DIRECTIONS & NAMING Skills
Classical Education characters automatically start with Literacy and Society Level 1 Skills
Medical characters automatically start with ADMINISTERING DRUGS & DIAGNOSIS Skills level 1

Due to the physical demands of living as a commoner in this day and age, all Practical Characters gain an additional 5 points on their Strength or Stamina.

Ooh, does the latest change mean I should add Society and one other (since I already chose literacy?)

In reply to Jane Sophie Swift (msg # 23):

Yes you can make those changes and Mr. Strauser can add +5 to either STR or STA.

We have a third player has joined the game and I expecting we may have one or two more yet to join as well so we probably have a couple of days before we start the game proper.

If anyone has any questions or suggestions, particularly about skills I am still working on those.  I have have added a few new skills and am re-arranging some skills as well, mostly in the Natural Sciences area.  I also had to remove a couple of skills as Railroads are not in public use yet and Photography hasn't been invented yet either, not that either of those skills was going to be of much use for this game :)

This was going to be a question about if there was any difference between Literacy appearing under the Classical Education category and Language category beyond one costing four times as much per level as the other (considering CE Professionals get it automatically), but then got to thinking (yeah dangerous thing).

I'd suggest altering Literacy's description under the language category to-

'A character with this skill can read and write any language they can speak, including Indian languages.  They also have been taught the basics of arithmetic.  Whether schooled formally or at home so they can read the Bible, the three R's are recognized as the basic foundation for many trades and professions though the education of children in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was largely piecemeal because they were needed at home for farm work or other labor.  The referee can require a skill check in cases where the material is complicated or the character doesn't get much practice.'

Then alter the skill category of 'Classical Education' to 'Humanities' changing Literacy under that heading to 'Classical Education' and the skill entry for it-

'Classical Education includes Literacy but represents a more formal education using an approach used since ancient times resurrected in the 12th and 13th centuries.  Classical education is a general survey of the Trivium (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric) and Quadrivium (Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy).  By the early 19th century, classical education also embraced a broad-based study of literature, history, art, and geography.

While classical education generally infers a more Western approach, a character with an Eastern origin would have a classical education founded on their culture's core canon such as the Four Books and Five Classics that are required study for China's Imperial examination.  Or on the study and understanding of the ancient texts the Vedas, or through a Madrasa or Ijazah for those with an Indian or Islamic education background respectively.

Classical education represents the knowledge that every educated person should know from their culture, but in broad strokes.  Other skills that have some crossover with the classical education skill are more specialized knowledge or training.  As such the referee may apply a penalty to a skill check using classical education in some circumstances.'

Other than that I'd change 'Natural Sciences' to just Sciences so that it includes Formal Sciences (like mathematics, calculus, statistics) and Applied Sciences (various Engineering fields and other practical applications/technology).  Chemistry is probably something to add to the category and technically Medicine is an applied science but is a bit of an odd duck considering that iirc you could go straight to medical school (4 year schooling) without an undergrad degree until around the 1920's (and then intern or basically apprentice under a practicing physician).

Anyway, psychiatry for the mentally ill (rather than just custodial care) basically had its start around the mid 18th century.  So some psycho-social aspects may be transferred from Star Frontiers but I'd put it under the Medical category directly and probably use the term 'Alienism' for psycho-pathology and probably move hypnosis over there as well (though Lurgan Sahib in Kipling's "Kim" was probably more a Classical Education profession given the breadth of his knowledge & skill set).

On military, I'd suggest adding an 'Artillery' skill (and geometry, ballistics, mathematics a big part of that as well).  The Royal Navy is the exemplar for the period for naval officer training (starting between the ages of 11 to 13 as midshipmen and sitting for examination and/or boards for promotion) but running a ship up to a fleet is more than just the Sailor skill so I'd go with 'Naval Science' (which would also count as the sailor skill as well as handle the logistics & command of a crew up to a fleet).  And conversely 'Military Science' would be the logistics, command, maneuver of soldiery, and handle military engineering (as it's version of sailor...handling fortification construction, siege work, etc).
This message was last edited by the player at 17:59, Fri 15 Oct 2021.