Should Starfleet personnel always get a -5 TN (or even -10 TN) when making skill checks on board there ship?
It would make sense because Starfleet vessels are advanced, yet it seems that would make routine checks pretty much automatic.
What do you guys think?
DC
I would be disinclined to have characters make such routine tests as the more dice rolling there is, the more likely you could lose the focus of the players. I highly suggest only requiring tests when they are important to the story even if these tests may have relatively low base TN's (though that may seem pointless).
I agree. Too much routine skill rolling is a bad thing. Generally, the chance of "fumbling" a roll is much higher in a game than would actually be the case for routine rolls. If the GM calls for a lot of rolls, it will increase the number of dramtic failures. THis would lead to an unbeleavle number of deaths due to things like failed piloting rolls or transporter mishaps.
As for modifers for shipboard sensors-I wouldn't apply a -5TN, but simply apply the modifer for sensor rating (+0, +1, +2, etc.). While the ship sensors are very good, they are also being used to extract a lot of information over a great distance. I suspect than in many cases, someone carrying a tricorder might get more detailed information than someone scanning from the ship.
Otherwise, why send down away teams? Make the ship sensors too good, and you rthe players will try to do everything from the bridge.
Not to mention that, IIRC, there are professional abilities that provide a bonus to tests made on your own ship. Such a blanket rule would render those abilities useless.