1st new Professional Development Package: Farmer

Well I owned the book for less than four days and have already come up with a new Professional Development package! I don't know how good this would be for a player character, but obviously as a NPC resource it is helpful (I hope?).

MERCHENT
Farmer
Like a manufacture you concern your self with producing a product, this time a natural one, crops or livestock. Be it on a Colony or core world, food still has to be produced to feed people and that’s your job while at the same time still attempting to “get ahead”.

Skills: Craft, Animal Handling +3, Business +2, Life Science (Agronomy )+3, Negotiate +2, Planetary Science +3, Repair +2, System Operation (Farm Equipment)+2

Pick 5: +1 to any professional skill

Pick 1 Edge: Everyman, Friendly, Healthy, Resolute, Shrewd

I myself question the Planetary Scinece skill if it make sense, I am tending to think its a bit too high. My thinking reflects that its knowledge related to irrigation, seasons and soil conservation. I am also thinking that a basic Computer use skill should also be present as most farming by now would be just as much monitoring farm equipment and crop readouts as actually working with the stuff.

Since farmers are most likely on colony worlds, instead of well-settled core worlds -- where I would think most of the agriculture would be automated -- planetary science makes sense. I would suggest that a farmer would have a lower planetary sciences (maybe a 1) and an administration 2 (federation), since the farm is mostly likely under official control somewhere down the line.

.. for whatever they're worth.

I'd lower Planetary Sciences to +2 and Repair to +1, and I'd add Computer Use +2. I suspect that very few people in the Federation don't have at least Computer Use +1, and all serious farming, even on colony worlds, is likely to be done with automated equipment controlled by GPS satellites (or the 24th century equivalent). Small farms are on the way out now, because they can't compete. My guess is they'll be gone entirely by the 24th century.

Instead of skills driving such equipment, the 24th century farmer would have a control station in or near his house, and would need to be able to operate it. That's covered by Computer Use and System Operation (Farm Equipment).

I lowered Repair because +1 is enough to handle minor problems. For anything major, there would probably be a vendor rep / service center: I'd guess most 24th century manufacturing is done with replicators. This would be more, rather than less likely in the early history of a colony, where diversification of manufacturing facilities hasn't occurred.

Repairs, then, mostly consist of recycling the bad part back into energy, and replicating a new party. The only thing the repair center needs is the special tools to install the part, which could also be replicated when needed. Add transporters for increased range, and this means one repair facility could serve the entire planet, increasing in size as necessary. This, and the increasing complexity of the equipment, means the 24th century farmer is probably not his own repairman except for then most trivial problems. Hence, lowering that skill.

NO, NO, NO! Don't create packages that limit you to Federation citizens. No specialization pertaining to any particular group or race should be in any package! Besides, Administration is too much! All you'll need is Business...

Negotiate can be specialized to bargaining however...

How about lowering Planetary Science and adding botany to the Life Science specialization?

And don't give a farmer too much Computer Use. +1 is more than enough. Perhaps you could add a specialization here too instead of more levels. The five extra picks can be used to give the character more Computer Use if the player wants to...

Also, what about Knowledge: Specific World? As a farmer you have to know about the different animals and plants and areas fit for agriculture, right? I believe that could be covered with this knowledge skill, although Life and Planetary Science is more than good enough...

The Edges are good!


This would be my version:

Skills: Business +1, Computer Use +1, Craft: Animal Handling +2, Life Science (agronomy, botany) +2, Knowledge: Specific World +1, Negotiate (bargain) +1, Planetary Science +1, Repair +1, System Operation (Farm Equipment) +1

Pick 5: +1 to any professional skill

Pick 1 Edge: Everyman, Friendly, Healthy, Resolute, Shrewd

Quote:

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Originally posted by Almos
NO, NO, NO! Don't create packages that limit you to Federation citizens. No specialization pertaining to any particular group or race should be in any package!

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Wouldn't bother me... If I saw a Farmer package that had a Federatoin specific specialisation and I was trying to create a Talaxian... I would simply change the name...

However, I feel that some packages will reqiure species specific altered versions, as I feel sure that we will see if any Species Specific product (such as the forth-coming Klingon book)...

For example, a Federation council member might use a Diplomatic or Political template, but I feel certain that this template would be VERY different from its Romulan counterparts, where spies and lies are a way of life...

All good suggestions and I am now incorporating some of them into the final version. I don't know if I will add a new knowledge specific world, afterall this should be covered by the species skills as I would imagine most farmers farm on the world were they where born on or could be gained in the colony/frontier personal development package. The addition of botony makes sense at first but agronomy really covers what a farmer will need, originally I had biology but decided against it as being to specific the same goes for botony, of course these would be highly suggested add ons for the 5 picks. The same goes for administration, the idea of collective government run farms runs a cold breath up my spine if anything the idea of the independant yeomen farmer meets perfect with the Federation ideal of Jeffersonian democracy. But I could see some Federation run farm aid programs so I might add a +1 politics just to show the knowledge of working within the system.

Would there be a modified or New Version for "Hunter / Trapper"? A Hirogen Hunter character may not fit any of the current Professional Development Packages. On the same line, this could be further modified into a "Bounty Hunter"? Could we recruit your talents and understanding to design these packages? :cool:

Farmer (Revised)
Like a manufacture you concern your self with producing a product, this time a natural one, crops or livestock. Be it on a Colony or core world, food still has to be produced to feed people and that’s your job while still attempting to “get ahead”.

Skills: Business +2, Computer Use +1, Craft, Animal Handling (Choose Animal) +3, Knowledge, Politics +1, Negotiate (Bargain) +2, Science, Life Science (Agronomy )+3, Science, Planetary Science (Hydrology)+1, Repair +1, System Operation (Farm Equipment)+1

Pick 5: +1 to any professional skill

Pick 1 Edge: Everyman, Friendly, Healthy, Resolute, Shrewd

Okay, I found this thread here, concerning the profession of farming. Question: what skill/skil group would you assign the skill of breeding/raising livestock?

Would it be a function of Life Science (zoology), or something else?

Bump. Anyone feel like providing a guess?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sea Tyger

Bump. Anyone feel like providing a guess?

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Guess,
I think Life Sciences is the right skill, although I'd say Animal Husbandry might be a better specialty. (replace "animal" with another term for something more exotic).

Now you got me thinking of some sort of beekeepers who raise half meter long alien bees and market the honey.

A Life Science specialization sounds right for the technical aspects of raising livestock -- knowing good animals and their genetic traits, cross-species breeding, proper feeding and diet, how to care for them, and so forth. Knowledge could be another applicable skill group if you wanted to have a broader, less technical "Animal Lore" type skill with specializations like Husbandry, Hunting, and such. For the professional end of livestock, running a farm for example, I'd probably use Enterprise: Business (and create a specialty like Farming maybe?).