Icon rules for Training - pleae comment

[IanKevinMcDonald]

Someone in my game wants training skill. So I'm fuding up some rules for it .

I want to use common sense to fudge how far people can go with their training without a trainer, or without a skilled trainer, or without a skilled non-holographic trainer, et cetera.

Let's invent a training skill. It's called "Train" .

Specialisations include Coach, Cram, Intellect skills, Health skills, Psi skills, Lecturing, present research results, et cetera.

There's also Artistic Expression (Presentation), Persuade (With lots of facts), and Command (Military Training), so if you have any levels in those three main skills you can train in some style or other.

PCs are assumed to be self-motivated types who can learn some stuff without a trainer. But if you want, you can take a self-training advantage at +1, +2, or +3. As a rule of thumb, the development point cost (the plus value) adds to the number of levels you can learn before you need a trainer.

How does this sound?

[Paul]

Interesting concept...but, to be perfectly honest, I don't see how you'd work this skill into a game.

The idea of spending XP to improve/add skills and specialisations is to reflect the learning the character has put into the skill - and such learning or training is pretty much all assumed to be done on character down-time (along with sleeping, day-to-day eating, going to the toilet, etc...).

The basic mechanics you've put forward for the "Train" skill looks OK to me, however, so if your player insists on putting 5XP into what is effectively a wasted skills (one which will really have no practical in-game application), then let him...

[IanKevinMcDonald]

Originally posted by Paul
The idea of spending XP to improve/add skills and specialisations is to reflect the learning the character has put into the skill - and such learning or training is pretty much all assumed to be done on character down-time (along with sleeping, day-to-day eating, going to the toilet, etc...).

Yes, but even in downtime the character still needs the skills to do whatever they are doing. And, even in downtime, they also need to have the practical resources to learn the skill. Fairly often, that will include someone with the training skill.

For example, Lyranna Stadi-Quayne is running a research project into the New Lhasa Syndrome, which causes both Psi-powers and insanity. She knows Betazed techniques to control emergent Psi-powers, and wants to teach them to other people. She needs Train (Presence-based skills).

An Andorian wants to learn Klingon fighting styles from his Klingon girlfriend Kath'lar of Duras, before an honour duel with her ex-husband. Unless she has a relevant training skill, she can only take him so far. Although he might try a training holodeck program, he'd prefer to learn from her ... and it makes for better drama.

In either of these, I could decide that a trainer isn't that important anyway ... and I still might. But realistically, you do better if the person training you is any good at it. And your Klingon girlfriend isn't always the best person to tell you how to hold a Bat'legh .

[Liquidator Queeg]

The TNG Players' Guide has details covering this sort of thing with the Instruction skill. The specializations are Critical Thinking, Exocultural, and Teaching.

Just a heads up.

Steve

[Perrryyy]

Thanks for the heads up on that, Steve. I need to re-work my teacher overlays.

[IanKevinMcDonald]

Originally posted by Steven A Cook
The TNG Players' Guide has details covering this sort of thing with the Instruction skill. The specializations are Critical Thinking, Exocultural, and Teaching.

Just a heads up.

Steve

Thanks. I missed it ... I dip into, rather than exhaustively read, that book.

I'm still interested to hear comments on my musings on the need to be trained by someone with Instruction skill.

[Marcus Kavart]

The way we run it is a character can buy a skill to 2 which is considered normal and then they need either training or to experience that to get better!!

[IanKevinMcDonald]

Marcus's sig mentions that he (presumably his PC) was on the USS Vengence?

Is this the same word as "Vengeance", or a proper noun?

If so, isn't that ... not terribly Star Trek?

[reimero]

Originally posted by IanKevinMcDonald
Marcus's sig mentions that he (presumably his PC) was on the USS Vengence?

Is this the same word as "Vengeance", or a proper noun?

If so, isn't that ... not terribly Star Trek?

It's probably misspelled, but IIRC, there was a historical British warship of the same name, thus making it "legal."

As an aside, the ship on DS9 was the "Defiant." That's almost as bad

[IanKevinMcDonald]

Originally posted by reimero


It's probably misspelled, but IIRC, there was a historical British warship of the same name, thus making it "legal."

As an aside, the ship on DS9 was the "Defiant." That's almost as bad

There was probably a historical British warship called "We don't like the Germans", but that wouldn't make it Star Trek.

How is "standing up to someone" almost as bad as "finding the people that hurt you, and hurting them"?

[Phantom]

I don't see a problem with Defiant and Vengence or Revenge as ship names, they all have proud histories (real and fictional).

Look at other ships;
-Enterprise
-Lexington
-Yorktown
-Victory
-Constitution
-Eagle
-Essex
-Exeter
-Hood

Not as emotionally charged as the others I admit, but they are all names of famous ships of WAR, not really a UFP ideal. Why should Defiant, Valiant, Vengence be any different?

I am thinking of running a TOS game on the USS Bismark or Rommel. As the Bard said, "What's in a name..." Whatever you make of it. Let's face it we all like the cool names.

[Paul]

I think we're getting slightly off-topic, now...I'm not sure how analysis of ships names, and their appropriateness is relevant to a discussion on PC training...

[C5]

Just a question, since the topic is about training : how much time spent in training do you require to improve/buy a stat or skill, and how do you modulate it (skill relevant to the character's job, high level of skill, etc) ?

[tonyg]

C5, I typically don't worry about training time, but Would probably assume something like a week or two per XP required. Maybe enve a moth per XP. The month per XP is more realistic, but the shoter times probably work better for a cinematic RPG.