Changing Departments

[Lancer]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Evan van Eyk:
In the Players Guide is written that you need to have the Commnd School Training to become XO.
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I really like the training packages from the Players Guide, but there is one thing about using them for XOs:
> If applied to someone from the Command Branch (ie. Command Overlay) the Bridge Officer + Command School Training packages lead to something like Command(Starship) 3(4).
> If applied to somebody from another branch you end up with Command(Starship) 1(3) and still have a character qualified to be an XO.

Now that's a big difference in skill levels. Another difference (albeit not as significant) would be in the Starship Tactics skill.
Would Starfleet really allow people with such different qualifications to do more or less the same job? My opinion is that this would depend largely on how important you judge the specializations to be, compared to the main skill. If you only use your Starship specialization of the Command skill most of the time there is not much difference, but if you go by the Command skill as a whole the difference is much more significant.

We are probably gonna do the position change in our game anyway, for the most part because there is no one else available for the job and we don't want to bring in an NPC for the job.

Still, keep the comments up people. I find it very interesting nonetheless.

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"To seek, to strive, to find and not to yield" - Alfred Tennyson

[Evan van Eyk]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Lancer:
I really like the training packages from the Players Guide, but there is one thing about using them for XOs:
> If applied to someone from the Command Branch (ie. Command Overlay) the Bridge Officer + Command School Training packages lead to something like Command(Starship) 3(4).
> If applied to somebody from another branch you end up with Command(Starship) 1(3) and still have a character qualified to be an XO.

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Sorry but you are wrong. To take this school you have to be at least Lt. Cmdr. In the Corebooks you'll see that for Lt. Cmdr. you have to have a primary departmental skill of 3. As you character changes to Command Branch ( which he has to, to take part in Command School ) his primary departmental skill becomes Command ( for an XO ) so he has to have 3 in it already. Then looking on the Spcecializations you get you also come up with Command ( Starship ) 3 ( 4 ) at least.
which would even qualify your character for the rank of Commander. You see ?


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"I am a great one for rushing in where angels fear to tread." - Cpt. Kirk, Star Trek VI


www.farrealms.de

[Lancer]

Evan, your reasoning would only be correct if you apply the training packages from the Player's Guide and the promotion guidelines from the Core Rules. Personaly I have some difficulties following that line of thinking for several reasons:

1) Those promotion guidelines are just that - guidelines and not hard-and-fast rules as your post seems to suggest.

2) If you use both sets of rules for promotions you have the minimum skill levels from the Core Book plus the promotion points/training requirements from the Player's Guide. That seems a bit too much to me, since it places a lot of restrictions on promotions.

3) Do I really have to learn all those primary skills for the department before being allowed a change in branches? I would think that's not the case, mainly for the reason that some primary skills for the new department would be difficult to learn while you are still in your old job. (Learning Theoretical Engineering or Command or Medical Sciences in your free time? That's better taught by on-the-job training after the department change.)

4) Does the primary skill for a command officer really have to be 'Command'? You could fullfill the minimum skill level requirements with Law, Administration and Shipbord Systems skills and still qualify for the Lt.Commander job under the Core Bokk guidelines (p.182).
That would the still qualify me for the Lt.Cmdr. rank in your reasoning and therefore allow me to attend Command School, wouldn't it?

While following this thread I started thinking that Starfleet probably wouldn't require someone who changes branches to Command (or any other branch) to have the same skills as someone who started out in this branch from the beginning. After all Starfleet likes its officers to have some cross-training and experience in multiple fields of work.
If you require somebody who wants a change in departments to do nothing but learn new skills for several months you have one officer who can't do anything else during this time which strikes me as not being overly desirable.
Therefore I would say a request for a department change will probably be granted if the requirements set forth in the Core Book are met and someone is available to give some intensive on-the-job training right after the change in departments.

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"To seek, to strive, to find and not to yield" - Alfred Tennyson

[Evan van Eyk]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Lancer:
Evan, your reasoning would only be correct if you apply the training packages from the Player's Guide and the promotion guidelines from the Core Rules. Personaly I have some difficulties following that line of thinking for several reasons:

2) If you use both sets of rules for promotions you have the minimum skill levels from the Core Book plus the promotion points/training requirements from the Player's Guide. That seems a bit too much to me, since it places a lot of restrictions on promotions.

3) Do I really have to learn all those primary skills for the department before being allowed a change in branches? I would think that's not the case, mainly for the reason that some primary skills for the new department would be difficult to learn while you are still in your old job. (Learning Theoretical Engineering or Command or Medical Sciences in your free time? That's better taught by on-the-job training after the department change.)

4) Does the primary skill for a command officer really have to be 'Command'? You could fullfill the minimum skill level requirements with Law, Administration and Shipbord Systems skills and still qualify for the Lt.Commander job under the Core Bokk guidelines (p.182).
That would the still qualify me for the Lt.Cmdr. rank in your reasoning and therefore allow me to attend Command School, wouldn't it?

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First of all I thought you were combining both systems, cause you spoke of the Command School.

to 2) think you did not understand the idea of the packages. They are no plus, but a way to reach teh according requirements, like in real life. You attend certain courses or trainings and then you have the qualification to command a ship or something like that.It just simulates the military training, i.e. how you get the necessary skills to be promoted or transfered to an according post.

to 3) well I always handle it that way, althought tought on the job is certainly not wrong but most probably stupid for an XO.
" Number One, make an Away Team and free this hostages with Starfleet Tactic 4-Alpha!"
- " 4- What? and how do I do it!" - "Oh, I forgot you are still in training." Hope you see what I mean. The XO has to be fully trained because he is the second man on the ship.
Why should Starfleet rely on XOs who are not trained if it has access to original Command Branch Officers who know the job? As a Captain would you want to have an XO who does not have an idea of commanding a ship or rather one who cane save your ships and crew if your are not available.

to 4) No absolutely not. E.G. a JAG Officer would have Law as Primary Departmental Skill. But an XO certainly has Command as primary departmental skill - because that's what he does most of the time, command a ships or away teams.


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"I am a great one for rushing in where angels fear to tread." - Cpt. Kirk, Star Trek VI


www.farrealms.de