Few house rules ...

[Polanski]

Some house rules I found useful:
(Star Trek, CODA)

1) Skill maintenance...

Any character has to pay 1 development point for every non professional skill above 8 or loose the skill to 8.

So if Lieutenant Suvak has a skill of games chess at 10 he has to pay 1 point for 9 and one point for 10 in order to maintain his skill at that level, since that skill is non professional skill for him. This takes place at the time of advancement.

I found this rule useful in limiting super powerful characters that are able to maintain their skill levels regardless of their current service and posting. So, no more Starfleet engineers who are capable of armed combat skill of 12 without practicing...

2) Bonus to skill limit

At any time a bonus to the particular skill from edges, promotions or any other non skill points based bonus cannot exceed an actuall skill in value.

So Lieutenant's Suvak diplomacy skill is 4 he cannot obtain bonuses to that skill based on edges, promotions, profession tiers bigger that additional 4.

Basicly there is only so mach you can do with your knowledge.



I have discussed the above modifications with my players and have succesfully used them in our campaign. Everyone sees the logic in them and considers them fair.

To say that, it was my game, you are welcomed to try them in yours, or simply comment on them

Kind Regards
Daniel

[Balok]

Originally posted by Polanski
1) Skill maintenance...

Any character has to pay 1 development point for every non professional skill above 8 or loose the skill to 8.

So if Lieutenant Suvak has a skill of games chess at 10 he has to pay 1 point for 9 and one point for 10 in order to maintain his skill at that level, since that skill is non professional skill for him. This takes place at the time of advancement.

I found this rule useful in limiting super powerful characters that are able to maintain their skill levels regardless of their current service and posting. So, no more Starfleet engineers who are capable of armed combat skill of 12 without practicing...

I'm not sure I agree with this. It may be that I haven't seen the same kinds of abuse you have. Here's my counterarguments, make of them what you like:

1) I don't like taking something away from a character that he has earned, unless I see a clear balance issue *in my campaign*. The experience of other narrators is a useful guide, of course, but I consider this to be a fairly harsh sanction. Since the player paid for those skill levels with experience, if he chooses not to pay for them over and over again, essentially, I'm taking them away from him.

2) Remember that the character who paid points to get that skill all the way up to 12, sacrificed points he could have spend elsewhere. So, in effect, he *is* practicing -- he's spending all his off duty hours on the holodeck (or wherever) working on that skill. Non-professional skills *already* cost more to raise than professional skills, so the Coda system has a penalty built in.

3) If you think the character isn't spending points on his professional skills often enough, throw a couple of problems at him that require those skills. Few things send a clearer message about emphasis than players failing at tasks in their area of expertise. And the brass notices that sort of thing, too -- you can have the player passed by for a promotion (with kindly explanation from his superior officer, if you feel this necessary), at a point where everyone else is promoted. Note that this works for me because one of MY house rules is that players may not purchase the Promotion and Command edges -- I award those as I see fit.

Originally posted by Polanski

2) Bonus to skill limit

At any time a bonus to the particular skill from edges, promotions or any other non skill points based bonus cannot exceed an actuall skill in value.

So Lieutenant's Suvak diplomacy skill is 4 he cannot obtain bonuses to that skill based on edges, promotions, profession tiers bigger that additional 4.

Basicly there is only so mach you can do with your knowledge.



I have discussed the above modifications with my players and have succesfully used them in our campaign. Everyone sees the logic in them and considers them fair.

To say that, it was my game, you are welcomed to try them in yours, or simply comment on them

Kind Regards
Daniel

I like your second rule. It does seem that without it, the right combination of edges and suchlike could grant the individual a quick effective skill level of four or five with minimal expenditure of points -- although those edges did come at a cost. I may adopt that one.

If you care to, I would like to hear about some specific situations that led you to adopt these rules.

[Polanski]

Well a little bit of defence for point one ...

Take an example of a captain of the starship, wheater it is Picard or Polanski (captain PC I play) ... when you reach a large level of advancements and actually end up with a lot of skills, it feels like you are the best at everything.

* No one can beat your diplomacy (even the diplomatic attache cannot do so for he may not have the amount of advancement equal to yours)

* Of you choose to go on away missions a lot in your tours of duty (and you would have in the past postings) you have develop a lot of skills you actually do not use.

Lets say you are an ex-enginner who has transfered to the command and your engineering skill has been close to 12, now that you are a captain, your duty is different that when you were a chief engineer, you have no time to practice enginnering...

If you are good in unarmed combat (maybe an ex-RRT) you are actually better in it than an average RRT soldier (since such soldier would once again had less advancements)

* Better yet, as you advance your knowledge of engineering can become out of time, since you were an engineer on the constitution class and right now your command covers akira.

* You can only have enough time to attend to a number of your skills and keep it up to date ... and that would most certainy cover your professional skills.

* Even in today's world everyone goes to school in one form or another many times through their lives, to work on the skills associated with their current profession, their professional skills.


I used to be very good at chess, I used to win with my brother 5 out of 5, now I only win sometimes, yet neither me nor him have actually gained any new knowledge in the game itself.

I used to be able to write games in Turbo Pascal, right now I have no real memory of how to actually start a basic program in that language...

Kind Regards
Daniel