Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => General Discussion => Topic started by: savaze on <03-17-11/0800:03>
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I'm just wondering if people felt that there were mandatory skills every player needed...
My thoughts so far:
Social skills:
How could someone get past the age of two without developing some Con? Maybe they were raised by wolves?!
How could someone get through their teen years without Negotiation, Intimidation, and/or Etiquette? Maybe they were isolated and home schooled?!
Combat skills:
How could any male grow up without Unarmed Combat? I've never met a man that didn't get in a fight at least once in their life, usually during puberty, darn that testosterone.
Physical skills:
How could a child not have gained some of, if not all, the Athletics Group (at least coastal dwellers are extremely likely to know how to swim)? Were they cloned or jacked into the matrix their whole childhood?!
Technical skills:
I don't know a kid that hasn't over abundantly colored/drawn as much as they can, and most kids sing too much, though it's not always great listening unless you're an ork. Would that qualify as Artisan?
For the future being so technically immersed wouldn't kids know a good deal about some aspects, probably all, of the Electronics skill group? I know a 2 and a 4 year old that know more about computers and navigating them than my parents.
Well those are my late night meanderings... Maybe some of these thoughts involved developmental growth, but others would surely constitute skills.
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Different worlds, different lives. Sure, there are child militia in some regions, but it's not the standard as I know it.
If the kids you know learned how to pull a con, focus on drawing skills and master basic unarmed techniques ... well, not all do. :D
I'd put kid level skill grades down to defaulting with attributes. Sure, some can do some things at a slightly higher mediocre level, but average kids aren't displaying anything approaching professional level skills in defaultable skills - and won't need non-defaultable skills at that age.
Computer, Etiquette, Dodge / Gymnastics, Perception, Pilot: [Groundcraft] and assorted combat skills are what I'd pick for universally useful shadowrunning skills, with other skills becoming more or less useful depending on how you run for a crust.
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I like the idea behind everyman skills, but I think most of them are simply defaults on regular attributes. growing up many kids fought but only a few fought with skill the rest just flailed there fists about and hoped to hit something. Or at least that was my perception of the events. I also knew kids that didn't know how to fight at all but with a two minute instruction they could throw a simple punch and dodge a bit. this however would not be unarmed combat 1, it would be finally being able to use it untrained. teh things every kid picks up growing up is mainly the ability to use most of the skills in the game untrained, i.e. it allows them to default.
If you kept someone in isolation with no ability to do anything but sit in silence and perhaps walk around, they would not be able to use unarmed combat untrained, they could not default. They wouldn't have any clue or concept about what a punch was or how to even basically defend themselves. the things we pick up as we grow up allow us to default. I now plenty of people who don't know how to drive, and many adults without drivers licenses. I live in NYC, most people take public transportation, not drive themselves. Before that I lived in Illinois where that would have been unheard of but allot of people did not know how to swim. who knows what the future of shadowrun is like on these regards. In a Plex I would actually expect less people to know how to drive even at the default level. most people would just tae public transportation or use the autoguide on their car and connect it to the grid to get from point a to point b.
just my 2 cents,
Red
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I don't consider being able to lie a Con skill, nor is not screaming obscenities at the Queen an Etiquette skill. Con is knowing the ins and out of how people think to fool them into making the decision you want and believing that decision was their own; like this. (http://"http://www.cracked.com/article_19071_6-real-world-jedi-mind-tricks-salesmen-are-using-you.html") Knowing not to act like a jerk in a biker bar isn't Etiquette, but being able to identify social structure and quantify what the groupings of individuals in a confined space means about their hierarchy is.
Subsequently, having gotten in a fight in high school doesn't give you a 1 in Unarmed combat. Watch an average policeman take down a guy twice his size in less than a second and you'll understand how much Unarmed combat the average person doesn't have.
There is also a difference in knowing how to swim and knowing how to swim properly. Most kids can draw, but they cannot draw on a professional level. Most of them don't even know the basic of contrast on a color wheel.
As far as computers, I'm using a computer right now, but I have no clue how it works. If my computer breaks down, all I can do is turn it off and on again and make sure it's plugged in.
A skill of 1 represents the lowest level of professional training, not the lowest level of competency. Someone with a Con of 1 has had training or professional experience in how to con someone, but they aren't good enough to be a professional at it yet. Think of it like an apprenticeship.
Most basic competency is a default skill.
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nor is not screaming obscenities at the Queen an Etiquette skill.
A) Quite funny, made me smile. :)
B) What is 'basic etiquette' to some folks varies widely, I have these nephews... :P
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All those "How could" question are easily answered by the fact that people have those skills. At 0. 0 means the average skill of an everyday person in this or that field. It takes negative qualities to not have those skills!
And on another note I would say I did grow up without ever getting into a full-out physical fights. Friendly blows among friends is another thing, of course, heh.
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All those "How could" question are easily answered by the fact that people have those skills. At 0. 0 means the average skill of an everyday person in this or that field. It takes negative qualities to not have those skills!
Exactly. The defaulting rules exist for a reason. Yes, lots of people can float and flail their arms for guidance -- but how many trained swimmers are there, compared to people that just splash around in the water when it's hot outside? Yes, lots of red-blooded young men get into a fistfight, but how many of them actually know what they're doing instead of just relying on being a little stronger/tougher/faster/madder than the other guy?
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I understand that everyone is going to have a different childhood with different skill sets involved, but I'm just trying to think it through based on knowing kids. I just looked at the rating chart and it still seems that 'normal' kids (very interpretive) pick up certain skill sets.
Rating 0 Untrained
The general baseline of knowledge shared by society. This is not incompetence; it is the standard level of untrained knowledge held by any Joe Average
Athletics Example: Has played catch with friends in the backyard.
Firearms Example: Point the barrel, pull the trigger.
Technical Example: Can send an email, browse a Matrix site, or store data on a commlink.
Social Example: The typical man on the street.
Vehicle Example: Basic operator’s license. Can get from here to there, but can’t handle driving in adverse conditions.
Knowledge Skill Example (Academic): High school student. Screamsheet-level of knowledge.
Knowledge Skill Example (Street): Never visited Seattle before, but can find it on a map.
Rating 1 Beginner
Has done this a few times. Can handle some easy tasks, some of the time.
Athletics Example: Little League/Pop Warner skill.
Firearms Example: Shot some tin cans with a BB gun a few times.
Technical Example: Hobbyist.
Vehicle Example: Weekend off-roader. Seasoned driver with low insurance premiums.
Knowledge Skill Example (Academic): High school graduate.
Knowledge Skill Example (Street): Visited Seattle on a few trips.
Rating 2 Novice
Has a solid grasp of the fundamentals, but shaky on more complex yet still routine procedures.
Athletics Example: High school athlete.
Vehicle Example: Air Force Academy cadet, go-gang initiate.
Knowledge Skill Example (Street): Moved to Seattle one or two years ago.
Maybe this completely falls under the 20 questions of who you are and why... I know most of the people I played with didn't flesh out their characters too far beyond what was on the sheet. Usually a quick paragraph explaining who they are, but it always makes me wonder...
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Sometimes I think there are skills that don't default that are listed as they can, like swimming. I was a life guard growing up, played water polo through college, and when I went into the Army I went through the 'helicopter dunker' course (combo of basic swimming, basic SKUBA, basic survival equipment use, & how to egress a helicopter that has crashed in a large body of water).
Every single person I've ever encountered that didn't have some formal training weren't comfortable and struggled in water they couldn't easily stand in. Dog paddling isn't a natural instinct in humans even if it's very rudimentary. When I did life guard training one of the things we had to do was learn how to fight underwater (wrestling mostly and how to knock someone out to save their life) and I've used those skills many a times while try to save someone who was, or could have been at risk for drowning. When people go under panic kicks in with adrenaline and shock and I've seen guys almost drown their spouses, and vice versa, to try to stay afloat.
Assuming that people have a '0' level in swimming is a mighty leap in most of the US, let alone the world. Maybe I just threw in an easy negative quality...
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Mandatory skills for ALL my characters:
Dodge
Perception
1 physical combat skill (that's minimum, but it might be low dice. Some characters get more skills and more dice.)
First Aid (stat varies depending on the character)
Other than that, everything else depends on the character type, history and background. Dodge, though, is my # 1 requirement and I just don't understand people who don't take that skill.
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Infiltration
1 ranged combat skill
1 close combat skill
Etiquette (which is an ackward looking word)
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You mean awkward?
If my computer breaks down, all I can do is turn it off and on again and make sure it's plugged in.
I'm surprised this is the only other mention of Computer skill. Given the general horror stories of tech support and observing my own family's interactions with technology, I'd put that level of skill above defaulting.
We bought an emergency services comm unit for that other gm acronym (my grandmother) and recently had a blackout. For three hours this machine verbally told everyone in the house that it had no external power source. After two hours, there were discussions starting - to either throw it outside or otherwise physically disable the irritating voice permanently.
It was obvious to everyone that this engine of distraction would talk on it's own battery until power was restored, and I assumed someone would have thought to look at the machine itself to stop this. Before ordering a new unit, I decided to wipe the layer of dust off the LCD screen - finding a handy little message that said, "Please press OK".
My family didn't physically express their technophobia that day.
This was three adults that otherwise have no issues with computer access for email and internet - provided nothing goes wrong and everything is laid out for them sequentially. Foiled by an LCD screen message while listening to a voice recording that didn't tell them what to do.
Not sure I'd want to be in that position when my life is on the line.
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Consider how defaulting on computers would work in different eras.
- 2070: Sue gets up in the morning. Her house commlink detects her increase in activity, and accesses her Matrix feeds. Holographic projectors in her vicinity show her the latest news headlines, lets her know her P2.0 score has dropped by 3.8, and that she has four messages, with an invitingly large button that says "Press here to view your mail". She reaches out, taps the button, and her e-mail pops up.
- 2040: Sue gets up in the morning. Her newsfax has a blinking red light; she's too bleary without her morning soykaf to think about pressing the button. She turns on her desktop computer, then accidentally deletes the icon for her e-mail reader.
- 2010: Sue gets up in the morning. She turns on her computer, then gets up to go make coffee while it starts up. She forgets which command she needs to type in to read her e-mail (remember, this is SR 2010).
- 1980: Sue gets up in the morning. She turns on her computer, to be greeted by nothing but "C:>". Vaguely remembering that "dir" means something, she tries that. She decides to see what "command.com" does; when nothing happens, she decides it's useless and deletes it.
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In 2060s, you control your computer by thinking about things.
It's pretty hard to make that anything but intuitive.
It's not like you're using a Microdeck operating system here...
As to swimming, hell yeah, dudes should be drowning left and right. Heavy gear/armor, dense bodies, and never seeing a swimming pool or a body of water that wasn't full of poison or mega-sharks, does not make for people who mix well with water.
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It's not like you're using a Microdeck operating system here...
Actually, you might (http://fromtheshadowsrpg.blogspot.com/2008/06/microdeck-returns-to-operating-system.html).
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@sid
@LonePaladin
My parents aren't too hot on tech know how and my in-laws are even worse. They just "turned on the email so we can send them letters to their new address instead of to the house." Very basic computer instruction is met with glazed over eyes and answers of "I'll have the nieces do it when they come by."
I'm glad I gave up IT work back in the 90's!!! It's Unfortunate that I still have to deal with tech support and by the time I've convinced them that I know what I'm talking about they can't help me any more and it's time to do it all over again with the next tier (there should be code words to bypass the bottom of the totem pole techs)...
Other skills I don't think should be able to default: (I understand that a zero is "The general baseline of knowledge shared by society. This is not incompetence; it is the standard level of untrained knowledge held by any Joe Average." I think there's a larger divide on unrated skills that require training than what's represented)
Diving - I've seen first-hand whats happens to someone without training attempt SCUBA and have to be pulled out, it's counter intuitive - high elevation diving kills the untrained period (anything over 3 meters can cause hearing loss and it just gets worse the higher you go).
Navigation - I've got a bit of experience with maps and someone who doesn't have training will get lost unless they're sporting GPS with a programmable map.
Survival - Boy scout? survival enthusiast?
Tracking - Nature enthusiast?
Armorer - All other repair skills aren't defaultable...
Demolitions - Um really? I guess if they had a 2070 version of The Anarchist Handbook, that really worked, and wanted to face their mortality.
Locksmith - If defaulting involves using big tools sure, but aren't you suppose to get through it without destroying it? I don't think that involves locksmithing anymore.
Parachuting - Maybe if their AR had a program that showed where and when to pull what under normal conditions (recreational jump) - anyone could do a static line jump, but landing...
First Aid - If it's more than band-aids and ointment I think you're just doing more harm.
I guess you could attempt any skill, but plan on a FUBAR situation.
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I agree with you on Locksmith, Armorer and Demolitions, but the rest seems just fine to me. After all, defaultable doesn't mean one is guaranteed to succeed in it. Untrained people can survive in the wilds for some days if they really, really have luck (i.e. if the dice roll the right way ;) ), but the chances aren't all that good, of course. And that is exactly what defaulting represents. Same with the other skills. First Aid is a borderline case - it does need schooling, but as with driving it is simply assumed everybody has it. Otherwise driving shouldn't be defaultable, either (hell, I don't have a driving license for example. People like me exist IRL ;) ).
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Remember, 1 hit doesn't always mean success. The point of a default skill isn't that a person without professional training can succeed at a given task. It's that they can try. If you can't default on a skill, you can't even try to do it.
To use some of the skills mentioned as examples:
I don't know anything about SCUBA, but I could try. And fail, and hope someone like savaze is around to pull my idiot ass out of the water before I croak. If I can't default, I can't even physically enter the water wearing SCUBA gear, by definition.
Same for demolitions, if I default on it, I'm trying (without really knowing what I'm doing) to set up an explosive. If I don't have AR assistance (+1 to +3 bonus, depending on the GM and the level of assistance), perhaps some help over my commlink from the team demo specialist (teamwork bonus, +his hits to my roll), I'm looking at a ridiculously small DP (Logic -1). I'm more likely to critically glitch than to get the hits necessary to successfully stage my explosive.
If I'm not a mage with training in spellcasting, on the other hand, it doesn't matter how much I flail my arms and chant ominously. No spell will be forthcoming. And that's what it means to not be able to default. You cannot try to do it.
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I'll relent on Navigation, Survival, Tracking, Parachuting, and First Aid. Those are skills you could potentially blunder your way through.
As a semi related note... I knew an extreme sports enthusiast who studied everything he could find about sky diving, even the lingo. He managed to convince a jump school to let him go up. He told them he had forgotten his license and he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, so they let him go up. When they thought to card check him he already had over a 100 jumps under his belt, which was a lot more than anyone else at the school... So they offered him a job and actually got him licensed before the FAA got involved.
The other skills I just think there is too much of a technical component and there's not enough cultural immersion to where people are exposed enough to it to default like they would with computer skills, referring to 2070.
@Chaemera
In my current state the best I could do is verbal instruction on swimming, aviation, or weapons related things. If I was in the water I would hope that my medicine related weight would help me float until someone could pull me out. I need help getting to and from Dr's appointments now so you'd be screwed if you were in a situation where you needed saving.
If I'm not a mage with training in spellcasting, on the other hand, it doesn't matter how much I flail my arms and chant ominously. No spell will be forthcoming. And that's what it means to not be able to default. You cannot try to do it.
Is that what those costume toting guys that are wandering alleys around hobbie shops doing... practicing their sorcery skills?! Oh you mean in SR...
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Is that what those costume toting guys that are wandering alleys around hobbie shops doing... practicing their sorcery skills?! Oh you mean in SR...
Hare Krishnas? Devotees of The Fun Church?
Consider how defaulting on computers would work in different eras.
Consider how being faced with an unknown variable works in a stressful situation. :)
Renaissance (the movie) is another example. (though if you haven't seen it and want to, you might not want to read this) There's a scene with a woman accessing a retinal scanner for a secure area, when two employees start walking towards her down the corridor and she starts panicking quietly. The scanner takes a good 20 seconds, half of which is because she breaks eye contact with the device to look at them, and she almost freaks out when go past and it still hasn't opened yet.
It's a biometric reader for SR, but I'd put it under basic computer use for having a ballpark figure on read times and knowing not to break contact halfway through retinal scanning.
I'm just wondering if people felt that there were mandatory skills every player needed...
Returning to this divorced from actual skill names, this is what I'd expect a shadowrunner to be mostly capable of doing under normal or emergency circumstances. (even if not necessarily good at all of it)
Shooting whatever ranged weapon you have, knowing when / how to make yourself a harder target, not being entirely useless without a gun, ability to spot odd details / ambushes / other situations, not flustered when a computer provides a message or situation you've never had explained to you in layman's terms, able to drive Miss Daisy, a modicum of stealth and some basic etiquette are what I'd choose - not necessarily in that order.
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The top of my Mandatory List is Perception. It's quite likely the most-used skill in the entire game, and no one is ever 100% exempt from having to roll it. Most of the other skills require some sort of conscious effort to use, but Perception is one of those that takes its own initiative. No runner should go without it, even if they only have 1 rank. Any player who neglects it at creation will likely find that it's the very first thing they buy with Karma, as long as they've managed to survive to that point.
Regarding Dodge: If you've made your character tougher than shoe leather (high Body stat, High Pain Tolerance, tricked-out armor, and more), you can probably get away with leaving Dodge alone for a while. If you've rigged yourself so that you can ignore most small-arms fire -- barring lucky shots, of course -- then you've probably also geared yourself to dish out lots of punishment in return.
Even in this case, Dodge falls into the "can't hurt to tap into" category, for those times someone levels a rocket launcher or assault cannon your way.
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@sid
@LonePaladin
My parents aren't too hot on tech know how and my in-laws are even worse. They just "turned on the email so we can send them letters to their new address instead of to the house." Very basic computer instruction is met with glazed over eyes and answers of "I'll have the nieces do it when they come by."
I'm glad I gave up IT work back in the 90's!!! It's Unfortunate that I still have to deal with tech support and by the time I've convinced them that I know what I'm talking about they can't help me any more and it's time to do it all over again with the next tier (there should be code words to bypass the bottom of the totem pole techs)...
Other skills I don't think should be able to default: (I understand that a zero is "The general baseline of knowledge shared by society. This is not incompetence; it is the standard level of untrained knowledge held by any Joe Average." I think there's a larger divide on unrated skills that require training than what's represented)
Diving - I've seen first-hand whats happens to someone without training attempt SCUBA and have to be pulled out, it's counter intuitive - high elevation diving kills the untrained period (anything over 3 meters can cause hearing loss and it just gets worse the higher you go).
Navigation - I've got a bit of experience with maps and someone who doesn't have training will get lost unless they're sporting GPS with a programmable map.
Survival - Boy scout? survival enthusiast?
Tracking - Nature enthusiast?
Armorer - All other repair skills aren't defaultable...
Demolitions - Um really? I guess if they had a 2070 version of The Anarchist Handbook, that really worked, and wanted to face their mortality.
Locksmith - If defaulting involves using big tools sure, but aren't you suppose to get through it without destroying it? I don't think that involves locksmithing anymore.
Parachuting - Maybe if their AR had a program that showed where and when to pull what under normal conditions (recreational jump) - anyone could do a static line jump, but landing...
First Aid - If it's more than band-aids and ointment I think you're just doing more harm.
I guess you could attempt any skill, but plan on a FUBAR situation.
Have you never seen a movie? Just because you can USE explosives doesn't mean you know how to make them or where to put them to get the most effect. If you have a pack full of c4 with radio devices and instructions on how to use them all you need to do is take the little silver thing attached to the wire and shove it into the plastic explosives and stick it or set it where you want it and then push the red button on the transmitter and BOOM. Now you wouldn't be able to take down a sky scraper with 4 well placed explosive devices without very specific instructions and some target specific training from your local explosives expert.
Diving, well thats pretty simple. Jump in the water using your body to direct yourself headlong into the water. Yeah you won't do high dives and scuba would be difficult without some training, but I'm pretty sure anyone here could breathe off a regulator in a non-emergency situation.
Navigation, are you telling me you can't read a road map? How about using landmarks to keep heading in the right direction?
Survival, seek water and food. You might get unlucky and find dirty water and poisonous food but at least you found it!
Tracking... you ever seen foot prints in snow? Thats basic tracking. Just from the distance between prints you can determine if they are tall or short, and how deep they are you can tell if they are laden or traveling light. If they are far apart AND heavy they are probably running.
Armorer, now thats something I don't see how the average person would know unless most people in SR universe are familiar with firearms.
Locksmithing, never tried unlocking a door with a paper clip and a hair pin? How about a coat hanger to unlock your car door? Ever replaced a door lock? Those are all locksmithing.
Parachuting, jump out, pull before you hit the ground, and probably sprain your ankle or hurt yourself in some other way when you land.
First aid, if its bleeding add pressure. First aid isn't combat medicine. First aid is the stuff you learn in health class. Splints, immobilize, bandage, get their ass to the hospital. If they are in bad condition that will require more training, things like pneumothorax or arterial bleeding you are going to be in trouble without training.
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The big 3 in my games(the skills you live or die by)
Dodge, Etiquette, and Perception
I also expect everyone to have at least one combat skill, whether that be blades,
pistols, or Exotic Weapon: Tasers, I don't care. However, without an offensive skill,
you will likely be geeked.
First Aid, while not required, is definately recommended. Same goes for the Athletics Group.
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I always take the following (not in any particular order), even if only at 1:
-perception
-etiquette
-first aid
-one weapon skill (depends on character build)
-negotiation (if the face isn't present, someone has to take over)
-computer
-pilot ground vehicle
As for defaulting, even if you could it would often be very difficult. You only get your attribute with a -1 penalty. And since you're not used to this, you probably don't have the right tools for it, figure another -1 to -3. A couple of other modifiers and you're left with no dice to roll, unless you spend edge.
As for diving, it's not that difficult (I do it IRL) as long as you are careful. And in 2070 the diving computers are probably a lot better at guiding you through the process (just like medkits for first aid). There exists however a lot of water in 2070 you wouldn't want to go near with a diving suit (or any other suit for that matter).
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If it's so simple that it wouldn't require a skill check then it doesn't count as having to default...
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The word "Mandatory" is probably what bothered me the most, as it depends very much on the type of character you are building. As a GM, as long as someone can justify a character being the way that they are with a decent back story, I will let them do almost anything. There are skills that an average person would have, and skills that are not trained that one could default to. My character has never taken lessons and studied gun use, however she could use a gun by defaulting. I had never used a gun before the first time I shot a gun, and while I will say that I was not comfortable with it at first, I hit the target.
Is etiquette necessary? A character without etiquette, because they were raised in the wilderness with their old grandparent, will be an interesting addition. It's good if most people have it, but that is something a character can learn in the game and gives a GM something interesting and different to work with and around. It can be fun to play a character who is so streamlined in their profession that they are useless at everything else. A rigger who identifies with his machines more than people, he would only shadowrun to earn money for maintenance of his babies. He might not ever work towards talking to people, as the character has no interest in it.
There are definitely skills that are useful to almost all character types and that you would notice were missing, that does not make them mandatory. Mandatory means that without these skills you could not play the character and I disagree with that. It might annoy all of your co-players, and your GM, but it is a role playing decision and if it fits the character, I would allow it.
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Serephim, I'd assume the use of 'mandatory' implies the exclusion of outlier character types that would be based specifically on not having a generally useful skill or knowledge set.
while I will say that I was not comfortable with it at first, I hit the target.
This doesn't say much for your ability to perform at peak condition under pressure. How much would you want you on a team?
Second assumption would be that the skills should be those that will get you killed or put at a strong disadvantage when below professional / entry-level shadowrunner capacity.
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Serephim, I'd assume the use of 'mandatory' implies the exclusion of outlier character types that would be based specifically on not having a generally useful skill or knowledge set.
while I will say that I was not comfortable with it at first, I hit the target.
This doesn't say much for your ability to perform at peak condition under pressure. How much would you want you on a team?
Second assumption would be that the skills should be those that will get you killed or put at a strong disadvantage when below professional / entry-level shadowrunner capacity.
While I fully agree with your first statement, and should have assumed as much before replying to the thread. I do not fully understand the second one, which may just be the way it is phrased.
I do say and stand by that you can be a useful team member in a primarily support role, and you can do that without combat bonuses. My phrasing must have been off as well as my referenced character has never fired a gun, and when I used the quote you have linked above I was actually referring to my person.
If I were a shadowrunner, I do not know that I would want myself on my team; however, if I where a decker, rigger, or awakened, these would all change my opinion on myself's usefulness as a team member. I think it depends highly on the type of campaign being run and the focus on combat or alternatively other skills sets. It will also depend on the other characters in the campaign and what is needed to round out a party.
I think I understand the point you are making and I am not looking for an argument or a fight. I wished to clarify my position and apologize for misunderstanding the use of mandatory in this instance.
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I always made sure my players skills fit their backgrounds and if they couldn't make it cohesive then I'd tell them to keep pondering until a back story that did emerged (unless they played a pregenerated character). Usually everyone had a social skill and a fighting skill, but it didn't always have to happen that way if they fleshed out their characters a certain way.
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I personally have no issues with folks trying to default on anything, assuming they are CAPABLE of performing the skill. (mundanes can't spellcast no matter how hard they try, for example)
At a minimum, it's hilarious when the guy throwing two dice on a defaulting test critically glitches. On the other hand, it's possibly to get stupidly lucky as well, and the same guy with no training might succeed by pure accident.
I mean, seriously, how many time have we seen the totally untrained guy attempting to defuse bombs in media?
-k