[Senko]

I'm playing around with life modules and for the character I'm currently putting together (mage, Shinto Tradition) I've taken a module of miltary to shore up their stats a bit but I'm not sure whether to take the mage branch or the special forces one.

If I take mage it raises conjuring, sorcery and assensing to 7 (rather neatly too given that's the max for life modules) and perception to 5. If I take special forces it gives a lot of level 1 skills which by themselves are not that much use I admit (firearms 1, sneaking 1, survival 1 etc  etc) but I have a bit of karma to raise them further as I originally intended to purchase some of them outright (long arms for shotgun, pilot ground craft, survival for an initiation ordeal). Right now I'm a bit torn mage corp seems a better choice mechanically (max in 3 magical skills that are very useful) but special forces does buy the entry in a few things I'll be purchasing anyway and it appeals more from a thematic sense (I was in the UCAS Seal/Ranger/equivilient).

Right now if pushed I'd take the mage but I figured I'd see what others thought a bunch of level 1 skills I can buy up to where I want them or max out 3 role specific skills?

[Fisher]

Mechanically? I'm a little new myself, but I'd say that's a no-brainer. It costs more Karma to raise skills to a higher point, and Mage Corps maxes out several such skills for you. Buying the other skills at lower level should cost significantly less. Unless I'm missing something.

Thematically, I can see the conflict. Was your character a known mage at this point? If so they could've been technically part of the Mage Corps, but seconded to another department. I'm not too firm on the UCAS military but I figured that was how most forces with a 'Mage Corps' operated: they'd bring the mages together for big ritual magic stuff, and separate them for day to day activities. After all, what enemy's powerful enough to require mages to be deployed en masse in squads?

[Glyph]

Mage Corps all the way.  You are not getting 7s in three skills - you are getting 7's in one skill and two skill groups.  And you still get the firearms group (and first aid, navigation, and unarmed combat), since they are from basic training (all branches get those skills).  Special Forces gives you a bunch of rating: 1 skills that are far less useful - will you really use armorer, or free-fall, or pilot watercraft that much?  If you have a compelling background-related reason for picking Special Forces, that's fine, but otherwise, Mage Corps is a far superior choice.

[Senko]

Rats I hadn't really made that connection, was hoping to be talked into taking the special forces for flavour but your right I really can't afford to not do mage corps can I.

I can't see anyone being seconded to special forces (and they're certainly not well known, good enough to justify it) but then again I have a bit of trouble seeing how mage corps would actually work as a branch of the military. Maybe like a medical Corp with their own rules/organisation but individual mages working with units like a corpman. Not really that knowledgeable about the military.

[Leevizer]

Just say that the background was mage special forces, take the flavour from special forces and the rules from mage corps.