[Longshot23]

Okay, this is just for interest's sake. And predominantly to do with knowledge skills.

How many skills - knowledge or Active - do people take that have nothing to do with running the shadows? At first glance, anyway.

Has anyone ever gotten reactions along the lines of "why the $#!& did you waste points on that?"

[rasmusnicolaj]

I think skills that helps define a character and his background are fine.
Isn't that one of the reasons you get free knowledge skills?

And at some point any skill could become relevant.

Rasmus

[Netzgeist]

I got this reactions lots of time; but most of my characters have this kind of skills both among Active and Knowledge ones.

As far as I can remember, at least half the knowledge skills points of every character I ever made had "almost" nothing to do with running the shadows. The almost is just there since the shadows are a really inpredictable place, and sometimes the most strange skill can prove itself useful. also, almost all my characters spend a little something to get a skill non-related to running the shadows; my most min-maxed character ever has it as his rating 6 starting skill (Digital Art), and it even has an specialization. That's 26 BP into a flavor skill, and it was really worth it!

[CanRay]

All depends on the background.

I have one character that can cook, and another that's an accounting wizard.

Not that I ever got to play them.   

[Makki]

in BP system: none
in Karmagen system: a few to several

[ARC]

I can't say anything, my dwarf street sam has urban brawl teams, Soccer (he's Brazillian, note Not Amazonian) and star trek trivia.  You never know whenyou might need it.

[Kylen]

My smuggler knows how to play an instrument or two.

[Mäx]

My main character build(a combat face) has 10 knowledge skill, most of them not related to running and she has 17 language skills, oh and also Riding (Side Saddle) 1(3).
But really as a face one can never know when any of those skills might be "needed"

[Makki]

are we talking Active Skills or Knowledge Skills? Because I was talking the former in my post.

[Phylos Fett]

With Knowledge Skills, there is always a couple thrown in.

With Active Skills, not so much so. I can't remember the last time I built a character with a non-running useful Active Skill.

[Longshot23]

Admittedly, Active skills are pretty much all running-related.  That's why they're there.  Still, not every Active skill will be used in every run.

I was more interested in reactions to skills people have given their characters.

[Phylos Fett]

I used to have that reaction quite often to my players' selections of Knowledge Skills and Contacts. The kinda puzzled look and a slow "o-kay" as if the player had never played SR before...

[Medicineman]

All of my Chars have those Skills .Both Knowledge and Active .From playing Instruments to Knowledge Sci-Fi-Movies (Spec 1960-2060) to Mechanics to Diving, to whole Groups (Sports Group for a Streetsam, etc)
Its a Default for all of my Chars to have some non-running Skills
and I pity the Fool who has only Running Skills !

Hough !
Medicineman

[Phylos Fett]

I do remember in SR2 having characters that took Acting, Music, Sport and Chess (among others) as part of a back story, before the game really became all about 'running and professional 'runners, and less about people that happened into 'running...

[Phylos Fett]

All of my Chars have those Skills .Both Knowledge and Active .From playing Instruments to Knowledge Sci-Fi-Movies (Spec 1960-2060) to Mechanics to Diving, to whole Groups (Sports Group for a Streetsam, etc)
Its a Default for all of my Chars to have some non-running Skills
and I pity the Fool who has only Running Skills !

Hough !
Medicineman

You would have loved some of my SR2 games!