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Message no. 1
From: Michael Garoni <Michael_Garoni@****.INTERSOLV.COM>
Subject: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 12:44:00 LCL
This is a question that has been bandied around our group for a while now, and
makes life very uncomfortable for our GM.

Why can't a character learn a new skill through practice ? If you have someone
teaching you and spend time (in this case it was actual game time), why can't
you pick up the rudimentary basics of a skill ?

My thought was perhaps to allow characters to learn a skill to level 1 or 2
without expending karma, as long as GAME TIME was spent practicing with someone
who had a high level (ie 5-6 or more). Our GM hasn't decided on this matter and
I wanted to get some impressions from other players/GMs.

Any comments ?

-Obi Wan
Message no. 2
From: "Brandon P. Bradley" <bpbradle@*****.CS.MTU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 23:25:24 EST
-Obi Wan writes:
> Why can't a character learn a new skill through practice ? If you have
> someone teaching you and spend time (in this case it was actual game time),
> why can't you pick up the rudimentary basics of a skill ?

I personally like the idea of being able to learn skills in this way, but
I would require that the players role-play this EXTENSIVELY and over a
LONG period of time. ie. They can attempt it when they are first being
taught, under the suppervision of someone who is highly skilled,as
per default, but with a +1 or 2 to their TN's. I would allow this only up
to LEV 1 though. ANYTHING beyond that I would definately require the
expendature of karma. I'd do this as a sort of reward for GOOD
role-playing though, just saying that they were doing this over a couple
of weeks or days wouldn't get it. They would have to actually role-play
out the teaching process. However I would be willing to let them do this
separate than the rest of the adventure once the characters had a chance
to do so.
Just my 2 cents...

/
+------|--------------------------------------
\
******************************************************************************
Brandon Bradley *** "If you're going to dine with the devil,
A.K.A. Shadow Dancer *** you're going to need a long spoon."
address: *** Jack Palance in Cyborg^2
bpbradle@*****.cs.mtu.edu ***
******************************************************************************
\______________)
Message no. 3
From: Neal A Porter <nap@*****.PHYSICS.SWIN.OZ.AU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 15:46:11 +1100
>
>This is a question that has been bandied around our group for a while now, and
>makes life very uncomfortable for our GM.
>
>Why can't a character learn a new skill through practice ? If you have someone
>teaching you and spend time (in this case it was actual game time), why can't
>you pick up the rudimentary basics of a skill ?
> -Obi Wan

An interesting idea, although possiably very dangerous and open to
explotation. You may try to limit the learning to active skills only though
( As humans tend to quickly pick up on physical tasks ). Apart from that
you may decide to only allow it if the charecter has been well played, and
has a reason for needing the skill.

A'Deus.
Message no. 4
From: Luke Kendall <luke@********.CANON.OZ.AU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 15:21:19 +1100
> Why can't a character learn a new skill through practice ? If you have
> someone teaching you and spend time (in this case it was actual game time),
> why can't you pick up the rudimentary basics of a skill ?
>
> My thought was perhaps to allow characters to learn a skill to level 1 or 2
> without expending karma, as long as GAME TIME was spent practicing ...
> -Obi Wan

I don't see any reason to grant people skills without paying karma. It's a
matter of game balance. You improve by spending karma.

As far as requiring time - of course you do. You may have the karma and
the inclination, but without some way to justify how your character learns
the skill, you shouldn't be able to acquire the skill. I would have thought
that that went without saying.

`I know you're character is a genius, and that she has 100 karma available;
but she _can't_ learn Astrophysics level 8 in one night.'

luke
Message no. 5
From: Joseph Cotton <Joseph.Cotton@*******.OIT.UNC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 00:30:48 EST
On Thu 17 Feb 1994, Michael Garoni wrote:

> Why can't a character learn a new skill through practice ? If you have
> someone teaching you and spend time (in this case it was actual game time),
> why can't you pick up the rudimentary basics of a skill ?
>
> Any comments ?

Well, GURPS (yeah, yeah, I know - this ain't GURPS) has a mechancism for
that very situation - time use charts, to show how your character is
spending his/her free time; and for every 200(? - been a while since I
played) hours of study, you get 1 character point, or one level, or
something like that. Book learning, without a teacher, takes twice as
long.

Joe Cotton
Joseph.Cotton@*******.oit.unc.edu
Message no. 6
From: Chris Ryan <chrisr@***.QUT.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 15:37:57 --1000
> `I know you're character is a genius, and that she has 100 karma available;
> but she _can't_ learn Astrophysics level 8 in one night.'

'Ok. Well how about in two nights then?'

Chris
:-)
Message no. 7
From: Paolo Marcucci <marcucci@***.TS.ASTRO.IT>
Subject: Learning New Skills (fwd)
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 08:35:20 MET
> Why can't a character learn a new skill through practice ? If you have someone
> teaching you and spend time (in this case it was actual game time), why can't
> you pick up the rudimentary basics of a skill ?
>
> My thought was perhaps to allow characters to learn a skill to level 1 or 2
> without expending karma, as long as GAME TIME was spent practicing with someone
> who had a high level (ie 5-6 or more). Our GM hasn't decided on this matter and
> I wanted to get some impressions from other players/GMs.

I've learned Surfing at level 4 practicing. Your GM should put down a
kind of table and an adequate series of TN#s depending on time spent
practicing.

For example, it takes 2 days and some successes against a TN#5 to go
to level 1. More days and higher TN# to level 2, and so on.

Well, after being so skillful with surfs, my character died in a car
crash. That's life.

--
________________________________________________________________________
Paolo Marcucci Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste
marcucci@***.ts.astro.it Via G.B. Tiepolo, 11 - 34134 Trieste, Italy
________________________________________________________________________
(1.0.1) GCS/GMU d-- -p+ c++ l- u+ e* m+ s n-- h* f+? g- w+/++ t+ r+ x+
Message no. 8
From: Necromancer <shilberg@********.UNI.UIUC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 07:48:49 -0600
I thought that that was what Karma meant....you get it in representation for
what you learned on the run, which is why you can raise skills. Stats you can
raise because you actually practice and use them <physical being the easiest to
explain>. But then again, I could be wrong....

-------------
Steve Hilberg <shilberg@********.uni.uiuc.edu>
aka Jarred Wellsley <Necromancer>
aka Phaeros Lostchilde <Archlich of the Dark Order, High Necromancer
of Zalanthas>
Play Armageddon <studsys.mscs.mu.edu 4444>!
Message no. 9
From: Matt <mosbun@******.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 09:30:29 -0500
It's generally assumed, if not actually role-played out, that when you pick
up a new skill, it's due to someone spending the time to teach it to you.
Spending game time on it, IMHO, is simply putting background into center stage
for awhile.

Matt
Message no. 10
From: Timothy Dann <C598706@*******.BITNET>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 08:47:40 CST
What's wrong with SRII, p.191: "New skills cost 1 point of Good Karma for
the first rating point." Seems to work pretty well.

Tim Dann aka Midnight Sting
Message no. 11
From: "Jason Carter, Nightstalker" <CARTER@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Learning New Skills
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 1994 14:16:32 -0800
Obi Wan asked:

>>Why can't a character learn a new skill through practice ? If you have
>>someone teaching you and spend time (in this case it was actual game time),
>>why can't you pick up the rudimentary basics of a skill ?

How else do characters learn new skills? They don't just say, "Umm, I have a
few Karma points. I'll learn a new skill." and "Poof" they have it.

>>My thought was perhaps to allow characters to learn a skill to level 1 or 2
>>without expending karma, as long as GAME TIME was spent practicing with
>>someone who had a high level (ie 5-6 or more). Our GM hasn't decided on this
>>matter and I wanted to get some impressions from other players/GMs.

Is the one point of Karma necessary to learn a new skill going to hurt you that
badly? Besides, if you role-play that your character is learning a new skill
the GM should give you a Role-Playing karma point or two that will pay for the
new skill.

===============================================================================
See Ya in Shadows, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
Jason J Carter -- Deep Throat, The X-Files
The Nightstalker Carter@***.EDU

Further Reading

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