Science the skill

[infojunky]

Ok, am farting around with the Scientist Career.

Pondering a "Science" skill, I am currently trending to rewrite the "Mechanical, Electronics and Gravitics" skill description for a generalized Science skill. But as I type this "Science" might be a more apt fork of J-O-T.

Thoughts?

 

[Condottiere]

What Is Combined Science?

Science is a core subject at GCSE in England and Wales, but you can either take the three sciences, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as three individual GCSEs. This is known as Triple, Separate or Single Science. Alternatively, you can study all three sciences and be awarded two GCSEs. This is typically known as Combined Science but you may see it referred to as Double Award Science. AQA offers two Combined Science courses, Trilogy and Synergy. In the Trilogy course, the three sciences are taught separately, whereas, in the Synergy course, content is arranged in topics that cover all sciences.

 

[whulorigan]

Ok, am farting around with the Scientist Career.

Pondering a "Science" skill, I am currently trending to rewrite the "Mechanical, Electronics and Gravitics" skill description for a generalized Science skill. But as I type this "Science" might be a more apt fork of J-O-T.

Thoughts?

I would consider those technical skills, rather than science.

Science should deal with the theoretical framework that underlies a field of research, and the experimental methods used to test and/or falsify hypotheses raised as a result of the research. Science is a discipline, a way of pursuing genuine verifiable knowledge concerning a subject matter.

Technical Skills like you note above might fall under an Applied Science category (i.e. Operating Engineer or Design Engineer), and JOT might substitute for practical technical competencies, but not "Science".

If the purpose is specifically for the skills noted above or similar, I would call the generalized skill either "Technical" or "Technician" for practical Operating Engineers, and Design or Technical Engineer for Applied Science applications.

 

[McPerth]

In MT, science is described as a cascade skill incluing (for chosing):

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Genetics
• Forensics
• Medical
• Physics
• Robotics

Most of those skills are of little use in most campaigns, while medical and robotics may be the most appealing...

As whulorigan says, skills like Engeenering or Gravitics are included in the cascade skill Technical. Mechanical is not, but I wonder if it's an errata, as, IMHO, it would fill perfectly on it.

Remember that in MT a cascade skill allows you to choose among several, but give you no skill in the others (unless you choose them when rolling it again). IIRC in other versions a cascade includes all the skills (though the others at reduced levels); and what in MT is called casdcade i called cluster on them.

 

[whartung]

As whulorigan says, skills like Engeenering or Gravitics are included in the cascade skill Technical. Mechanical is not, but I wonder if it's an errata, as, IMHO, it would fill perfectly on it.

It is interesting that there don't seem to be many "advanced"skills. i.e. Mechanical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Gravitic Engineering.

And, they're not necessarily crossover skills either. That is, Mechanical Engineering doesn't necessarily provide Mechanical skill. Easy to be a Mechanical engineer, but mostly useless as someone trying to fix a car. A Mechanical Engineer may well understand the theory of how motors works, Mechanicals know how to take them apart and put them back together.

To be fair, likely not a lot of RPG call for the Engineering skills.

 

[Dragoner]

I fold it into Academic:


Then the skill:

Science
There are four separate Science skills: Physical
Sciences, Life Sciences, Social Sciences and Space
Sciences. Each science skill has a number of
specializations that one can choose from. This skill
represents theoretical and practical knowledge
derived from scientific study. This covers a wide
range of related fields, such as biochemistry, biology,
botany, cybernetics, genetics, and physiology.

Physical Sciences
• Physics: The study of the fundamental forces.
• Chemistry: The study of matter at the atomic,
molecular, and macromolecular levels
• Electronics: The study of circuits and computers.

Life Sciences
• Biochemistry: The study of chemical processes
within and relating to living organisms.
• Biology: The study of living organisms.
• Botany: The scientific study of plants.
• Cybernetics: The study of blending living and
synthetic life.
• Genetics: The study of genes, genetic variation, and
heredity in organisms.
• Physiology: The branch of biology that deals with
the normal functions of living organisms and their
parts.

Social Sciences
• Archaeology: The study of ancient civilizations. It
also covers techniques of investigation and
excavations.
• Economics: The study of trade and markets.
• History: The study of the past, as seen through
documents and records as opposed to physical
artefacts.
• Linguistics: The study of languages.
• Philosophy: The study of beliefs and religions.
• Psychology: The study of thought and society.
• Sophontology: The study of intelligent beings.

For example with Linguistics: The character can read
and write a different language for every level of
Linguistics they possess. All characters can speak
and read their native language without needing the
Linguistics skill, and automated computer translator
programs mean that the Linguistics skill are not
always needed on other worlds. Having Linguistics-0
implies that the character has a smattering of simple
phrases in many languages. In addition, Linguistics
can be used to attempt to decipher the general
meaning of a preserved specimen of language, such
as an inscription or a recorded message.

Space Sciences
• Astronomy: A natural science that studies
celestial objects and phenomena.
• Planetology: The study of planet formation and
evolution.
• Xenology: The study of alien life forms.

 

[mike wightman]

To my thinking at the ganuality of Traveller characteristics and skill limits science is a branch of Education, if you are going to specify individual Education specialties then there is little point to keeping an Edu characteristic, instead have a characteristic for Science Education, Arts Education, Humanities Education and the like.

If a character has an EDU of 8 then they can be considered to have a well rounded college level of education, they know TL appropriate science, technology, arts, humanities etc.

 

[Dragoner]

Speaking from a player opportunity direction if you have Edu 9 (+1) and Space Science 1, and want to science the chit out of something as ref I say go for it, roll 2d6+2. Otherwise yeah a lot of it is just chrome.