Skill Question

[Ron Strong]

I notice on the skill tables for the spacer the first result for Mission is "Naval". LIkewise under Military for soldier there is an "Army" skill. I don't see these as skills in the skill chapter so I don't know what these are supposed to be. I looked in the Errata, but no dice. So what do these mean?

 

[arentol]

Page 175.

"Soldier (Army, Military) is the general Knowledge associated with the profession of soldier."
"Spacer (Navy, Naval) is the general Knowledge associated with the profession of spacer."

It is just general knowledge about army or naval structure and operations. Could be useful on occasion I suppose.

 

[rancke]

Page 175.

"Soldier (Army, Military) is the general Knowledge associated with the profession of soldier."
"Spacer (Navy, Naval) is the general Knowledge associated with the profession of spacer."

It is just general knowledge about army or naval structure and operations. Could be useful on occasion I suppose.

Something you get automatically by being a soldier/spacer, then? Not something you'd need to roll for, IMO.


Hans

 

[cuTTer]

Something you get automatically by being a soldier/spacer, then? Not something you'd need to roll for, IMO.


Hans

Indeed, p.144,

"Career Knowledges. A character who has served in a career receives Knowledge equal to the number of terms served (to a maximum of 6). Eneri Dinsha served four terms in the Scouts: he has Knowledge Scout-4."

As far as the other Career Tables go Merchants get Merchant, Noble's get Capital, Marines get Marine.

 

[rancke]

Indeed, p.144,

"Career Knowledges. A character who has served in a career receives Knowledge equal to the number of terms served (to a maximum of 6). Eneri Dinsha served four terms in the Scouts: he has Knowledge Scout-4."

That's all right then.

As far as the other Career Tables go Merchants get Merchant, Noble's get Capital, Marines get Marine.

Merchants and Marines make sense, but I don't see why nobles should automatically get knowledge of Capital. Most of them don't live there, after all. Surely nobles should get Noble?

Hum. Everybody, whether noble or commoner, should get a point of knowledge about whatever world they spent a term on. Of course, spacers don't usually spend a full term on any one world.


Hans

 

[Licheking]

Everyone gets a Knowledge of their Homeworld equal to 6 with minus 1 for each term spent away from their Homeworld.

 

[cuTTer]

That's all right then.



Merchants and Marines make sense, but I don't see why nobles should automatically get knowledge of Capital. Most of them don't live there, after all. Surely nobles should get Noble?

Hum. Everybody, whether noble or commoner, should get a point of knowledge about whatever world they spent a term on. Of course, spacers don't usually spend a full term on any one world.


Hans

It may mean 'local' capital (sector, subsector), who knows?

 

[rancke]

It may mean 'local' capital (sector, subsector), who knows?

That still presupposes that all nobles spend all their time on their subsector capital. I'd rather have a Noble skill and let knowledge of the capital be derived from that. (Say, 'Capital' is ½ 'Noble').


Hans

 

[cuTTer]

That still presupposes that all nobles spend all their time on their subsector capital. I'd rather have a Noble skill and let knowledge of the capital be derived from that. (Say, 'Capital' is ½ 'Noble').


Hans

It does seem odd to include the vocational knowledge skills in the tables for some careers but not others.

Perhaps they were place holders or fillers that never got updated.

 

[Reban]

Merchants and Marines make sense, but I don't see why nobles should automatically get knowledge of Capital. Most of them don't live there, after all. Surely nobles should get Noble?

Hans

Rather than being purely a "World Knowledge", Capital is knowledge about how the highest levels of Imperial government and society work. Its the understanding of how to influence votes, win friends and avoid enemies. Where the "society" salons are and where the discrete meeting places are.

Capital is the kind of knowledge that a Washington DC insider or lobbyist would have or a Kremlin apparatchik.

 

[cuTTer]

Rather than being purely a "World Knowledge", Capital is knowledge about how the highest levels of Imperial government and society work. Its the understanding of how to influence votes, win friends and avoid enemies. Where the "society" salons are and where the discrete meeting places are.

Capital is the kind of knowledge that a Washington DC insider or lobbyist would have or a Kremlin apparatchik.

If only they had written that, rather than,

"Capital is the general Knowledge associated with Capital, the center of the Imperium."

 

[rancke]

Capital is the kind of knowledge that a Washington DC insider or lobbyist would have or a Kremlin apparatchik.

But a lot of nobles wouldn't be Capital insiders or lobbyists or apparatchiks. They'd be the equivalent of British 'county nobles' who only go up to London once a year for the opening of Parliament. Or, in the Imperium, only goes to Mora once a decade for the decennial senate meeting, and only goes to Capital once a lifetime, if that.

Fairly frequent visits to their duchy capital I'll grant.


Hans

 

[arentol]

Rather than being purely a "World Knowledge", Capital is knowledge about how the highest levels of Imperial government and society work. Its the understanding of how to influence votes, win friends and avoid enemies. Where the "society" salons are and where the discrete meeting places are.

Capital is the kind of knowledge that a Washington DC insider or lobbyist would have or a Kremlin apparatchik.

This is incorrect.

Current official errata specifically says:

p.93, 11 Noble, C Noble Skills, 6 Vocation
(clarification): Capital actually means World Knowledge (world of highest land grant).

 

[Reban]

This is incorrect.

Current official errata specifically says:

p.93, 11 Noble, C Noble Skills, 6 Vocation
(clarification): Capital actually means World Knowledge (world of highest land grant).

My bad. I missed that in the errata. The name of the knowledge should probably have changed too.

 

[Reban]

But a lot of nobles wouldn't be Capital insiders or lobbyists or apparatchiks. They'd be the equivalent of British 'county nobles' who only go up to London once a year for the opening of Parliament. Or, in the Imperium, only goes to Mora once a decade for the decennial senate meeting, and only goes to Capital once a lifetime, if that.

Fairly frequent visits to their duchy capital I'll grant.


Hans

Although the point is now redundant because I've just discovered errata changes the whole concept of the Capital Knowledge. I'd point out that this was associated with the Noble career concerning Nobles who are politically active engaging in "Noble Intrigues".

Also I think with T5's Fame system it becomes possible for one Noble to have knowledge of one another across sector and Imperium distances and the same for institutions/places of note. An Imperial version of Burkes Peerage in database form is probably a must have subscription for any Noble.

Your understanding of the London "Season" is also a little off. The Season between the 17th and 19th Centuries started with the State Opening of Parliament in December and lasted until the end of June. Most families in the peerage and upper social class had town houses to which they could decamp from their country residences for some or all of the Season. An alternative was to take up residence at a Hotel or a Member's Club.

Imperial Nobles only get to visit Capital or their Sector capitals rarely, but they should be plugged into an extensive social network consisting of both other Nobles, upper class citizens, prestigious service providers and media. Nobles should have more of a "in" to their level of society on other planets. I'd also think an ambitious Noble should retain professional services on both Sector capitals an Capital itself. Such services could include seneschals but also lawyers, fixers and agents.

I had thought the Capital Knowledge represented knowing how to access the above but alas no.