Post originally by Sérgio Mascarenhas at 2003-08-05 06:47:04
Converted from Phorums BB System

Before I proceed, you have to realise that I'm writing on the run so what I write may lack precision and clarity.

"There's no reason why 'Compassion', 'Resist Pain' etc... can't be perfectly acceptable skills even in the absence of a broad skill set. Its true that they could be classed as feats or traits, but they are still areas that can be improved through experience and have definite, specific applications"

The distinction between skills, traits, etc. is dependent on the setting and the way a game conceptualizes these. In the context of SWtRPG these descriptors don't qualify in any of those accounts. This is my reading, at least.

"And as for Hero Wars/Quest having borad skill definitions - it has exactly the opposite"

True, I bundled it with the other games and should not. In any case, HW deliberatly avoids qualifying its descriptors as traits, attributes, skills or what not. It opts for the abstract concept of keywords. So, whe cannot say that it's skills, and it does not serve as a counter exemple.

"I disagree fundamentally with Strength being the ability to simply move things"

Move should be within brackets. What I mean is that you use strengh to change something external.

"use of muscle to achieve various effects"

But those effects are applied to an object.

"Does the minutae of the skill system or skill/ability names ultimately affect the fun you can, and should be, having?"

It can, at least to people that think like me. Maybe not for other people, of course. That's why they are free to take the review as they like.

Sergio