Post originally by SteveC at 2005-01-20 21:46:54
Converted from Phorums BB System

Well I'd have to say I respectfully disagree on this issue. Stats in the human range have a very small impact on the skill roll, but small changes in the roll have a huge impact on probability of success.

In a heroic campaign, you'll typically see stats range a little more outside of the values you suggest, since an 8 is the average value for a normal person. Typically I've seen values from about 5 (very incompetent) to 23 (low super-human ability). That gives you a more respectable range of 10 to 14 for skill rolls, which is very much in line with other game systems.

Hero doesn't give abilities a very high importance for purchasing skills. Is that necessarily such a bad thing? There are many game systems where attributes have ZERO impact on skills, is there something wrong with that?

One the issue of skills not having pre-requisutes, this is intentional. Should a nuclear physicist have no skill in math? I think the question is: does this character need to have a distinct "math" skill to differentiate his math ability from his physics knowledge? In most campaigns, I'd say no. Again, I would say that it is the norm for game systems to not require these kinds of skills. About the only systems I can think of that DO require this sort of thing are GURPS and Paladium. If I were running a campaign where I needed to have a character roll on their math skill (something that would be VERY unlikely in the B5 universe, by the way) I would make them make any appropriate science skill at a slight penalty and move on.

There is nothing in Hero that does not allow the GM to make certain pre-requisite skills where he thinks they're appropriate. I don't see how any of this is essential for a B5 campaign. Most scientificly minded characters, such as the doctor or Lennier are pretty much "jacks of all trades." Should Doctor Franklin really have an extensive list of skills? I think he'd do fine with First Aid, Surgery and a special Xeno-Biology skill.

I think that B5 as a setting is best when painted with a broad brush: JMS didn't go into a lot of the small details where it didn't serve the plot, after all.

I guess what I'm saying is that Hero can do the kind of campaign you seem to be looking for: a very in-depth focus on skills and science, but it will take some work. I also don't think B5 is that kind of campaign universe, so Hero can do it with little trouble.