Proposed Optional Science Skill Set

alex_greene

alex_greene

Guest
There are currently four separate Science skills, each carrying their specialities:-

Life Science (Anatomy, Botany, Biochemistry, Biology, Genetics, Epidemiology, Medicine, Palaeontology, Parapsychology née "Psionicology"- what a stupid name for that discipline!, Pharmacology, Physiology, Prosthetics née Cybernetics, Zoology);

Physical Science (Chemistry, Electronics, Physics, Robotics);

Social Science (Archaeology, Economics, Epistemology, History, Linguistics, Ontology, Philosophy, Psychology, Sophontology née Sociology/Ethnology),

and Space Science (Astrophysics, Cosmology, Planetology nee Geology).

Personally, I think that this list is inadequate, and lacks a fifth category, which I propose below.

I propose a fifth Science discipline, namely Information Science:-

Information Science

This is the science of information itself. Skills in this field include:-

Cybernetics, the study of data and communication, analogue and digital, from nerve signals transmitted along neurons to binary signals transmitted along trunk fibre optic cables;

Mathematics, the study of number - algebra, arithmetic, calculus, trigonometry and so on;

Computing, the basic discipline behind Computer skill - covering everything from basic binary code and logic gates through high level languages, OOP, coding apps, operating systems and on through to high level concepts such as AI and alien computer interfaces.

Statistics, the study of the shape of large masses of data;

Semiotics, the study of signs, symbolism and symbology - the study of how we derive meaning from things.

I think that Information Science should be incorporated into any rewrites or Second Editions of the core rulebook. What do you think?
 
I thought I was a mean GM when I told my group they will be paying taxes, but you're going to make your players do algebra? :shock:

I take my hat of to you, Sir. That is truly inspired and evil, you are a legend. :P
 
alex_greene said:
:twisted: It is an evil I have honed to a keen edge over the last x years ...

Solve for x.
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More like "As X approaches infinity." - go for the gusto, and the more sinister, option.
 
alex_greene said:
There are currently four separate Science skills, each carrying their specialities:-

Life Science (Anatomy, Botany, Biochemistry, Biology, Genetics, Epidemiology, Medicine, Palaeontology, Parapsychology née "Psionicology"- what a stupid name for that discipline!, Pharmacology, Physiology, Prosthetics née Cybernetics, Zoology);
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I prefer Parapsychology or simply "Psionics". Those who have the abilities are Psions; those who study them Psionicists.

Physical Science (Chemistry, Electronics, Physics, Robotics);
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So many things wrong with this grouping. The Life Sciences group is overly specialized, while this one is not specialized enough. It really should be combined with Space Sciences. Planetology/Geology and Astrophysics are both essentially specializations of Chemistry AND Physics.

Social Science (Archaeology, Economics, Epistemology, History, Linguistics, Ontology, Philosophy, Psychology, Sophontology née Sociology/Ethnology),

and Space Science (Astrophysics, Cosmology, Planetology nee Geology).
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What the heck is Cosmology? This should be replaced by Gravitics and Jump Physics.

[paraphrase]
Information Science: Cybernetics, Mathematics, Computing, Statistics, Semiotics.
[/paraphrase]
I think that Information Science should be incorporated into any rewrites or Second Editions of the core rulebook. What do you think?
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The whole Science section should probably be rearranged, ideally as a family tree instead of linear groups. The problem, as I mentioned above, is the differing degrees of specialization in each branch. There is also quite a bit of synthesis in some groups but not in others; more than a few of the Life Science group are Biology Plus Chemistry or Biology plus Mechanical or some other combo.

Unfortunately, Traveller has allowed the "runs big machines" version of the term "Engineer" to dominate, so the "designs stuff" Engineer is in need of his own term. So far, that role has been divided up into its specialties: Cybernetics, Robotics, Electronics, Naval Architect, etc.

One thing to keep in mind here. The Sciences occupy an odd spot in the MGT skill set, representing theoretical knowledge *only*. Supposedly, the rest of the skills are broad practical AND theoretical skill sets. Gun Combat includes firing, maintaining, and designing, and includes a fair bit of Chemistry and Physics in the forms of Pyrochemistry, Metallurgy, Optics, Ballistics, and Sonics, and that's just for the chemical slug throwers. By comparison, the Sciences *need* to be combined with Mechanical, Engineer, Animals, Computer, or Medic (or even Admin, Carouse, Diplomacy, and Streetwise) to manifest their application sides.

Too much specialization dilutes the Scientist, particularly in a setting with such high education potentials. As a lower tech example, the main character in Jurassic Park (lets go with the movie for now) is initially portrayed as a Paleontologist. He displays knowledge of Genetics, Pharmacology, Botany, and Zoology. In modern educational terms he is also a Geologist, at least generally, though Geomorphology is very common in his line of work. As a Geologist, he will also have gotten Physical Chemistry, General Physics, and possibly a fair bit of Mathematics and Statistics.
He sums that all up with a single certification: "PhD in Paleontology".
 
I actually go the OTHER way.

I only have 1 Science skills with the following Specialties:

Science (Physical)
Science (Biological)
Science (Social)

I figure that an Traveller is not really the galaxies best Hyperspace Physicist, so these generalities are good enough.

And Skill levels in 1 give you Level 0 in the others (general knowledge or translatable knowledge like Mathmatics)
 
Rikki Tikki Traveller said:
I only have 1 Science skills with the following Specialties:

Science (Physical)
Science (Biological)
Science (Social)
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That could work.

I'd still throw in the speciality of Science (Information) to cover mathematics, statistics, computing and so on.

This could reflect the general knowledge base and greater breadth of experience that a typical Traveller character could have over, say, a specialist such as a cardiologist, epidemiologist, mathematician, statistician, nuclear physicist and so on.

However, specialists should still be allowed their speciality to go alongside their more general knowledge base - Science (Epidemiology) to go alongside Science (Medicine) and Science (Biological), for instance, in the case of a field epidemiologist.

In the end, everyone sciences the same way, regardless of the fields they pursue - make loads of observations, record all measurements and phenomena arising, reach a hypothesis, test it to destruction, record more measurements and phenomena arising, refine, retest, repeat; and, only if you can produce a hypothesis that stands up to the brutal testing by evidence, publish the theory for peer review (and further brutal testing to destruction by fresh evidence).
 
I definitely think that this is an area where a rich set of defaults makes sense. To get anywhere in Physics, you have to have at least a rudimentary grasp of advanced mathematics. You don't get to be a specialist in pharmacology without at least having some cross over with physiology. Anyone with a medical background has taken basic biology and chemistry classes. That sort of thing.
 
Psychohistory - or is that supposed to be a secret?

Communiucations - mass, public relations, advertising, broadcasting, journalism.

Business.

Liberal arts.
 
Rikki Tikki Traveller said:
I actually go the OTHER way.

I only have 1 Science skills with the following Specialties:

Science (Physical)
Science (Biological)
Science (Social)

I figure that an Traveller is not really the galaxies best Hyperspace Physicist, so these generalities are good enough.

And Skill levels in 1 give you Level 0 in the others (general knowledge or translatable knowledge like Mathmatics)
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I think that is going into the Black Hole of Quality.....
 
GypsyComet said:
What the heck is Cosmology? This should be replaced by Gravitics and Jump Physics.
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Not when Cosmology is the scientific field of study of the origin, evolution and eventual fate of the entire universe - or, if you will, multiverse if you include dimensional travel in your game.

So, I'd posit that characters with Science skill should develop the following general specialities during their chargen careers, and bone up on more specialised Science subjects if they wish to become specialists:-

Science (Physical) - basic physics, chemistry, electronics, gravitics, planetology

Science (Space) - basic astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, jump theory

Science (Biological) - basic biology, biochemistry, botany, zoology, psionics

Science (Medical) - basic anatomy, physiology, medicine, pharmacology, prosthetics, psionics

Science (Social) - basic archaeology, economics, history, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, sophontology

Science (Information) - basic mathematics, statistics, computing theory, cybernetics and semiotics

From there, a character who wishes to specialise in a specific field could further develop those internal specialities - thus a physicist with Science (Physical)-1 could develop Science (Physics)-3. If he encounters a problem of chemistry, he would have his Science (Physical)-1 to fall back on, but for anything to do with Physics, he's got his Science (Physics)-3.

If they have these general fields at level 0, it would represent a basic competence within that field, and for that reason I would happily allow all Scholar characters to possess, in addition to their other Science fields, a basic Science(Information)-0 to represent the grasp of mathematics that all of them would require, even on a rudimentary level.

And yes, I have split the Biological from the Medical, and spawned a sixth generic Science field.
 
I like the idea of adding Information. However, I also like the idea of reducing the Sciences to three cascades.

When the time comes to revise the core rulebook, we'll do one of these.

Not sure which yet :)
 
No. That's the equivalent of having a computer with level-0 skill available to you. You still have to do the thinking yourself, as if the computer was not available to you and you had to rely on your own knowledge and what you can remember of your basic science training.

Not many cybercafes on that TL 1 jungle planet.
 
msprange said:
I like the idea of adding Information. However, I also like the idea of reducing the Sciences to three cascades.
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Four Cascades is just as viable, with Information being #4. The availability of the skills needs to be set properly in the careers, though, or it all sits in the skills chapter doing very little.
 
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