question, AtTR.

[sanseveria]

I have a question, but first I want to say I bought this book a tenday ago and must say it's the best RPG book I've purchased in a long, long time.

Congrats to Vincent and all others involved!!!!

I think with all the negativity that was produced in ref. to the Shadizar map, this place could use a little positivity.

Now to my question, in my current party I have a couple Aquilonian Soldiers, both of which are considering putting skill points in Perform (Guard Mount). I can't find a proper description of this skill in any book. The only use I've been able to find for it is to get out of crappy work duties...

This I miss something, or is there more to it?

Thanks,
SS

 

[VincentDarlage]

It can be used to impress ranking officers, to get noticed, etc. It is not the most useful skill in the world, so I wouldn't bother putting more than five ranks into it. I put it in in case anyone wanted to centre a campaign around a frontier fort and its life. The average adventurer travelling the world would never bother to put even a single rank into it.

I suppose having five ranks in it might give a synergy bonus to attempts at disguising as a higher ranking soldier. Originally I had thought to make it a Concentration check, except Concentration is not a class skill for soldiers and Perform is a class skill. I have always been impressed by soldiers on drill and wanted something to reflect that. So much of a soldier's day seems to be drills, so I thought there should be a skill involved. How much use that skill would be outside of drills, I don't know. I figured more NPCs would take it than PCs.

By the way, thank you for the compliment!

 

[SableWyvern]

I don't have AtTR, so bear that in mind...

The original purpose of drill was not ceremonial, but entirely practical. Formations, the ability to change them, to manouevre in them and to bring weapons to bear while part of one is what drill is all about.

If you look into modern military drills, you'll find that most of them (probably moreso things like British drill, rather than fancy US rifle spinning) are still representative of actual manouevres that were employed on the battlefield.

That being the case, if you wish to make this skill more useful, there are several options.

One is to integrate them into a soldier's Formation Combat abilities. Perhaps an appropriate check by all or the majority of a group could provide an extra benefit.

Alternate, ranks in various types of drill could make worthwhile prerequisites for some of the mass-combat related feats in Free Companies (eg, Master of Infantry).

Finally, the results of drill checks could affect MCs in the narrative combat system, or be integrated into the OMCS. They may indicate whether a formation can pull off a particularly tricky manoeuvre or somesuch.

Anyway, those are some ideas for you to ponder. As Vincent points out, the skill's utility to the wandering adventure is probably limited, but could certainly have a place in a more military style campaign.

 

[SableWyvern]

Here's another thought: 5 ranks would make a worthy synergy bonus to Knowledge (warfare) when trying to determine what an enemy formation is attempting to do, or where they are trying to get to.

 

[sanseveria]

Thanks Vincent, and the compliment is rightly deserved.

Sable, your ideas are definetely worth looking into, thanks.

On another note, I`m considering making Knowlegde (Warfare) a class skill for soldiers, I don`t think there would be any harm in that.

SS

 

[BhilJhoanz]

The skill of marching in step became vital to the movement of large forces overland. I think I read that the Romans were the first to train their troops in this. It allows columns of troops (even several miles long) to move at a constant speed.

 

[sbarrie]

Don't forget that a formation of soldiers readying their weapons in perfect harmony is as Intimidating as hell.