Skill awards during character generation.?

[Being]

During Character Generation.

Corebook Pg 16. Skills & Training. "In each term you spend in a career, pick one of these tables and roll 1D to see which skill you increase."

Does this include a term in which you are undergoing Basic training?, the paragraph Basic Training on pg 16 does not counter the above paragraph however the flowchart on pg10 says "go through basic training, otherwise choose a skill table and roll"

Ive been playing that you do get the rolled skill because of the initial paragraph but others do not.

Also when initially gaining an Commission during a career turn do you gain/roll an additional skill.? ( You cannot roll for advancement during a term when you gain a Commission. ) If you stay enlisted and just earn advancement you gain an additional skill...

 

[swampslug]

Full rules text usually takes precendence over diagrams or examples in RPG books so I interpret page 16 to mean that regardless of whether you gain skills via basic training or not, you always make a roll on one of the career's skill tables. This is also how the RPGSuite software does it and how Seth Skorkowsky explains character creation in his YouTube series. I don't know if Mongoose have had any input into Seth's videos, but they have been promoted on the Mongoose Publishing homepage.

I also rule that you don't gain an extra skill roll for commission. The rules text makes no mention of skill rolls on commission and it precedes advancement in the rules so it should not be considered a type of advancement but something distinct. In fact it appears that a character that fails to gain a commission can still make an advancement roll that term since only a successful commission roll prevents an advancement roll.

 

[NOLATrav]

We play that Commission does not gain a skill roll (because only certain careers offer commission at all). Of course it unlocks another table for the character to roll on so that's the "reward."

 

[Old School]

I’ve always allowed the roll during term 1. The text is carried over from MgT1, and the example in that book has a first term roll.

And if the author tells me I’m wrong, I’m still rolling in term 1.

 

[Condottiere]

I don't know if it's balanced, but let players role for another skill if they get commissioned.

It probably evens out by the end of character and party generation.

 

[First Age]

Thanks for raising this. I've recently created some PCs for the North Star Convention and the ambiguity of this point has probably meant I have underskilled them. I'm going back to give them another roll. I'd probably give a skill on Commission too.

Hopefully this will be clarified in the revised edition.

 

[Being]

Yes, I raised it because there was a recent question on a Facebook group and I was surprised how many people wernt giving a skill roll during any term that included any Basic Training. More than were in fact. I have always done so. I think Im also going to give one for gaining an Commission, as long as the Commission is not gained during pre career education.