Diferences between skills

By Yepesnopes, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

For example Knowledge underworld is what the FBI knows about crime. Where as Streetwise is what the people on the street know about crime. The 2 overlap. But the Streetwise person is less likely to offend someone. And the Knowledge person is more likely to know the encyclopedia knowledge.

I like this. A generic cop might need to build up Knowledge (Underworld) to know who runs crime rings, what gangs are active in what territory, what that tag means. But the undercover cop also needs Streetwise to navigate that scene like an insider. Underworld tells him where to go and whom to talk to, but Streetwise tells him how to behave when he gets there.

For example Knowledge underworld is what the FBI knows about crime. Where as Streetwise is what the people on the street know about crime. The 2 overlap. But the Streetwise person is less likely to offend someone. And the Knowledge person is more likely to know the encyclopedia knowledge.

I like this. A generic cop might need to build up Knowledge (Underworld) to know who runs crime rings, what gangs are active in what territory, what that tag means. But the undercover cop also needs Streetwise to navigate that scene like an insider. Underworld tells him where to go and whom to talk to, but Streetwise tells him how to behave when he gets there.

I love that. It's almost like the developers had some good ideas when building this system :)

To write the example backwards, a Mos Eisley ganger needs to know streetwise to know how to talk with his fellows, how not to offend the supplier they use for their spice, and who they are at war at at the moment. The tag used by Mos Espa Riders, however, is completely beyond him, as is how his supplier launders the money they pay him, or if that spice he's selling is "real Kessel" spice.

While I haven't done it yet, if I ever had a mind I'd roll these skills together:

Athletics/Coordination (use Brawn or Agility as appropriate)

Astrogation/Computer

Streetwise/ Knowledge: Underworld (use Intellect or Cunning as appropriate)

Cool/Discipline (use Presence or Willpower as appropriate)

Perception/Vigilance (use Cunning or Willpower as appropriate)

That would bring the list of skills down from 32 to 27. Too many of them feel redundant to me.

If you're thinking about reducing the number of Skills then you should also consider adjusting the EXP cost to raise them. The number of skills, Talents etc. were likely factored in to the EXP costs.

Perception is noticing something there. Vigilance is noticing something changed.

The nice thing about having skills that overlap is forcing someone who has a high in one skill to use a lesser skill for a check, but on other occasions giving them the choice to narrate how using there good skill works in that situation where another skill that they suck at might have actually been better. There is no reason the same check can't have different difficulty levels based on which skill you use.

As an example: the Boulder trap coming down a tunnel, checking to to get out of the way

Could use the following skill checks:

Average Perception walking into the tunnel, noticing the trap before it's triggered.

Average Skullduggery upgraded once, recognising this as a good place to put a trap.

Average Vigilance upgraded twice when the trap triggers, seeing that you did trigger a trap and reacting

Hard Coordination with some setback to leap out of the way

Hard Athletics upgraded once to stop the Boulder.

Basically I feel the debs deliberately made skills overlap to give players and gm's the ability to solve every problem in different ways, and while it's hard to grasp what each skill is capable of, if the PC said they want to do something with a particular skill say yes, but set the difficulty according to the task. It's goint to be a lot easier see the trap beforehand than react once it's triggered, and the strong character may have the hardest time of it, but will save the rest of the party who suck at perception or vigilance and where going to get crushed.

As an example: the Boulder trap coming down a tunnel, checking to to get out of the way

Could use the following skill checks:

Average Perception walking into the tunnel, noticing the trap before it's triggered.

Average Skullduggery upgraded once, recognising this as a good place to put a trap.

Average Vigilance upgraded twice when the trap triggers, seeing that you did trigger a trap and reacting

Hard Coordination with some setback to leap out of the way

Hard Athletics upgraded once to stop the Boulder.

...or an excellent opportunity to unveil a PC's latent Force Sensitivity, as he puts up his hands to protect himself and the boulder stops, suspended in mid-roll.

As an example: the Boulder trap coming down a tunnel, checking to to get out of the way

Could use the following skill checks:

Average Perception walking into the tunnel, noticing the trap before it's triggered.

Average Skullduggery upgraded once, recognising this as a good place to put a trap.

Average Vigilance upgraded twice when the trap triggers, seeing that you did trigger a trap and reacting

Hard Coordination with some setback to leap out of the way

Hard Athletics upgraded once to stop the Boulder.

...or an excellent opportunity to unveil a PC's latent Force Sensitivity, as he puts up his hands to protect himself and the boulder stops, suspended in mid-roll.

also a wonderful opportunity to use advantage to give boost dice to other players. "Look Out!"