I love this system, and other than having to wait for the books to be released, my only complaint comes from the different species.

For an example, it is highly unlikely one will ever see a capable Nikto marshall. I think that could be a cool idea, and the spe ies characteristics just don't jive with the career skills.

How would you have remedied this?

What if it is a colony of Niktos? At that point would they prefer an outsider to be a Marshal?

Please tell me more about why it is not possible. I am genuinely unaware.

I'm not certain it should be remedies, really. I admit it's a small issue I have, but I don't want to absolutely love everything about anything.

I love the Beatles, but I really don't like a few of their songs. If I loved something without any issues, I fear that would mark me a fanatic.

Having said that, though, I still feel it's important to consider the things that one doesn't like. My immediate solution is "Suck it up, Butter cup," and play for fun. But if my players feel screwed over because they had a really cool idea with an in-built handicap I would want to try and alleviate this.

Maybe, allowing the swap of a skill on a one-for-one basis? Combat for combat. Social for social.

Please tell me more about why it is not possible. I am genuinely unaware.

I do try not to nitpick. I merely said unlikely. Nothing on the table is impossible.

I guess I don't understand the issue?

What about a Nikto would make it unable to be a Marshal?

and how would "a swap of a skill" make it possible?

Is it the "stats are not ideal"? or something inherent to the species that doesn't allow the career?

Yeah, I don't know why not. The way the XP and stats are set up, if you spend on characteristics at chargen (which is strongly encouraged) you can still have the galaxy's smartest Weequay even though they start out with Intellect 1. Same with any other species. Usually the XP and stats are set up so that if you take some extra Obligation, almost every species can have a 3/3/3/3/2/2 distribution.

So there is nothing mechanically to stop you from getting what you want.

This falls under the class X uses stat Y heavily but species Z starts with a low stat Y therefore any player who would play that is either being punished or a hindrance to the group.

I don't buy it, but I've seen that mentality in the wild.

Please tell me more about why it is not possible. I am genuinely unaware.

I do try not to nitpick. I merely said unlikely. Nothing on the table is impossible.

You misunderstand - I don't know about the stats. I am legitimately asking you for the reasons why. I am not challenging your assertion.

Please tell me more about why it is not possible. I am genuinely unaware.

I do try not to nitpick. I merely said unlikely. Nothing on the table is impossible.

You misunderstand - I don't know about the stats. I am legitimately asking you for the reasons why. I am not challenging your assertion.

I apologize, then.

I'm fully aware part of this may come from only ever getting to GM (I have never been able to be a player in a game since college about a decade ago), and that I am playing with folk who strictly came from D&D, but some of my players have recently raised this as a concern. Starting with a 1 in a stat necessary for skills in a specialization is beginning with a handicap.

This falls under the class X uses stat Y heavily but species Z starts with a low stat Y therefore any player who would play that is either being punished or a hindrance to the group.

I don't buy it, but I've seen that mentality in the wild.

This probably partly comes from the idiocy of stats usage in systems like D20 where a high DEX is Absolutely REQUIRED to be a good ranged character, a high CHA is Absolutely REQUIRED to be the social character, etc...

How do you describe how a species is "good" "average" or "not good" unless you have at least 1 stat at one?

By that assertion Droid is the most gimped species with ALL ones. They make up for it with getting bonus XP to spend. With Niktos they excel at some things and aren't as awesome at others. This is "flavor".

From a D&D perspective does a Drow have the same stats as a Dwarf? (I think those are D&D races)

You have to have some differences or why bother with species at all?

I love this system, and other than having to wait for the books to be released, my only complaint comes from the different species.

For an example, it is highly unlikely one will ever see a capable Nikto marshall. I think that could be a cool idea, and the spe ies characteristics just don't jive with the career skills.

Please tell me more about why it is not possible. I am genuinely unaware.

I do try not to nitpick. I merely said unlikely. Nothing on the table is impossible.

You misunderstand - I don't know about the stats. I am legitimately asking you for the reasons why. I am not challenging your assertion.

I apologize, then.

I'm fully aware part of this may come from only ever getting to GM (I have never been able to be a player in a game since college about a decade ago), and that I am playing with folk who strictly came from D&D, but some of my players have recently raised this as a concern. Starting with a 1 in a stat necessary for skills in a specialization is beginning with a handicap.

I was just about to say that this sounds like D&D mentality where having a trait at such a low number that it is bad thing. This system does not work that way. It does present a challenge to decide where to spend your XP though, skills or traits.

Personally I enjoy playing races against type. Makes for a much more interesting time. Even if not min/maxxed.

I do wish to stress that, as the GM, I am loving this game. It's simple to use and versatile. But my player base is on shaky footing with it so far. Alas, poor Cory, he cannot simply make a badass ubermenche like he used to.

I'm fully aware part of this may come from only ever getting to GM (I have never been able to be a player in a game since college about a decade ago), and that I am playing with folk who strictly came from D&D, but some of my players have recently raised this as a concern. Starting with a 1 in a stat necessary for skills in a specialization is beginning with a handicap.

Sadly, this is an issue with your players and how they play games. I'm not saying it is bad, per se, but they don't see the advantages of playing against type. I feel there is something to be said about playing a character that grows to be better than they were. It is part of the reason most seem to hate Han shooting second, or at the same time as Greedo, as it him shooting first and being all out for himself makes his growth as a character that much more poignant. If Han didn't meet Luke and Leia, he surely would have ended up dead at Jabba's hands. The character changed drastically.

The best way I can describe this mentality is someone only wanting to know the outcome of a book, like reading the Coles Notes, instead of reading it in the entirety without knowing how the character grows. As the saying goes, perhaps it's not the destination, but the journey. If everything is easy for you, nothing is a challenge, then i personally don't see the fun in that.

I really see no reason why a Niktos marshall would really be handicapped. The only career skills that Niktos might have a harder time working with is Charm and Negotiation. This could be played to your advantage. Maybe your Niktos Marshall isn't the talkative type or he enjoys asserting himself over others with coercion(willpower). There are lots of cops (especially on tv) that don't talk much or prefer use their fists to settle a dispute.

Like Whafrog noted most characters should increase a stat or two at character creation for a healthier character growth. A smarter Niktos with knowledge of how the "system works" would probably increase intellect to 3.

If you're using the Niktos Marshall example to represent a perceived incompatibility with slavery and law enforcement, realize that the names for specializations aren't to be taken literally when a character is being created, i.e. an aspiring vigilante could pick up the marshall.

IMO a Niktos would be more likely to be a marshall because of the species' heritage. A former Niktos slave might have learned a lot about the crime world while being enslaved to a Hutt and uses his/her knowledge of the underworld to fight crime. People obsessed with justice are created when the world is unjust.

This game is narratively focused and I find that players that use species without innate advantages have richer roleplaying experiences. One of my players is a Chiss trader and he is enjoying playing a character with presence 1 even though traders use negotiation. In fact, I let him use knowledge skills to provide one or two boost dice when he is trading.

Bottom line, regardless of what species-specialization combination you choose the character concept won't work if your player doesn't make it work.

A few points put here with good intentions to help your group:

This is a narrative system with strong resolution mechanics, not a fancy HeroQuest board game with D20 mechanics, they need to be telling the story as much as the GM (don't take that personally, I just love this system and find DnD stifling, if I want to play a tactical combat game then give me warhammer 40k/fantasy)

As a group this system wants you to be changing the story dramatically when things happen with a dice roll, an action should go something like this; broadly declare the intended action, assemble the dice, roll, describe what actually happened. It should not be; declare precisely the intended action, assemble the dice, roll, declare pass/fail, wonder what to do with advantage/triumph.

Failure at a skill check does not always mean something was not achieved, it just may have taken longer, or advantage/triumph allowed something much cooler to take place.

Skill training can make up for a stat deficit in this system, a characteristic of 1 but 4 ranks of a skill is the same dice pool as a characteristic of 4 with 1 rank of training. This point alone allows for a character to be exceptional at something their species is usually terrible at. This also combines well with the Skilled Assistance action and another PC who does have a high relevant characteristic.

This system makes splitting the party fun, easy and narratively worth while, if everyone in the party focus on a single thing then this hinders the ability to split the party, having multiple PC's skilled in the same thing is actually more freeing. Talk to them about the movies Oceans 11, 12 and 13, many characters are great at something but all have to be able to do other things on their own or in small groups. This also allows the combat monkeys to fight while the social characters are talking. (I have actually had the party of 5 split 5 ways and it works fine, just keeps me busy!)

Basically there are a lot of people trying this system after spending years with the 400lb gorilla, and everyone has the same issues, your not alone, and everyone on these boards wants your group to have fun in this system.

Thanks for the input all. I suppose it just takes time to acclimate for everyone to be on the same page. My friends will adapt, or I will work with them, but I cannot go back to D&D. Someone please drop a piano on my head first.

Bonus points if you dress like Judge Doom.

Thanks for the input all. I suppose it just takes time to acclimate for everyone to be on the same page. My friends will adapt, or I will work with them, but I cannot go back to D&D. Someone please drop a piano on my head first.

Bonus points if you dress like Judge Doom.

Sorry, but I'd wear my Judge Dredd outfit and take you out with my custom Lawgiver. "I AM THE LAAAAWWWWW!!!!"

This is kinda like saying you can't be a runner if you don't have legs. Sure, it's a lot more difficult but some people work hard and make it happen.

Just put some XP into your Nikto's characteristics at the start and make a Marshall. Then spend XP you earn to improve them.

The main thing (for me) is, give them a compelling story and roleplay them in an interesting way. If you do that, and create a fun time for your fellow players, then I don't see how it matters if one of your stats is a 3 or a 4 or whatever.

Please tell me more about why it is not possible. I am genuinely unaware.

I do try not to nitpick. I merely said unlikely. Nothing on the table is impossible.

You misunderstand - I don't know about the stats. I am legitimately asking you for the reasons why. I am not challenging your assertion.

I apologize, then.

I'm fully aware part of this may come from only ever getting to GM (I have never been able to be a player in a game since college about a decade ago), and that I am playing with folk who strictly came from D&D, but some of my players have recently raised this as a concern. Starting with a 1 in a stat necessary for skills in a specialization is beginning with a handicap.

It is a handicap, but I don't see a problem with that. Species having handicaps and advantage is what differentiates them in gameplay and makes sense in the context of their genetics and upbringing. Of course a Niktos can be a good Marshal. It will just be a little more difficult for them. Investing characteristics in character creation can make up for that deficiency, and skills are honestly more important than characteristics in the long game.

That said, it seems to me that there's a pretty easy solution to fixing your problem. Species generally have comparable starting characteristics, so just shift to a point-buy system. Instead of giving your players pre-designed starting values, assign them a number of experience points that can only be invested in characteristics.

I think you're better off just leaving it as is though.I say this as someone who was equally concerned about caving to player demands when those players were mostly used to other systems. Clever use of experience and working against expectations will likely make that niktos a more compelling character in the long run.

I talked to the player in question, and I sat him down to go over building a Nikto Marshall RAW and gave him XP equal to 5 less than the party member with the lowest XP for starting later.

I think it came out okay. He's not sold still. He's building a Human now (tomorrow, probably). Maybe I'll keep the Nikto and drop him into the game later on.

If you want to share the build and summarize what the player wants, maybe somebody can find a way to make it work for him.