I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere, but I couldn't find any mention of this issue either in the errata/faq nor by doing a simple search in the forums.

If I've understood thing correctly specializations gives an edge (represented by a fortune die) when using the skill to do something the specialization refers to. You don't really need to have a specialization to do a specific task, you just become a little bit better.

The Tradecraft skill is listed as having specializations such as Smithing, Engineering, Brewing, Performance. Reading the rules as written then indicates that when you acquire/train the Tradecraft skill (it is an advanced skill) you may do skill tests in all those areas. When you get a specialization you will become slightly better (+1 fortune die) at your specific task, but you're still able to do all the others. This makes little sense to me, even though I agree that grouping up skills is a good thing to limit the clutter, it does get a bit weird when I can become an accomplished blacksmith, brewer and performer just by acquiring one skill.

Just wondering if I've understood things wrongly? In case I'm right it's a simple thing to house rule of course, just treat the listed specializations as separate advanced skills and invent new specializations for each of them.

Per the description of Tradecraft: "General training covers evaluation and understanding of the basics of trade as a business and component of Empire life. Specialisation introduces focus on one particular type of trade or livelihood." So I would say that you can't perform actual crafting checks unless you have the appropriate specialization.

Yeah, I guess that makes sense in a way. The skill is then more about running a successful trade business with administration and all that goes into that and less about the actual crafting of objects. It still feels a bit weird that the specialisations to the skill actually deals with something completely different. Anyway, thanks for the clarification, seems I hadn't read that entry careful enough.

My character concept is a somewhat socially inept engineer that really knows his way around mechanics and building of guns and gizmos but know practically zero about how to put that knowledge to any practical use (as in actually earning a living of it). This seems a bit hard to implement rules-wise. I could of course just roleplay that he doesn't know some of the things his Tradecraft skill suggests so it's not a major problem.

Having the basic tradeskill could allow him the understanding of basic and advanced components involved in engineering as well as perhaps a little history behind the subject. Learning particular parts and where they are acquired from/how they are made. While specialization might imply that he's learned how to pull all of his knowledge together and actually begin putting objects together into useful materials.

gruntl said:

Well it's a bit of a hedge but just because he understands the fundamentals of how to run a business doesn't mean he's necessarily good at it. There are a number of factors which could influence why he was unable to earn a living from his Trade (gruff personality, undercut by competition, etc.). That may not be what you were going for, but unless you are going to be roleplaying him opening up shop and running a business, that fact that you envision him as clueless as to how to earn a living from his trade isn't going to be relevant during play.