Now, I just got the core set and I'm reading as fast as I can, so I might of missed something. You can train a skill up to three times and gain a yellow die for each block you have checked or how many times you have trained that skill. But when you specialize in a skill you only ever gain one white die. (sorry dont remember the names). I thought speciallizing in something was supposed to be harder to get and more benaficail. The white die has like 3 blank sides and the yellow only has 1. Could someone clarify this for me?

Thank you.

you are reading it correctly, training the skill overall is better than specializing, but you cannot specialize until you have trained the skill. you can train a skill once per rank but you can also specialize in the same skill during the same rank. so while specializing may not give as large of a bonus as training, it still gives you a bonus above and beyond just training the skill,

Ok, so you can only specialize in a skill that you have trained and you can only train a skill once per rank.

How many times can you develop a specialization in a trained skill in a given rank? Only one specialization? Or as many as you like?

Thanks

Roy.

You can only gain a fortune die for a specialization once so far, but it might be a good house rule to allow additional:

E.g.

First aid

First aid trained (expertise die)

First aid specialization (light wounds) (fortune die)

First aid specialization (light wounds) (2nd fortune die)

etc.

I'd put a limit of one per rank, just like expertise dice.

jh

You can take as many specializations as you want for each skill, with each one being focused upon a different niche application of the skill.

donbaloo is correct, an easy example of this would be if your player decided to specialize in ballistics skill. he could specialize in long bows, short bows, crossbows, hand crossbows, pistols, or hand guns. i would err on the side of specific in specializations in some broad skills, one obvious one being melee skill. i would not allow a specialization in hand weapons, but would make the player chose axe, sword, hammer, pick, etc. with something like first aid, i would probably allow a specialization in light wounds and field dressing, sometimes allowing the player to bring both his specializations into play at the same time.

evilben said:

That's what I do : specialization are very specialized

A thing I can understand:

why should i spend an advance in, for instance, Weapon Skill (Great Weapon) specialization when i can get a fortune dice in Strengh which will give me a Fortune Dice for ALL my Strengh rolls including Weapon Skill.

Please, somebody tells me i'm wrong...

BertH said:

Because you are in a career (like Road Warden) that has WS as a career skill, but doesn't have Strength as a career characteristic?

Because you have already taken the maximum advances for Fortune dice allowable by your current career, but still have an open advance slot or the dedicated skill training/specialization slot and no other appealing alternatives?

Because you have a dedicated skill training/specialization slot that you have to use, but you've already trained the available skills from your career at this rank?

Nice and clear, thanks.

But we agreed that if you have the valid choice between fortune and specialization, Fortune is way more effective at the same cost. So, it's just a matter of Carrer Advance requirement.

Point of clarification, they both have the same effect, add a white Fortune die to the relevant dice pool. When strictly comparing spending an advance on a specialization in a trained skill vs. spending an advance on a Fortune die linked to the characteristic associated with that same skill, then spending the point on the Fortune die is a more efficient use of that advance since the Fortune die on the characteristic will be more broadly applicable. If that choice is the one I'm faced with, then yes, I would make it every time.

However, training skills is always preferable if possible since the Expertise die is better than a Fortune die (even though not as broadly applicable as a Fortune die on a characteristic might be) and the dedication bonus gives you specializations for free for any skills trained while in that career. I agree that if skill training isn't an option for whatever reason, then there are probably better uses of the advancement than spending it on a specialization, Fortune die on a characteristic being one of them.

BertH said:

Don't forget, if you finish a career, you get a specialization in each skill you trained in that career.

And a specialization adds another die you wouldn't have received otherwise (so 3 expertise + 1 fortune vs. just the 3 expertise)