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How To: Skill Specialization $0.99
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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How To: Skill Specialization
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How To: Skill Specialization
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Cyril R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/22/2020 04:49:32

Excellent writing! I didn't exactly know what to expect, as I wasn't particularly convinced myself by the Specialization Rule. But Donovan's work enlightened me, I am now ready to use Specialization where it matters. It also clarified a few points about Familiarization. Very well thought out, very good examples. A must have for Worlds/Settings Builders.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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How To: Skill Specialization
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/05/2020 20:06:01

I gave it 5 stars becaue people think that if it is not that it should be ignored.

Befiore i go further, I will add that I like the art.

If I were to be honest, I would give the content 3 stars. Why? Because, to me, it feels like something that would be in a blog post, adding about that much to a game. That saiid, when considering whether or not to use the rule, having considered this content will help you keep your game fun without making a bad choice. Several years ago I was against the specialization rule as it felt like punishing the characters and giving them an advancemnt tax just to do things that they should already be able to do. Later on, it clicked. It is just redefining the zero. I have used the specialization rules in a few campaigns and, while I agree with most of this content, there is one point that I disagree.

wholeheartedly feel that Common Knowledge should use it in every game. It used to be just a Smarts roll, but SWADE made it into a skill. At first I was not so sure. But then I realized, if it always has a specializaiton then it can give the cahracter a flavor. You could go by concept with an all-in-one like "Elven warrior" or you could branch it out a bit in your campaign, giving Elves "Elf" for their cultuier and "Warrior" (or whatever) fior their profession. I have found that to work very well for the past several campaigns that I have used it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for the honest review! Yeah, the fact that this almost feels more like blog content is why I placed it in the $0.99 bracket—helps pay for the art and gives me a little lunch money for 8 pages. Common Knowledge was one I sort of waffled on whether or not it really benefits from Specializations, generally speaking, and eventually I settled on no. I agree with you that Common Knowledge should ABSOLUTELY take the character's background into consideration—cultural heritage, education, profession, and so on—but I feel that's best relegated to Familiarization penalties and situational difficulty penalties on a case-by-case basis (for example, a getaway driver should have a steeper penalty to figure out how to blend in at a fancy gala than his upper middle-class girlfriend, but she'd likely have a penalty to recall information about the city's crime bosses than he would). There were two reasons for that decision, I think. Just from a practical perspective, Specializations that might be appropriate for Common Knowledge really vary from setting to setting, just like Occult or the arcane skills, and in some cases it may even vary from character to character based on their background. Further, "general knowledge" of the world around a character is very rarely trained or specialized (in the mechanical sense) since the little things people may or may not pick up on often tends not to tie directly back into the core of their identity; some people tend to know some trivia that seems well out of their niche. Then from the "redefining zero" perspective (excellent wording, by the way), it feels odd that your average PC would be effectively Unskilled when rolling to see if he knows the capital of the next country over (d6–2 mathematically works out to be almost identical to d4–2 when you take the Wild Die into account) unless they are *particularly* well-versed in geography. If he DID take a Geography Specialization, then he is effectively Unskilled when Googling something on his smartphone, or recognizing cultural holidays, or how to compose himself in fancier company, or how to do his finances... etc., etc. Most characters really don't need to invest skill points to have a fighting chance of being somewhat aware of the world and customs around them—being that unaware is more of a defining trait of a character (the Clueless Hindrance) than a default assumption, both in fiction and in life—plus, lacking Specializations also lends towards fun little occasions where a character may roll well on something unexpected and tie something into his backstory. Why does the mercenary in the deep South of Deadlands know that Ottawa is the capital of Canada and that it's a Commonwealth country under the King? Maybe he dated a girl who used to live in Canada for a while and just held on to that trivia. Hope that helps explain the thinking behind it. Thank you again for your feedback. :)
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How To: Skill Specialization
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by David A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/04/2020 09:43:34

Donovan has done it again. His Simplified Encumbrance rules have become a part of my Savage Worlds core rule system, and now this will as well.

Skill Specialization isn't for every campaign. Leave it out of Pulp and Action campaigns, there's no need for it, but in more 'realiztic' or 'gritty' campaigns they are really useful. Donovan's quick take on these rules clarifies and explains everything in a simple, logical way that is so easy to plug into your campaign.

I'm going to use it for my Titan Effect campaign, and I'm thinking about using a limited version of it for Tyrnador. (Mostly weapons and maybe Stealth.)

Thanks again, Donovan.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you very much! I didn't write Simplified Encumbrance, though; you may be thinking of a different author. :)
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