more bandwith on battlesuits and skills

A thread of 2 messages, 20 January 1992 to 21 January 1992, in the order they were sent.

#3523 more bandwith on battlesuits and skills

>From Scott Kellogg:

>Skill Levels and their meanings (In my book)
>(Using Ground Car as an example)
>Ground Car-0	(Know how to drive, fill the tank, when to get routine
		maintainance, knows when car is malfunctioning.)
>Ground Car-1	Can Drive in bad weather, diagnose of minor faults, can
		perform minor maintainance: change oil & filters
>Ground Car-2	Can Drive in bad weather at speed.  Perform most maintainance
>Ground Car-3	Professional Racer.  Can overhaul engine & transmission.
>Ground Car-4	A.J. Foyt
>Ground Car-5	Speed Racer
>Ground Car-6	Racer-X

	You remember Speed Racer, too?... ;-)

>(Using Hand gun)
>Hand Gun-0	Can point the gun and shoot it.  Knows how to reload
>Hand Gun-1	Can strip and reassemble it under battle field conditions
>Hand Gun-2	Can strip weapon & reassemble blind folded
>Hand Gun-3	Competition level marksman
>Hand Gun-4	Olympic level marksman
>(Please note, I am Ground Car-1, and Hand Gun-0.)

	Same skills with me, though I probaly would have something like a
Knowledge(firearms/20th century)-2 or 3...
	These skill levels seem okay. I generally have considered
level-5 the 'master' skill level; For example, Han Solo had a piloting of
at least 5, and Scotty had an engineering of at least 5. Two character's
in my campaigns have managed this level (both scouts), one in piloting
and the other in electronics.

>It herefore seems to me that Battle Dress-1, would give the user a damn
>good knowlege of the system that is there to keep him ALIVE.  Marines
>would be sleeping in the things in boot camp.  Probably the best thing
>on the subject of training in battledress is in Joe Haldeman's "The
>Forever War".  Now it seems to me that a drill sargent ought to be able
>to fix his men up in this stuff.  His skill levels would be around
>Battle Dress-2 or 3.   (I would guess)

	Never read the book, and might not have the chance to for awhile
(being an English major will do that...). I do agree with this, though.
The armor is just as important to the marine as his weapon; he (or she)
will know it inside and out as well as can be expected for the amount
of training (ie, skill level) given. Somehow, visons of _Full_Metal_Jacket_
and the marine who lost it spring to mind here...

>	So, looking at the above, one might have to have a skill level of
>at least Battle Dress-1 or 2 to look at another person in battle dress and
>know if it is a woman or not.

	Then again, with it being a armoed, sealed suit, you might not know what
was in it until you blow it apart...


>Also, a Shakleton sure would look nice in the Confederate Air Force.  Just
>put 'em back into the Lancaster configuration...

	Okay, what are these two craft?... (my aircraft knowledge is WWII)

#3527 Re: Skill level levels

> Brandon Cope writes:
> >From Scott Kellogg:
>
> >Skill Levels and their meanings (In my book)
> >(Using Ground Car as an example)
> >Ground Car-0 (Know how to drive, fill the tank, when to get routine
>               maintainance, knows when car is malfunctioning.)
> >Ground Car-1 Can Drive in bad weather, diagnose of minor faults, can
>               perform minor maintainance: change oil & filters
> >Ground Car-2 Can Drive in bad weather at speed.  Perform most maintainance
> >Ground Car-3 Professional Racer.  Can overhaul engine & transmission.
> >Ground Car-4 A.J. Foyt
> >Ground Car-5 Speed Racer
> >Ground Car-6 Racer-X
>
> >(Using Hand gun)
> >Hand Gun-0   Can point the gun and shoot it.  Knows how to reload
> >Hand Gun-1   Can strip and reassemble it under battle field conditions
> >Hand Gun-2   Can strip weapon & reassemble blind folded
> >Hand Gun-3   Competition level marksman
> >Hand Gun-4   Olympic level marksman
> >(Please note, I am Ground Car-1, and Hand Gun-0.)
>
>       Same skills with me, though I probaly would have something like a
> Knowledge(firearms/20th century)-2 or 3...

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this point. I just happen
to consider a skill system that makes the second step (skill-0 =
first step, skill-1 = second step) equivalent to full army training
too coarse for my taste (Why, I even impose a negative DM on promotions
for military personel that hasn't reached skill-2 in any MOS). Still,
I can't resist the temptation to point out that medic-1 is listed
somewhere a equivalent to a nurse, medic-2 to a para-medic and not
until you reach doctor do you get to medic-3. Going by that I'd say
that Ground Car-3 should be professional driving, granted, but taxi
driver/trucker; a professional racer would need 4-5 in skill.

And I still think Traveller could use a few more differentiations
in it's skill system. You may let Wet Navy captains navigate your
starships, but I require a real astrogator for mine ;-)

      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     [email removed]
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