The question about if a certain skill should give some benefit when used
as a substitute for another skill or a skill in using material much more/less
advanced as those training took place with it a big can of worms.
The most realistic solution should be to extensively detail how these factors
would work for each skill. But that is obviously a big job and it would
complicate the game.
To take another of those infamous "real life examples": When I was younger I
did a lot of target-practice with an airrifle. Then in the AF, I got tought to
use a SMG, and while an SMG is atotally different weapon from an airrifle, I
had good use of the experiance from the airrifle (at least when firing single
shots in competitions :-)
During an excercise, I had the opportunity to have a close look at the latest
assault carbine in the inventory. And to put it frankly, I didn't find the
safety until the owner pointed it out to me :-)
I don't want to think about how long it would have taken me in a more
frantic situation.
So the real effect of not knowing how to use a specific weapon is that is is
*much* harder to make it do anything, and if it does anything, there is a big
risk of getting hurt. Hitting things with it, once you know how to use it, might
even be made easier if you have some weapon skill in the same area. (eg. Slug-
throwers, lasers, energy, etc)
As for servicing (most modern weapons aught to get serviced quite regularly,
even the most rugged ones that can be dragged in dirt and water and fired
directly afterwards will rust stuck if left damp for more a few days) don't even
think about it if you lack a users guide or training.
The theoretically best solution of the trouble with transferring skills might
be the Shadowrun skill-net (I havn't seen it myself, so this is pure hearsay).
There all skills is laid out with lines between them. If you have a certain
skill and want to use it for something else, you go there following the lines
and reduce the skill by one for each line you follow.
This can be expanded to include some lines that for example halve skill and
so on. The main disadvantage is sadly that the whole thing is probably very
hard to actually design well. The Shadowrun skillnet is rumored to contain
large errors and typos even after several erratas.
- -bertil-
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