Topic: Why "Astronautic skills"? and why Not have a "Driving/Piloting" skillc Category?

[Warl]

So I am going through the skills in My old Spacemaster books as well as the 1990 Companion I Space master skill lists.

What was Meant by "Astronautic skills" ??  And Why was this category necessary? It seems an Odd Hodge Podge of skills. And Why was Marine Pilot including with them but not Driving?

Then As I contemplated this, I began to wonder why Driving and Piloting skills were not done the same way as Weapons and Instruments?

I was thinking about doing this.
( Ground vehicle Categories )
bikes and ATVs
Small passenger Vehicles (Automatics) cars and trucks
Small passenger Vehicles (Sticks ) cars and trucks
Large passenger Vehicles (Automatics)
Large passenger Vehicles (Sticks)
Combination/Towing Vehicles
Hover Craft

(Water Base Vehicle Categories)
Jet Ski style ( can't think of their category name )
Small Boats
Large Boats
Ships

(Air and Space Born Vehicles )
Prop Planes
Jet Planes
Orbital Shuttles
Small Space Ships
Large Space ships

Any help Defining/Expanding these categories would be kewl

[Cory Magel]

Cause flying the space shuttle (or the piloting the Milllenium Falcon) ain't like driving your car across town!

I guess, realistically, you could require a number astronautic related skills in addition to driving/piloting then average them together... or not.

[Warl]

I meant more like Combat is a Skill Category.... Driving and Piloting are similar enough...like Combat or concentration skills to be a skill category..

then do the skill costs like weapons and instruments where you have 7 subcategories for costs for ground vehicles, 4 for water, And 5 costs for Airborne/Space vehicles

[Warl]

Hmm Thinking I need another ground category for Heavy vehicles like Tanks and BullDozers

[Wolfhound]

As far as hovercrafts are concerned, if you are going to use that type of a grouping they should be placed with watercraft.  Hovercrafts handle more like boats (in how they turn and drift and such), and can he used on both land and sea.

[Warl]

As far as hovercrafts are concerned, if you are going to use that type of a grouping they should be placed with watercraft.  Hovercrafts handle more like boats (in how they turn and drift and such), and can he used on both land and sea.

That would make sense.

[Cory Magel]

I don't know, I've seen several people talk about piloting hovercraft and it sounds like saying they handle like Boats seems like saying a motorcycle handles like a semi w/a trailer.

[Warl]

true Cory, But I see his point in that a Hover craft would Only handle like a ground vehicle if the ground vehicle had Multi-directional caster wheels on them to roll in any direction. though at the same time, a Boat doesn't generally do that either. Sure it may drift during a turn more than a car, but it doesn't have that multi-drirectional movement either.

Which grouping would you put it in? Air/Space craft?

[Cory Magel]

Hmmm.  Hot air ballon?  Zeppelin is probably pretty similar.  I think you have a new category (that would fit into a Steampunk setting to boot) 

[Warl]

Hmmm.  Hot air ballon?  Zeppelin is probably pretty similar.  I think you have a new category (that would fit into a Steampunk setting to boot) 

So ... um.... New category "Hover craft"

There is a big difference though between hover craft and Hot air Balloons.( though Zeppelin styles might conceivably be similar)
Hover craft and Star wars style speeder bikes have a Means of direct control propulsion... Hot air balloons are at the Whims of the air currents.

[Wolfhound]

As someone who has spent some time around hovercrafts, they are much closer to boats (not a perfect fit by any means, but a lot closer than anything else non-space related) than any thing else.

[Warl]

As someone who has spent some time around hovercrafts, they are much closer to boats (not a perfect fit by any means, but a lot closer than anything else non-space related) than any thing else.

Would you think they would more closely resemble air craft/Space craft? Seems their Multi direction movement would more closely Resemble a Helicopter than a boat.

And some Sci-fi Shows depict Small space craft ships as being similar in Omnidirectional Movement.
Babylon Five Starfuries and THe White Star seemed very much along those Lines.
I am thinking of Lumping hover craft in with Air/space Piloting.

[Wolfhound]

I would agree except for the fact that hovercrafts only utilize 2-dimentional movement whereas everything else that falls into the space/air craft spectrum utilizes 3-dimentional movement.  But ultimately, its your choice as a GM what you feel is most appropriate.  Personally I would include them with boats, but that is just my viewpoint and may not fit with the views of others.

[Cory Magel]

Honestly I'd listen to Wolfhound before I listened to me.  But they seems like the would handle a lot like a Zeppelin... but it would be very weird to have a category of 1. Zeppelin 2. Hover-craft.  You'd get no end of grief from people saying "How does that make sense?!?!"