> **
>
>
> Okay, I can see that as a bookkeeping convenience, basically. Gotcha...
>
> On a tangent, though, why wouldn't/couldn't there a Citizen of the Galaxy
> ability in play? If you have taken the time to conceptually link a handful
> of abilities into the keyword, so everyone knows what is considered
> conceptually part of Citizen of the Galaxy, how is that different than any
> other broad ability? It covers the basic skills you use every day in a life
> in the Republic. Other broad abilities like Farmer or Paladin or Jedi
> Knight can have just as many diverse elements within them, and they are (I
> think) valid abilities by RAW. So what makes your example of Citizen of the
> Galaxy less of a candidate for Abilityhood than something like Jedi Knight,
> which presumably incorporates equally diverse abilities like Acrobatics,
> Meditation, Negotiation, Philosophy, Lightsaber Training, etc.? Is it just
> Narrator fiat, or are there guidelines on defining abilities that I'm not
> getting?
>
> Hmmm... Maybe Jedi Knight, Farmer and Paladin aren't "good" candidates for
> abilities either. Maybe they should all be keywords too, although that just
> leads into a recursive loop. I need to give this some more thought.
>
You absolutely could have a Citizen of the Galaxy ability if you want to in your campaign, but the Package Keyword is there for people who don't want Repulsorlift and Language: Galactic to increase at the same time after initial purchase (or granted for Campaign Defaults). "Becoming better" at Jedi Knight is a concept most gamers understand from Class-based RPGs and Umbrella Keywords help support that concept.
> If my math is right, that means he had to pay 6 points to go from 10W2 to
> 13W2, then +5 for Webslinging, +8 for Spider Sense, +1 for Wall Crawling,
> and +4 for Acrobatics, or 24 points total. In exchange for that 24 points,
> he got one general broad ability (Amazing Spider Powers) at 13W2, and
> higher values in four more specific abilities. Cool.
>
> Now, let's build a Spidey Clone using just the broad ability, also
> starting at 10W2 and applying the same 24 improvement points to it. Again
> if my math is right, he'd end up with Amazing Spider Powers 14W3. Even with
> a severe penalty for being a broad ability, that is still noticeably higher
> than the real Spiderman's score, even in a contest of webbing or spider
> senses specifically.
>
> Now, I recognize this might be considered a very min/maxing approach, and
> I'm not encouraging/endorsing that. I guess my concern is that the umbrella
> keyword (and broad abilities in general) is implemented in a way that seems
> to fail to support it's intended purpose, where the mechanic actually
> encourages the opposite: broad abilities and min/maxing. From a strictly
> game-mechanic point of view, I cannot think of a reason to buy an umbrella
> keyword.
>
I agree that this is one of the potential weaknesses of the system. If you're going to use Umbrella Keywords for "Class/Professions" it should really be applied to all players/characters equally.
Now, HQ is not intended to be a simulation system; I get (and like) the
> focus on story, and maybe it just isn't a big concern to the target
> audience. Or maybe I'm still missing something. :-)
>
> Either way, the rules do give me the option of advancing umbrella keywords
> at the same rate as any other broad ability without even needing a house
> rule, so I'm not really concerned or bothered. I'm confident we'll find the
> right balance for our group. I'm mostly just curious, trying to see if I'm
> missing something, or if it just comes down to a judgment call / matter of
> personal taste.
>
And an example I thought about after I responded that might help make things clearer... Star Wars campaign, 2 Jedi, 1 Bounty Hunter, 1 Smuggler. The Jedi want to feel different from each other. Do you force them to use Broad Abilities that even if named differently basically mean "Jedi Knight" or do you let them use the Umbrella Keywords to differentiate? If they use Umbrella Keywords, do you let the Bounty Hunter and Smuggler get away with Broad Abilities since they don't clash with anybody else in the group, or do you have them use Umbrella Keywords as well for balance?
There aren't really right or wrong answers to those questions. It depends on your personal preferences, what your group likes, how important "balanced power levels" matter in your campaign/group, etc.
A simple way to "balance" things (and I'm sure you can come up with a ton of others) is to set a max/cap on Broad Abilities and Keywords (slowly raising it over the course of the campaign) with a higher cap on breakout/specialized Abilities.
What it comes down to is how much you or your group prefer "specific" or "interesting" Abilities over broad ones. If everybody's good with Broad Abilities you don't need Keywords at all. But if you have some players focusing on specialized ones and min/max'ers focusing on broad ones, it's in your interest as Narrator to find a balance for your game.
>
> Thanks again for your time and thoughts!
> Lindharin
>
> Thanks for listening and your responses!
(gave me some stuff to think about too ^.-)
>
>
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