I've always been attracted to the craft skills in role plays. When browsing the rules section, often the first thing I do is find the typical shaded in the margin, or paragraph where the mechanics are exposed to forge weapons and armor, droids and the construction of ships or making potions and poisons. My characters in the few situations where I can sit next to the players, always have some ability of this type, or almost always. And as a master, also tend to take the pain in the ass to my players to encourage them to buy some for their characters.
There are several reasons, but I guess one of the most important is that is an easy way to add a special touch character, a plus in depth. It is the same with the skills of art, like painting or playing instruments. Often we tend to take the characters as described in its archetype: generic warrior, generic mage ... with few variations. If you also have an associated non-human race, the characterization has become even more stereotyped (warrior + = dwarf Gimli, Legolas browser + elf =). The warrior it have a natural talent for carving wood, or a magician knows distilled liquors is a simple way to imply that both have other concerns beyond the sword or the books of magic, which always makes them much more fun to play.
Another important reason is that if the master sets interest can be a good thread to pull in various situations to direct a scene . It is easy to justify staying a group of adventurers in a village, for example, if people are willing to pay well the services of a skilled blacksmith. And good architects do not abound. It is possible that a farmer is not interested in renting the sword of a warrior in exchange for room and board, but it does come in handy for someone to repair the wheel of his car. In cohesive group, they may even become a good excuse to take some adventure ("Cletus in Search of Knowledge Cartwheel ..." Well, perhaps this example may not work well at all.) What's interesting is that it is a additional resources that have the players to interact with NPCs and their environment, and that is can be very useful. As always, depends on the ability they have the players to carry out occasional vertical thinking, and how comfortable they are.
On the other hand, is the fact that it is very satisfying to be able to equip your teammates or yourself, and what is even more exciting, help change the world they inhabit the characters and adding some lasting own. When sandbox play in any game of sword and sorcery, is a puntazo can revisit the characters castles that look one of his tapestries and statues, temples designed by themselves or villages which helped prepare defenses at some point. In sandbox is where you can get more out of this facet of the characters , because it is still easier than interesting adventures take place motivated by that kind of skill: the players may have to find some arcane anvil deepest a dangerous dungeon in order to forge a powerful magical artifact. Or you may develop a campaign around the building of a cathedral in the style of the Pillars of the Earth.
a setting where the craft may have a relatively important role (at the end of the day is a handful of skills, except for characters very specific) is in the post-apocalyptic. Personally one of my favorite environment, just by how well it adapts to a sandbox style game in which the characters will fill the map and shaping the world as they move on several adventures. In a devastated world, skills that in other games could be considered harmless take on a life or death importance : hunting, agriculture, basic mechanics ... It does not take a Noldor to be important enough to be the only 400 km to the round that knows how to properly cultivate turnips.
Unfortunately, mechanical of "crafting" (a word I like to use, because I inevitably evokes the MORPG) are covered only briefly in most games, if any mention is made. It's a shame, because ultimately the absence of complex mechanical covering more than very basic aspects of the skill is often deter many players (from conversations with friends, I have no specific data). still have not found any games that really fills me in this sense, except perhaps the FATE system as described in his Spirit of the Century , yet I fall short. For my part, I have some time mulling over their own system based on a kind of specific experience points to the craftsmanship that I would write when I have had opportunity to test it properly. Meanwhile, I like to get a manual that you devote to this type of skills similar attention to other facets of the game, such as advanced combat or magic. But I guess that would be too much to ask.
Or not? If anyone knows any game you like in particular as reflected in these skills, or simply has some interesting house rules, do not hesitate to share . I'm sure not the only eccentric take a look.
A greeting.
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