| David Eynon |
After reading the Alpha rules, I did something I always do — I create the character that I would want to play. In this case, I made a Fighter. I realize this thread is about Rogues, but since this is about working with the skill system as is (which I greatly appreciate for its simplicity), my experience with Fighters is relevant.
Since skills progress along with character level, there is a limited amount of skills to choose from that each class can use without penalty. When creating a Fighter, I appreciated the expanded skill set (because it allowed me to create the character I wanted to play), but I also appreciated only having 2 skills at first level — if I had more, I would have no incentive to remain a FIghter for skill purposes. At the same time, if I had to wait 5 levels to get more skills, that would make the temptation to multiclass (especially to Rogue) that much greater.
If I recall correctly, one of the goals of this rules set is to give incentive to advance beyond 2nd level Rogue and 4th level Fighter.
Thus, I believe limiting skills at first level is a better option than expansion. I also believe that limiting acquisition of skills by class, as has been suggested, is counter-productive.
I think the mechanic that would work best needs to be linked to a Rogue's level. In other words, in order to take advantage of the "skill monkey" aspect of the character, one needs to be actively pursuing a Rogue career. This could take the form of skill specialization (usable only on Rogue skills), or more skill slots as you advance, or extra bonuses for Rogue-specific skills based on the level one has as a Rogue. Just a random thought — what if you didn't get your Int bonus of skills initially, but gradually and only when advancing in your original class?
Thus, you limit the number of skills classes have at first level, reducing the temptation of being a Rogue just to have those skills. You keep all classes relatively equal in gaining skills over time, to reduce the temptation of jumping ship from the Fighter class. And you build in a mechanic that allows the Rogue to be a skill monkey, but can only truly achieve through leveling-up in the Rogue class.