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<blockquote data-quote="Chris_Nightwing" data-source="post: 5952112" data-attributes="member: 882">I don't know which systems have been discussed but I'll mention the Traveller (Mongoose) system here. The list of skills is finite (with the catchall 'Trade' skill to cover anything you think you might like for a character that's otherwise absent). You get a -3 penalty for having no ranks in a skill, but otherwise each rank adds +1. When you make a check, you choose which ability modifier to add to it.This mimics the D&amp;DN system under a finite skill list. The problem, as with any finite skill list, is that some skills are super awesome and others a waste of time. Some too narrow, some too broad. Some have subskills. Any finite system falls into the taxonomic trap of being infinitely subsettable - you have to decide where to draw the line as to what is a skill. This is in contrast to an infinite list of skills - you have to decide whether a given skill is relevant to a situation.For a pen and paper roleplaying game, I am inclined towards the latter, infinite list of skills, with player/DM judgement making a call on what works when.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Chris_Nightwing, post: 5952112, member: 882"] I don't know which systems have been discussed but I'll mention the Traveller (Mongoose) system here. The list of skills is finite (with the catchall 'Trade' skill to cover anything you think you might like for a character that's otherwise absent). You get a -3 penalty for having no ranks in a skill, but otherwise each rank adds +1. When you make a check, you choose which ability modifier to add to it. This mimics the D&DN system under a finite skill list. The problem, as with any finite skill list, is that some skills are super awesome and others a waste of time. Some too narrow, some too broad. Some have subskills. Any finite system falls into the taxonomic trap of being infinitely subsettable - you have to decide where to draw the line as to what is a skill. This is in contrast to an infinite list of skills - you have to decide whether a given skill is relevant to a situation. For a pen and paper roleplaying game, I am inclined towards the latter, infinite list of skills, with player/DM judgement making a call on what works when. [/QUOTE]

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