CD Update

[Maouse]

Well, I don't usually worry about the skill buying, in fact I find it one
of the most enjoyable parts of the game.  It allows your "fighter" to learn
how to sing and dance, or kill people professionally.  Of course if it
doesn't fit the character you can use it to your GM advantage.  Say for
instance that a local duke needs someone professionally killed (say by an
executioner).  Now if there are three executioners in town, he has a good
choice for who he wants to do the job.  He picks one, if they turn him down
(say because they are "adventuring" or what have you), he decides they
should also be put to the sword and decides to ask the second one.  After
going through this merry band he finds no takers.  Incenced by their
obvious disrespect for royalty he hires an assassin and a throws a few
coins at some "brutes" to put the fillanderers(sp?) out of his region.  Of
course once they're safely out of the region the assassin strikes (who
consequently may have been yet another party member that know he CANNOT
refuse the guild).  Alternately they coul dconspire to kill the Duke...
best be prepared for that :) (that's what I'd do if I cared about the
person he wanted dead, but then that's me).

In Short: Instant adventure!

Ps. historically "bad" and botched executions usually led to the
executioner's demise... this is why the guiotine was used, because it worked
(mostly anyway).  The "professional" executioner still checked the rig and
pulled the cord and was a much needed part of the process.  It also allowed
the executioner a "blamee", ie. darn machine didn't work! rather than, I
didn't set it up right or my axe/sword wasn't sharp enough...  this allowed
the executioner to continue executing.

Alternately the oh so not so pretty fighter (assuming that the character
was allowed to move his own stats around this is traditionally the low
stat) knows how to sing and dance, only he's too ugly to actually pick up
chicks.  This makes him the butt of all the local (and eventually not so
local) jokes.  "The ugly bard who thinks he's a fighter"...  ever have one
of these in your party?  And who cares about the character's self image of
his character... shoulda thought twice about buying that skill, eh?

I personally think that the 800 (who would take less???!) points you get is
perfectly great for setting up the adventure despite what the players
envision their characters to be.

-Marcel aka maouse at fulton-net.com