[Deluxe T&T] Talents

The latest Deluxe T&T update received through Kickstarter is the first one with real meat. All the previous updates were about forgettable gadgets (bookmark, coins, dice, postcards, etc.) or about 'uh-oh we're going to be late'.

As I've said above, update No.47 was the first meaty update, with a link to a 20-page document detailing the beta version of the Talents section of Deluxe T&T. I haven't read it yet, but it does seem to deviate significantly from Ed. 7.5 (which is more or less the version I'm using for my house rules).

Not sure if I'm allowed to post excerpts, examples, what I think of them, etc. I'll let you know.

22/01/2014 Edit:   OK, I've had had time to read the chapter. Ohmygod I hate the new mechanism. Instead of being represented by a full number (as in the standard 7.5 rules) or by a bonus (as in my Timinits & Trolls rules), Talents are now expressed through a 'level'. There are four of those, and each of them corresponds to a different discrete bonus.

This simply adds a further (and, in my view, unnecessary) step to the basic mechanism. Let me use an example. Delh the Delver has DEX 15 and a Talent for Acrobatics expressed as '17' or as '+2', depending on how you like to write it down on your character sheet. If the GM calls for a SR on Acrobatics, you immediately know that you'll be basing your success on the number 17. With the new system, instead of '17' or '+2', your character sheet reads 'average' [note: I am making this up so as not to reveal the exact contents of the DT&T chapter I've received as a backer]. So when the GM calls for a SR on Acrobatics, you first have to "translate" your skill level of 'average' into a +2 before knowing that your success is going to be based on the number 17. Same mechanism as before, but with one extra step.