I've just started my 2nd campaign with SWADE and in both I've found the need to extract Thrown as an ability under the Athletics skill. In one case it's because there's a specialization to throwing and it just felt too awkward and misleading to have that specialization applied to the Athletics skill. In another it's a setting with a very vertical topography, in which ascending heights is as second nature to player races as walking, yet swimming and throwing pose greater challenges due to the same terrain. In that latter case I just split all 3 of them out into separate skills like SWD. I can understand the folks at Peginc wanting to do something about Throwing; in my experiences with Fighting driving Parry and Shooting getting the better target number, players often felt unmotivated to spec Throwing. I learned to live with Athletics covering swimming and climbing in D&D 4 & 5, but TBH I still don't care for that and even less so in SWADE. Throwing is another matter though and I'd be even less inclined to keep it under Athletics in a Weird Wars campaign, where thrown ordnance comes into play in a big way. Not to mention I've viewed a number of posts about SWADE on other websites, with players and GMs voicing the same dislike for throwing as part of the Athletics skill.
I realize there's a few new hindrances for challenging/limiting a PC for a specific Athletics skill ability, but TBH that approach just annoys me. I take hindrances seriously as a GM when employed in racial builds and when players take them on. Stacking hindrances up on a teetering plate like the Sesame Street baker's cakes, is a poor design choice IMO. I want Hindrances to continue to come into play in a more narrative way and not as simple play mechanic tweaks to skills. Anyhow...just my rant and 2 cents about a SWADE design decision that I don't particularly care for.
I realize there's a few new hindrances for challenging/limiting a PC for a specific Athletics skill ability, but TBH that approach just annoys me. I take hindrances seriously as a GM when employed in racial builds and when players take them on. Stacking hindrances up on a teetering plate like the Sesame Street baker's cakes, is a poor design choice IMO. I want Hindrances to continue to come into play in a more narrative way and not as simple play mechanic tweaks to skills. Anyhow...just my rant and 2 cents about a SWADE design decision that I don't particularly care for.
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