ACKSF Core Classes II - Getting the Science into the Fantasy

So last time we discussed what our core classes would be, to recap;

1. Fighter
2. Mage
3. Cleric
4. Thief
5. Borg
6. Esper

One each for the Prime Attributes, the ACKSF six-man band if you will.  So right away there are two new classes to stat up and balance with the existing ACKS classes, thankfully the ACKS Player Companion will help greatly in this, although I will be on somewhat shaky ground with new(ish) powers/abilities, or at least powers new to ACKS.  Thankfully even here I shan't be reinventing the wheel, as there plenty of wheel shaped objects to steal, er rip off n' duplicate, errrr draw inspiration from.  What?  I work in IT, this is what we do darlin', this is what we do...

Anyway, what specifically can we do to add the mechanically crunchy peanut-butter to the phantasmal chocolate?

The first possibility is to add to the existing Proficiencies System already built into ACKS.  Immediately I would rule that the free Adventuring Proficiency granted to all starting characters includes the basics space 'venturing; donning space-suits, checking pressure seals, patching suit tears, sealing hull breaches, routine maintenance, basic null-grav proofing, basic EVA, etc.

Additionally, powered-armour training is enough of a game-changer to deserve its own proficiency pick, the larger question is whether to restrict it to fighters or to add it to the general pool.  Perhaps we should break it into basic and martial versions with the one being general and allowing wearing and basic manoeuvres, while the other allows the wearer to fully benefit from stat-boosts in combat and restricted to fighters.

Whereas Fightercraft, Armoured Vehicle, and Wanzer Fighting are all obviously the domain of the Fighter class only.  Adding to the general list we can add space related professional proficiencies like Able Bodied Spaceman, Steward, Master of Arms, and all the other Traveller ship's pay-ratings deserve to be proficiencies that tie into the starship operations/trading rules.  And that's just for starters, so SF proficiencies, there's crunchy peanut-butter right away.

The second possibility is a skills system.  I realize that this is highly controversial territory, but the grand old OG of SF tabletop gaming, Traveller had skills, so I answer the anti-skill OD&D grognard thusly; It's tradition!  Nyahh :P

More seriously, one of my personal weaknesses in campaign-design has been to attempt grand sweeping rationalizations and impose rigid frameworks onto the organic growth of the tabletop campaign, 'tis one of the flaws of those who came of age during the era of 'unified task resolution' and 'point build' systems.

Thus I have to guard against this temptation carefully, for example it would be both unnecessary and counter-productive to re-conceive the Thief's Class Skills in a 2d6 plus ranks framework.  First of all, that wheel already exists and to remake it at this point is just gilding-the-lilly at best (if I do it well) or 'fixing' what ain't broke and breaking it in progress, at worst.

Also, despite the name, 'skills', the thief's class skills are actually class abilities, and not really describing the same thing as Traveller's non-combat skills.  Admittedly this is a larger change from RAW ACKS, but I think it could be profitably done, and well, in order bolt-on SF subsystems onto ACKS where there is a need for mechanics different than those of the existing proficiencies while providing for granular improvement.  At this point I'm still on the fence, but at the moment it seems legit for subsystems that don't yet exist properly in ACKS framework.

The third possibility is the most drastic, new Primary Attributes.  Originally I had wanted to add three new characteristics; Willpower, Perception, and Perception, which was a part of a half-baked idea to re-jigger the mechanics of magic and other spell-like abilities, as well as ranged combat.  I have since reconsidered this, no, frankly I have decided to set it aside as a bad idea; hey brain, stop, fixing, what, ain't, broken.

But looking at Terminal Space, I am somewhat taken by the idea of Technology Level as another Primary Attribute.  Which would be perfect to incorporating a new Core Class, the Technical Specialist?  Hacker?  Techie?  Specialist?  Tech-Priest?

Anyway, the class would cover the gadgeteer, combat-hacker, drone operation, Mr. Fixit, MacGyver, etc.  This seems workable, but perhaps a dangerous precedent to set.  If I allow myself to tinker this far, how much more will I be tempted?  What about the Social Standing stat and the Noble class?  That doesn't sound so bad actually...

See what I mean?