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Sep-19-2007 08:38

Hi there,

I have been playing for a week or so, with a Very Though character, and enjoying it inmensely. I'm well on my way of getting all the though skills and also got the basic smarts+research, but now I don't know what to do. I have read the (multitude) of posts about this topic, but still have doubts.

I see that pickpoketing (getting the money if the client is guilty) can be less useful that the basic skills. Also, I'm guessing that Hypnotism works a little bit like lockpiking (chance of getting some info without asking a question) and so is less useful than, say, Advanced Interrogation. So the Order of Socrates and the Dies Arcanum Brotherhood are out of the question.

But what about Pugilism? is it worthwhile to go for it, as it is supposed to improve both Interrogation and Intimidation? It's two skills in one, right?

Also, what is the use of Sense Stress or whatever it is called? it is only 3 skill points for me (VT detective), but what's the use of knowing when the suspect is going to clam? Can the suspects "recover" from the stress with time and so more questions can be asked, so it's good to know when you are pushing too far?

If pugilism is not so good, shall I go for the more advanced Smarts Skills or begin to get some Charm and use Judge Character to alternate between Though and Charm?

Cheers,

Alex

Sep-19-2007 11:33

Hi James.

Lemme see if I can clear up a couple of things for you.

One, most people don't consider pick-pocketing (NOT to be confused with lock-picking) to be all that useful because the only thing it does is pays you the fee when your client is guilty. It does nothing to help you with actual casework or building up your 'skills' per se. Yes, it's useful in its own right; it's just not as necessary as most of the other skills you could be going after. That's why most veterans will tell you to wait a while to pick this one up.

Next--Hypnotism is a charm skill. It works most of the time, but not all. It's based on a person's charm factor, and helps reveal new suspects under the motive question. Again, it's a useful skill to have, and prob'ly the most useful of the three NY skills to go after for newbies. The only problem is, it doesn't do much for tough detectives. So until you're ready to start building up your charming side, this one's another one to prob'ly wait on a bit.

Lock-picking, on the other hand, is a HIGHLY useful skill for all archetypes. It works ALL the time. It opens those 'closed' doors you see during cases (you'll get up to two in a case), and automatically answers either the alibi or the motive question for you. The only drawback to it is, you don't get a choice which one it will answer, which can be a bit of an aarrrggghh moment once in a while. But basically, it saves you asking two questions of suspects. It's usually highly reccommended around here as a useful skill.

Pugilism is, again, a HIGHLY useful, almost necessary skill to have, especially for tough detectives. It ALWAYS works. It basically adds +10 to your tough factor, and is the tough equivalent of flirting. The only down side to pugilism, unfortunately, is that the faction that offers it is the Green Hand, which is in London and Delhi, so unsubbed detectives can't get this skill (a GREAT reason to subscribe, by the way).

Sep-19-2007 11:48

Next comes Stress Detection (or as you call it, 'Sense Stress', which is rather apropos ;-). Basically, this skill does just what you said it does, it senses when the person is under stress, and is about to clam. It will do this twice. The first time, you can potentially 'unclam' the person through use of the charming/tough skills (sweet-talking, rule-bending, interrogation, and intimidation), but after the second, there's very little that can be done. For townspeople, you can bribe them. For suspects, Surveillance sometimes work, along with a couple other options. But most of the time, the second clam is it for suspects. How useful is Stress Detection? The jury's out on that one. Some will tell you it's a good skill to get; others will tell you to save your points for more important skills. Personally, I'd put my money on waiting on this one, and save it for later. I think Pugilism, Lock-picking, Hypnotism, and the smart skills are more valuable to you right now.

So, having gone through your questions about the various skills, which ones should you concentrate on? Basically, you're the best judge of that. We can only advise you. However, my money'd be on Pugilism or Lock-Picking. If you don't have basic Hair and Thread Analysis, those are also VITAL to get, because you won't be able to see any hairs or threads (depending on which you don't have) at a crime scene. As for the advanced smart skills, it doesn't much matter which ones you get or in which order really. The only thing I might suggest is going for Research, Handwriting Analysis and Footprint Analysis first, simply because they take the most skill points to acquire, and as you get more and more experienced, you'll get fewer skill points as you go.

Hope all that helps a bit. Good luck!! ;-)