Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[maglaurus]

I was very encouraged by the feedback on my HoE Reloaded Junker questions. It's really great to have a dialogue, so I thought I'd try it with another issue I'm having as I prepare to run my first game session this coming Sunday.

How would you handle scrounging in HoE using the Savage Worlds skill rules? I can think of several different approaches, but each has its pros and cons.

--I could make it an extension of the Notice Skill, but as written Notice seems to be more about finding specific things or hidden things, rather than something useful.

--I could make it an extension of the Survival Skill, but that's more about finding basic necessities like food, water, and shelter. The language in the Survival Skill also leaves me with a sense of the rural rather than the urban, which is where most scrounging would be done.

--Finally, I could make it a new skill and treat it pretty much the way HoE classic treats it. However, I'm left wondering if adding a new skill would throw off the balance of the game by making players spend the same number of points on a wider range of traits.

So I'm interested to know what other folks would do if they were in my shoes.

[ValhallaGH]

Other options include making it a part of the Repair skill (side effect of making every good Scav a mechanic), part of the relevant skill that you're looking for the stuff for (i.e. Shooting to look for ammo and gun parts, Fighting to look for hand weapons and replacement parts, etc; this is probably too generous for HOE), or a straight-up Smarts check (kind of like Common Knowledge).

I'd just make it part of Notice (for all your Cognitive needs; yes, I know Scroungin' is a Smarts skill), as most pre-written adventures use that skill to search through junk piles. Though I kind of like the Smarts check idea.
_________________
"Got a problem? I've got the solution: Rocket Launcher."
"Not against a Servitor."
"... We're all gonna die."

[Demonicuss Krinn]

I agree with Valhalla, I'd make it a part of Notice - maybe Junkers can get a bonus to the Notice roll to help spot valuable stuff in the junkpile.