Originally Posted by Black Vulmea
Okay, so I didn't get a chance to finish this yet, but I was able to look at one thing which I was very curious about, the comparison between starting skill ability in v1 and v4.
1LT Ruzicka - the v1 version of the character didn't make CPT - gets CBE80 and CVE80, so how does that compare to v4 CPT Ruzicka for performing these tasks?
First, combat engineering: 1LT Ruzicka, with CBE80, is 80% likely to succeed on an AVG skill check. CPT Ruzicka, with Intelligence B (d10) and Tech C (d8) has only a 69% chance of succeeding on a routine skill check, but he gets a bump for having the Combat Engineering specialty - his Tech die increases from d8 to d10, upping his chance to 75%. 1LT Ruzicka, the v1 character, is slightly better at setting a demolition charge in a non-combat situation, say, then CPT Ruzicka, the v4 character, making them roughly comparable. However, CPT Ruzicka can, if he fails the roll, push the results, giving him another chance to succeed at the risk of taking on Stress; pushing the roll gets him to 94% chance of success, significantly better than 1LT Ruzicka, with a potential cost.
Second, civil engineering. 1LT Ruzicka, with CVE80, again succeeds 80% of the time on an AVG task; CPT Ruzicka's Intelligence B (d10) and Tech C (d8) tap out at 69%, and he lacks a specialty to bump it up - there's a Builder specialty which isn't defined in the Alpha rules, something for the FL team to fix, but I'm guessing this is where it would apply, if the CPT had it. The edge here goes to 1LT Ruzicka, unless CPT Ruzicka pushes his roll, which increases his chance to 90%, again with a potential increase in Stress.
More generally, CPT Ruzicka appears more versatile; Tech in v4 applies pretty broadly, covering the equivalent of everything from ELC to NWH to SCR; this is where I hung up with 1LT Ruzicka, trying to allocate points widely enough to make him comparable to the CPT.
So, digging in the numbers just a little bit, it appears at first blush that v1 and v4 characters are both pretty good at what they do, with some important differences. On a cursory read, I didn't expect the v4 character to be as capable as the v1 character, but I have to rethink that now, at least until I get a chance to playtest them side-by-side.
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