View source for Current Affairs

{{Skill}}{{/TL}}{{Specialty}}

{{IQ/Easy}}

''Defaults:'' {{IQ-4}} or {{Research-4}}.

This is the ability to assimilate quickly whatever qualifies as "news" in your world, and to recall it as needed. You ''must'' specialize in one of the following areas:
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====Current Affairs (Supernatural)====
In many horror settings, there are enough people on the fringes of the mundane world to constitute a community of their own: vampires and vampire-hunters, monsters and mad scientists, etc. Such campaigns may feature a new Current Affairs specialty:

''Supernatural:'' Knowledge of what's going on in the shadow realm behind the scenes. This encompasses aspects of other specialties: the occult artifacts trade, which starlet is vampire-hooked, whether the old Whateley place has been burned down yet, who's a rising star in the Cabal, etc. It may go by another name in a specific setting (e.g., Occult Underground, Winterland, or The Scene).
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''Business:'' Exchange rates, investment performance, etc. {{Business Skill}}

''Headline News:'' Usually bad news, such as assassinations, plagues, and wars.

''High Culture:'' Information on galleries, operas, symphonies, and so forth. {{Arts/Entertainment Skill}}

''People:'' The names of and gossip on celebrities, heads of state, and the like.

''Politics:'' Election results, international treaties, etc.

''Popular Culture:'' Hit songs, cool fashions, and hot products, among other things.

''Regional:'' News of all kinds for a specific region (pick one). This is the definitive "town crier" skill at low [[TL]]s.

''Science & Technology:'' New discoveries and inventions.

''Sports:'' Scores for recent matches, names of star athletes, etc.

''Travel:'' Where the "beautiful people" are going this year, and how much it all costs.

These specialties default to one another at -4. It is hard to bone up on one kind of news without learning about all the others!

On a successful Current Affairs roll, the GM will inform you of any news within your specialty that pertains to the current adventure (possibly including clues, on a good roll) or give you a small skill bonus (e.g., a success on Current Affairs (Sports) might give +1 to [[Gambling]] skill when betting on a boxing match).

''Modifiers:'' -1 per day that you have been unable to access news media; -3 if you only have one source; +1 or more for "inside" access to the news (a subscription to an ordinary wire service is worth +1, while a job at an intelligence agency might give +3 or more).


[[Category:Horror]]

{{Everyman Skill}}

{{Knowledge Skill}}

{{Social Skill}}