[Review] The Ultimate Skill

[TheQuestionMan]

BRILLIANT!!!
- Raves TheQuestionMan, Time Magazine

It'll never collect dust on your book shelf.
- Says radioKAOS, of radioKAOS Online

The best Sourcebook of the year!
- Claims Nighthawk, The Champions (of Millenium City)

Four Thumbs Up!
- Grond, Stronghold Gazette



Greetings Herophiles, I picked up The Ultimte Skill on Thurs, Sept 28th and am ready to give you a short review now.

This is the Sourcebook you did not know you needed all along, unitl now. To say I found the contents inspiring is an understatement.

Art: (3.75 out of 5) I liked the return of the Cover Art and the Interior Art was nicely chosen.

Layout: (4.75 out of 5) The only complaint I have it that I do not have enough time to read from front to back every day.

Writing: (4.5 out of 5) Excellent, clear, and concise. I could not have asked for better. Thanks folks.

Content: (5+ out of 5) What can I say. It FREAKING ROCKED!!!

Summary: (4.5 out of 5) I will summerize as soon as I stop writing up new characters based on what I found inside.



A work in progress

QM

[Enforcer84]

So, did you like it?

[Kharis2000]

Yes, don't be shy -tell us what you really think!

[pinecone]

Yes, don't be shy -tell us what you really think!

Yeah, the acid test..."Would you turn down sex to read this book?"....."OK, now, with someone atractive" "OK, what if you don't have to pay?"....

[Weldun]

Personally, I'm really interested in the expanded language table.

[ghost-angel]

Personally, I'm really interested in the expanded language table.

all 6 pages of it.

[Basil]

Personally, I'm really interested in the expanded language table.

all 6 pages of it.

Say what?!! Holy polyglot, Batman!

OK, that's it. I'm buying this thing ASAP.




Six pages?!

[Weldun]

all 6 pages of it.

Is the font still readable with that few?

[Pentoth]

It's a great book. I was really impressed by it. One of the best books produced in a long time. Me playing the "skilled" characters all the time and all.

[Cold Steel]

Get this book. Its one of the best of the ultimate series.

[Basil]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled chatter for the following announcement:

Cold Steel has just been repped for his sig: "Fortune favors the Stupid!"

That is all. You may now return to you chatter. Thank you.

[Basil]

It arrived today! Huzzah!

Um, well... I hope "Huzzah"

I've only looked at the entry for Language so far. In general, I like it; the idea of "1/2 point for a few words" is good, the Complexity modifiers and Alien Language modifiers are good ideas (and the latter could be applied to learning/speaking animal "languages"). Overall, a very nice job.


HOWEVER.... (you knew that was coming, didn't you)

The sidebar on page 214 makes an awful mistake in referring to American Sign Language as an alphabet. It is, in fact, a complete langauge with its own grammar and syntax, not dependent on English. Two people can speak to each other with it, no matter what their native languages are, assuming their native langauges are not Ameslan, which is the native language of many, even most, deaf people in North America.

Now it's true there are many Sign Languages, perhaps over 100, and they are no more mutually intelligible than, say, English and Arabic. OTOH, that's no reason to say that someone from a nation where English is native and someone from a nation where Arabic is native cannot "speak" Ameslan to each other. After all, if those two imaginary persons can speak, say, Spanish to each other, they can communicate in any language they have in common.

It's possible Steve Long has confused Ameslan with The Manual Alphabet. While the Manual Alphabet is used in Ameslan, they are far, far from being the same thing. Perhaps the following analogy will help: assume that I and a friend of mine decide to learn Spanish together, and that we will talk to each other only in Spanish. However, if either of us can't remember (or haven't learned) a specific word, we will spell it out, saying the letters (e.g. "see ay kay ee" for cake). This compares to "talking" in the language Ameslan, but spelling out a word you don't know, or for which there is no sign (common with the names of persons and places). In this case, then not having a speaking/writing language in common will cause difficulties, but only if person A doesn't know a place/personal name person B knows, or (if not such a name) if no synonym can be found.

BTW, as you'll note from those links, there is no more just one manual alphabet than there is just one Sign Language. Indeed, in three links you will find 4, 5, or 6 manual alphabets, depending on how you want to count them. (the "new Italian manual alphabet" and the one in the third link, are clearly closely based on, but not identical to, the American and British manual alphabets respectively).

Anyway, while the book looks good so far, I wanted to correct what I see as a serious error. I hope I don't come across as too nitpicking, but it astonished, and, well, disappointed me to see such a fundamental misunderstanding in print from a writer and a company I've come to expect accuracy and good research from.

[Cold Steel]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled chatter for the following announcement:

Cold Steel has just been repped for his sig: "Fortune favors the Stupid!"

That is all. You may now return to you chatter. Thank you.

Thanks. It was based on the phase: "Fortune favors the Bold." But since Stupid people get more air time than brave ones, i changed it.

[Southern Cross]

To quote Igor from Dork Tower:
"It must be mine!"

[EvilDrPuma]

Personally, I'm really interested in the expanded language table.

It's worth it. So is the Science Skill table.