VEN Skills Overview

VEN Skills Overview (Q&A)

What is a Skill? A skill is specialized knowledge in a certain field of expertise that is not, generally, common knowledge, but must first be learned. The skills recognized by the Vast Empire Navy are those that are considered relevant to the missions and objectives that the VEN pursues. The skill itself is merely knowledge – the ‘First Aid’ skill is the knowledge to provide immediate medical aid to an injured person. Members of the VEN can achieve two levels of proficiency with each skill:

What kinds of Skills are there? There are four skill categories - one for the Starfighter Corps, one for Fleet Command, one for [CLASSIFIED], and a list of General Skills. Whilst the General Skills are available for all members of the VEN to train in, the other three are available only to members of that specific branch, and show the specialised training required to excel in your chosen field. Shooting skills will be different for someone flying a Starfighter to someone manning a gunnery station in a capital ship, after all.

Information on TIER 1 Skills (Specialization):A member of the VEN can Specialise with any of the VEN General skills and the skills of their specific branch. This means that they are trained in the use of said skill, and can make use of the knowledge in the skill in story missions. A member cannot properly use a VEN-approved skill unless they Specialise in it. For obvious reasons, a member cannot Specialise in a skill in the middle of a Mission.

Information on TIER 2 Skills (Qualifications): After a member has become Specialised with a skill can then go on to become Qualified in that skill. This means that the member does not only have the knowledge required to use the skill, but they are recognized by the VEN as an expert in the skill, and are listed on the VEN roster as specialised and certified to use any equipment associated with the skill. A Qualified member is eligible to be issued the equipment associated with the skill they are Qualified in.

Information on TIER 3 Skills (Certifications): Some skills can, when properly trained, be combined together to make someone a true master at a certain aspect of warfare. A pilot who learns both how to dodge and shoot will be a terror in a dogfight, whilst a crew member who masters all aspects of capital ship weapons will be able to direct fire to maximum effect. Certifications are the highest level of proficiency a member of the VEN can achieve, and can only be learned when all of the pre-requisite skills have been Qualified. A Certification, when learned, gives you access to some of the best equipment the Vast Empire has to offer, as your dedication to improving yourself is rewarded.

Cool! How do I learn my first skill? As part of your character’s background before they joined the Vast Empire Navy (or representing extra tuition at the Academy), you may become Qualified in any one skill from either the Starfighter Skills list (if you're in Flight School) or the Fleet Skills List (if you're in Command School) of your choosing as part of your Academy Training. You still have to post for them, but the required word count is reduced by 200 for your Background Skill.

That seems helpful! How do I learn more skills? In between Story Missions, a VEN member has a certain amount of downtime in which they can undertake extra training – provided that they were active during the previous mission. In this period, a member may select one skill (from their chosen branch, or from General skills) to advance upon. After reading the source material on said skill, a member must demonstrate their knowledge in said skill, by creating a story post in the ‘Naval Skills’ area that fulfils the requirements outlined in the skill’s Wiki Page. A TO will then check your post to see it fulfils the requirements, and inform you if you have passed them. If so, congratulations, you have learned the skill!

Anything special I need for my Certification? Certifications, in the case of SFC and Fleet Command, are a special case in that there is one special skill you must learn before attempting to Certify in a skill. For the Starfighter Corps, this is Astrogation, as all Certification Starfighters are equipped with Hyperdrives, and for Fleet Command, this is Leadership, as you will not be put in command of a crew without proper training in how to lead them.

This all looks fun! What do I actually need to do, though? The requirements of a skill, as will be outlined in each skill Wiki Page, will be a required Word Count & Post Count for your skill story. This is the minimum amount of posts you must have done during the previous story in order to have been considered ‘active’, and the minimum amount of words that the post must contain. Typically, the requirement is 600 words for your first Specialisation, and 1,000 for your first Qualification (not including Background Skills), and the number increases by 200 words for each skill thereafter. The CNT will decide the Post Count required at the end of each Story Mission.

So what happens when I get Qualified in a skill? Once you have become Qualified with a skill, you gain access to certain perks thanks to your dedication to self-improvement. For members of the Starfighter Corps, this means you are eligible to use the equipment associated with your Qualification, and for Fleet Command, this means you are eligible to be assigned an NPC droid to assist you in your work. You may apply this equipment immediately to your next story - there is no waiting list for equipment earned through Qualifications.

I bet I get even better stuff when I Certify, right? The rewards granted from earning your Certification is a little different. Such mastery should be rewarded richly, but the specialised equipment and crews associated with the skill are expensive to acquire/train or just plain rare, and as such there is only so much to go around. For SC pilots, this special gear comes in the form of advanced Starfighters, and in the FC, it comes in the form of NPC crews. It is up to the CNT to assign each Squadron or Ship a certain amount of Certification Equipment or Crews, and up to the SCO or SCAP to assign its gear to pilots/crew members.

And I hear a rumour that there's an even better thing after that! There is also one Unlockable associated with each skill that is so rare and so expensive that only the NHC can assign them to people, and this is usually done as a reward for great skill and loyalty over an extended period of time. These unlockables will include an incredibly rare Starfighter for members of the SC, and command of an entire crew section in the FC. Again, only the NHC can award these unlockables.

So do I get this stuff right away? Though unlockables you have been granted may be used by your character in stories as they see fit, this equipment/NPC’s do NOT become your property. They remain the property of the Vast Empire and are only being issued to you, just as your uniform is. The equipment to you CAN be confiscated from you if it is needed elsewhere or if it is decided by the powers that be that you no longer deserve to have access to it.