Experience & Aptitude

Experience

Character 'Experience' is the term used in the game to describe the normal changes of a Character during the course of his life, usually referring to the gradual improvement of Skills & Abilities simply from using them. The longer a character survives in the game, the better will he gradually become, limited only by his Aptitude (see below) for each Skill & Ability. Natural Abilities do however increase through simple experience far more than do Skills, which will often require practice or study to improve at a reasonable pace: see the section within this Chapter on 'Skill Development'. Characters gain experience in one or more Skills or Abilities through virtually everything they do, so most of their talents will be constantly improving. While most larger experience gains come from carrying out your Orders, many Skills & Abilities will increase simply from running day-to-day racket operations. For example, running the 'Protection' (extortion) racket will require constant regular use of a Character's 'Intimidation' Ability, which will therefore naturally improve through simple experience - up to that Character's natural Aptitude for 'Intimidation' Ability.

Aptitude

A Character's Aptitude for a particular Skill or Ability is the maximum level to which that Skill or Ability can be improved for this Character. Aptitude is determined entirely by an individual's Characteristics. For example, the Characteristics 'Reflexes' and 'Composure' are the most important ones for determining a character's Aptitude in 'Marksmanship' Skill. As Characteristics do not themselves alter during the course of a game, neither will any character's Aptitude for a particular Skill or Ability - you will know each Character's maximum Aptitude in each Skill & Ability from the moment you recruit him, just as you will know his current level of Skill or Ability. As a general rule, the higher a Character's Aptitude for a particular Skill or Ability, the faster will he increase in that particular talent, whether through simple experience or through Skill Development.