I am writing this, not as respond or comment to Taranis, but only
as my opinion about important part of our life. I did get the idea
to write this from earlier post which mentioned that Taranis has
made rule to learn expert level skill for young recruits. This post
is for everyone who has some power in guilds to affect this kind of
choices.

Everyone who has been adventuring long time knows that most of people
never get high level skills. Great majority stays only common citizens
who rarely do anything in their adventures and slowly vanish into daily
routines in their families, no matter if they live in Shallam, Hashan,
Ashtan or some of the smaller villages like Shastaan. On the other hand
most of us try to increase number of active members of our guilds, like
Taranis does for this new guild of Magis. I think that guild leaders
should especially to pay attention to this effect, why do so many people
stop working for their guild? The early part of their life is the most
important moment and this mainly causes them either to abandon daily
guild activity and return back to their family.

Guildleaders should notice that skill choices that you tell new recruits
to learn are their first important choice in their life. These new skills
help them survive and see the different options in their adventures. I
have sometimes talked to people who have gone back to their normal routine
life rather than continued their adventuring. They do it because they have
not been able to find out the wonders of this world. Not everyone likes
same things and in the end everyone has to find they own adventures but
what is the worst kind of situation I can imagine is that guildleaders
who should be helping people to start are actually limiting choices
and options what people could do. Someone who has came to learn skills
of assassin has totally different requirements for skills than other who
wants to become hunter of animals. Many adventurers have went back to
family since they wanted to become assassins and guild rules forced them
to choose monotonic hunting skills rather than those suitable for
assassins. Some have left because of opposite reasons, if you have no
interest to become assassin but your skillset selection is limited to that
instead of letting you become hunter, you will get bored and leave because
you cannot do what you like. There is both kind of people, and other
kind of people too, in every guild.

My main concern is that guildleaders, while trying to give advices what
to learn, should pay special attention to give as good as possible start
options for new adventurers without extra powers from gods. The first days
and months count a lot what they are going to be, did you manage to offer
them what they can use in early life, without thousands of lessons. Can
they see the unlimited options in this world, fighting and politics?

In practice I try to say that every newbie should be given choices which
they can get without credits. They should be given information what kind
of choices they have and especially why, so they can choose the best way
for THEM. I was little confused when I saw that Taranis guidance to learn
expert level skill. That is impossible without credits so it "cannot"
be rule for newbies. Of course I do not know skills of Magi so it could
be second rule for more advanced adventures and the first rule would be
in same skillset but at gifted level rank. Whatever reasons and whatever
that skill is - whether it is right or wrong choice to learn
first - I think guilds should give also practical reasons why to choose
learn something. Is that your current choice really something that is
simply the best way for young recruits to see this world. Is that learning
of one single skillset really best for both types of people, those who
want diverse, powerful "playerkilling" tactics and does that same choice
give also best possible "bashing" skills? I know in Shadowsnakes and
Serpentlords you can't get both with same skillset but you have to choose.
If you teach wrong skillsets for different types of people, you only make
them bored and slowly go back to where ever they came from. Not only your
guild loses but everyone in the continent of Sapience. The bored young
guy might have been next guildleader if he had seen the other way, the
better way for HIM, to adventure in this world.

Every guildleader should forget expert level and other skills when they
decide the best skills for newbies. You can only make them choose from
skills that require about 400lessons what means level 50. Requiring
more is just impossible, 500lessons means already level 70. How many
of you are over level 70?. What is the best skill selections for your
guild that lets you "bash" more level or "playerkill" enemies and
requires about 400lessons combined. That is the choice that guild
leaders should do, thinking expert level skills can kill the interest
of many young adventures before they even know what it is like to live
in this world and what kind of options you have. If they like to continue
adventuring this world, they will eventually get that expertlevel skill
but not if you have bored them to death with impossible choices.

Penned by my hand on the 7th of Glacian, in the year 254 AF.