would broadening some categories be out of the question? Blacksmiths know how to make many different items.... Just read the Wheel of Time, the late, great, Robert Jordan may he rest in peace, shows a blacksmith making a lot of stuff from horseshoes and parts of barrels, to swords and armor... I think if we were to add in all of these mundane things and have shops around the realms with a need for horseshoes ie stables, or barrels ie taverns and bars.
I think this might make things less boring.
Take note! I just got home from 16 hrs of work after 2 hrs of sleep, I might not be thinking.. .. .. you get the point.
Tradeskills are your friends.
A minute question in a sea of change, but I still have to ask it. What about characters who have already made progress in trades? Moreso, what about characters who have already mastered a trade, and it isn't the one they wanted to master first? New ideas are great for the future, but there are quite a few people out there who have already been down this trade route. -cough- Sorry for the pun, but you get me.
My main example is this: My smelting is higher than both my mining and my weaponsmithing, but I got the trade solely for the sake of smithing weapons. A microcosm of Andrew Carnegie with vertical integration, if you will.
My main example is this: My smelting is higher than both my mining and my weaponsmithing, but I got the trade solely for the sake of smithing weapons. A microcosm of Andrew Carnegie with vertical integration, if you will.
Jamais arriere.
Personally, I think the topic of trade limitation is the digression, let's steer away from that for now, and address it when and if it would need to be. I am more keen on seeing people's opinions on a richer, more useful way of treating trades than wanting to limit them 
"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men."
Kregor - Ranger of Tangled Trees
Rozor - Lady Luck's Duelist
Tygen - Ranger-Bard of Mielikki
Kregor - Ranger of Tangled Trees
Rozor - Lady Luck's Duelist
Tygen - Ranger-Bard of Mielikki
Along Kregor's line, I also would like to see more inherent racial advantages towards crafts. Dwarves are known as the most renown smiths for a reason, while Elven craftsmanship or armor and weaponry is similarly reputed at the highest levels, though not so much for the average Elf.
The idea of people having the option of taking trades when they start their characters seems to me like a good one. Perhaps like stat points, people could place a certain number of points into their trades. Enough, for instance, to bring one trade up to apprentice in skill level, or split among a lower number of trades at a disadvantage. For example, Bob the human could choose to put all his trade points into mining and start off as an apprentice miner, already able to use his skill at a useful level. He could also split his points between mining and smelting, but lose a point for taking a second trade. If he wanted mining, smelting and armorsmithing, he'd lose three points, and make that the maximum number of trades one could start off with. I think more people would be interested in taking one trade to a useful level rather than getting all of them, especially if they knew that *everyone* had a trade to a useful level, so they wouldn't need to be so self-sufficient.
The idea of people having the option of taking trades when they start their characters seems to me like a good one. Perhaps like stat points, people could place a certain number of points into their trades. Enough, for instance, to bring one trade up to apprentice in skill level, or split among a lower number of trades at a disadvantage. For example, Bob the human could choose to put all his trade points into mining and start off as an apprentice miner, already able to use his skill at a useful level. He could also split his points between mining and smelting, but lose a point for taking a second trade. If he wanted mining, smelting and armorsmithing, he'd lose three points, and make that the maximum number of trades one could start off with. I think more people would be interested in taking one trade to a useful level rather than getting all of them, especially if they knew that *everyone* had a trade to a useful level, so they wouldn't need to be so self-sufficient.
Nice Idea.
What I could be done also is choosing a single trade, and by choosing it you get it at inept level (at level 1) but as you level your skill level in that trade increases as well, maybe brew and scribe could be chosen this way and if those wizards/clerics that have chosen it make it to a fairly high level (>=45) they would be able to teach to others since they will likely be very good at it.
This will surely make that players organize themselves and there is division of jobs knowing that others characters will be fairly good at others trades that they don't.
What I could be done also is choosing a single trade, and by choosing it you get it at inept level (at level 1) but as you level your skill level in that trade increases as well, maybe brew and scribe could be chosen this way and if those wizards/clerics that have chosen it make it to a fairly high level (>=45) they would be able to teach to others since they will likely be very good at it.
This will surely make that players organize themselves and there is division of jobs knowing that others characters will be fairly good at others trades that they don't.
