FASA Games, Inc.

I'm also going to chime in against the new Maneuver and Mystic Aim.

Maneuver in particular is a signature talent of the Sword Master and one of the most memorable an unique abilities it has as a discipline. Being less effective this round in order to more effective next round is a core part of the game, but one that they are unique among the front-line combatants for possessing.

It's common for Wizards to make this choice, either they mind dagger / mind dagger, or weave a thread / crushing will.

Many can do it for other people, using Taunt, Spot Armor Flaw, or similar talents to trade their effectiveness for boosting an ally or reducing an enemy.

Balancing this out, were Cavalrymen, Sword Masters, and (in games with effective house rules) Archers who could boost their own attacks in future rounds.

But worse than losing that, it's also losing its primary effect, becoming nothing more than a slightly altered version of Acrobatic Defense? Why not just give Sword Masters the Acrobatic talent, and let them keep Maneuver?

Well, if you are upfront to your players about your playing style then it is okay I think.

However, I wasn't refering to combat talents vs. social talents. In both categories there are talents can be useful more often, and some that are only applicable once in a blue moon. Also, you didn't go into my suggestions to give both, regular-use talents and situational abilities to players. For reference, I think Lip Reading can come in handy very often -maybe make it a bit more magical than common lip reading by allowing you to use it from far away or when the person has covered his mouth but other parts of the face that move when talking are still visible. And on the other side of the spectrum, I think the original Surprise Strike would have made a good talent knack or Discipline ability at Circle 5 for thieves, heck, maybe even just a combat option with some additional restrictions like higher Initiative.

Embrace the Talent Knacks! I'm fourthing that one sentiment. I love knacks for their ability to cheaply provide variance between disciplines using the same talent. Knacks should be discipline specific for that reason alone. Secondly they offer flare to talents for a modest LP cost and sometimes additional strain per use, this offers more choice. Maybe I'll use melee weapons normally or maybe I'll use the knack version that makes me strain a bit but let's me helicopter around like a dusted up junkie taking heads off left and right.