What is your favorite Pern Craft?

[Avery]

I didn't want to make a poll, because I know it would be hard to pick only one!

So, we all know that Pern has many wonderful and fascinating Crafts. Which one or ones are your favorites?

On a related note, we have the Dolphin, Harper, Smith, and Vintner Halls now in alphabetical order. Does anyone want to add a new Hall out of the crafts we have? Are there any Halls you'd like to see?

[Amanda N]

My favourite is Harper, because I'm a semi musician.  My next favourite is Weaver, because I'm really into quilting.  My third would be Beastcrafter.  I love animals!

[Jane]

I've been a smithcraft girl in all my former clubs, but with this high-tech scenario I don't find it nearly as appealing.

Another craft (not a separate craft in Triad) I've had a lot to do with in other clubs is masoncraft.  Again, that hasn't got the same appeal in this scenario.

Strange that the healercraft hasn't advanced in proportion!  But yuck.  Healers.  Eeew.

I seem to be knee deep in dolphins and wine, with characters at both Halls, but I must say neither is a great calling for me.

Weavercraft is looking pretty interesting to me, right now.

What haven't I covered?

Farmcraft, yeah, I could get into that.

About the Halls we have currently and opening new ones ...

I'd just like to see a Hall working well, from top to bottom, Hallmaster, squabbling masters, right through to apprentices just arriving.  We have such wonderful references for Hall life in the Harper Hall trilogy (bleh!  Don't mention MHoP to me!) with details to burn!  I love Hall life and I'd love to see any Hall putting out strong plots and miles of posting.  Instead of everybody writing candidates (that disappear into a black hole as weyrlings), write apprentices instead!

Did I even answer the question?

[Amanda N]

Jane, is that a hint?

[Jane]

Jane, is that a hint?

I don't do hints, as a rule.  I do blunt statements of intent.

Which bit did you mistake for a hint?

[Amanda N]

The last full paragraph.

[Jane]

The last full paragraph.

That wasn't a hint - it was an instruction

:director:  Get writing in our Halls!

[Amanda N]

Yes Ma'am!

[Yvonne]

:director:  Get writing in our Halls!

I'm sorry, what?

I wish there was a Pernese equivalent to archaeology, since I'd be all over that. Otherwise I really like the idea of the Smith Hall. They get to make stuff with their hands and produce things that are useful, or just ornamentational. The most useless Craft we have (in my opinion) are the Starcrafters at the Smith Hall. So they look at the stars - big deal! What are they going to discover that's new? There can't be any discoveries of the Copernican variety - they know how the universe works already, and they can track the Red Star easily enough. Starcrafters aren't even meteorologists - so what good are they? :P *ducks*

[Eimi]

I wish there was a Pernese equivalent to archaeology, since I'd be all over that.

I figured there'd be someone out there working on that.  I thought maybe it would fall under the archivists domain, since they seem to be the historians.  (That's why I have U'kaiah as an archivist XD)

[Avery]

I wish there was a Pernese equivalent to archaeology, since I'd be all over that.

I figured there'd be someone out there working on that.  I thought maybe it would fall under the archivists domain, since they seem to be the historians.  (That's why I have U'kaiah as an archivist XD)

That's why L'pin is one as well. It's the closest- too bad there isn't any digging of or uncovering buried ancient locations. There might be one or two Landing-era settlements not uncovered yet, right? >.> Mostly, though, I imagine any ruin-poking would be done by curious individuals and it would be mostly limited to abandoned holds.

[Amanda N]

Is there a Woodcrafter hall?  Or is that a fandom creation?

[Avery]

The most useless Craft we have (in my opinion) are the Starcrafters at the Smith Hall. So they look at the stars - big deal! What are they going to discover that's new? There can't be any discoveries of the Copernican variety - they know how the universe works already, and they can track the Red Star easily enough. Starcrafters aren't even meteorologists - so what good are they? :P *ducks*

As someone who plays a Starcrafter, I object :P

Actually, on the site I believe meteorology is listed as a Starcraft possible specialization. The Specialties FAQ mentions both Starsmith (Astronomer)
and Starsmith (Meterologist) as possibilities. Since Dolphineers and Seacrafters both have cartography as a listed specialization I don't see why Starsmiths couldn't do it too.

They may not have a _practical_ application for their studies, unlike most other crafts, but there are things that they can still study. It's probably one of the most theoretical crafts on Pern. Tracking comets, for example, or meteor showers. They might not have the best quality telescopes (but the Smith Hall can be working on discovering them ;)), but they can still view stars and planets and moons. Besides, they could track comets or showers by historical record and word of mouth. (And that way, they can alert people to watch meteor showers- and without as much light pollution, I bet they look a _lot_ nicer than at many places on Earth!).

They can craft and use instruments such as astrolabes and they probably know quite a lot about navigating by the stars- as much as seacrafters, except they could apply this knowledge on land as well. In fact, there might even be a starcrafter at the seacraft halls to help teach the subject in great depth?

[Jane]

Yeah, I'm with the 'starsmiths do weather too' brigade.  Every Weyr would have one, keeping weather records, advising the Weyrleder before Fall.  That sort of thing.

[Amanda N]

You know, I never really put that much thought into what Starsmiths do other than staring at the sky. :-D