Fencing like where you build fences not trafficking/swording

[Axelmania]

I was checking out the physical skills and page 317 mentions under Physical Labour some useful physical occupations:

construction
ditch digging

and some home chores:

chopping wood
bailing hay
mending fences

I'd love mechanics for all of these things, like how someone with the PL skill might do them faster than someone without... and all of these are potentially applicable to warfare and impeding/assisting armies, but I'm wondering about fencing in particular.

How long would it take to put up a fence and how much would this slow enemies down?

Not every monster out there has supernatural strength, so there could be some who couldn't slash through a fence and might have to climb over or under it. I can see it being useful to protect communities for that reason. Heck, even for those who slash through it, that's bound to create some noise and give warning compared to unblocked ground.

Now this skill just mentions MENDING them, so it might not be enough to put them up in the first place. I know from experience when our fence broke, it wasn't easy to stabilize it again, and it would be much harder to put up the entire thing in the first place.

The closest skill I can think of for fencing is Military Fortification on page 315. That seems for pretty advanced stuff though. Excavation on 323 would more than qualify you to dig a hole to put a stabilizing post in, but it sounds like overqualification.

General Repair and Maintenance on 323-324 sounds like repairing fences... this might even be a prereq for fence-repair being your background in Physical Labour if I think about it...

Masonry on 325 would make sense for doing brick walls, which would be a nice barrier, but wouldn't seem to cover putting up wooden or metal chainlink fencing.

Whittling on 326 seems more artsy and for small items.

329 Wilderness: Carpentry seems like the best bet. I guess this is a must-have if you want to build wooden fences.

Which leaves me still wondering what the best skill is for doing chain-link fences... blah okay back to 315, military "Field Armorer" says you can make chain-links. I figure it was intended to mean chainmail but if you can do that then fencing shouldn't be a problem. Actually being able to put it up though and do the metal posts... unsure.

Field Armorer is described as an "assistant blacksmith" so I'm not sure what a non-assistant would be.

[dragonfett]

Isn't there a Blacksmithing skill? I would say that would be used for making iron wrought fences.

Carpentry would absolutely be used for wooden fences.

I would only use General Repair and Maintenance to fix a fence if the character doesn't already have Carpentry, in which case I would have the character use that instead.

[Killer Cyborg]

A lot would depend on what kind of fence you're talking about.
Off hand, there's picket fences, wrought-iron, various kinds of panel fences, wire fences of various kinds and with various strand counts and post types, and so on and so forth.

[Pepsi Jedi]

I'm ok with not having mechanics on how to make a fence. That's something your GM can just roll with. We play 'heroes' in rifts. Not farmers (For the most part) every OCC comes with a few MD weapons. Fences are kinda just a blip, unless they're MDC fences (Which I imagine exist though much more rare) and even then you have vibro blades and you can just turn them on and let the vibro blade slide through the links.

I can get the need to have a bit of information on them if used as speed impediments to travel or soemthing, but I don't need write ups on that. the GM can just eyeball it and roll.

[guardiandashi]

the repairing fences was mostly for things like electric and barbed wire fences I would say at first glance or at least they would be "other" skills under cowboy from the new west book.

as far as repairing fences what is involved in fixing them really depends on what kind of fence it is, how its constructed and what kind of repair is needed.

for instance a chain link fence where someone cut/tore the fence "fabric" is going to need to be either wired together, or a new wire "woven" in to patch it. bent or knocked down posts likely need to be replaced, etc.

[Pepsi Jedi]

I think you guys are putting alot of thought into what's more or less poles and staples.

[dreicunan]

Having put up chain-link fences in the past myself, I wouldn't place it at the skill level unless you had serious complicating factors. Sink post, secure chain to post, next. Chain link is a pretty forgiving material.

Repairing the chain link itself would require more skill than putting it up.

[Blue_Lion]

Hard to say over all.
I know the military estimate for vehicles and consenteena (razor wire that comes in circular strands my spelling is off) wire is something like 10 MPH per strand of anchored consenteena wire not that it would stop the target but would slow it down.
How tall the person and fence is may play a factor, I can get over a wood or chain link that is 4' tall in less than a 2 seconds a 8 foot wall takes me about 15 seconds to get over.

Tank ditches might slow travel down more, deep tranches that are typically 12' wide.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Having put up chain-link fences in the past myself, I wouldn't place it at the skill level unless you had serious complicating factors. Sink post, secure chain to post, next. Chain link is a pretty forgiving material.

Repairing the chain link itself would require more skill than putting it up.

Even then you're talking about basically metal twist ties to tie the sides of the chain links together.

[Killer Cyborg]

Having put up chain-link fences in the past myself, I wouldn't place it at the skill level unless you had serious complicating factors. Sink post, secure chain to post, next. Chain link is a pretty forgiving material.

Repairing the chain link itself would require more skill than putting it up.

Even then you're talking about basically metal twist ties to tie the sides of the chain links together.

So you're thinking that Mechanical Engineering would be necessary, then?

[taalismn]

[

So you're thinking that Mechanical Engineering would be necessary, then?

Failed skill roll and you've basically caged yourself?

"Bob? Why do have your ankles stuck in a log, and barbed wire wrapped around your torso? Oh, and the punji stick in your nose?"
"..failed my fencing skill REAL bad..."

[ThreeBFour]

Looks like you have some fairly well matched skills there, but what kind of skill would you use for real life PVC fences?

[Blue_Lion]

Having put up chain-link fences in the past myself, I wouldn't place it at the skill level unless you had serious complicating factors. Sink post, secure chain to post, next. Chain link is a pretty forgiving material.

Repairing the chain link itself would require more skill than putting it up.

Even then you're talking about basically metal twist ties to tie the sides of the chain links together.

So you're thinking that Mechanical Engineering would be necessary, then?

Depends on the type of fence.