Written by a TribeNet player, Raven Zachary (Clan 108), on 12 August 2023. Updated on 3 December 2023.
(NOTE: If the starting skills or skill levels change in the future, please contact raven@rinzai.com, Clan 108, to update this article.)
In TribeNet, new clans currently start with the following skills and skill levels:
Adm 2, BnW 1, Bon 1, Cur 1, Dip 2, Eco 2, Eng 2, For 2, Garr 1, Gut 1, Herd 3, Hunt 2, Ldr 2, Ltr 3, Min 1, Qry 2, Sct 2, Skn 2, Tan 1, Wd 3
What do these mean and what can I do with these skills?
Of note, a new clan is also allowed to spend 30 skill points on their first or sixth turn. I'm not covering these extra points in this article, only the default skills all clans start with.
Before going into a detailed breakdown of each starting skill for a clan and what you can do with each one of them, review at Section 7 (Skills) of the Mandate. This gives you an overview of how the Skills systems work, the various skills available in the game by skill group, and how to hire teachers to attempt to learn a 3rd skill each turn per tribe by spending silver.
When you learn new skills and increase the levels of these skills, you clan will be able to do more in the game. This may mean you can do more activities on the Activities tab of your turnsheet. Although some skills don't impact activities.
When you get a skill to level 10, you're considered an expert in that skill and you can learn research topics for that specific skill. Think of it a bit like martial arts. A student of martial arts works their way from white belt (skill level 1) all the way through a series of colors to black belt (skill level 10), where the real expert training begins through a series of dans (Black Belt, 1st Dan, as the starting point and onwards). I'll cover research in a separate article.
In my opinion, the Skills & Research systems in TribeNet are some of the best parts to this game because it not only allows for player specialization by interest, it also create long-term goals that will take years to master. This makes the long-term and open-ended nature of TribeNet really shine.
With that, let's review the starting skills for a clan:
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 24.1 (Administration) / 3.6.5 (Elements/Fleets)
Summary: Allows you to make elements and fleets
Worker Limit: N/A
The skill level in Administration determines how many combined total of elements and fleets a tribe may have. Your starting tribe starts with an Administration skill of 2. This means you can create one new element (0108e1, as an example) or fleet (0108f1) as a new clan.
Elements and fleet are interchangeable. Only fleets can use ships on water. You can convert an element to a fleet and back again at any time as long as you're on land.
For tribes, you can create your first element or fleet at Administration 2. At Administration level 4, you can create a 2nd element or fleet. At Administration level 6, you can create a 3rd element or fleet. At Administration level 8, you can create a 4th element or fleet. At Administration level 10, you can create a 5th element or fleet.
It's common for all tribes in a clan to have some level of Administration skill. The more Administration skill levels you have in your tribes, the more elements and fleets you can create.
Starting Level: 1
Mandate: Sections: 8.3 (Bonework)
Summary: Craft items from bone
Worker Limit: Unlimited
Bonework allows a tribe to craft items made from bone. The list of these items is in Section 8.3 of the Mandate. With a Bonework level of 1, the tribe can make Bone Axes using 1 bone, 1 club, 1 leather, and 2 workers.
Starting Level: 1
Mandate: Sections: 8.2 (Boning), 3.3.5 (Animals)
Summary: Gathers bones from slaughtered animals
Worker Limit: 10 per skill level. At level 10, unlimited.
Boning is the process of gathering bones from slaughtered animals. This can be combined on the Tribes Activity with Skinning and Gutting. This is called SGB (Skinning, Gutting, and Boning). If you were to do Boning on its own and not as part of SGB, you would only get bones from the animals, thereby throwing away the skins and guts of the slaughtered animals.
Starting Level: 1
Mandate: Sections: 8.5 (Curing)
Summary: Crafts skins or furs into leather
Worker Limit: 10 per skill level. At level 10, unlimited.
The curing skill allows you to craft leather using skins or furs. Each person assigned to this activity may craft 2 leather from 2 skins or 2 furs.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 24.13 (Diplomacy), 3.6.1 (Diplomacy and Tribe Splitting)
Summary: Determines the number of tribes in your clan
Worker Limit: N/A
For every level of Diplomacy in a tribe (generally your starting tribe, such as 0108), you are allowed to have an additional tribe. As your Diplomacy level starts at 2, you can create a new tribe right away. For every tribe your clan has, you can attempt to learn more skills and skill level (2-3 attempts per tribe per turn). At Diplomacy 7, you can trade (buy/sell) at the bi-annual Fair during Months 4 and 10 every game year. However, most players will meet this requirement by reaching Economics 4 with a village and trading post or Economics 5 as a nomadic clan.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 24.14 (Economics), 20 (Economics/Banking)
Summary: Understanding of wealth in civilization development
Worker Limit: N/A
Economics is a core civilization-building skill related to wealth. At Economics 4, a tribe with a village and a trading post may participate in the Fair. At Economics 5, a nomadic tribe may participate in the Fair. Economics also allows you to create Trade Envoys and Banks.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 12.8 (Engineering)
Summary: Build structures
Worker Limit: Unlimited
Engineering lets you build structures. Most of these structures are built in a village, either your own or for another clan. At Engineering level 2, you can only build ditches, lodgings, meeting houses, refineries, and trading posts. More are unlocked with a higher Engineering skill level. Stone walls, a common village defense, requires Engineering 7, so it's recommended that a clan reach a higher Engineering level quickly.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 8.10 (Forestry)
Summary: Harvest logs and bark from a forest or jungle hex
Worker Limit: 10 per skill level. At level 10, up to 10,000 workers per tribe or unit.
Forestry allows workers to harvest logs and bark from a forest or jungle hex. Charcoal can also be made using the Forestry skill with the proper buildings in a village. When starting at Forestry 2, only 20 people in the tribe or associated units can do Forestry every turn.
Starting Level: 1
Mandate: Sections: 3.6.6 (Garrisons) / 24.20 (Garrison skill)
Summary: Create an immobile unit called a Garrison
Worker Limit: One Garrison per skill level
Garrisons are immobile units that can be created by a tribe or a unit of a tribe that has the Garrison skill. These are often used by clans who want to place a unit as a hex long-term such as a village, ore hex, special hex, or strategy location, such as a river ford or a mountain pass.
Starting Level: 1
Mandate: Sections: 8.13 (Gutting), 3.3.5 (Animals)
Summary: Gathers gut from slaughtered animals
Worker Limit: 10 per skill level. At level 10, unlimited.
Gutting is the process of gathering gut from slaughtered animals. This can be combined on the Tribes Activity with Skinning and Boning. This is called SGB (Skinning, Gutting, and Boning). If you were to do Gutting on its own and not as part of SGB, you would only get gut from the animals, thereby throwing away the skins and bones of the slaughtered animals.
Starting Level: 3
Mandate: Sections: 8.15 (Herding), 3.3.5 (Animals)
Summary: Looking after your animals
Worker Limit: Unlimited
Herding is the process of looking after your animals, which includes breeding. Breeding is impacting by terrain and seasonality. Animals in ay tribe or unit that are not herded on a turn won't breed and may lose up to 20% of the animals to running away. The number of herders required per tribe or unit are listed on the Clan tab of your orders spreadsheet every turn.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 8.16 (Hunting)
Summary: Collecting provisions (provs) from hunting in the wild
Worker Limit: Unlimited
Hunting allows you to collect provisions (provs) from hunting. Provs don't spoil, so collecting provs from hunting can be used to feed your people at any time. The hunting skill plus the current hex, season, and weather, all impact hunting results.
If you don't have enough provs to feed your people during a turn, some may starve and die. Hunting 2 is a low skill level and it's recommended that this be increased before the first winter.
Hunting is the best activity to have your tribe or unit do if you don't have other options. The only concern is that too much hunting may cause your tribe or unit to become overweight and unable to move. Be mindful of the carrying limits for any tribe or unit.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 24.19 (Leadership)
Summary: Enhances effectiveness in land combat.
Worker Limit: N/A
Leadership enhances effectiveness in land combat. This relates to any form of land combat, whether melee, mounted, or ranged. The Leadership and Combat skills both impact the effectiveness of land combat.
Starting Level: 3
Mandate: Sections: 8.19 (Leatherwork)
Summary: Craft items from leather
Worker Limit: Unlimited
Leatherwork allows a tribe to craft items made from leather. The list of these items is in Section 8.19 of the Mandate. With a Leatherwork level of 3, the tribe can make hoods, heaters, slings, jerkins, and trews.
Starting Level: 1
Mandate: Sections: 8.23 (Mining)
Summary: Gathers ore from ore deposits
Worker Limit: Unlimited
Mining allows workers to gather ore from ore deposits. A hex with an ore deposit will be indicated on your movement and/or scouting results. A mining skill lower than about level 6 has a greater risk of mining accidents resulting in the death of workers. It's recommended that tribes or units engaging in mining should have a sufficiently high mining skill.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 8.26 (Quarrying)
Summary: Extract stone from a mountain or hill hex
Worker Limit: 10 per skill level. At level 10, up to 10,000 workers per tribe or unit.
Quarrying allows workers to extract stone from a mountain or hill hex. When starting at Quarrying 2, only 20 people in the tribe or associated units can do Quarrying every turn.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 9.3 (Scouting), 9.4 (Scouting Missions)
Summary: Gathers information from your surroundings
Worker Limit: 8 scouting parties per tribe (16 for new clans, but 8 max per unit)
Scouting allows you to gather information from your surroundings after movement. For new clans, this is mostly a Patrol to gather additional mapping information. However, scouting has several uses outside of mapping that will become more important as the clan grows and expands.
Each tribe in a clan is limited to 8 scouting parties. The first tribe of a new clan is allowed to have 16 scouting parties, but no more than 8 scouting parties in any given unit. So, a new clan would have 8 scouting parties in their first tribe and 8 scouting parties in a unit of the first tribe (such as the e1 unit). A trade element, an e9, may not scout. A scouting party will scout farther if it's mounted.
Starting Level: 2
Mandate: Sections: 8.30 (Skinning), 3.3.5 (Animals)
Summary: Gathers skins from slaughtered animals
Worker Limit: 10 per skill level. At level 10, unlimited.
Skinning is the process of gathering skins from slaughtered animals. This can be combined on the Tribes Activity with Gutting and Boning. This is called SGB (Skinning, Gutting, and Boning). If you were to do Skinning on its own and not as part of SGB, you would only get skins from the animals, thereby throwing away the gut and bones of the slaughtered animals.
Starting Level: 1
Mandate: Sections: 8.33 (Tanning)
Summary: Crafts leather from skins and bark
Worker Limit: 10 per skill level. At level 10, unlimited.
Tanning is the process of turning skins into leather with the use of bark. Skins are obtained using Skinning (best done using the SGB activity). Bark is obtained using Forestry. Each worker can turn 4 skins into 4 leather using 10 bark.
Starting Level: 3
Mandate: Sections: 8.37 (Woodwork)
Summary: Craft items from wood
Worker Limit: Unlimited
Woodwork allows a tribe to craft items made from wood. The list of these items is located in Section 8.37 of the Mandate. With a Woodwork level of 3, the tribe can make clubs, rakes, and wagons.