(a) I don't think you necessarily need a skill of everything ("I have Drinking with a Cup-1, does that count?"..."normally I allow that, but because you are trying to drink from a bottle using a straw I'm afraid you've going to have to try it Unskilled"), and we've had about twenty years to figure out where the "holes" might be in terms of the tapestry that is the TNE skill list. But the guy who was in a "low berth" for about fourteen of that is still poking at the fabric. When I think I have something that seems to plug a small hole or be a better fit, I put it out for people.
(b) Indeed, the standard should be:
i. Is this common knowledge for a 9 year old (e.g. our drinking through a straw in a bottle example above)? If no, then...
ii. Is it something that could be logically covered as well or better by another skill or a combination of skills? If no then...
iii. Can it be plugged into multiple career tracks during character generation in some logical fashion? iv. Can you explain it in a couple of short paragraphs and make it work with the rules?
The third question is particularly important, since a skill that is rarely used and can't be acquired except through taking it as a "personal enrichment" skill once a term is a skill guaranteed that no PC will ever take.
(c) There is always the option to do the task Unskilled. You could also introduce a NPC that has the necessary skill into the campaign. That has the added bonus of giving the PCs some reason to treat NPCs as something other than cannon fodder.
(b) Indeed, the standard should be:
i. Is this common knowledge for a 9 year old (e.g. our drinking through a straw in a bottle example above)? If no, then...
ii. Is it something that could be logically covered as well or better by another skill or a combination of skills? If no then...
iii. Can it be plugged into multiple career tracks during character generation in some logical fashion? iv. Can you explain it in a couple of short paragraphs and make it work with the rules?
The third question is particularly important, since a skill that is rarely used and can't be acquired except through taking it as a "personal enrichment" skill once a term is a skill guaranteed that no PC will ever take.
(c) There is always the option to do the task Unskilled. You could also introduce a NPC that has the necessary skill into the campaign. That has the added bonus of giving the PCs some reason to treat NPCs as something other than cannon fodder.