The Broken Hourglass - Group Skills @ Official Site

The regular weekly update at Planewalker Games for The Broken Hourglass sees discussion on Group skills:

Usually, the numbers and notation on a character sheet entirely reflect personal accomplishment, achievement, or potential. In the Broken Hourglass, however, some skills reflect the knowledge, ability, and potential of the entire party. These are collectively known as "group skills."

Most skills and statistics are not group skills. For example, a character's raw ability with a sword, or command over a type of magic, or agility, are all individual skills.

Group skills reflect those activities where it is reasonable or expected that the ability and insight of each member of the party could be used in conjunction, to increase the overall chances of success. For instance, it seems only natural that a group of smart shoppers working in tandem should be able to negotiate better prices in a shop than a single negotiator. Similarly, one strong tactical mind in a group during a fight is a benefit--but two working in tandem should be able to do even better.