Right, and Erion just posted skills and syntax, basicly... way to be a total hyprocrite, Erion.

I voted Yes, with full detail.

From the perspective of a 'character' in the realm of a MUD, one could reasonably expect through their 16 or so years of growing up, to have at least heard of the skills people possess, and a bit more --

> They could have heard stories from traveling bards about events, detailing how 'heroic' figures fought off members of the other factions, using their skills against their opposition's skills.

> They may have relatives or friends who fought their enemies, and know the skills. It is not hard to imagine this sort of information being spread.

> Much of the "gossiping" townspeoples' converstion is often not "scripted" into the game, and is instead treated as a backdrop, but tidbits could be overheard about watching a warrior in combat, protecting a village, or somesuch ... this is not beyond reason.

> If they attend any sort of school to train them in their skills (which is implied by "joining a guild"), their instructors would be smart to tell them what they'll be learning in the future, and how their current training will be built upon.

If those four points aren't quite good enough of a reason, how about this:
I personally know doctors learn a lot of skills, and I know quite a bit about them from school, reading and entertainment (though the depth of such knowledge is admittedly incomplete and shallow - that's what doctors go on to actually learn) I don't know exactly how they do what they do, or what techniques are best used in any specific situation, but I know they exist, and a doctor could learn and use them. I have a basic understanding.

*
Switching gears now...
As I have been a MUD admin, considering players' time as valuable, and their enjoyment of my primary concern (especially moreso with paying customers)... I have always believed in giving people enough information to plan ahead, to use their time wisely, to their benefit.

It is of no benefit to a player to blindly join a class/guild/job/whatever, and after putting hours upon hours (and possibly real money) into advancing that training, to find out that what they get at the pinnacle of achievement isn't at all how they enjoy playing the game.

There is no inherent value in keeping such things as skills and spells secrets. (As mentioned above, there are plenty of RP reasons someone could "know" of the advanced skills, without being able to use them, so I see no "breaks" in the RP)

And... I think I've gone on long enough.

Of a few basic, well-known skills. That's very different from me going in and putting in the ab skillsets to the Night Totem. (Which, if someone wants to send to me, I'm totally cool with that. >.>)

And, Isc, I just have to disagree. I would absolutely hate for copies of the ab file to get out for the Night Coven's skillsets. It'd kill me. Mostly just because I hate the thought of Lusternia degrading into Achaea, where every novice can tell me what pact the King of the Chaos Plane does.

Can you imagine how many times that pissed me off? I started using the pact liberally on novices whom told me what it did. They generally snubbed me for it.

EDIT: You don't join a guild for the skills in Lusternia. You join for the RP.

Erion, you keep going back to the point of not joining a class for skills. Absolutely, 100%, but at the same time, why would you want to use the resources you got via investing money to get skills deemed worthless? I am absolutely upset I have puissance when any number of lesser skills would have worked perfectly for me. It's not JUST to know which class you want to be, it's to know how much currency to commit to each skill you have.

I've bought well over a thousand credits with my money, and am all for skill lists being released. Especially when I only have so many credits at a time; for example, I know exactly what I'm getting with the next batch (scan, bluetint, shieldparry, maybe tumble) because I can see the lists, make an educated guess as to how many lessons each will take to get, and budget accordingly. Let's say I come from Achaea, and figure that Environment is pretty much like Survival (low level, it is). I then work on transing it to get Focus , and end up with Weathersight. That would piss me off immensely.

I have bought credits with my money and trans my guild skills. As other people have stated, i would prefer if guild skills stayed secret. However, i have no problem with common skills being 'public'.

If you want to help your guildmates to choose skillset, nothing stops you from creating a GHELP file of that skillset listing all the skills.

Learning guild skills from OOG source is bad, for obvious reasons.

I've yet to see any reason be obvious. I can think of some, but nothing that can be written off as obvious or self-apparent.