Tinkering (♦) is the ability to use, repair, alter or work on mechanical or electrically-operated machines.
- Poor Tinkering means that you can’t fix anything: you must ask for help to change a carriage tire or open a strange doorknob. Things like Steam Technology and Calculation Engines are beyond you.
- Average Tinkering is that of the home handyman: You can repair broken faucets, patch together ropes or cables, or rewire a broken electrical connection; you even understand the basic principles of a Calculation Engine.
- Good Tinkering Ability means you are a mechanical hobbyist: You can make your own simple electrical or mechanical devices, and repair simple Steam Engines and other tools.
- Great Tinkering abilities assume you are quite good at wiring up electrical circuits, working on or building Steam Devices, and repairing/scratchbuilding various machines, including complex ones like Calculation Engines.
- Exceptional Tinkering Ability assumes you could actually become an inventor of some note: You know the inner workings of Steam Technology, Calculation Engines, electrical circuits and complex machinery.
- Extraordinary Tinkering Ability assumes you are the equal of any Edison: You could possibly construct Nemo’s Nautilus or invent transparent aluminum.