There are many skills in the game. Many have two basic ways to train them. Some have only one.

The first basic way to train a skill I call the artificial method. Weapons skills such as bow, club, and sword and other skills like wood-chopping, run, sneak, and jump are listed in a table and given a value of 0.

As one uses these skills in the game, those values increase in increments of one up to a total of 100. Each increase in skill value grants a programmed benefit. More damage per blow is common for weapon skills. Improved run skill gives a viking slightly more speed and a decrease in stamina used while running.

The second basic way to train a skill I call the natural method. The program has little control over this. As an example, a viking must learn how to aim the bow. The proper aim point for a hit varies from viking to viking. The computer which controls this is in a viking's head. It is not directly accessible to the game or the game developers.

Another example would be the block skill. A programmer could arbitrarily set the block skill at 100 in the skill table. No benefit will be received if that computer in the viking's head doesn't time the block/parry properly.

I have seen proposals to add sailing, building, crafting and other skills to the game. They are already there. They aren't in the skill table because real improvements in these areas rely on that computer in the viking's head.