tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post6161416323784211751..comments2024-02-29T16:43:55.241-05:00Comments on Lurking Rhythmically: An Open Letter to TrollsmythErin Palettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984632637166408245noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-3626085785784819312014-12-01T19:34:38.315-05:002014-12-01T19:34:38.315-05:00Hey, I was just thinking about social resolution m...Hey, I was just thinking about social resolution mechanics recently, and why I don't like them myself. I just wrote a blog post trying to explain my thoughts.<br /><br />Check it out here: http://untimately.blogspot.com/2012/04/social-combat-is-asymmetric.htmlBrendanhttp://www.necropraxis.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-50313459502637607422010-12-14T17:18:29.150-05:002010-12-14T17:18:29.150-05:00I've struggled with this from both sides. I...I've struggled with this from both sides. I'd hate to run a game where interactions with NPCs come down to, "I butter him up. (rolls dice) Yes!" But I do understand your point and I've seen it far too often that the witty player with the barbarian character with low INT, WIS and CHA is nevertheless doing all the talking, and the shy player with the socially adept bard is left to tune his lyre between battles. There has to be a middle ground.Butchhttp://www.bitchbitchbutch.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-58128356552428630232010-12-07T15:00:34.379-05:002010-12-07T15:00:34.379-05:00Fuckin' A.
That's probably more crude tha...Fuckin' A.<br /><br />That's probably more crude than I need to be, but this is a brilliant, incisive, precise and beautiful presentation of exactly why Trollsmyth's entire philosophy is predicated on blindness. I find myself in awe.Alexishttp://www.tao-alexis.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-81712370781712623032010-12-03T13:23:21.874-05:002010-12-03T13:23:21.874-05:00"In that vein I urge you thusly: support your..."In that vein I urge you thusly: support your players, or you will certainly be replacing them."<br /><br />Um.<br /><br />::waits to be replaced::<br /><br />Hm. Maybe in another 100 sessions?Oddyseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-84709801883134949602010-12-03T13:21:38.502-05:002010-12-03T13:21:38.502-05:00The problem with mandatory social rules in role-pl...The problem with mandatory social rules in role-playing games is that they force people who don't need them to use them for the "one player with sub-optimal social and communication skills". A much better option is to give the "one player with sub-optimal social and communication skills" training wheels to let him or her play with players just role-play through those situations. It's not that hard to let the player choose to replace talking through a social situation with skill roll result and just play around it without making skill roles or even more complicated social conflict mechanics mandatory for those people who don't have sub-optimal social and communication skills and would like to just play through the scene in character.John Morrownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-88477261391846876322010-12-03T13:18:34.674-05:002010-12-03T13:18:34.674-05:00"Do you require your players to actually swin..."Do you require your players to actually swing swords to determine if their characters hit in combat? Do you require them to perform acts of dexterity to adjudicate success with lock-picking? No?"<br /><br />Do you require your players to actually consider their resources (hit points, spells, torches) to determine if their characters should push on or go home? Do you require them to map out the dungeon to adjudicate success with navigating? If your answer is yes, that's a game about exploration. All the rules, the swinging of swords, the picking of locks and the casting of spells, concern peripheral activities. Even if her character bites the dust, a player can still sit at the table and give unsolicited advice.<br /><br />I don't think Trollsmyth meant that players in a game about social interaction should be impressing the referee with their suave manners and fast-talk. But they should be able to figure out who to talk to, who to avoid, who is friends with who, and so on.<br /><br />Personally, I don't do funny accents or even talk in character much at all. I've got a stammer and can only think of witty retorts a day after the argument. But just in saying "I compliment the visbaronetess on her dress" or "I bribe the lackey to let me into the ducal bedchamber", I get involved in the game. I don't need rules for that, only for knowing whether my character is allowed to address the lady directly and how much the guards get paid.Maroonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-23461288303857502852010-12-02T13:49:30.032-05:002010-12-02T13:49:30.032-05:00Ding! I like diceless/narrative systems, but relyi...Ding! I like diceless/narrative systems, but relying too much on the player's natural abilities (or lack thereof) with no mechanics to balance out the RL persona can end badly -- usually with the GM playing favorites or using event and NPC reactions to punish or teach a lesson instead of rolling with the player's intent. Both lead to player desertion.miakodahttp://miakoda.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-29878955826607137202010-12-02T13:08:55.617-05:002010-12-02T13:08:55.617-05:00Word. It's pretty much like the people complai...Word. It's pretty much like the people complaining about "rogues are underpowered" in DnD when they're freeforming the social interactions and deliberately play in adventures where traps are rare or non-existant.<br />For bonus points the main enemy is probably undead or something.BigDemonicBunnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-27800568312705425732010-12-02T01:34:20.690-05:002010-12-02T01:34:20.690-05:00I've made a similar argument to Trollsmyth'...I've made a similar argument to Trollsmyth's before, but the curious thing about that was that most of my gaming experience involved either groups of amateur dramatics types playing almost-completely diceless investigation/interaction games, or were comedy dungeon crawls where the social stats genuinely didn't matter and, to be honest, neither did the interactions all that much.<br /><br />I've since come to realise that most roleplaying happens to fall somewhere between these points, and it was my own limited perspective that was making the argument against bits of the systems I wasn't using.Vonhttp://von-gameover.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com