Posts made by Ganymede

@faraday

Seem.

(Yes, I know, lawyer, boo me.)

I saw the suggestions. I'm looking for more.

@killer-klown said in Social Stats in the World of Darkness:

The biggest argument I tend to see is that there's no real restriction on using physical stats against other pcs - like you could beat someone into submission if you were stronger, but couldn't use Charisma/Presence/whatever to convince them to submit.

On that note, no one really talks about Mental Combat. There is Mental Combat in the World of Darkness, and it comes in the form of Investigations in CoD. But there's more to it, and it's a long-game process.

This is a subject that has roiled back and forth for years. Years, you say? Yes, because I have no less than three different write-ups on how I'd manage the expectations of "social combat" and "mental combat" on a MUSH, for different systems (one for FS3, one for the Mass Effect game I was working on, one for another WoD game). And it does not seem as if there will be any middle ground.

That's the thing about politics, I guess.

One thing I wanted to clarify:

@wretched said in Social Stats in the World of Darkness:

Will this 'PC's are Immune to social rolls Include...

Empathy rolls to get better insight, Subterfuge rolls to shield emotions or pick up on lies, or Expression to be a dramatic bitch.

Going to the first point of my original post, the social roll cannot influence or change the feelings or thoughts of another PC. Using Empathy to get better insight does not influence or change the thoughts of the target. Using Subterfuge to shield emotions or detect lies does not influence or change the thoughts of the target. And using Expression to be a dramatic sex-starved bitch named Count does not influence or change the thoughts of the target, as the goal is focused on the acting PC.

I realize that this may not be workable without substantial changes to the rules to balance things out. That's why I'm enjoying reading everyone's (I mean, everyone's) thoughts on the matter. We've talked in previous threads and topics about adapting systems to the MUSH environment in order to make those games more viable for the same, and that's why I wanted to embark again on this journey. It seems worthwhile to do, and now we have a dedicated topic for it.

I'm still open to suggestions and ideas, and criticism.

@skew said in Social Stats in the World of Darkness:

I have a system all written up nice and neat for "Social Fu". It's similar to what we used on RfK. The summary, though, is that you can use social stats on other PCs. If you do, they can comply or not. If they comply, they get XP (A beat, whatever). If they don't, they don't.

Funny; I also have such a system. It's almost like we're great minds, what?

@twinprince said in Social Stats in the World of Darkness:

Seems like that would more or less hamstring a daeva if mental and combat stuff could still be used but social could not.

That's only if you don't properly adjust powers as they are, and the application of the rule(s) relate to PCs only. Majesty would work just fine on an NPC.

@apos said in Social Stats in the World of Darkness:

I don't know if it's the right question. I think a better one is to ask if you want PCs to have complete control to be able to attack/kill/do whatever to other PCs, regardless of the kind of attack, whether physical, social, whatever. I think if the answer is yes, then you don't need to really restrict social skills that remove agency. If the answer is no, then I think you remove them.

I think this is a red-herring question, but I'm pretty sure that no one wants PCs to have that kind of complete control. And I know of no game that permits PCs that kind of control.

Example: I know of no game that would allow a player to use his PC to threaten another player's PC with death if they did not engage in TS.

General, open question:

How interested would you be in a World of Darkness game that eliminated the use of social stats on other PCs entirely?

This is a serious question. Here is a brief summary of my thoughts and proposed rules.

1. A PC cannot use social stats to influence or change the feelings or thoughts of another PC.

2. A PC can use social stats to influence or change the feelings or thoughts of an NPC, and vice versa.

3. A PC can use social stats to affect the merits of another PC, such as Status or Allies, through staff adjudication.

I'm interested because I am seriously considering eliminating them for the 2E-based fantasy game I'm putting together.

Please discuss openly.

@faraday said in Paragraphs, large scenes and visibility:

BSGU would’ve been pretty lame if every combat was resolved with some rolls and a summary pose from everyone

Yeah, but your entire set-up is so far ahead of the curve that I am borderline-aroused when I get to use it.

It's just soooooo goooooooood.

My comment is aimed towards us World of Darkness troglodytes.

@tinuviel said in Paragraphs, large scenes and visibility:

To a point I would agree, however in some systems (for good or ill) what a person actually does in a scene determines the way dice are rolled.

It is system-dependent, yes. My experience with WoD games tells me that its combat scenes could go much faster if folks just rolled the dice, figured out the outcome, and then pose after. I've done this countless times, and folks are generally happier with the outcome.

@arkandel

To ride on that, I vastly prefer it when combat scenes are handled with just dice, if that's applicable, and no poses. Poses can be done later. Focus on the mechanics; worry about the RP later.

There's nothing wrong with your reasons.

But if you're in a combat scene, I can see why others would want you to hurry along a bit.

Yeah, adapting.

Doesn't mean you're a bad person.

@goldfish said in Paragraphs, large scenes and visibility:

Recently someone pulled me aside in a scene and said something that contained the phrase "...since you are a slow poser..." I was shocked. Then I was like, yeah...word.

That someone is an asshole, unless you've stated a reason for posing slow, e.g., I'm at work and prone to idling for it.

This reading is part. The other is pretyping poses. Some characters are gonna do X or Y in this situation regardless, so I get started replying as soon as I can so I can spit out something with substance. Or I just throw up my hands and short pose and hate myself later.

I'm with Arkandel. Don't do something you hate; do something you like, or else you'll stop enjoying the entire activity.

@surreality said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

It is still a pretty awesome thing -- even if it's a pain in the butt … .

Pain in the butt, you say?

@sunny said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

All of my lazy clothes want to fall off.

Greg Stafford.

A friend of mine reminded me of how I GMed his first RPG when we were in Grade 7. We played RuneQuest, for which Mr. Stafford was a designer and writer. All of us who played felt like nerdy outcasts, but we all enjoyed coming together to tell and write stories, battle enemies, and live out the fantasy of a farmer-turned-hero.

I can't wait to play RPGs with my kids, and I sigh with happy sentiments and resignation.

@aerianyx said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

Any tips for not clenching one's jaw?

If this occurs in your sleep, you may need to get a mouth guard. That will prevent you from doing damage to your teeth, at least.

It could be some sort of hormone or electrolyte imbalance. Have you had problems with your thyroid?

@kanye-qwest said in NOLA 2: Back in the Vieux:

But let me reiterate: just because something is one way doesn't mean people should accept that and never try to improve upon it. This is how we got smartphones.

We all know how we got smartphones.

@magee101 said in NOLA 2: Back in the Vieux:

I never tried to wrongfun? Anyone?

Yes, you did. You did it when you said the following:

Wod is not a relationship simulator, Monster Hearts, or anything like that. Is a dark gritty environ filled with Bad Things and bad people and bad shit is supposed to happen to and around your character

If this is what you want out of the World of Darkness, that's fine. That's your expectation. This may differ from others' expectations, including my own. And that's also fine.

Wrongfunning is, at its most basic, stating: (1) what a certain game, theme, or system is and is not; and (2) using that statement-by-fiat to announce what RP is appropriate or inappropriate.

I find absolutely nothing wrong with playing at relationships in the World of Darkness. Or playing Monster Hearts, or whatever.

I also liked The Last Jedi.

The whole "THIS IS WOD" spiel played itself out a decade and a half ago.

@magee101 said in NOLA 2: Back in the Vieux:

Because that is comic... relief? Disposition? It is at odds with the overall intent of theme and makes memorial moments, but if it was just always absurd would it be as memoriable?

I don't want to get into a divergent argument regarding the intent of the game's themes and settings.

Simply, I try not to wrongfun others when possible.

@magee101 said in NOLA 2: Back in the Vieux:

Wod is not a relationship simulator, Monster Hearts, or anything like that. Is a dark gritty environ filled with Bad Things and bad people and bad shit is supposed to happen to and around your character

I long ago stopped worrying about what others wanted from their RP, and focused on what I wanted from mine. I see no cogent or reasonable explanation why a World of Darkness game must be something dark and gritty. To the contrary, the best and brightest moments of RP in this world have occurred where things were not at all dark or gritty, but, rather, horrifyingly absurd.

@magee101 said in NOLA 2: Back in the Vieux:

Emit, dice rolls, character sheet, grid rooms. Thats all I need, and that should really be all anyone needs to fulfil a tabletop system that is cinematic like FS3 or WoD

For a World of Darkness game, that's fine if you want to run a tabletop-like experience, but my experience tells me that World of Darkness players want more than that and this desire has played out more times than I can count.

@zombiegenesis said in Star Wars Stand Alone - Staff Sought:

Ruby is much easier to learn than coding for MU(X/SH). That's not to say the platform is perfect(ultimately I did abandon it) but even with my limited exposure, I don't see why someone couldn't code up, well, anything for Ares.

BECAUSE I'M STUPID OKAY? Yeesh.

@faraday said in Star Wars Stand Alone - Staff Sought:

I'm just helping them get Ares set up (at least on a trial basis to see if they want to go that way) and hammering out any issues with my FFG system.

Fair enough. You're still involved, though, and Ares is boss as shit.

So, let's see here.

Faraday's involved? Check.

Star Wars? Check.

No features from the movies? Check.

Yeah, I'll be there.