Posts made by Ganymede

@Pyrephox said in Making Territory Relevent:

I would argue against encroaching characters being forced into a scene for 'trespassing' for the MU* environment, unless the grid is large, and has clear demarcations between public spaces where everyone can go, and private territories where trespass will be punished.

Trespassing seems an impossible thing to enforce (try doing it in RL), and an unwieldy thing for any MU*.

Instead, limiting resources to particular areas should do the trick. For example, maybe there are fifteen territories, each of which produces 1 of 5 resources, and there are three territories producing a limited amount of each resource per cycle, all spread out on the map. As a plot, you could have the sovereign over the land demand X number of a particular resource from all lords/ladies.

Time to trade up, folks.

@ShelBeast said in Interest Check: Assassin's Creed (CofD/2nd Ed) Game?:

Does FS3 take care of things outside of combat? My understanding was that it was just that. Investigation and research should be a big thing in an AC game. inventiveness also always plays a big part of the game, so crafting should be a thing. Lastly, AC games are typically, at least, some part political thriller, so social maneuvering and such should be reflected as well.

It can, actually. At least, it's not functionally different from CoD in that respect.

In CoD, an Investigation consists of making a roll to obtain Clues. If you get enough Clues, the puzzle comes together. With FS3, you can do a simple roll to determine success, and use the rating of the success to figure out how many Clues are obtained. Not really different.

In CoD, social maneuvering involves the opening of Doors. You make a roll with relevant social stats to determine how many Doors are opened per attempt. Again, you can do this with FS3 by either having a simple roll or a contested one. Not really different.

The difference between BSG:U and what you may need is that BSG:U's stats focused almost entirely on combat abilities. Sure, there's Stealth and Technician and Composure, but it's mostly about the pew-pew-pew. Contrast that with Fifth Kingdom, which uses FS3 (an older version), and it has Action Skills for Politics, among other things.

The advantage that FS3 has over a CoD game is the combat engine. FS3 lacks the crunch and customization of CoD, mind, but it can work for what you want. (Despite @faraday's protest, in my opinion.)

@ShelBeast said in Interest Check: Assassin's Creed (CofD/2nd Ed) Game?:

Pretty much. And I think it does have all the necessary components to make it work for an AC game, just generally speaking.

Depends on how you see conflicts working, I think.

CoD has a slow combat system. FS3 is suited for PRPs and large-scale combat because its combat machine requires zero discretion. FS3, I feel, is better for games that intend to be PRP-heavy.

@Ominous said in Interest Check: Assassin's Creed (CofD/2nd Ed) Game?:

What I worry about is not having enough roles within a narrow focus.

If combat roles were diversified and power levels restrained, I think there'd be more than enough roles to go around. Everyone can't be around at all times.

@ShelBeast, you should have a look at BSG:U's set-up. It's a good example of how a tight, narrow focus can produce a diverse set of characters and a lot of action.

@ShelBeast

I think you need to focus on a particular faction. Making the game too broad is going to cause some unintended theme-drift.

@Jennkryst said in Eliminating social stats:

That's how the Vampire Social Combat from the Danse Macabre is supposed to work on Fallcoast. Dunno how much it sees in practice, but it is a social system that literally functions like the physical combat, with Nerve (Social 'health), Guile (Social 'defense), and Dominance (Social 'initiative'), and it's very own merits to make you better at things and new discipline interactions and everything.

The Danse Macabre's social combat system doesn't see much light because it's terrible. The Doors system is a lot better, but it's calculated for a long-game approach, not to determine if you bluff your way passed a bouncer with a fake ID.

@surreality said in RL Anger:

I suppose my anger is that damn near any time somebody hears this, I get the lecture about how I'm a misbegotten throwback trying to adhere to a damaging beauty standard and oh, mercy, have you seen those x-rays of bodies of women who grew up wearing those things and destroying their inner organs?! because they cannot conceive of any other possible way it might be, and that this attitude is as damaging, limited, and nonsensical as the notion that women all should have to wear such a thing for those very different and not OK reasons of yore.

Sometimes, I don't know where you find these people.

@Auspice said in RL Anger:

Assholes, I wore heels for that.

Next time, add the micro skirt.

Tramp.

(Just kidding. Sorry to hear that. Wish I could feed you bourbon.)

@ThatGuyThere said in Good TV:

Half of that statement is a damned lie, as Oshie left the Blues for the Capitals.

I miss Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. That's Good TV.

Now that we're back on topic, the Capitals took the President's Cup. They are a contender.

Not a winner, mind you, but that's hockey.

@ThatGuyThere said in Good TV:

The point of this story is that I made bad decisions in my teen years, but at least not bad enough to choose to cheer for the Mapleleafs.

I'd wish you a horrible death by fire and hepatitis, but my team has at least one 1 Stanley Cup in its history and has a trio of awesome rookies.

There's a reason why Backes and Oshie went elsewhere. They wanted to play for contenders.

Enjoy the season.

-- TML4ever

@Aria said in Good TV:

I can watch Babylon5 reruns AND Flyers hockey, thank you.

I don't think the Flyers play hockey as much as they skate around aimlessly in the hopes that the puck will slide into their opponents' net.

Yes. I went there.

@dontpanda said in RL Anger:

@Jaded I'm not in the legal system, but I'd like to think whoever is deciding that case (judge, jury, wise old owl, whoever) not only throws it out but adds a few thousand dollars of "wasting the court's time" money.

On this note, look up Ohio Revised Code s. 2323.51.

@Thenomain said in Eliminating social stats:

It's when you use it to sass-talk other players that it's horrible.

Ganymede watches Thenomain flap his lips silently, amazingly restraining herself from yawning at the boredom he summons so easily from the abyss.

@Taika

Suggestion: disable the discretionary regain command for pools. Make systems to regain Willpower and Essence based on territory. Might make holding territory a bit more important.

@Tempest said in Making Territory Relevent:

Not related to the topic at hand but I would be incredibly wary of wasting my time making a single sphere werewolf game.

Unless your goal is to have all your players hole up in private and never come out to see the light of day once they've made their pack.

Last I checked, The Descent was heavy on the spirit stuff. Like, that was the key to its theme/setting. If you're heading in that direction -- and that makes sense in a post-apoc world -- Werewolf is the best suited for that.

You're not wrong, though. You're dead-on right. So, some tweaks might be necessary.

@Tempest said in Making Territory Relevent:

Not businesses.

Economics is not the study of businesses. And I'm a fan of the Chicago school.

But, sure. Gamers are idiots. We knew this.

@Taika

The Descent MUX was a great game. I liked the mix of Mages and Werewolves. Given the post-apoc feel to it, though, I would recommend going with more of a Werewolf + Mortal mix. I feel that Werewolf is closest to the "survivalist meets Mad Max" feel of the game.

@Tempest said in Making Territory Relevent:

All my experience with MUers says that people being able to go "this spot is MINE!" or getting introduced at Court as "Regent of XYZ Neighborhood" is more than enough to incentivize players to want territory.

You can disagree all you want. I'm just taking my response from basic economic theories.

Finding value in a title? That's a resource, then. If no one gives a shit if you're the regent of BFE? Not sure what that gets you, but thumbs up.

@Taika said in Making Territory Relevent:

So what makes territory valuable, and what balances it?

What makes territory valuable is what resources may be drawn from it. To balance this, make more valuable territories more difficult to maintain over time.

@Gingerlily said in Eliminating social stats:

I think social stats help in eliminating OOC politics and demanding that they be IC. Which in my opinion is a good thing, and also a crucial one.

I don't think social stats does anything to eliminate OOC politics. In some cases, it can make it worse.

I see what everyone's getting at: if you have social stats and force people to use them, you can keep people honest. Much like calling a bully's bluff, this is indeed something that can be done.

But anyone with the slightest bit of guile and acumen will either have the social stats they need to climb or attach themselves to someone who does. And that someone who does gains the benefit of having others around them who need them. It also behooves players to link up with other players that are favorable or serve their interests.

In the absence of social stats, there's no need to bulk up in that area.

That said, if you're going to play a political game, then I think you really ought to focus on making a workable form of social combat with social stats. Do something novel and nullify or reduce the importance of physical stats, or make it a non-factor entirely. Why don't we try eliminating combat stats? That would be a more worthwhile endeavor, in my estimation.

@Ominous said in Eliminating social stats:

That is a valid and understandable position. What if everyone got one character that was solely their own, but the rest were available to be played by anyone?

I see what you're getting at, but I guess it just doesn't register to me as an incentive. I go with what's sensible IC, no matter who it benefits or does not benefit. Given that I tend to play only one alt on a given game, the incentive here is nil.