Posts made by Ganymede

@Arkandel said in Social Combat: Reusing Physical Combat System?:

To be honest after discussing these things at length in threads like this I'm inclined to agree with an earlier approach @Ganymede suggested; just not have social stats. I'm not satisfied with it, it reduces the number of different niches and 'builds' in games, but it still seems better to what we're coming up with so far.

To be clear, I didn't say you shouldn't have them. I said that you shouldn't have them if you don't plan to enforce the results when called upon. I see nothing wrong with social combat, social stats, or anything like that, but I'm pretty easy going and don't really care much what happens with my PC if someone manipulates or steers them ICly.

@surreality said in Social Combat: Reusing Physical Combat System?:

@Warma-Sheen said in Social Combat: Reusing Physical Combat System?:

No one ever socially forces anyone to do anything they don't want to do.

I think this actually nails it.

Social combat isn't about directly achieving a specific end. It's about creating the underlying conditions (wanting to) to get to that end.

This is a little naïve to me. Part of my job is to use my social abilities to directly achieve a specific end. But I think I know what you're getting at, and would otherwise agree.

@Arkandel said in Social Combat: Reusing Physical Combat System?:

You guys should roll to see who wins.

I'm rolling to see if I'm getting drunk.

@GentlemanJack said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

Fashion combat?

@bored said in Social Combat: Reusing Physical Combat System?:

The super powers vs non is an important point. I think people often get so wrapped up in 'dice should matter' that they lose some idea of the scope of this stuff they're asking for. There are things 'good social skills' can do, but outright controlling others, changing their beliefs, etc, is hard.

Right. That's why I brought that up.

If you allow standard social rolls in CoD to accomplish what should be monumental tasks, like changing an anti-choice advocate into a pro-choice soldier, then you obviate supernatural powers. And the powers are supernatural because they accomplish things without explanation.

@Seraphim73? @Sparks? Looks like we have a good, old-fashioned competition here! Yee-haw!

@GentlemanJack said in Are there any active sci-fi MU*s these days?:

He retired and left Dawn of Defiance in the hands of Trakata and Malacia who are pretty active wizards and run stuff a lot.

Trakata and Malacia are very patient. They helped an entire troupe of WoD'ers into the game, and that takes guts.

@Salty-Secrets

What you're describing is using social combat to coerce another player's character to do something. I'm very much against this. Social rolls, in my opinion, should only affect: (1) NPCs; or (2) PCs, to the extent of what they might think of your PC. Anything more than that is potentially abusive, and an over-reach, and, in the case of my system, your PC could opt out of doing what I want.

Powers in WoD are an exception because they are super-powers.

@WTFE said in RL Anger:

What I do know, however, is that C-16 changes nothing of substance. If you were fine with the CHRA (and its paired criminal code clauses) and suddenly oppose C-16, you're doing something that's either very bizarre or you're doing something that clearly brands you an asshole.

The same vitriol has arisen down here when people proposed adding "sexual orientation" to workplace-discrimination laws. The transgender community has a long way to go down here.

@Arkandel said in Progression: Time/Resource rather than XP:

The way I interpreted that is that if you have something on your sheet (or you're working towards it) then it should be portrayed somewhere in your RP as well.

Yeah, that's not what I got at all, sorry.

@Kanye-Qwest said in A Constructive Thread About People We Might Not Like:

@Ganymede did you seriously just @tag me so I'd get a notification you don't like me? lol go fuck yourself.

No, you were tagged because I mentioned that I don't particularly like you -- see above -- but that your observed level of wackiness doesn't rise to half of the shit that I've seen in the past.

We've had a public spat. We're still having one, apparently.

But if you want to rise the echelons that others still occupy, you've got a long way to go, kid.

@Arkandel said in A Constructive Thread About People We Might Not Like:

I wouldn't trust a catalog to be worth a damn. There'd be fake entries, people plugging in alternate facts for themselves or their favored ones/mortal enemies, and of course there's always self-serving bias in these things. I've seen some people disrespected way more once they were done staffing for popular games than they ever were when it was desirably by others to make sure they were on their good side.

Then the catalogue would be pointless. Its purpose was to be authoritative.

@HelloProject said in A Constructive Thread About People We Might Not Like:

Have fun! I hope everyone learned something! I hope this was more helpful than the average Cirno post about race.

It was. It also illustrates how far Asian-Americans like me still have to go to enjoy portrayals of our own culture. Fresh Off The Boat was good, but it is such a small, over-wrought sliver of Chinese Immigrant culture.

@Arkandel said in A Constructive Thread About People We Might Not Like:

Wtf do you find these people? Between that and the person who reported you to staff for the plot (she?) repeatedly asked you to run... damn. That's some big bucket of badshit crazy right there.

This was back when Start Your Engines was a thing. Back when Dark Metal was a thing. Tartarus. Man, that's a long time ago, and people were really fucking unbalanced then, relative to now. I may not particularly like @Kanye-Qwest, for example, but she's not half as bad as the people I used to know from that era of games. @HelloRaptor has more and better war stories than I.

Constructively, I'm opposed to the idea of a database or cataloguing. On a forum, you can debate allegations. With a database, I fear people will fall into the trap of accepting lore as data. On a forum, you can ask about a particular player and determine whether the allegations are true or not. With a database, there is a sense of "authority" with what's recorded, even if what is recorded isn't entirely accurate or may even be doctored.

@Meg said in Progression: Time/Resource rather than XP:

The scene with the aliens would still happen in the system that Pax is suggesting. But there'd be some background of what PCs are doing in their offscreen time (and maybe on-screen time if they /want/ to RP it) about what is leading up to that scene.

Good. I said what I said less as an objection and more of a reminder or suggestion. I will get behind the use of the system to knock out mundane/routine tasks, and believe it can and should be used to knock out mundane/routine plots, even. But important, interesting stuff should be left for the players and staff to RP together through.

@Sparks

Guess what I'm also doing?

Like @Lisse24, I have fond memories of RfK. AJ was a player that used the social roll system for everything. ("Greetings! I am (rolls dice) happy to see you!"). And that often led to amusing results, especially when he and Cai (my PC) were bowling. (Yes, my Ventrue liked to bowl, go fuck yourself.)

My combat system is very simple. First, you have one of three positions on your side of the battlefield. Second, you have a limited variety of attacks. Third, you have some talents and tricks that be used to tip the battle in your favor. Finally, you have Drama Points to spend and thereby increase your chances of success. You get a set number of Action Points per turn, and people act according to an Initiative Order set at the beginning of the entire combat (it doesn't change by round). The objective is to be the last squad standing.

Social combat would be the same. First, you would have one of three approaches for your side of the debate. Second, you have a limited variety of arguments, jibed, and quips to make. Third, you have some talents and tricks that be used to help you achieve your outcome. Finally, you have Drama Points to spend and thereby increase your chances of success. You get a set number of Action Points per turn, and people argue or insult one another according to an Initiative Order. The objection is to be the last person/group with any credibility.

So, I'd limit social combat to large scale debates or situations where the PCs are trying to achieve some sort of social objective, like negotiating or bargaining to take the lead on some campaign. I don't think it'd work well to hammer someone's social standing (essentially, PvP).

@Sparks said in Progression: Time/Resource rather than XP:

Let's take that treaty. I say, "Okay, to write a treaty and make CERTAIN it's translated properly, you're going to need these prerequisites" and create blocks for them. They can RP about those prerequisites, but they also have to put in the time/effort to do the diplomacy and xenolinguistics.

I get that, and I see what you're suggesting, but I'm a cynical cat and believe that people will devote their Time and Blocks, then TS with one another rather than RP through what sounds like really boring RP to me. I can honestly say I have no interest in RPing out learning xenolinguistics.

On the other hand, having the players involved to put their PCs into a plot run by whomever and actually RP with alien NPCs sounds like more fun. The entire "DARNOK AND JALAD AT TANAGRA" bit is amusing and interesting because Sisko and his crew didn't spend the first half of the episode analyzing the aliens' language.

I like the concept, @Sparks. I am developing something similar for my own system.

One thing I'm not sure of is whether you ought to permit Blocks to be devoted towards what appears to me to be an important event: negotiating a treaty with an alien race. That sounds like something that ought to be handled as a RP Plot. Passing Blocks to other characters is an interesting concept, which I might adopt.

@SG said in RL things I love:

Even local students are coming to the end of their leases and are scrambling to move. If they live out of town, then losing the money spent on this sort of stuff is still cheaper than uhauling it across the country and putting it in storage while they look for a new place to live.

In the 7 times I moved during my college tenure, I never found this to a problem. Then again, I could fit all of my furniture and belongings into a 1995 Volkswagen Passat Wagon because I pack light, especially if I could make it back home in 3 or less hours.

@Misadventure said in A Constructive Thread About People We Might Not Like:

I don't want to have to police someone with a proven track record of trouble.

My thoughts exactly.

@surreality said in MU and Alternate Channels:

Women are expected to prove ten times the competence in terms of stuff like this far more often than I feel like dealing with, there is already plenty to do, and nobody's got time for that on top.

I make my partner's sandwiches daily.

That said, I concur with @Thenomain's succinct synopsis.