Posts made by Ganymede

@Arkandel said:

Other than for the recognition factor, how is that different from simply automating gains, however? I.e. what's the difference between this approach and say, TR's when it comes to advancing through XP?

Actually, The Reach isn't a flat-XP system. It's a "reward so much that no one gives a shit at the end of the day" system. The proposed system is, to invent a phrase, an "objective-based reward" system.

To compare it to Dark Water's system, an objective-based-XP system limits growth to the achievement of goals set by staff. With that system, if you do nothing, you get nothing. On Dark Water, you got your XP for puttering around doing nothing. Activity therefore is mandated.

On your traditional, multisphere WoD game, this probably won't work well. A D&D game would have better success.

@The-Tree-of-Woe said:

All XP awards should be directly bestowed by the storytellers or disbursed through the beats system.

The beats system is also shifted in favor of activity that has absolutely nothing of narrative value insofar as a meta-narrative is concerned. The beats system inures to the benefit of a given PC only.

It is more than possible to create a system that is fairer to people who have lives away from the game. It's simple, actually.

Staff becomes responsible for "chapters" or "episodes" in the game's life, wherein there are goals that must be met, by no one in particular. Once the goals are achieved, or the "chapter" completed, XP is awarded to the player base as a whole. There needs to be no particular mechanism for accomplishing the goals, but the mechanism may affect the amount of XP delivered. This system would work better on a smaller game.

If you don't want to get involved? That's fine -- no harm. If you do? That's great -- all the more power to you. At the end of the day, everyone gets the same reward, if not the same recognition for their role.

Notice how this is strangely similar to how XP Is doled out in a TT setting.

@Arkandel

I have reviewed your system, and it still benefits the active over the casual. There's no avoiding that where you reward for beats and/or activity at any point.

This is not to say that your idea is a bad one, and I'm not saying that it should not be implemented. The admitted goal of Eldritch's system, if you'll recall the discussion in that thread, is to reward activity. Your system ameliorates that to an extent, but it still does the same at a slower rate.

And, in a dreadful stroke of irony, the system I'm brewing up also rewards activity. It has to because it implements a beats system too.

I appreciate the thought put into the hybrid, and the spirit in the effort. It's still not equitable, in my world of absolutes.

@Arkandel said:

Now, granted, after that the focus would increasingly lean toward the latter and that might become an issue for people who can't afford to play a lot, as they'll be outpaced more and more over time, but I think the system's heart is in the right place.

The system's heart is in providing a benefit to those who can plug more time into the game, regardless of what they bring to the game other than activity. I am sure the objective will be met.

Don't try to sell me on the idea that this is equitable for people who provide the sort of support to the player base that every game needs, but cannot sit around and RP for 7 to 8 hours a day.

I think that Beats and Conditions are awesome. They are so awesome that I am building them into my homebrew Mass Effect system. In fact, in that system, the best and easiest way to advance quickly is to resolve Conditions inflicted on you in battles or in scenes.

I really like them. However, I recognize that limiting XP gain or incentivizing resolving Conditions slants XP gain towards an activity-based system, to which I am ardently opposed.

Let people play how they wish. It's far more important to have storytellers entertaining the players than to get bogged down in whether or not a particular area of the system is underutilized or underappreciated.

@Misadventure

I think a system of resource-sharing can be too easily abused if there were no controls in place regarding sharing among or between alts.

Way back when, Tartarus implemented a system where all alts had to be registered under an alt-list number. That list was attached to the IP address of the first alt that registered the list. You could figure out if a player was using more than one alt-list by doing a check of the IP addresses. It wasn't fool-proofed, but I knew of few people who gave enough of a shit to dodge the process.

Yeah, I'm on board from what @Sunny said.

Also, wouldn't mind running a vampire game again.

Eh. We'll see.

Best question: would I want to work with this person in real life?

If the answer is "no," then it's a good bet that you shouldn't bring them on. It's been said to death: this hobby is collaborative.

@Miss-Demeanor said:

Mind, this is not a rant about how all staffers suck and should be penalized.

I don't think removing the DARK flag entirely is a punishment; it is removing a privilege that isn't needed, in my opinion. If it remains, it should be treated like a privilege: if it is abused, it will be removed.

My online time is scarce, so if I'm connected I should be considered on-duty. I can easily choose not to connect, and remain off-duty. I usually inform staff and friends, though, that if I am needed, and am connected as a PC, I can be called upon to connect and assist on an as-needed basis.

Hence, as a staffer, I was hardly ever DARK.

I wish I could just hole up in my office every day to plow through my work, but I have this fucking phone that just won't leave me alone. And e-mails. And people keep walking into my office.

I deal with it.

I'm all for removing the DARK flag for staffers entirely. If you're working on something, have an &idle message up.

@lordbelh said:

@Ganymede I think what you meant was the wish fulfillment crowd.

That's probably a better way to describe them, yes.

@Sundown said:

I agree we should not ostracize or bully people, because who of us is without shitty problems they're not on top of? Fat people already feel horrible about it, even if they claim they're not, they're lying.

There is no end to the shaming and bullying of smokers, who are participating in an activity that's legal in most cases. This is acceptable because the goal of the shaming and campaigning will ultimately make the population healthier.

However, companies that encourage employers to lose weight by offering discounts on their health care plans are excoriated for allegedly fat-shaming. Yeah, people who think that can fuck right off.

@Sundown said:

Caustic as he is, HR is not someone I'd call stupid. He's usually fairly insightful.

Almost nineteen years of mutual abuse has allowed me to point out Raptor's foibles with impunity. Whatever insight he might have is usually buried under verbiage.

@HelloRaptor,

I'm always surprised by how stupid you are, given the volume that you've written. Then again, I learned long ago that those who write a lot often have less to say.

That said, I'll define what I mean by "fantasy-escapists." These are the sort of role-players, to me, that create a PC to serve as an avatar into which they can withdraw to escape their own lives. That can be contrasted with a player that creates a PC to play in a game.

If you'll have me, I'm interested in running in. Maybe I know some of that crowd. If interested in having another member, PM me? Plzkthx.

@lordbelh said:

Execution is the problem, more than concept.

I concur. I have less of a problem with someone playing a 19-year-old multiple-Ph.D-holder PC than I do someone OOCly bitching about the same. Plus, the folks that play these sorts of concepts tend to be, in my opinion, horrible role-players; they role-play more like fantasy-escapists.

Shut the fuck up and play the game.

@Admiral said:

I'm not going to fat shame you, but by god you're a horrible person.

I actually have a strong dislike for morbidly-obese people. I sympathize for people with actual gland problems or genetic pre-dispositions, but I've met people with the same that aren't 300+ pounds.

Lose some fucking weight, shit. No, you don't deserve a handicap placard.

I'm not sorry for saying any of the above.

You have my interest, Sunny. What's your circle coming in as?

Help me. What's a fatkini?

Well, here's my listy-list.

On the Reach: Clarice; Ripley (still re-specing); and Mark (well, soon to be)
On Reno: Max
On By Right of Blood: Dan (still working to finish him up)