Posts made by Misadventure

I see the fundamental question of science fiction to be what would humans do or be like given a situation X? That could be technology (replicants or stacks), culture (the Culture or stand alone complex), bizarrely specific situations (Spice) etc.

Cyberpsychosis is a balancing mechanism, but also a way to represent something valuable to roleplaying: a hook, a visceral feel for things a character may go through or experience the effects of. Humanity/Paths in Vampire had a lot of focus for this experience for a while.

I've mentioned is often, but the Madness Meters in Unknown Armies offer that sort of hook. There is more than one, so you can choose many issues to address like

• becoming very different in perspective due to info input from sensors or being invulnerable to what used to hurt,
• entering a psychological feedback ego loop that causes psychotic disregard for life, or people, or the idea of individual bodies etc
• addiction to new stimulus or possibilities
• internal alienation from others
• external appearance or capacity based exclusion/treatment (you look weird, you look built for a specific purpose, people like you are expendable)

Etc. You can also just say that any thematic difficulty CAN have a staged disadvantage you choose to have your character go through. However, like violence and addiction you need to set up how society at large is handling it so the players know what to expect from the world.

I think its definitely that if there is something you can do alone, or in small groups, in an effective way to pursue tracked character gains based on code you get farming.

For me, so far, the best settings for that where you can also RP are ones where everyone is at an equal level approaching a similar set of tasks that also justifies that level of activity (kill counts). Justifying that level of activity also means something like a war, or easy travel over vast areas. An example might be the video game Destiny.

That pace of activity really sets things apart. Even in a war setting, imagine if I could go out of a Battlestar and kill hundreds of Cylons a day. That would completely undermine the desperation of the staying away from the cylons, and the idea that combat with them was deadly.

A heavily coded but highly deadly roguelike for say WW2 infantry action could be immersive, but not MUD-like.

You could mitigate this somewhat by having encounters not be deadly, for instance they would be social interactions (see the video game a Minuet of Ambition), or by having gains only widen your available options for actions without ever creating a power gap (or an end game that everyone is assumed to be playing at). Again, pacing becomes the issue. And if you limit actions to a few an IC day or week, then they are minigames, not the MUD experience.

@Ghost I am fairly hard to splain to. I take it as someone presenting the information as they understand and organize it.

You answered my question for the most part, though there is value to Sunny's answer as well.

The next question is should I look up some sort of guide on classes to get the best experience from KOTOR? Or can I play through and not cripple my self by basic bad choices?

@Sunny whats the difference between your jedi playthroughs?

Mind, I've played WoW up through the same class several times and not just once per faction which is the major story content difference, so if its just enjoyable I'll get it.

Guild Wars 2 gets pretty good comments from my friends.

Personally, I am playing KOTOR for the first time ever.

I must love Star Wars cuz I do not like D&D.

No comments about Connery and Trebek together a la the SNL skits?

I loved Alex appearing in X-Files as a MIB.

@Arkandel just put it down to my sociopathic tendencies. I didn't mean it to be dark at all, actually its a reminder that everything ends, and that isnt a complete measure of its value.

If you want dark, we can talk about how I think only post humanity has a chance of being a decent, moral and capably intelligent species.

@Cobaltasaurus and anyone else: I'd like to mention that like relationships just because it ends doesn't mean it didn't have actual good parts. (Every relationship anyone has will either end or one of you will die.)

If people played, and had fun, and maybe tried out some new technical or creative ideas and techniques, it was a success.

@ZombieGenesis I do like Aberrant for really stepping out of normal boundaries in terms of what powers can do. Not because you CAN'T in other games, they just don't tend to show you how to say advance evolution or create life.

Sadly its not really in a toolbox format, and while it could be copied into another build your powers game (Hero, M&M, various DC rgs), its not an easy task to increase the granularity of the core of these more unusual powers.

@Cassite I wish I could be or even write as graciously as Zagreus speaks most of the time.

Scion 2E is juuuust coming out, but only backers have purchased copies.

I haven't noticed any huge differences, but I havent been digging into it.

I sorta like the idea of doing the scion world but with another super powers game system.

@Aria I thought it was more like metal, hair bands, emo

@Arkandel I didn't know he liked Greek food so much. I will miss you.

@Cobaltasaurus darkness is bad. Just sayin.

.> <.<

Does anyone feel as a player that there is something that player-STs definitely could use from staff, even if its been mentioned?

Would being exposed to information or prompts to add to or create PRPs remove some enjoyment for Player-STs as players?

I mean both the literal mystery of not knowing whats going on IC, but also losing a little of the OOC mystery on how things are created, coordinated, adjusted etc?

@L-B-Heuschkel could you expand on the ability to seed ideas?

I'd like to ask what peoples experience or expectations are around "loot". I typically play games where there are purchased traits that govern what you routinely have access to, so if you don't buy up a trait, you don't expand your access/resources/whatever.

How important or successful are pieces of staff run stories for player-STs? Like if something BIG and staff run is going to happen, giving cues and ideas for smaller pieces to hepl build up to the big story?

In a similar vein, what about background type cues to incorporate but not be the focus, eg your neighborhood has surging community spirit, or the market for something has gone up or down, or the war between two distant forces has had events?

@reversed do you mean encouragement and interest in staff, or players? How would that be shown?

@Sunny could you expand on the topic "what are my limits?"

Any examples, which you can anonymize as desired, would be great.

Is there something that often stops the action until you cab get a staff answer?

Is there something that make you (and thus your players) feel like this story could matter over all? Or does that not typically matter?

I know there are obvious answers, like players, sign up sheets for public events etc. Coded things like temp rooms, and ooc-channel chat for a given story group are nice, but less what I am looking for. Though if something like that is critical, please share.

I am more focussed on what player-STs need from staff, that they feel only staff can give them.

This is for open event STs, specific group STs, player-STs that have been staff in other places. Anyone STing for other players, who does not have access to staff decision making, any staff only information sources, etc.

This would also apply to situations where two or a few players are expected to do their own thing, but might not think of it as STing for others, as i imagine scenes in super hero games might be.