Posts made by Misadventure

@coin Were you afraid when trains were invented?

@wizz Nope, I misread the chart.

Or very ill, or deceased.

Normally I'll go for human failure, but plenty of people pass away leaving behind pets, plants etc that no one can really take in. Or notice if they have gotten out or run away.

Let alone defining moderate.

@Arkandel When discussing variety in results, it's a good idea to clearly separate how often something unexpected can happen from how unusual an outcome can happen.

Games discuss the magnitude of results with things like Specials, Crits, made by 10, 5 more successes than needed etc. Everything else just wiggles the results around the failing/succeeding division line.

First, define the power of the results you want to see, then decide if routine resolutions between equal parties can result in the extremes. Then work on whatever randomness you desire.

Physical combat and its accepted model works fine because it has one end state: defeated (yield, unconscious, dead, etc). That result is typically dull to RP.

Social interaction should not be modeled after physical combat, because simplistic to say that all forms of social success "defeated" anyone. Social interactions have many possible outcomes, many of which all parties will actively go along with, very few of which are "complete domination of will and purpose".

MU* RP is more socially oriented than (almost all) tabletop for many reasons. Moreso than deadly danger, it should offer interesting choices, and make for an interesting story.

If it's not interesting, then you've wasted everyone's time.

I really, really like details and will design systems to show off where people are strong and weak, and that emphasizes all stakes so behaviors make sense, but no one online needs that much info. They need to know it was engaging and gave them something to make decisions about, pull up details from their character, and be a little inspired or surprised by. Everything else, people will walk away and stay away from.

(See endless combat, endless posturing or attacks from combat monster PCs, endless shiny special, endless trauma, endless drama, players will walk away when they see no engagement or fun for themselves.)

Well, now I am certain that social skills should not affect PCs.

I think @Ganymede may want to write up what can and can't be done because social skills are now a whim call.

For instance, no you can't be sure someone is or isn't lying anymore. Likewise discussing it in any way that defines what is "true" on an OOC level would be something to think carefully about allowing.

People can be as inconsistent as they want, but they can be held accountable for that ICly.

Interestingly, it does make OOC manipulation very viable, as its ALL just what the players think, right? INTERESTING.

Seduction, negotiations, bribery, persuasion all will be pretty much unchanged.

Meetings will still last for hours, parties and weddings will be more attended than anything else. It will be marvelous.

Give it a try.

Would successful social skill rolls mitigate the effects of poor RP of social actions (etiquette, deception, etc) on NPCs, even if PCs were free to react as they desired?

@zombiegenesis Seems weird to even do a crossover. Could be kinda cool to do a take on the same crisis event in the three universes and see how they play out each time.

As for staff being nuts at these places if you look around and can't see the nutty staffer ...

Yes, three locales would spread RP thin.

If players couldn't cross over to another zone to do stories of any significance, why are they sharing a game?

Does all their canon (in this case canon to the PC, not canon from the comics) events, foes and NPCs have to start from their assigned zones? If not, how do you deal with Lois now living in Sunnydale her whole life?

If they can, you immediately run into how far off canon do you allow folks to go, from the start and over time?

Whats to stop Maxima and Jean Grey from hanging out and abusing Superman over in OC-ville?

Can Spider-man have been bitten by a spider irradiated by Kryptonite and either have Kryptonian powers or be poisonous to Superman?

@zombiegenesis Give examples!

I vote for Ares over the new Star Wars game.

Why?

• No matter what system you use, all of the info from the new products can be used, and the system used to get rough ideas of scales of ability and power. So use one you like best, or get best use from.
• The dice are awkward, swingy, and obscured. The first is the worst part, no matter your tastes otherwise.
• Players tire of constantly having to decide what Disadvantage and Advantage are used on (for every roll).
• The "feat tree" structure is convoluted and fairly unnecessary. You would do better just saying "you need X other feats from this group" before you can get medium and higher rated feats.
• Character templates are useful, classes less so, especially when you can add any class to your mix.

Ares! Ares! Ares!

My opinion is unsolicited.

@macha I was trying to highlight that some companies actually try, and say that yes people definitely deserve better.

That's not working out, so I'm bowing out.

@ganymede The company in question has no problems being ADA compliant. The program allocates pay to people who have exhausted their own time off. Not extra days off without being fired, paid days that otherwise would vanish if unused. Atop paying for tier 1 short and long-term disability insurance. And there is no guilting unless you consider a paragraph on a web page about what health benefits and programs the company has.

@puppybreath Thank you for letting us know, even if the news is sad.

Take care of yourselves.

And then there are places that allow people to donate their unused sick time to other employees who may need it to deal with things.

@zombiegenesis Hey now, I think there was a spare Star Destroyer available for a base from the opening of Force Awakens.

I find that a thesaurus is most helpful when trying to describe crystalline orbs of cerulean, or anything else related to equine activities.

Do you want to keep the WoD setting?
It can be more or less translated into any other RPG system.

I think that "system" means very little in an online setting. It's a decent way to describe a setting, comparing this to that so the players have an idea of how to describe something.

Read the description of games, they almost always come down to "we use randomness to represent unpredictability". That unpredictability is did you succeed or fail, which is very little like the unpredictability that makes stories or life interesting. I think players would be better served by something that says "this goes in an unexpected direction" and either provides or inspires the creation of a prompt that changes the presented situation.

I think routine is a great setup for change, or as a framework for presenting character or setting. Stumbling and waltzing on a track full of gates of success or failure is filler. It's leveling in an MMO, inevitable, unstoppable, and without meaning.

I'd like to think Players want prompts to act, to do something big or unexpected, to have to think in ways beyond black and white as the "interesting/complicated" moments of play.

Adding a spin to @magee101 's question:

How well would you do if you have a reasonable grasp of fictional medieval politics and low fantasy settings?