T4 gets a bad rap

[aramis]

S4:
Core T4:
You spend points not more than skill level, and the psionic ability works. "Classic" ability tracks only.

T4 Psionics HB:
Your school determines which abilities are what difficulty to acquire {good idea}
Your school's quality sets a difficulty to use on Psi+Skill for all abilities learned through that school AS A UNIFORM FLAT RATE BY CHARACTER* (bad)
Many more special skills included.


In Re tasks: I've no problem with dice pools, only dice pools determined by difficulty.

Dice pools by skill work just fine for me, since the PC has their skills in front of them.

Dice pools by difficulty precude two VERY useful techniques:
"Roll and tell me how hard you made" and "I'm not telling you the difficulty." MWM's feeble attempts to appease actually made things WORSE, adding more complications and still not achieving the first, and precluding easier levels of difficulty from the second.

My players and I rejected the "fixes" Marc put in on uncertain tasks for t4.1 right off... and they are back in T5.

 

[aramis]

S4:
Core T4:
You spend points not more than skill level, and the psionic ability works. "Classic" ability tracks only.

T4 Psionics HB:
Your school determines which abilities are what difficulty to acquire {good idea}
Your school's quality sets a difficulty to use on Psi+Skill for all abilities learned through that school AS A UNIFORM FLAT RATE BY CHARACTER* (bad)
Many more special skills included.


In Re tasks: I've no problem with dice pools, only dice pools determined by difficulty.

Dice pools by skill work just fine for me, since the PC has their skills in front of them.

Dice pools by difficulty precude two VERY useful techniques:
"Roll and tell me how hard you made" and "I'm not telling you the difficulty." MWM's feeble attempts to appease actually made things WORSE, adding more complications and still not achieving the first, and precluding easier levels of difficulty from the second.

My players and I rejected the "fixes" Marc put in on uncertain tasks for t4.1 right off... and they are back in T5.

 

[Straybow]

When I first glanced at the task system I thought rolling more dice for greater difficulty was a cool idea, but it has too many weaknesses.

 

[Straybow]

When I first glanced at the task system I thought rolling more dice for greater difficulty was a cool idea, but it has too many weaknesses.

 

[marvo]

Originally posted by Straybow:
When I first glanced at the task system I thought rolling more dice for greater difficulty was a cool idea, but it has too many weaknesses.

I have never liked the idea of rolling more dice for a task resolution. The more dice you roll, the more your probability shifts towards an 'average' roll. For me 2d6, 3d6 or 2d10 work the best. I dislike 1d20 for the opposite reason, you have an equal chance of rolling any number.

-edit-
Just a thought but how about using a fixed target number, and then rolling more dice the easier the task. Less dice for increasing difficulty.

 

[marvo]

Originally posted by Straybow:
When I first glanced at the task system I thought rolling more dice for greater difficulty was a cool idea, but it has too many weaknesses.

I have never liked the idea of rolling more dice for a task resolution. The more dice you roll, the more your probability shifts towards an 'average' roll. For me 2d6, 3d6 or 2d10 work the best. I dislike 1d20 for the opposite reason, you have an equal chance of rolling any number.

-edit-
Just a thought but how about using a fixed target number, and then rolling more dice the easier the task. Less dice for increasing difficulty.

 

[Prospero]

Originally posted by Straybow:
When I first glanced at the task system I thought rolling more dice for greater difficulty was a cool idea, but it has too many weaknesses.

Same here. We dropped that and just used set modifiers for task levels.

NT

 

[Prospero]

Originally posted by Straybow:
When I first glanced at the task system I thought rolling more dice for greater difficulty was a cool idea, but it has too many weaknesses.

Same here. We dropped that and just used set modifiers for task levels.

NT

 

[Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen]

At the risk of being blasted for asking in this forum... what do you guys think about the skill use in Firefly RPG? Specifically, the idea of spending "plot points" to add dice to your skill roll.

I personally think its neat, in that it plays more like a movie (TV show?) and the characters end up being more like adventure type heroes.

Perhaps this idea could be added to CT in some shape or form?

 

[Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen]

At the risk of being blasted for asking in this forum... what do you guys think about the skill use in Firefly RPG? Specifically, the idea of spending "plot points" to add dice to your skill roll.

I personally think its neat, in that it plays more like a movie (TV show?) and the characters end up being more like adventure type heroes.

Perhaps this idea could be added to CT in some shape or form?

 

[GypsyComet]

Devices like "Plot Points" are a staple of "High Role Playing".

If you play Traveller as "Pulp Space", then Plot Points or the equivalent are pretty much required. In general, however, the use of the Traveller universe as a setting for that kind of "High Role Playing" is in a tiny minority compared to the Runnin and Gunnin crowd.

Mechanically, I'm not fond of such things unless the setting itself has an excuse. Star Wars comes to mind, as does TORG.

 

[GypsyComet]

Devices like "Plot Points" are a staple of "High Role Playing".

If you play Traveller as "Pulp Space", then Plot Points or the equivalent are pretty much required. In general, however, the use of the Traveller universe as a setting for that kind of "High Role Playing" is in a tiny minority compared to the Runnin and Gunnin crowd.

Mechanically, I'm not fond of such things unless the setting itself has an excuse. Star Wars comes to mind, as does TORG.

 

[aramis]

I've no problem with dice by skill... just dice by difficulty.

Serenity is dice by skill. Plot points are just fine with me as well... but my MT games tend to high space opera anyway.

 

[aramis]

I've no problem with dice by skill... just dice by difficulty.

Serenity is dice by skill. Plot points are just fine with me as well... but my MT games tend to high space opera anyway.

 

[marvo]

I don't really like the idea of 'plot points', or whatever you want to call them either. As a GM I do secret re-rolls whenever there is a critical point in my storyline. I just hate the fluke dice roll that blows the whole story.

On the subject of 'plot points', anyone ever play Superbabes: The Femforce Role Playing game? It's based on the comic of the same name. That had 'bimbo points' which worked the opposite way around. A player could perform an extraordinary deed and GAIN a 'bimbo point'. Any time after that the GM could use the players 'bimbo point' to have something suitably embarrassing happen to them.

 

[marvo]

I don't really like the idea of 'plot points', or whatever you want to call them either. As a GM I do secret re-rolls whenever there is a critical point in my storyline. I just hate the fluke dice roll that blows the whole story.

On the subject of 'plot points', anyone ever play Superbabes: The Femforce Role Playing game? It's based on the comic of the same name. That had 'bimbo points' which worked the opposite way around. A player could perform an extraordinary deed and GAIN a 'bimbo point'. Any time after that the GM could use the players 'bimbo point' to have something suitably embarrassing happen to them.

 

[weasel fierce]

Super simple plot point option:

Pick 3 character traits. Each can be used once per game. If you are doing something, where your trait would come into play, you can use that trait to automatically succeed in the task in question.