T5.09 Personals
- Thread starter ovka
- Start date
You're correct, it would be simpler, but how do you know what works against a particular NPC in a particular time and place, and what a character is good at actually doing?
Rob, if it's all just skill-based, does that mean that social butterflies should have a specific set of skills beyond Carouse? If it was just based on learned skills then Dr Sheldon Cooper could be looking pretty good in a social setting couldn't he?
Again, how do you differentiate between different PCs? Does this proposal mean that Duke is an order of magnitude better at interacting with the garbage guy whose parents were public utilities cleaners? Or would it be better to apply a penalty based on the SOC differential? While I accept that someone with a high SOC may have received training in etiquette or learnt how behave in different circumstances, does that mean they know how to get along with the noisy guys in seats behind them at the rugby/soccer/baseball/basketball/gravball game?
Don't get me wrong, I applaud and have devoured your ideas. I use personals in every session I run, because this is one of the hardest things for players to do: role-play their characters interacting with the most nuanced systems they'll come up against: other sentients.
Personals V2 - Part 1 of 7
I finally had time to review this. I considered all of the suggestions that appeared in the thread, plus incorporated a few new ideas of my own. Remember, this is geared toward T5, so it may only partially work with other versions. The Personals Table below is derived from the Quick Personals table (T5.09 p 159) and the Five Laws Table (T5.09 p 160). The DMs for All Personals Table is derived from the Mods For Personals table (T5.09 p 159). The DMs for each individual Purpose are derived from the Mods For Personals table (T5.09 p 159) and the Personal Interactions Table (T65.09 p 160).
As before, I have split this into multiple posts.
Part 1 is this introduction.
Part 2 has the Personals Table.
Part 3 has the various Personal DM Tables.
Part 4 has the instructions.
Part 5 has some special considerations.
Part 6 has an example.
Part 7 is a wrap-up and critique.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
I finally had time to review this. I considered all of the suggestions that appeared in the thread, plus incorporated a few new ideas of my own. Remember, this is geared toward T5, so it may only partially work with other versions. The Personals Table below is derived from the Quick Personals table (T5.09 p 159) and the Five Laws Table (T5.09 p 160). The DMs for All Personals Table is derived from the Mods For Personals table (T5.09 p 159). The DMs for each individual Purpose are derived from the Mods For Personals table (T5.09 p 159) and the Personal Interactions Table (T65.09 p 160).
As before, I have split this into multiple posts.
Part 1 is this introduction.
Part 2 has the Personals Table.
Part 3 has the various Personal DM Tables.
Part 4 has the instructions.
Part 5 has some special considerations.
Part 6 has an example.
Part 7 is a wrap-up and critique.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V2 - Part 2 of 7
Personals Table - (Purpose and Law Combinations + Reconsider)
---------------
Carouse (Comfort) 1D, DM-2
Carouse (Inferiority) 1D
Carouse (Similarity) 1D, DM-1
Carouse (Superiority) 1D
Carouse (Violence) 1D
Carouse (Reconsider) 1D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Query (Comfort) 2D, DM-1
Query (Inferiority) 2D, DM-1
Query (Similarity) 2D, DM-1
Query (Superiority) 2D, DM-1
Query (Violence) 2D, DM-1
Query (Reconsider) 2D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Persuade (Comfort) 3D, DM-1
Persuade (Inferiority) 3D, DM-2
Persuade (Similarity) 3D, DM-1
Persuade (Superiority) 3D, DM-2
Persuade (Violence) 3D, DM-2
Persuade (Reconsider) 3D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Command (Comfort) 4D
Command (Inferiority) 4D
Command (Similarity) 4D
Command (Superiority) 4D, DM-3
Command (Violence) 4D, DM-3
Command (Reconsider) 4D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals Table - (Purpose and Law Combinations + Reconsider)
---------------
Carouse (Comfort) 1D, DM-2
Carouse (Inferiority) 1D
Carouse (Similarity) 1D, DM-1
Carouse (Superiority) 1D
Carouse (Violence) 1D
Carouse (Reconsider) 1D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Query (Comfort) 2D, DM-1
Query (Inferiority) 2D, DM-1
Query (Similarity) 2D, DM-1
Query (Superiority) 2D, DM-1
Query (Violence) 2D, DM-1
Query (Reconsider) 2D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Persuade (Comfort) 3D, DM-1
Persuade (Inferiority) 3D, DM-2
Persuade (Similarity) 3D, DM-1
Persuade (Superiority) 3D, DM-2
Persuade (Violence) 3D, DM-2
Persuade (Reconsider) 3D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Command (Comfort) 4D
Command (Inferiority) 4D
Command (Similarity) 4D
Command (Superiority) 4D, DM-3
Command (Violence) 4D, DM-3
Command (Reconsider) 4D, DM+2 per reconsider attempt
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V2 - Part 3 of 7
DMs for All Personals
---------------------
By Communicator - Voice +4
By Communicator - Voice + Visual +2
Bluff (once, replaces all other DMs) Flux
Urgent (no reconsider) -2
Deliberate -1
**No Specific Strategy (Strategy) +0
Subsequent Use of Strategy, per +1
Initial Encounter Flux
*Actor's C6 = Target's C6 -2
*C6 Difference = 1 - 2 -1
*C6 Difference = 6 - 7 +1
*C6 Difference = 8+ +2
* after converting the Actor's C6 value to a value appropriate to the Target's C6
** No Specific Strategy is the only Strategy which can be repeated without penalty
DMs for Initial Encounters (choose one)
--------------------------
Rank
Fame
Ship Shares
Masterpieces
Publications
Discoveries
Commendations
Years in Prison
Successful Schemes
Land Grants
Medals
Wound Badges
DMs for Carouse (Includes Strategies)
---------------
Discussion (Strategy) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -2
DMs for Query (Includes Strategies)
-------------
Brazen -3
Successful Carouse, per (up to 6) -1
Active Listening (Strategy) -1
Discussion (Strategy) -1
Force-of-Will (Strategy) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -2
DMs for Persuade (Includes Strategies)
----------------
Brazen -3
Successful Carouse, per (up to 6) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -1
Force-of-Will (Strategy) -1
Charming (Strategy) -2
DMs for Command (Includes Strategies)
---------------
Successful Carouse, per (up to 6) -1
Angry (Strategy) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -1
Force-of-Will (Strategy) -1
Charming (Strategy) -2
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
DMs for All Personals
---------------------
By Communicator - Voice +4
By Communicator - Voice + Visual +2
Bluff (once, replaces all other DMs) Flux
Urgent (no reconsider) -2
Deliberate -1
**No Specific Strategy (Strategy) +0
Subsequent Use of Strategy, per +1
Initial Encounter Flux
*Actor's C6 = Target's C6 -2
*C6 Difference = 1 - 2 -1
*C6 Difference = 6 - 7 +1
*C6 Difference = 8+ +2
* after converting the Actor's C6 value to a value appropriate to the Target's C6
** No Specific Strategy is the only Strategy which can be repeated without penalty
DMs for Initial Encounters (choose one)
--------------------------
Rank
Fame
Ship Shares
Masterpieces
Publications
Discoveries
Commendations
Years in Prison
Successful Schemes
Land Grants
Medals
Wound Badges
DMs for Carouse (Includes Strategies)
---------------
Discussion (Strategy) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -2
DMs for Query (Includes Strategies)
-------------
Brazen -3
Successful Carouse, per (up to 6) -1
Active Listening (Strategy) -1
Discussion (Strategy) -1
Force-of-Will (Strategy) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -2
DMs for Persuade (Includes Strategies)
----------------
Brazen -3
Successful Carouse, per (up to 6) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -1
Force-of-Will (Strategy) -1
Charming (Strategy) -2
DMs for Command (Includes Strategies)
---------------
Successful Carouse, per (up to 6) -1
Angry (Strategy) -1
Appeal To (Strategy) -1
Force-of-Will (Strategy) -1
Charming (Strategy) -2
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V2 - Part 4 of 7
Definition
----------
Tactic - Description of how the Actor will attempt to interact with the Target. This description includes the Purpose/Law Combination, the Skill or Knowledge to be used for the task check, any Strategy to be employed, and the message the Actor is attempting to convey (Common Interest, Common Enemy, Logic, Authority, etc.). The combination of Purpose/Law/Skill/Strategy is the technical portion of the Tactic which determines the roll and any associated DMs. The message is the roleplaying portion of the Tactic.
Instructions
------------
1. The player starts by indicating what they want to do with the Personal interaction.
2. The player selects an entry from the Personals Table representing the Purpose and Law and notes the number of dice to roll and the associated DM.
3. Personals are resolved using standard task C+S rolls.
4. Use the Characteristic represented by the C6 of the Target (e.g. Soc for a Human Target). Convert the Actor's C6 appropriately.
5. The player selects the Skill or Knowledge that they want to use in their Tactic. This gives the player the opportunity to use their character's strengths (the technical portion of the Tactic) while also coming up with a role-playing justification (the message portion of the Tactic) for what they want to do. The Tactic is subject to GM approval. Personals using the Violence Law may only select Fighter or one of its associated skills.
6. The initial encounter is the Actor's attempt to get their foot in the door. Add Flux as a DM to the initial encounter roll. No DMs indicated as Strategy DMs can be applied to the initial encounter roll except No Specific Strategy (DM+0) for the initial encounter.
7. Optionally, the Actor may add one initial encounter DM. Initial encounter DMs have the disadvantage of being offset by a similar value possessed by the Target. If the Target does not have the chosen quality, then the Actor does not get the benefit of the DM. If the Target has the indicated quality, then the roll gets DM-Actor's value and DM+Target's value. If the Actor attempts to impress the Target by mentioning that they earned 12 medals during their time in the armed forces, the Target may be extremely unimpressed if they have 17 of their own. If the Target's actual value is known, then use it. If the Target's actual value not known, the GM is free to decide if the Target has the given quality, and if so what its value is. Optionally, the GM can roll positive Flux to determine the Target's value (2D for Fame).
8. If the roll for the initial encounter fails, the player can use Please Reconsider to attempt another task roll. Each attempt during the initial encounter must use a different Skill or Knowledge selection. The player must still state their Tactic, the roll still adds Flux as a DM, and no Strategy DMs except for No Specific Strategy (DM+0) can be applied. Using Please Reconsider means that the Actor cannot use any of the Superiority Personals during the rest of this Personal interaction. The Actor may choose to add an initial encounter DM different from previously used initial encounter DMs when using Please Reconsider.
9. Assuming the player eventually succeeds at the initial encounter and doesn't give up, additional task rolls during the rest of this Personal interaction are opposed. The player can now select a Strategy other than No Specific Strategy. The player must select a different technical portion of their Tactic for each task roll (exception, the technical portion of a Tactic including Please Reconsider can be used any number of times). The technical portion of the Tactic also cannot be the same as the technical portion of a Tactic used during the initial encounter (remembering that No Specific Strategy is a Strategy). Flux is no longer considered. The Target of the opposed task roll does not get any of the die modifiers. The DMs only apply to the Actor.
A. As with the initial encounter, a failed task roll can be rerolled using Please Reconsider. Using Please Reconsider means that the Actor cannot use any of the Superiority Personals during the rest of this Personal interaction.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Definition
----------
Tactic - Description of how the Actor will attempt to interact with the Target. This description includes the Purpose/Law Combination, the Skill or Knowledge to be used for the task check, any Strategy to be employed, and the message the Actor is attempting to convey (Common Interest, Common Enemy, Logic, Authority, etc.). The combination of Purpose/Law/Skill/Strategy is the technical portion of the Tactic which determines the roll and any associated DMs. The message is the roleplaying portion of the Tactic.
Instructions
------------
1. The player starts by indicating what they want to do with the Personal interaction.
2. The player selects an entry from the Personals Table representing the Purpose and Law and notes the number of dice to roll and the associated DM.
3. Personals are resolved using standard task C+S rolls.
4. Use the Characteristic represented by the C6 of the Target (e.g. Soc for a Human Target). Convert the Actor's C6 appropriately.
5. The player selects the Skill or Knowledge that they want to use in their Tactic. This gives the player the opportunity to use their character's strengths (the technical portion of the Tactic) while also coming up with a role-playing justification (the message portion of the Tactic) for what they want to do. The Tactic is subject to GM approval. Personals using the Violence Law may only select Fighter or one of its associated skills.
6. The initial encounter is the Actor's attempt to get their foot in the door. Add Flux as a DM to the initial encounter roll. No DMs indicated as Strategy DMs can be applied to the initial encounter roll except No Specific Strategy (DM+0) for the initial encounter.
7. Optionally, the Actor may add one initial encounter DM. Initial encounter DMs have the disadvantage of being offset by a similar value possessed by the Target. If the Target does not have the chosen quality, then the Actor does not get the benefit of the DM. If the Target has the indicated quality, then the roll gets DM-Actor's value and DM+Target's value. If the Actor attempts to impress the Target by mentioning that they earned 12 medals during their time in the armed forces, the Target may be extremely unimpressed if they have 17 of their own. If the Target's actual value is known, then use it. If the Target's actual value not known, the GM is free to decide if the Target has the given quality, and if so what its value is. Optionally, the GM can roll positive Flux to determine the Target's value (2D for Fame).
8. If the roll for the initial encounter fails, the player can use Please Reconsider to attempt another task roll. Each attempt during the initial encounter must use a different Skill or Knowledge selection. The player must still state their Tactic, the roll still adds Flux as a DM, and no Strategy DMs except for No Specific Strategy (DM+0) can be applied. Using Please Reconsider means that the Actor cannot use any of the Superiority Personals during the rest of this Personal interaction. The Actor may choose to add an initial encounter DM different from previously used initial encounter DMs when using Please Reconsider.
9. Assuming the player eventually succeeds at the initial encounter and doesn't give up, additional task rolls during the rest of this Personal interaction are opposed. The player can now select a Strategy other than No Specific Strategy. The player must select a different technical portion of their Tactic for each task roll (exception, the technical portion of a Tactic including Please Reconsider can be used any number of times). The technical portion of the Tactic also cannot be the same as the technical portion of a Tactic used during the initial encounter (remembering that No Specific Strategy is a Strategy). Flux is no longer considered. The Target of the opposed task roll does not get any of the die modifiers. The DMs only apply to the Actor.
A. As with the initial encounter, a failed task roll can be rerolled using Please Reconsider. Using Please Reconsider means that the Actor cannot use any of the Superiority Personals during the rest of this Personal interaction.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V2 - Part 5 of 7
Special Considerations
----------------------
B. The DMs for initial encounters are optional. If the Actor knows they are likely to have an advantage, then they are welcome to use that advantage. An Actor can only use any given DM for an initial encounter once with each Target. Once used as a DM, the quality becomes less impressive the next time ("yeah, yeah, I know, 12 medals").
C. Successful Carouse attempts are accumulated for later use as DMs. As indicated on the table, each Carouse attempt generates a DM-1 that can be used (up to a maximum of 6 on any given Personal roll). The DM for each successful Carouse can only be used once. The Actor can accumulate an unlimited number of unused successful Carouse DMs. These DMs can be saved for use in a different Personal interaction between the same Actor and Target.
D. When accumulating Carousing DMs for later use in a different Personal interaction, each sleep period that passes for the Target (see the Personal Day description) reduces the number of accumulated Carousing DMs by one.
E. Optional house rule #1 - Villainous Personals. Give every NPC a pool of Flux points that the GM can use to add a DM to any NPC Target's Personal roll. This DM cannot be applied to an initial encounter. If the Flux roll results in a negative number, there are no points in the pool for that NPC. To be fair, only one point may be applied to any given roll.
F. Optional house rule #2 - Roleplaying for Heroes. Give each player one chip at the start of the gaming session. During the course of the gaming session, each player is allowed to award that chip to another player for an especially good (or bad or memorable) bit of roleplaying. The chip can then be returned to the GM to provide a DM-1 to any roll. No specific bit of roleplaying can earn more than one chip for the player (i.e. if all of the players are impressed by a particular action on the part of a player, only one of them awards their chip to that player). Players cannot award chips to themselves.
G. Optional house rule #3 - Roleplaying for Villains. For GMs that don't like providing benefits to player characters that non-player characters don't get, the GM can add a DM-1 to any one NPC roll for every chip that is awarded.
H. Optional house rule #4 - Restrict Roleplaying Points to Personals. As written, the points from optional rules F and G can be used for any task roll. Their use can be restricted to only rolls for Personal interactions.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Special Considerations
----------------------
B. The DMs for initial encounters are optional. If the Actor knows they are likely to have an advantage, then they are welcome to use that advantage. An Actor can only use any given DM for an initial encounter once with each Target. Once used as a DM, the quality becomes less impressive the next time ("yeah, yeah, I know, 12 medals").
C. Successful Carouse attempts are accumulated for later use as DMs. As indicated on the table, each Carouse attempt generates a DM-1 that can be used (up to a maximum of 6 on any given Personal roll). The DM for each successful Carouse can only be used once. The Actor can accumulate an unlimited number of unused successful Carouse DMs. These DMs can be saved for use in a different Personal interaction between the same Actor and Target.
D. When accumulating Carousing DMs for later use in a different Personal interaction, each sleep period that passes for the Target (see the Personal Day description) reduces the number of accumulated Carousing DMs by one.
E. Optional house rule #1 - Villainous Personals. Give every NPC a pool of Flux points that the GM can use to add a DM to any NPC Target's Personal roll. This DM cannot be applied to an initial encounter. If the Flux roll results in a negative number, there are no points in the pool for that NPC. To be fair, only one point may be applied to any given roll.
F. Optional house rule #2 - Roleplaying for Heroes. Give each player one chip at the start of the gaming session. During the course of the gaming session, each player is allowed to award that chip to another player for an especially good (or bad or memorable) bit of roleplaying. The chip can then be returned to the GM to provide a DM-1 to any roll. No specific bit of roleplaying can earn more than one chip for the player (i.e. if all of the players are impressed by a particular action on the part of a player, only one of them awards their chip to that player). Players cannot award chips to themselves.
G. Optional house rule #3 - Roleplaying for Villains. For GMs that don't like providing benefits to player characters that non-player characters don't get, the GM can add a DM-1 to any one NPC roll for every chip that is awarded.
H. Optional house rule #4 - Restrict Roleplaying Points to Personals. As written, the points from optional rules F and G can be used for any task roll. Their use can be restricted to only rolls for Personal interactions.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V2 - Part 6 of 7
Example
-------
So let's see how this plays out with the same example. All NPC and PC characteristics are assumed to be 7, and all skill levels are assumed to be 3. Both characters are human.
As the player, I tell the GM "I want to get to know the guy at the bar, buy him a few drinks, and ask him where I can find Commander Riker."
I sit down and offer to buy the person a drink. My Tactic for the initial encounter is Carouse (Comfort)/Streetwise/No Specific Strategy; I am trying to get to know a new person. That is an Easy 1D Soc+Streetwise check, DM-2 (Purpose/Law), DM Flux (initial encounter), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 1D-4+Flux <= 7 + 3 = 10. No problem.
We are really starting to have a good time now. I buy the next round of drinks and tell him that I have heard of his accomplishments (*that* was *you*? You have quite the reputation over on Hefry). My Tactic is Carouse (Comfort)/Career (Scout)/No Specific Strategy; I am showing my shared knowledge of the Scout service. That is an opposed (2) Easy 1D Soc+Career (Scout) check, DM-2 (Purpose/Law), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 1D-4 <= 7 + 3 = 10 vs 1D <= 7 + 3 = 10. Because the NPC does not get the DMs, the roll succeeds.
I continue to chat with the person and subtly shift the conversation to Naval personnel (those guys are jerks, aren't they?). My Tactic is Carouse (Similarity)/Career (Scout)/Discussion; I am using the fact that we are both Scouts to further our camaraderie. That is an opposed (2) Easy 1D Soc+Career (Scout) check, DM-1 (Purpose/Law), DM-1 (Discussion Strategy), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 1D-4 <= 7 + 3 = 10 vs 1D <= 7 + 3 = 10. Because the NPC does not get the DMs, the roll succeeds.
Now I get to the crux of my interaction. I ask my new-found scout friend if he knows where I can find Commander Riker. My Tactic is Query (Similarity)/Admin/Appeal To; I am asking him to remember what Captain Riker put on the paperwork he filed earlier today, and appealing to him to give me that information. That is an opposed (2) Average 2D Soc+Admin check, DM-1 (Purpose/Law), DM-2 (Appeal To Strategy), DM-3 (Successful Carouse), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 2D-8 <= 7 + 3 = 10 vs 2D <= 7 + 3 = 10. Because the NPC does not get the DMs, the roll succeeds.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Example
-------
So let's see how this plays out with the same example. All NPC and PC characteristics are assumed to be 7, and all skill levels are assumed to be 3. Both characters are human.
As the player, I tell the GM "I want to get to know the guy at the bar, buy him a few drinks, and ask him where I can find Commander Riker."
I sit down and offer to buy the person a drink. My Tactic for the initial encounter is Carouse (Comfort)/Streetwise/No Specific Strategy; I am trying to get to know a new person. That is an Easy 1D Soc+Streetwise check, DM-2 (Purpose/Law), DM Flux (initial encounter), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 1D-4+Flux <= 7 + 3 = 10. No problem.
We are really starting to have a good time now. I buy the next round of drinks and tell him that I have heard of his accomplishments (*that* was *you*? You have quite the reputation over on Hefry). My Tactic is Carouse (Comfort)/Career (Scout)/No Specific Strategy; I am showing my shared knowledge of the Scout service. That is an opposed (2) Easy 1D Soc+Career (Scout) check, DM-2 (Purpose/Law), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 1D-4 <= 7 + 3 = 10 vs 1D <= 7 + 3 = 10. Because the NPC does not get the DMs, the roll succeeds.
I continue to chat with the person and subtly shift the conversation to Naval personnel (those guys are jerks, aren't they?). My Tactic is Carouse (Similarity)/Career (Scout)/Discussion; I am using the fact that we are both Scouts to further our camaraderie. That is an opposed (2) Easy 1D Soc+Career (Scout) check, DM-1 (Purpose/Law), DM-1 (Discussion Strategy), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 1D-4 <= 7 + 3 = 10 vs 1D <= 7 + 3 = 10. Because the NPC does not get the DMs, the roll succeeds.
Now I get to the crux of my interaction. I ask my new-found scout friend if he knows where I can find Commander Riker. My Tactic is Query (Similarity)/Admin/Appeal To; I am asking him to remember what Captain Riker put on the paperwork he filed earlier today, and appealing to him to give me that information. That is an opposed (2) Average 2D Soc+Admin check, DM-1 (Purpose/Law), DM-2 (Appeal To Strategy), DM-3 (Successful Carouse), DM-2 (C6=C6); or 2D-8 <= 7 + 3 = 10 vs 2D <= 7 + 3 = 10. Because the NPC does not get the DMs, the roll succeeds.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V2 - Part 7 of 7
Presentation
------------
Looking at the tables I included in parts 2 & 3, I think I would present this to the players as a set of four laminated index cards -- one for each of the four Purposes. I'm not sure if I would have one per player, or one for the table. One set for the table plus a second set for the GM would reduce the occurrence of players telling other players what actions to take. The Purpose/Law table for the Purpose, the DMs for the Purpose, and the generic DMs would all go on one side of the index card. The instructions and special considerations (including any house rules in use) would go on the other side.
Critique
--------
How would this play in a gaming session? I think it would be slow going at first. The players would need to get used to the rules for Personal interactions. How often do they come up in the typical game? I am thinking only once or twice per gaming session. Add that to a group of newbie players just learning the task system and it could bog things down. I wouldn't introduce this in a convention situation, unless I was certain that the players were already familiar with the task system. For newbie players, I would give them a couple of gaming sessions to get comfortable with tasks before I added this additional complexity.
How successful would this system be? There seem to be an abundance of DMs making success easy. However, a character with a low Soc would certainly need those DMs to use the system. Using the given example, even a 4D Command would turn out to be 4D-6 <= 10 for the Actor vs 4D <= 10 for the Target. Change the Appeal To Strategy to Charming and throw in a modifier for being deliberate, and it becomes 4D-8 <= 10.
Is it the intent of the system to allow for easy success while promoting player actions via die rolls plus a little roleplaying? If so, then this system certainly succeeds. I think that in order for the system to feel more realistic, something needs to change to make success more difficult. A reduction in the number of DMs would certainly enhance playability. Given all of the available DMs, why would the Bluff=Flux DM (from the T.509 Mods For Personals table) be necessary?
So how would I improve it? I would reduce the number of modifiers. I would also attempt to reduce the complexity. Perhaps part of the complexity is the attempt to be all things to all people. I have incorporated as many suggestions as possible. Both v1 and v2 of my attempt at a workable Personals system start with the Quick Personals system from T5.09 as its base. Perhaps I should rethink that.
I invite any comments, suggestions, and/or criticisms. I think this could be a workable system. It may just take me a few more attempts to get there.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Presentation
------------
Looking at the tables I included in parts 2 & 3, I think I would present this to the players as a set of four laminated index cards -- one for each of the four Purposes. I'm not sure if I would have one per player, or one for the table. One set for the table plus a second set for the GM would reduce the occurrence of players telling other players what actions to take. The Purpose/Law table for the Purpose, the DMs for the Purpose, and the generic DMs would all go on one side of the index card. The instructions and special considerations (including any house rules in use) would go on the other side.
Critique
--------
How would this play in a gaming session? I think it would be slow going at first. The players would need to get used to the rules for Personal interactions. How often do they come up in the typical game? I am thinking only once or twice per gaming session. Add that to a group of newbie players just learning the task system and it could bog things down. I wouldn't introduce this in a convention situation, unless I was certain that the players were already familiar with the task system. For newbie players, I would give them a couple of gaming sessions to get comfortable with tasks before I added this additional complexity.
How successful would this system be? There seem to be an abundance of DMs making success easy. However, a character with a low Soc would certainly need those DMs to use the system. Using the given example, even a 4D Command would turn out to be 4D-6 <= 10 for the Actor vs 4D <= 10 for the Target. Change the Appeal To Strategy to Charming and throw in a modifier for being deliberate, and it becomes 4D-8 <= 10.
Is it the intent of the system to allow for easy success while promoting player actions via die rolls plus a little roleplaying? If so, then this system certainly succeeds. I think that in order for the system to feel more realistic, something needs to change to make success more difficult. A reduction in the number of DMs would certainly enhance playability. Given all of the available DMs, why would the Bluff=Flux DM (from the T.509 Mods For Personals table) be necessary?
So how would I improve it? I would reduce the number of modifiers. I would also attempt to reduce the complexity. Perhaps part of the complexity is the attempt to be all things to all people. I have incorporated as many suggestions as possible. Both v1 and v2 of my attempt at a workable Personals system start with the Quick Personals system from T5.09 as its base. Perhaps I should rethink that.
I invite any comments, suggestions, and/or criticisms. I think this could be a workable system. It may just take me a few more attempts to get there.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Here is my current line of thinking.
Ease of Use #1 - Previously I mentioned that not using the task system required the GM and players to learn a new game mechanic. Then I introduced two different usages of the task system to handle Personals -- the initial encounter + subsequent attempts. In so doing I added to the complexity that I was trying to reduce. :rant: While I like the idea of the initial encounter, I think it needs to go.
Ease of Use #2 - Too many DMs. This one is self explanatory.
Ease of Use #3 - From an ease of use standpoint, the existing Quick Personals system is better than what I have devised so far. To use it I would generate 4 2D "Personals Targets" for each NPC I statted-out prior to a gaming session. For impromptu NPCs, I would generate the values OARN. Quick Personals are something to keep in mind, but I would like to continue trying to figure out how to do this with the task system. Throwing it away feels like saying that tasks are broken as a game mechanic, and I do not believe that is the case.
Success Is Too Easy - v2 provided lots of DMs. For normal tasks (i.e. non-opposed tasks) it doesn't really matter if these are subtracted from the die roll or added to the target. The end result is the same. However, opposed tasks have extra difficulty built into them. Converting some of my DMs to target mods might do the trick. The question is which ones should remain as DMs, which should be converted to target mods, and which ones should be dropped.
It's time to start working on v3. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Ease of Use #1 - Previously I mentioned that not using the task system required the GM and players to learn a new game mechanic. Then I introduced two different usages of the task system to handle Personals -- the initial encounter + subsequent attempts. In so doing I added to the complexity that I was trying to reduce. :rant: While I like the idea of the initial encounter, I think it needs to go.
Ease of Use #2 - Too many DMs. This one is self explanatory.
Ease of Use #3 - From an ease of use standpoint, the existing Quick Personals system is better than what I have devised so far. To use it I would generate 4 2D "Personals Targets" for each NPC I statted-out prior to a gaming session. For impromptu NPCs, I would generate the values OARN. Quick Personals are something to keep in mind, but I would like to continue trying to figure out how to do this with the task system. Throwing it away feels like saying that tasks are broken as a game mechanic, and I do not believe that is the case.
Success Is Too Easy - v2 provided lots of DMs. For normal tasks (i.e. non-opposed tasks) it doesn't really matter if these are subtracted from the die roll or added to the target. The end result is the same. However, opposed tasks have extra difficulty built into them. Converting some of my DMs to target mods might do the trick. The question is which ones should remain as DMs, which should be converted to target mods, and which ones should be dropped.
It's time to start working on v3. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V3 - Part 1 of 6
I am using a slightly different paradigm this time. I have consolidated Persuade and Command into a single Persuade purpose, changed the number of dice rolled, changed the Opposed (2) roll to an Uncertain 1D roll, eliminated Stategies, Tactics, and Laws, and converted most of the modifiers to changes in the task difficulty. I have eliminated the initial encounter. I have placed a restriction on the skills and knowledges that can be used so that the system isn't quite so open ended.
As before, I have split this into multiple posts.
Part 1 is this introduction.
Part 2 has the Personals table (P1), the Actor Mods for Personals table (P2), the Personals Skills table (P3), and the Target Mods for Personals table (P4).
Part 3 has the instructions.
Part 4 has an example.
Part 5 has a second example.
Part 6 is a wrap-up and critique.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
I am using a slightly different paradigm this time. I have consolidated Persuade and Command into a single Persuade purpose, changed the number of dice rolled, changed the Opposed (2) roll to an Uncertain 1D roll, eliminated Stategies, Tactics, and Laws, and converted most of the modifiers to changes in the task difficulty. I have eliminated the initial encounter. I have placed a restriction on the skills and knowledges that can be used so that the system isn't quite so open ended.
As before, I have split this into multiple posts.
Part 1 is this introduction.
Part 2 has the Personals table (P1), the Actor Mods for Personals table (P2), the Personals Skills table (P3), and the Target Mods for Personals table (P4).
Part 3 has the instructions.
Part 4 has an example.
Part 5 has a second example.
Part 6 is a wrap-up and critique.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V3 - Part 2 of 6
P1 Personals (All are Uncertain 1D)
------------
Carouse (be my friend) Average 2D
Query (tell me something) Difficult 3D
Persuade (do something for me) Formidable 4D
P2 Actor Mods for Personals
---------------------------
Bluff (once, replaces all other mods) DM Flux
Per Successful Carouse (Query or Persuade) DM -1
Please Reconsider (Per Use) +1D
By Communicator - Voice +2D
By Communicator - Voice + Visual +1D
Brazen (Query or Persuade) -2D
Urgent (no reconsider) -1D
Deliberate -1D
P3 Personals Skills (Query or Persuade)
-------------------
Actor
Admin
Advocate (1)
Bureaucrat
Counsellor
Diplomat
Fighter (2)
Leader (3)
Liaison
Psychology (4)
Sophontology (5)
Steward
Strategy
Streetwise
Tactics
(1) cannot be used for Carouse; requires an Opposed (2) check if the Target has the skill
(2) required if the tactic is a threat of or actual violence; requires an Opposed (2) check to determine if the Target can withstand the threats or actual violence; if actual violence, the Target receives a DM +damage dice
(3) requires an Opposed (2) check if the Target has the skill
(4) only if the Actor and Target are the same race
(5) only if the Actor and Target are different races
P4 Target Mods for Personals (all add Uncertain dice)
----------------------------
*Target's Job Automatic
*Target's Job (but not right now) -1D
*Target Not Supposed to (but sees no harm) +1D
*Target Not Supposed to (Restricted, Secret, Illegal, etc) +2D
**C6 Difference = 3 - 7 NA/+1D
**C6 Difference = 8 - 12 +1D/+2D
**C6 Difference = 13+ +2D/+3D
* all are mutually exclusive; Target's Job means it is their job to be friendly, provide the given information, or perform the requested task; not right now means they are off duty or busy doing something else; not supposed to means the information is privileged in some way;
** after converting the Actor's C6 value to a value appropriate to the Target's C6; the value before the slash is used if the Actor knows (or can guess) the approximate value of the Target's C6; the value after the slash is used if the Actor has no idea about the value of the Target's C6
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
P1 Personals (All are Uncertain 1D)
------------
Carouse (be my friend) Average 2D
Query (tell me something) Difficult 3D
Persuade (do something for me) Formidable 4D
P2 Actor Mods for Personals
---------------------------
Bluff (once, replaces all other mods) DM Flux
Per Successful Carouse (Query or Persuade) DM -1
Please Reconsider (Per Use) +1D
By Communicator - Voice +2D
By Communicator - Voice + Visual +1D
Brazen (Query or Persuade) -2D
Urgent (no reconsider) -1D
Deliberate -1D
P3 Personals Skills (Query or Persuade)
-------------------
Actor
Admin
Advocate (1)
Bureaucrat
Counsellor
Diplomat
Fighter (2)
Leader (3)
Liaison
Psychology (4)
Sophontology (5)
Steward
Strategy
Streetwise
Tactics
(1) cannot be used for Carouse; requires an Opposed (2) check if the Target has the skill
(2) required if the tactic is a threat of or actual violence; requires an Opposed (2) check to determine if the Target can withstand the threats or actual violence; if actual violence, the Target receives a DM +damage dice
(3) requires an Opposed (2) check if the Target has the skill
(4) only if the Actor and Target are the same race
(5) only if the Actor and Target are different races
P4 Target Mods for Personals (all add Uncertain dice)
----------------------------
*Target's Job Automatic
*Target's Job (but not right now) -1D
*Target Not Supposed to (but sees no harm) +1D
*Target Not Supposed to (Restricted, Secret, Illegal, etc) +2D
**C6 Difference = 3 - 7 NA/+1D
**C6 Difference = 8 - 12 +1D/+2D
**C6 Difference = 13+ +2D/+3D
* all are mutually exclusive; Target's Job means it is their job to be friendly, provide the given information, or perform the requested task; not right now means they are off duty or busy doing something else; not supposed to means the information is privileged in some way;
** after converting the Actor's C6 value to a value appropriate to the Target's C6; the value before the slash is used if the Actor knows (or can guess) the approximate value of the Target's C6; the value after the slash is used if the Actor has no idea about the value of the Target's C6
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V3 - Part 3 of 6
Instructions
------------
1. The player begins with a statement of intent. This statement describes what the charcter (the Actor) is going to do with the Personal interaction. The statement of intent includes the goal of the Personal interaction, the tactics that the Actor will use to achieve the goal, and the non-player character (the Target) with whom the Actor will interact. By tactics, I am referring to the things the Actor will do and say during during the course of the Personal interaction, not Tactics as currently described in the T5.09 rules.
2. Personals are resolved using standard task C+S rolls. A Personal interaction may entail a single task roll or a series of task rolls, depending upon the statement of intent.
3. Use the Characteristic represented by the C6 of the Target (e.g. Soc for a Human Target). Convert the Actor's C6 appropriately.
4. The player builds a task by making a statement of purpose. This statement of purpose is a refinement of the statement of intent which tells excatly what the Actor intends to do with the current task roll.
5. The player selects an entry from Personals table (P1) representing the Purpose and difficulty of the task. This should be determined from the statement of purpose.
6. The player selects the skill or knowledge that they want to use based upon the statement of purpose. If the Purpose is Query or Persuade, the skill must be selected from the Personals Skills table (P3). Carouse allows any knowledge to be selected in place of selecting a Skill from the Personals Skills table (P3). Pay attention to the notes on the Personals Skills table (P3).
7. Any appropriate modifiers from the Actor Mods for Personals table (P2) are applied to the task roll.
8. The GM adds any Uncertainty to the task roll from the Target Mods for Personals table (P4). The player is entitled to know the number of Uncertain dice that are being rolled.
8. If the task roll fails, either the Personal interaction ends in failure, or the player can use Please Reconsider to attempt another task roll. Re-rolling a task roll using Please Reconsider increases the difficulty of the task by +1D. An extra +1D is added to the difficulty for each previous Please Reconsider attempt made during the current Personal interaction (not just the current task roll).
9. Assuming the player eventually succeeds and doesn't give up, the Actor may continue by making additional task rolls as indicated in the statement of intent. Note, that the Actor is free to change their goal and tactics by updating the statement of intent.
A. Successful Carouse attempts are accumulated for later use as DMs. As indicated on the table, each Carouse attempt generates a DM -1 that can be used on a subsequent task roll, up to a maximum of 6 on any given Personal task roll. The DM for each successful Carouse can only be used once. The Actor can accumulate an unlimited number of unused successful Carouse DMs. These DMs can be saved for use in a different Personal interaction between the same Actor and Target.
B. When accumulating Carousing DMs for later use in a different Personal interaction, each sleep period that passes for the Target (see the Personal Day description) reduces the number of accumulated Carousing DMs by one.
C. Aborting a Query or Persuade task roll. After determining the task roll that needs to be made, including the number of Uncertain dice, the player may abort the task roll and choose to either bluff or turn it into a Carousing check (saving any Carousing DMs that would have been used on the Query or Persuade task). This may only be done one time per Personal interaction.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Instructions
------------
1. The player begins with a statement of intent. This statement describes what the charcter (the Actor) is going to do with the Personal interaction. The statement of intent includes the goal of the Personal interaction, the tactics that the Actor will use to achieve the goal, and the non-player character (the Target) with whom the Actor will interact. By tactics, I am referring to the things the Actor will do and say during during the course of the Personal interaction, not Tactics as currently described in the T5.09 rules.
2. Personals are resolved using standard task C+S rolls. A Personal interaction may entail a single task roll or a series of task rolls, depending upon the statement of intent.
3. Use the Characteristic represented by the C6 of the Target (e.g. Soc for a Human Target). Convert the Actor's C6 appropriately.
4. The player builds a task by making a statement of purpose. This statement of purpose is a refinement of the statement of intent which tells excatly what the Actor intends to do with the current task roll.
5. The player selects an entry from Personals table (P1) representing the Purpose and difficulty of the task. This should be determined from the statement of purpose.
6. The player selects the skill or knowledge that they want to use based upon the statement of purpose. If the Purpose is Query or Persuade, the skill must be selected from the Personals Skills table (P3). Carouse allows any knowledge to be selected in place of selecting a Skill from the Personals Skills table (P3). Pay attention to the notes on the Personals Skills table (P3).
7. Any appropriate modifiers from the Actor Mods for Personals table (P2) are applied to the task roll.
8. The GM adds any Uncertainty to the task roll from the Target Mods for Personals table (P4). The player is entitled to know the number of Uncertain dice that are being rolled.
8. If the task roll fails, either the Personal interaction ends in failure, or the player can use Please Reconsider to attempt another task roll. Re-rolling a task roll using Please Reconsider increases the difficulty of the task by +1D. An extra +1D is added to the difficulty for each previous Please Reconsider attempt made during the current Personal interaction (not just the current task roll).
9. Assuming the player eventually succeeds and doesn't give up, the Actor may continue by making additional task rolls as indicated in the statement of intent. Note, that the Actor is free to change their goal and tactics by updating the statement of intent.
A. Successful Carouse attempts are accumulated for later use as DMs. As indicated on the table, each Carouse attempt generates a DM -1 that can be used on a subsequent task roll, up to a maximum of 6 on any given Personal task roll. The DM for each successful Carouse can only be used once. The Actor can accumulate an unlimited number of unused successful Carouse DMs. These DMs can be saved for use in a different Personal interaction between the same Actor and Target.
B. When accumulating Carousing DMs for later use in a different Personal interaction, each sleep period that passes for the Target (see the Personal Day description) reduces the number of accumulated Carousing DMs by one.
C. Aborting a Query or Persuade task roll. After determining the task roll that needs to be made, including the number of Uncertain dice, the player may abort the task roll and choose to either bluff or turn it into a Carousing check (saving any Carousing DMs that would have been used on the Query or Persuade task). This may only be done one time per Personal interaction.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V3 - Part 4 of 6
Example 1
---------
So let's see how this plays out with the same example. All NPC and PC characteristics are assumed to be 7, and all skill levels are assumed to be 3. Both characters are human.
The player begins with the statement of intent. "I want to get to know the guy at the bar, buy him a few drinks, and ask him where I can find Captain Riker."
The player continues with the statement of purpose for the first task roll. "I'll start by sitting down and offering to buy the person a drink. I am trying to get to know him by Carousing using the Streetwise skill. I am going to take my time. I want to find something that we have in common that I can use later." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Streetwise Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. No problem.
The player then says, "I buy the next round of drinks and tell him that I have heard of his accomplishments (*that* was *you*? You have quite the reputation over on Hefry). I am trying to show that we have something in common using Career (Scout) and continuing to take my time and Carouse." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Again, no problem.
Next the player says, "I continue to chat with the person and subtly shift the conversation to Naval personnel (those guys are jerks, aren't they?). I am using the fact that we are both Scouts [Career (Scout)] to further our camaraderie, and continuing to take my time and Carouse." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Still no problem.
Now the player gets to the crux of the interaction. "I ask my new-found scout friend if he knows where I can find Captain Riker. I am asking him to remember what Captain Riker put on the paperwork he filed earlier today. I tell him to take his time and think about it. If I need to buy him another drink while he thinks about it, I will." That is a Difficult 3D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1D Uncertain because he isn't supposed to divulge the information, but he doesn't see any harm in doing so) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM -3 (Successful Carouse) or 1D (+2D rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Yikes! Odds are that this roll will fail. Since it is Uncertain, it is possible the information will be incorrect. At this point, the Actor has three options: 1. Make the task roll, switch to a bluff, or turn the task into another Carouse.
Switching to a bluff ("Holy Jump Drives! I didn't realize it was so late, I need to find him by midnight!" "Why?" "Because his sister needs to know his answer right away! The clock is ticking!") makes the task a Difficult 3D Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM +Flux (Bluff) or 2D (+1D rolled by the GM) + Flux <= 7 + 3 = 10. The odds are still that this roll will fail, but the Actor has more confidence in the result.
Turning the task into another Carouse ("I decide not to ask the question yet. Instead I'll continue to Crouse and say, 'I did a tour on Regina handling inbound ship's paperwork. What a pain that was. Let me get the next round.'") makes the task an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Another DM to apply to the next attempt at the Query.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Example 1
---------
So let's see how this plays out with the same example. All NPC and PC characteristics are assumed to be 7, and all skill levels are assumed to be 3. Both characters are human.
The player begins with the statement of intent. "I want to get to know the guy at the bar, buy him a few drinks, and ask him where I can find Captain Riker."
The player continues with the statement of purpose for the first task roll. "I'll start by sitting down and offering to buy the person a drink. I am trying to get to know him by Carousing using the Streetwise skill. I am going to take my time. I want to find something that we have in common that I can use later." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Streetwise Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. No problem.
The player then says, "I buy the next round of drinks and tell him that I have heard of his accomplishments (*that* was *you*? You have quite the reputation over on Hefry). I am trying to show that we have something in common using Career (Scout) and continuing to take my time and Carouse." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Again, no problem.
Next the player says, "I continue to chat with the person and subtly shift the conversation to Naval personnel (those guys are jerks, aren't they?). I am using the fact that we are both Scouts [Career (Scout)] to further our camaraderie, and continuing to take my time and Carouse." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Still no problem.
Now the player gets to the crux of the interaction. "I ask my new-found scout friend if he knows where I can find Captain Riker. I am asking him to remember what Captain Riker put on the paperwork he filed earlier today. I tell him to take his time and think about it. If I need to buy him another drink while he thinks about it, I will." That is a Difficult 3D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1D Uncertain because he isn't supposed to divulge the information, but he doesn't see any harm in doing so) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM -3 (Successful Carouse) or 1D (+2D rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Yikes! Odds are that this roll will fail. Since it is Uncertain, it is possible the information will be incorrect. At this point, the Actor has three options: 1. Make the task roll, switch to a bluff, or turn the task into another Carouse.
Switching to a bluff ("Holy Jump Drives! I didn't realize it was so late, I need to find him by midnight!" "Why?" "Because his sister needs to know his answer right away! The clock is ticking!") makes the task a Difficult 3D Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM +Flux (Bluff) or 2D (+1D rolled by the GM) + Flux <= 7 + 3 = 10. The odds are still that this roll will fail, but the Actor has more confidence in the result.
Turning the task into another Carouse ("I decide not to ask the question yet. Instead I'll continue to Crouse and say, 'I did a tour on Regina handling inbound ship's paperwork. What a pain that was. Let me get the next round.'") makes the task an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 7 + 3 = 10. Another DM to apply to the next attempt at the Query.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Personals V3 - Part 5 of 6
Example 2
---------
Since the first example went fairly smoothly using default values and die rolls, I decided to add a second example. This time, I plan to randomly determine values for characteristics and skills. I will also make actual die rolls for the success or failure of each step.
Both characters are human. The Actor has Soc A, the Target has Soc 6. The Actor has Streetwise-2, Career (Scout)-5, Admin-1.
The player begins with the statement of intent. "I want to get to know the guy at the bar, buy him a few drinks, and ask him where I can find Captain Riker."
The player continues with the statement of purpose for the first task roll. "I'll start by sitting down and offering to buy the person a drink. I am trying to get to know him by Carousing using the Streetwise skill. I am going to take my time. I want to find something that we have in common that I can use later." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1D Uncertain because of the difference in C6) Soc+Streetwise Uncertain 1D check or 2D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 2 = 12. Pretty good chance of success.
The player then says, "I buy the next round of drinks and tell him that I have heard of his accomplishments (*that* was *you*? You have quite the reputation over on Hefry). I am trying to show that we have something in common using Career (Scout) and continuing to take my time and Carouse. I adjust my tone to account for the difference in our Social Standing." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 5 = 15. No problem.
Next the player says, "I continue to chat with the person and subtly shift the conversation to Naval personnel (those guys are jerks, aren't they?). I am using the fact that we are both Scouts [Career (Scout)] to further our camaraderie, and continuing to take my time and Carouse." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 5 = 15. Again, no problem.
Now the player gets to the crux of the interaction. "I ask my new-found scout friend if he knows where I can find Captain Riker. I am asking him to remember what Captain Riker put on the paperwork he filed earlier today. I tell him to take his time and think about it. If I need to buy him another drink while he thinks about it, I will." That is a Difficult 3D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1D Uncertain because he isn't supposed to divulge the information, but he doesn't see any harm in doing so) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM -3 (Successful Carouse) or 1D (+2D rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 1 = 11. Odds are that this roll will succeed. Since it is Uncertain, it is possible the information will be incorrect. At this point, the Actor has three options: 1. Make the task roll, switch to a bluff, or turn the task into another Carouse.
Switching to a bluff ("Holy Jump Drives! I didn't realize it was so late, I need to find him by midnight!" "Why?" "Because his sister needs to know his answer right away! The clock is ticking!") makes the task a Difficult 3D Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM +Flux (Bluff) or 2D (+1D rolled by the GM) + Flux <= 10 + 1 = 11. The odds are the same, but the Actor has more confidence in the result.
Turning the task into another Carouse ("I decide not to ask the question yet. Instead I'll continue to Crouse and say, 'I did a tour on Regina handling inbound ship's paperwork. What a pain that was. Let me get the next round.'") makes the task an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 1 = 11. Another DM to apply to the next attempt at the Query.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Example 2
---------
Since the first example went fairly smoothly using default values and die rolls, I decided to add a second example. This time, I plan to randomly determine values for characteristics and skills. I will also make actual die rolls for the success or failure of each step.
Both characters are human. The Actor has Soc A, the Target has Soc 6. The Actor has Streetwise-2, Career (Scout)-5, Admin-1.
The player begins with the statement of intent. "I want to get to know the guy at the bar, buy him a few drinks, and ask him where I can find Captain Riker."
The player continues with the statement of purpose for the first task roll. "I'll start by sitting down and offering to buy the person a drink. I am trying to get to know him by Carousing using the Streetwise skill. I am going to take my time. I want to find something that we have in common that I can use later." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1D Uncertain because of the difference in C6) Soc+Streetwise Uncertain 1D check or 2D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 2 = 12. Pretty good chance of success.
The player then says, "I buy the next round of drinks and tell him that I have heard of his accomplishments (*that* was *you*? You have quite the reputation over on Hefry). I am trying to show that we have something in common using Career (Scout) and continuing to take my time and Carouse. I adjust my tone to account for the difference in our Social Standing." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 5 = 15. No problem.
Next the player says, "I continue to chat with the person and subtly shift the conversation to Naval personnel (those guys are jerks, aren't they?). I am using the fact that we are both Scouts [Career (Scout)] to further our camaraderie, and continuing to take my time and Carouse." That is an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Career (Scout) Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 5 = 15. Again, no problem.
Now the player gets to the crux of the interaction. "I ask my new-found scout friend if he knows where I can find Captain Riker. I am asking him to remember what Captain Riker put on the paperwork he filed earlier today. I tell him to take his time and think about it. If I need to buy him another drink while he thinks about it, I will." That is a Difficult 3D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1D Uncertain because he isn't supposed to divulge the information, but he doesn't see any harm in doing so) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM -3 (Successful Carouse) or 1D (+2D rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 1 = 11. Odds are that this roll will succeed. Since it is Uncertain, it is possible the information will be incorrect. At this point, the Actor has three options: 1. Make the task roll, switch to a bluff, or turn the task into another Carouse.
Switching to a bluff ("Holy Jump Drives! I didn't realize it was so late, I need to find him by midnight!" "Why?" "Because his sister needs to know his answer right away! The clock is ticking!") makes the task a Difficult 3D Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM +Flux (Bluff) or 2D (+1D rolled by the GM) + Flux <= 10 + 1 = 11. The odds are the same, but the Actor has more confidence in the result.
Turning the task into another Carouse ("I decide not to ask the question yet. Instead I'll continue to Crouse and say, 'I did a tour on Regina handling inbound ship's paperwork. What a pain that was. Let me get the next round.'") makes the task an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check or 1D (rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 1 = 11. Another DM to apply to the next attempt at the Query.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
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Personals V3 - Part 6 of 6
Presentation
------------
I really like the idea of laminated index cards. I'm thinking one for each player plus one for the GM. Tables P1-P3 would be on the front, with the instructions and table P4 on the back. Any house rules would also go on the back.
Critique
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How would this play in a gaming session? This actually seems pretty smooth to me. I don't think I would have a problem introducing this to a group of newbie players at the same time I introduced the task system. It promotes roleplaying by requiring the statement of intent and the statements of purpose. It prevents interactions with NPCs from turning into player vs GM conflicts.
How successful would this system be? The reduction in the number of DMs makes the system fairly easy to use. Increasing the difficulty level eliminates the problem I saw with v2 that made success too easy. Making the task Uncertain prevents the players from becoming complacent. There is now a reason almost a reason to use the Bluff=Flux DM. Perhaps the Bluff DM should be Negative Flux.
The intent of the this system to promote role playing without turning it into a player vs GM personality struggle. Good GMs are adept at avoiding this type of conflict, but less outgoing players may still require a safety net. I see it as an optional system that can be employed by the referee to provide the players with a boost of confidence, allowing for success even though their personalities may hinder their ability to persuade a GM.
I invite any comments, suggestions, and/or criticisms. I think this could be a workable system.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Presentation
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I really like the idea of laminated index cards. I'm thinking one for each player plus one for the GM. Tables P1-P3 would be on the front, with the instructions and table P4 on the back. Any house rules would also go on the back.
Critique
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How would this play in a gaming session? This actually seems pretty smooth to me. I don't think I would have a problem introducing this to a group of newbie players at the same time I introduced the task system. It promotes roleplaying by requiring the statement of intent and the statements of purpose. It prevents interactions with NPCs from turning into player vs GM conflicts.
How successful would this system be? The reduction in the number of DMs makes the system fairly easy to use. Increasing the difficulty level eliminates the problem I saw with v2 that made success too easy. Making the task Uncertain prevents the players from becoming complacent. There is now a reason almost a reason to use the Bluff=Flux DM. Perhaps the Bluff DM should be Negative Flux.
The intent of the this system to promote role playing without turning it into a player vs GM personality struggle. Good GMs are adept at avoiding this type of conflict, but less outgoing players may still require a safety net. I see it as an optional system that can be employed by the referee to provide the players with a boost of confidence, allowing for success even though their personalities may hinder their ability to persuade a GM.
I invite any comments, suggestions, and/or criticisms. I think this could be a workable system.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
Hmmm. It seems I forgot to apply the This is Hard! rule. The Actor has Admin-1 which will increase the difficulty by 1D in any of these three cases.
Note that given the various options for skills that can be used, choosing a favorable skill shouldn't be too difficult.
I also hosed the numbers a bit. Here is an updated version of the above using TiH! and fixing the numbers.
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That is a Difficult 3D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1D because of TiH!, +1D Uncertain because he isn't supposed to divulge the information, but he doesn't see any harm in doing so) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM -3 (Successful Carouse) or 2D (+2D rolled by the GM) -3 <= 10 + 1 = 11. There is a 50/50 chance of success. Since it is Uncertain, it is possible the information will be incorrect. At this point, the Actor has three options: 1. Make the task roll, switch to a bluff, or turn the task into another Carouse.
Switching to a bluff ("Holy Jump Drives! I didn't realize it was so late, I need to find him by midnight!" "Why?" "Because his sister needs to know his answer right away! The clock is ticking!") makes the task a Difficult 3D (+1D because of TiH!), Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check, DM +Flux (Bluff) or 3D (+1D rolled by the GM) + Flux <= 10 + 1 = 11. The odds of success are not as good, but the Actor has more confidence in the result.
Turning the task into another Carouse ("I decide not to ask the question yet. Instead I'll continue to Crouse and say, 'I did a tour on Regina handling inbound ship's paperwork. What a pain that was. Let me get the next round.'") makes the task an Average 2D (-1D because it is deliberate, +1 because of TiH!) Soc+Admin Uncertain 1D check or 1D (+1D rolled by the GM) <= 10 + 1 = 11. Another DM to apply to the next attempt at the Query.
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Allowing the Actor to make a last minute switch saved the day when it came to light that the final task roll wasn't going to be successful. Bluff still doesn't seem to be helpful. I think turning it into a Negative Flux roll (so that the Actor doesn't get an unfavorable DM) will make it more useful. It is also important that the player chooses the right skills in order to be successful. Selecting the right skill and describing how it will be used in the statement of purpose provides for roleplaying in a mechanical system.
Cheers,
Baron Ovka
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