tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post9083051743275412731..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: Employment StrategiesAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-39062483293381434172014-12-04T15:37:22.189-07:002014-12-04T15:37:22.189-07:00Yes I was looking too closely at: " I need a ...Yes I was looking too closely at: "<i> I need a mechanic where the player says, "I decide to get clever about saving the total amount of food in the kingdom during a famine," and I can roll a result that the player knows can come up 'GET EXECUTED BY THE KING' without this being my fault.<br /><br />It isn't the casino's fault or decision whether or not the dice come up craps. I need a rule mechanic that gives me the same freedom from responsibility, while at the same time giving you, the player, the same right to risk it all.</i>"<br /><br />I was trying to piggy-back on your idea of influence points. I think they are a good idea to start and that they could be used as the basis for a solution to the bit above in <i>italics</i>. Not sure how I got to the long winded comment. I could answer your questions, but I'm pretty sure you are ready to move along.LTWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14280926541054573911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-91344701451974496292014-12-04T15:01:25.540-07:002014-12-04T15:01:25.540-07:00Barrow,
In the creation of rules, a thing to be a...Barrow,<br /><br />In the creation of rules, a thing to be avoided is the ad hoc inclusion of random elements.<br /><br />You may have misunderstood the craps metaphor. This was to establish that dice games are interesting because of the stake involved.<br /><br />Reading your comment, I find myself wondering if I wrote this post or any post in English.<br /><br />Did you miss the part where the system has to include application to gamewardens, tax collectors or jailers? And that the daily life of each would be far from the daily life of a magistrate or a chancellor?<br /><br />Did you miss where I suggested that the rule had to apply to NPCs as well as PCs? How exactly can any of the suggestions you've made apply to NPCs? Do you really expect me to figure out every person 'sitting at the table' for every NPC in the kingdom?<br /><br />Sorry, but that's crazy.<br /><br />Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-16001188546902559892014-12-04T14:38:59.026-07:002014-12-04T14:38:59.026-07:00At a casino craps table, according to wikipedia th...At a casino craps table, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craps" rel="nofollow">wikipedia</a> there are players, the boxman, two base dealers, and the stickman. <br /><br />Using your player/famine/king example and applying the craps model I assume we are giving the DM the role of boxman, base dealers, and stickman, and the player the role of dice shooter or the player. <br /><br />I can think of 2 derivatives worth bringing up. Both involve betting with influence points. I like the idea of betting influence points. This means that players and NPC's can lose influence points, which I think is appropriate. A sort of falling down the ladder.<br /><br />1: Allowing all applicable parties to wager on an outcome. <br /><br />Why shouldn't the King have a seat at the table, he has a stake in the outcome of the player's gamble. While the player is betting that they can skim some off the top by cleverly rationing some food during a famine, the king wagers that the player will properly ration food during a famine.<br /><br />They are two separate bets, but hey, this is craps. Each player can wager on different dice outcomes. I can bet on the number 6 and another player can bet on the point number.<br />If the player throws crap, the king would lose his bet too. If the King and player are gambling with influence points, how much the King has lost during the bet will determine his reaction. <br /><br />The challenges are deciding how much influence the king has wagered on food storage and what the odds for all possible outcomes are. <br /><br />Once all possible outcomes have been determined and what the percentage chance for that outcome to be rolled, all relevant players and NPC's could place wagers. The King's brother could get in the mix by wagering a small amount of his influence that the famine will divide the kingdom and give him greater influence. <br /><br />As NPC's bet more of their total influence on an outcome, the stakes go up and the player's consequence is more extreme. <br /><br />This derivative creates and environment where influence points are dealt out and taken by the casino or DM. The casino has an unlimited amount of influence points to give out.<br /> <br /><br />2: What if we took the DM out of the model and replaced the DM with the King. Now the player is gambling to win the Kings influence points. <br /><br />If the player wins, he takes the influence points and the King loses the influence. If the player loses, the King absorbs his influence. Maybe there is an outcome where both the King and player lose, a push. The points go to the stickman which could be the angry mob of hungry peasants. <br /><br />A PC could react severely to a player taking a large amount of their influence. Or they may gloat when they absorb many of the players influence points. <br /><br /><br />On another note, I like the idea of taking down a rival by taking their influence points. Placing smart bets at the right time to reduce the NPC's influence in the eyes of everyone else. <br /><br />Like wise, when a player has too many or too few influence points for their position, an imbalance occurs. This imbalance may make some NPC's uncomfortable, or might impress others. <br /><br />LTWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14280926541054573911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-63945716972257874662014-12-04T13:49:28.097-07:002014-12-04T13:49:28.097-07:00Unquestionably, however, addressing your larger po...Unquestionably, however, addressing your larger point Oddbit.<br /><br />There MUST be a way to incorporating actual adventuring into the proposed system - but the purpose of the system is to manage these things WITHOUT needing to role-play them. Thus I would probably try to offer ordinary adventuring rewards for adventuring, while relying on the sage system to determine competency or even reputation (though a simple die roll for that could be employed).<br /><br />I take on difficult operations and tasks all the time without my competency necessarily improving - while at the same time, there's no guarantee that 'saving the kingdom' will result in a positive reputation gain. After all, I understand that being able, capable and self-determiend will often make a person deeply despised and hated, depending on the present political environment. I don't think we can necessarily argue that IF the player does something amazing, this makes them more able or likeable.<br /><br />Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-6088962102282507272014-12-04T13:39:58.430-07:002014-12-04T13:39:58.430-07:00I sincerely doubt those actions would be seen on a...I sincerely doubt those actions would be seen on a kingdom level as praiseworthy. After hijacking food shipments from other kingdoms and going on a slave campaign against kingdom X, what happens to the century of diplomacy and handshake agreements that have gone on before between these kingdoms? Suddenly your kingdom is facing a coalition of three or four kingdoms who want compensation, the king is furious, the local church is furious, discipline in the army has broken down due to the men learning that the state approves of looting and pillaging and there are ten guards outside your study waiting to arrest you.<br /><br />Chances are your career would improve through your willingness to give a good speech to the people telling them why it is best that they starve right now.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-9051047081197135672014-12-04T13:33:11.357-07:002014-12-04T13:33:11.357-07:00Hrm, I was more thinking...
Famine occurs...
So t...Hrm, I was more thinking...<br /><br />Famine occurs...<br />So the players take there characters, hijack some food shipments from other kingdoms, get some druids to help crops (I know I know) then capture slaves in an epic campaign against the kingdom of X to work in the fields...<br /><br />The 3 month campaign activity... would it boost their career at all?Oddbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12091924105175846386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-69192636592731801182014-12-03T20:31:12.365-07:002014-12-03T20:31:12.365-07:00Okay, so you could have a mechanic that generates ...Okay, so you could have a mechanic that generates win, lose, uncertain, escalate. "Uncertain" yields nothing but loses little. The minions run around in circles, but don't spend much gold. "Escalate" lets you advance to a higher level of risk / reward, but as you have spent some time and resources you have gained a better understanding of the situation.<br /><br />Dealing with the famine would be (say) a level 5 situation. Very serious and wide reaching. Dealing with local solutions at the hamlet level, a level 1 problem, takes time but gives you insight (bonus) to dealing with the kingdom wide problem. This would let the player decide if they wish to tackle the situation directly, or spend time, gold, favors, or other resources to gain a better grip on the situation.Baron Opalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035904533197305820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-33140466156094530162014-12-03T13:32:03.929-07:002014-12-03T13:32:03.929-07:00Actually, I feel that basing the success on how th...Actually, I feel that basing the success on how the player 'dealt with the situation' would be reducing the rule dynamic to the same old DM-fiat driven role-playing that I'm trying to get away from.<br /><br />Listen, whenever you try to base a rule on unrestricted role-playing, the game is broken. Once again, it becomes the relationship between what player can bullshit most effectively versus how much bullshit will a DM swallow. Since this is never the same amount for any participant anywhere in the world, it's a total crap approach to a game system.<br /><br />I must point out that one of the WEAKEST points in the Sims 3 game is that you know if you're willing to sit there and make your avatar chat-gossip-tell funny story-chat-gossip-tell funny story over and over again, the NPC avatar in the game WILL be your friend. The reward in that game is not ability or actual roleplaying, but repetition until effectiveness is achieved.<br /><br />This does not translate at all well to D&D. I need a mechanic where the player says, "I decide to get clever about saving the total amount of food in the kingdom during a famine," and I can roll a result that the player knows can come up 'GET EXECUTED BY THE KING' without this being my fault.<br /><br />It isn't the casino's fault or decision whether or not the dice come up craps. I need a rule mechanic that gives me the same freedom from responsibility, while at the same time giving you, the player, the same right to risk it all.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-83789522047155302112014-12-03T13:16:05.817-07:002014-12-03T13:16:05.817-07:00I'm guessing game world events would operate q...I'm guessing game world events would operate quite well as the opportunities that arise often in the Sims games. Instead of random results it would be based on how the player dealt with (or ignored) situations/opportunities.<br /><br />If they did benefit from those I wonder if they would benefit the 'job skill' or just adventuring skills.Oddbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12091924105175846386noreply@blogger.com