>What is so great about having mechanics for persuasion, bargaining,
>Debating(!), etc...
One of the nice things about a RPG is that it it allows a player to have a character do things that he can't do, or can do really poorly. I've noticed that social skills are not what most gamers are really great at. <G>
To say that you have to roleplay everything is sort of silly. It would be like me running a modern military game and expect that the players to actually decribe in detail how to build improvised explosives and direct air-strikes and artillery, using the proper terminogly and techniques. After all, your character write up says he can do it, why can't you just roleplay it?
My general rule is that if a player can successfuly roleplay out a scene and be convincing they are automtically successful. (There is nothing in the world sillier than making someone roleplay a scene, have them do a great job, and roll poorly on their skill roll and totally flub that task.) If they cannot or don't want to roleplay it, then they get to roll dice to see if their character knows how to do it.
Along this line, one element I question about HW is how long can people (and the GM) keep coming up with spiffy action descriptions. Doing it for one character is tough enough. I got pretty desperate 8 rounds into a debate with six NPCs.
Kevin
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