quality control

From: Andrew Joelson <joelsona_at_cpdmfg.cig.mot.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 13:52:43 -0500

Lewis Jardine:
> The best mechanism to distinguish between skill level without resorting
> to seemingly arbitrary decisions is to use an additive dice rolling
> system. Thus with a novice with 30% and a master with 90%, they both
> try to complete a standard task. The novice suceeds 30% of the time
> the master 90%. So far nothing's new. However, if you look at their
> respective totals you will find that almost all of the time the master
> has a higher total than the novice, indicating that the work was of a
> higher quality. Now, however, you have lost that vital ingredient, the
> fluke factor (its a thousand to one chance, but it just might work).
> To restore it you need to expand the dice scale at the extremes.
> Open-endded dice rolling is one solution.

        You have just described the skill resolution system of 3rd edition RoleMaster, which I mentioned in an earlier post. Please note that RM often gives you extra % plusses for spending extra time on a task. I don't have a problem with an apprentice producing something as good as his master, if he takes four weeks instead of two days like his boss....

PS Martin Crim, I found your remarks concerning my trailer annoying, as

    they were very poorly thought out. Email privately if you wish to     persue the matter; I'm not wasting bandwidth on the digest on this.

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Andrew Joelson				    joelsona_at_cpdmfg.cig.mot.com  -|-

aka Rupert von Harl; Cults of Seven Mothers, Yanifal Tarnils and Humakt |  "Contradiction? No, I always did tend to kill chaos creatures anyway" /

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