I have to agree that if you use the traits the way Chaosium seems to expect then they are the very opposite of role-playing. You loose the ability to choose and choice is the very essence of role-playing, it seems to me.
I have clearly tried to split the mundane world use of traits (where what you do alters your traits and may have consequences as you loose/gain various benefits) and the Other World use which is a lot closer to what Chaosium seems to like to use.
I also dislike Glory as a possible general mechanic. It works alright with Knights but already Chaosium has had to alter things for Magicians who search after Insight rather than Glory. This is getting far too close to character classes for my taste.
>I have not had the same problem with inspiration that Michel Cule has had. I
>have only allow inspiration rolls in very exceptional circumstances (e.g. when
>characters leaders/family are killed or captured). Thus cases of inspiration
>have been very rare, very memorable and extremely effective role playing. A
>berserk Sir Catianus would send a shiver down any referee's spine!
Perhaps I have been too generous. But players have been willing to roll high passions and have by and large kept getting them.
I share Stephen Lucek dislike of games that are being controlled by
trait values and dice rolls. All I can say is that I try to limit the
forcing use of traits (mostly to the Other World) and give ticks as
rewards for good role-playing. (And punishments for bad of course. It's
just as well for Earl Miles of Sussex that Honesty isn't that important
a trait because he lies just for the fun of it...)
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Michael Cule
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