<< >IMO, having social rules that resemble the >combat rules of a game is almost too hideous to contemplate, no matter how >good they are :-)
I commented:
> Actually, it's the other way around. Combat uses the same mechanics as
every
>other type of contest.>>
Alex replied:
>I don't resemble Skippy, my Evil Twin; he resembles me... I think the
>sentiment is that an 'extended contest' of any type is similar to
>the 'feel' of a combat system, in the typical rpg.>>
That is indeed the sentiment.
<<>A rather semantic quibble, no?
Not entirely. It shows that combat isn't the primary focus of the game, but just one of many ways to infuse the game with drama and suspense.>>
I don't deny that that's true, since obviously its true in any game system, but it has no bearing on the comment I originally made...
<< HW's mechanics is used to resolve conflicts. All conflicts between people is basically a battle of wills (though the objects of the conflict, and the methods and means of achieving them may differ, of course). If there is no conflict, you don't need rules to determine who's will will prevail.
How do you handle a conflict in a manner that does not have the 'feel' of a combat? >>
By not using rule mechanics to resolve it. In my experience, those players who prefer non-combatant characters do so because they want to get away from the idea of handling conflicts of any kind through rule mechanics, a concept they find relatively dull. By using the same rules to resolve non-combat conflicts as violent ones, you'll most likely put those players off, regardless of the quality of the rules. But this is purely my experience and IMO, which was what I indicated at the time.
I don't even think this actually matters. After all, there's nothing to stop you just not using those mechanics if you don't like them - it won't affect the game. Besides which, I'm almost certainly not going to play HW (although I can't know for sure until I buy it and see what its like in detail) and the exact details of the rules I won't be using don't bother me all that much. I'll nick the magic system if that's any good, and I'll use the cultural rules (clan generation, etc.) as inspiration, but unless everyone's been lying about the core mechanics, they don't appeal to me enough to want to use them. You and I have different styles of gaming, Mikael, surely there's nothing wrong with that?
Yeah, I *will* buy the rules, because there's bits of them I want to nick to flesh out my Glorantha gaming, but what I'm really waiting for are the supplements and scenarios.
Forward the glorious Red Army!
Trotsky
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