Re: Masteries Inflation (was Initiates & Devotees]

From: Benedict Adamson <badamson_at_...>
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 11:49:00 +0000


Julian Lord wrote:
...
> Am I the only one that finds this constant shift upwards *extremely*
> annoying ?

Well, there hasn't been (IIRC) a constant shift upwards since publication of HW1, so perhaps.

...
> [it] is *very*
> important is that they don't get constantly shifted about from one publication
> to the next ?

Could you give an example of this shifting?  

...
> While I'm perfectly happy with Greg's suggestion that a normal person's
> basic professional skill will be in the 1W - 5W range, because that's
> a very sensible analysis, I am extremely unhappy with the suggestion
> that "all core abilities" should suddenly need inflating up to the same level

Your objection depends on distinguishing 'basic professional skills' from 'core abilities' when there is no such distinction (or a mere quibble; I did not intent a distinction when I wrote that).

...
> I'd be even unhappier to learn that this had actually been
> implemented as a long-term design policy !

Whatever I say, remember that I am not the game designer.

...
> > Sorry, most folks will have 5w in what they do for a living, according
> > to Issaries. Their other abilities will be lower but the 17 is a
> > general threshold for competence, it seems.
>
> I really cannot see the point of this. Are we going to see a HW1 > HW2
> conversion chart, where all skills below, say, 5W will get extra points
> according to some sort of inversely proportional rule or matrix ?

Why should such a conversion be necessary? There is no incompatibility between 1W being the minimum level for a professional and 5W being the typical level for a professional.

> If the basic Resistance number of 14 were actually too high for anyone
> with a skill of, say, 16 or less to routinely defeat, wouldn't it have been
> * easier * to lower the relevant Resistance numbers instead of having all
> of this perfectly useless and perfectly distasteful Masteries Inflation
> nonsense ?

...

There was no mastery inflation. One advantage of moving the skill levels upwards is that it enables finer distinctions at the lower levels.

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