Re: Re: Question about Simple Contests

From: Emmanuel Kanter <emi.kanter_at_...>
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 14:08:42 -0200

I like to thing that the pass/fail cycle is a tool for developing the story. If the guy's been failing, give it some time and a few victories before throwing the vampire, so it doesn't feel like a bitter loss all the way through. I don't think it should settle down exactly the stats of the adversity, but what kind of adversity will show up. It's nice to track it so you won't have yours players bored in a streak of losses or having no dangers.

unless you're gming a lovecraftian horror adventure ;D

using it as a tool might give you info about your games that you didn't have before. you might use it, or not.

but never let the tools tell you what to do :P

emi

On Fri, Nov 26, 2010 at 8:53 AM, Kenrae <kenrae_at_...> wrote:

>
>
> > Re: Question about Simple Contests
> > Posted by: "sarah.newton5_at_...<sarah.newton5%40btinternet.com>"
> sarah.newton_at_... <sarah.newton%40multex.com> sarahnewton111
>
> >
> > Hi Ash,
> >
> > Point taken about pass / fail being optional - and I think it's a good
> tool. I certainly don't have a problem with narrative factors determining or
> affecting resistance - but I would prefer the *nature* of things like
> creatures or challenges to be one of those narrative factors.
> > So, Kero Fin should *generally* be harder to climb than a garden wall -
> that's not some simulationist decision, it's a narrative factor.
> > If you're fighting a trollkin runt and a Zorak Zoran dark troll death
> lord, within the context of the narrative I'd expect the death lord to be
> generally tougher to *fight* (but not necessarily to chase, for example).
> > Both resistances can be subject to pass / fail, but I wouldn't want them
> to always be exactly equal in a given context (such as combat). I think that
> differentiation is implicit in the critter writeup "Significant Ability" vs
> "Exceptional Ability" distinction anyway...
>
> Hi Sarah,
>
> Keep in mind that not only is the pass/fail cycle optional, even when
> you use it it's only a fallback system. Your instincts, the world
> cohesion and the story needs are all more important than the cycle.
> I've run full sessions without resorting to the pass/fail cycle at all
> because I had a clear idea of what was needed at every moment, but
> when you're not sure what the difficulty should be it's a good tool to
> have. If anything, thinking about the ups and downs on a story is a
> good exercise, even if you don't use the pass/fail cycle per se.
>
> On your zorak zorani and trollkin example, of course a Zorak Zorani
> Death Lord would be more difficult to fight usually. But I wouldn't go
> at it that way. If you have decided that the next contest will be
> easy, and it's a fight, throw the trollkin against the PCs, not the
> zorak zorani, it's that simple. If the story demands that now it's the
> time for the zorak zorani no matter what, you have different options.
> The most simple is just having a high difficulty. You could also
> present them with an injured troll that has just beaten a rival Light
> Lord, who is unconscious at his mercy just when the PCs arrive. Maybe
> the zorak zorani has better things to do and just throws a bunch of
> trollkins against the PCs and escapes in pursuit of someone else more
> important to him. There are many options, but of course if it doesn't
> make sense for something to be easy, then have it as a difficult
> contest, no problem.
>
> Cheers,
> -Sergi Díaz
>
>
>

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