Re: Re : Tracking

From: Andreas Mueller <Andreas.Rolf.Mueller_at_...>
Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 10:37:41 +0100


Simon Hibbs makes a lengthy point about the advantages of cinematic style in comparison to simulationist:
> Why do you think that naratively determined rules are going to be
> any less realistic than strictly simulationist ones?

Because they are inconsistent nearly 70% of the time.

> In producing your charts, you took into account a wide variety of
> factors that could affect tracking. Surely the important thing
> is that Narrators be aware that these factors exist and can make
> tracking more or less difficult.
>
> If I were to write up detailed rules for tracking, what are the
> chances that my system would produce the same numbers as yours?
> If a narrator understands what factors can affect tracking, why
> should numbers derived from a table which you made up necesserily
> be any more valid than numbers the narrator made up?
>
> Even inconsistency can be more realistic. If the difficulty for
> tracking through grass are different in your table than the ones
> a narrator made up, maybe it's because the grass is longer, or
> thicker, or wetter. Is all grass going to be equaly difficult to
> track through?

You are right. But in short: These numbers are not going to be printed _but_ are design guidelines for official scenarios. I'd like to have consistent numbers which may be influenced by scenario needs, but are not solely based upon them. No player is going to understand, why it's very hard to read the tracks of a camp (when the narrator feels, that the outcome isn't important or worse, doesn't want to be distracted from his story line or doesn't want to make something up at that moment) and the pursuit of the main enemy through waters and creeks to the place of the final showdown is comparably simple or same target number.

<snip>
With the rest of your remarks to roleplaying styles, I agree. Thanx for breaking a lance for cinematic style. I prefer this too, but like everything on earth, there's no black and white. Everything has it's place and simulation is very handy when concerned with rules and consitency.

Many greetings,

Andreas



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