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Anaraxes · 08-29-2017, 07:46 AM

If the previous responses didn't seem clear, "Self Control" is a term of art in the GURPS rules referring to a game mechanic for overcoming Disadvantages. So some of the replies will use "self control" in this specific sense. There's no general "self control" roll called for by the rules whenever you might think there's something that would make a person (or hero) hesitate. The Will roll is more general.

As Dragondog says, whether or not you want to reduce players' ability to control their characters is more a matter of gaming style, and the tone and feel of the setting. If the characters are supposed to be action heroes, full of derring-do, then the game will feel wrong if they're constantly refusing to enter burning buildings even though that's what everyone at the table wants them to do. You might not want dice to randomly derail your action-adventure. If the game is more of a "ordinary people" kind of game, perhaps horror or a zombie apocalypse, you might in contrast want that exactly sort of hesitation, so players don't have their supposedly horrified normal people running around without a flinch like it's an 80s action flick.

(Personally, in general I try to avoid taking away player agency, because it's the main thing players get to do, and mostly just rely on roleplaying rather than dice mechanics to portray daunting situations. RP feels more like something players get to do, while rolling dice to decide whether or not their characters get to try things (as opposed to succeeding at those tries) often feels more like watching the detached game tokens dance to their programming written by others, rather than being part of the dramatic situation.)

08-29-2017, 07:46 AM	#4
Anaraxes Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: Self control vs. Will If the previous responses didn't seem clear, "Self Control" is a term of art in the GURPS rules referring to a game mechanic for overcoming Disadvantages. So some of the replies will use "self control" in this specific sense. There's no general "self control" roll called for by the rules whenever you might think there's something that would make a person (or hero) hesitate. The Will roll is more general. As Dragondog says, whether or not you want to reduce players' ability to control their characters is more a matter of gaming style, and the tone and feel of the setting. If the characters are supposed to be action heroes, full of derring-do, then the game will feel wrong if they're constantly refusing to enter burning buildings even though that's what everyone at the table wants them to do. You might not want dice to randomly derail your action-adventure. If the game is more of a "ordinary people" kind of game, perhaps horror or a zombie apocalypse, you might in contrast want that exactly sort of hesitation, so players don't have their supposedly horrified normal people running around without a flinch like it's an 80s action flick. (Personally, in general I try to avoid taking away player agency, because it's the main thing players get to do, and mostly just rely on roleplaying rather than dice mechanics to portray daunting situations. RP feels more like something players get to do, while rolling dice to decide whether or not their characters get to try things (as opposed to succeeding at those tries) often feels more like watching the detached game tokens dance to their programming written by others, rather than being part of the dramatic situation.)