|
02-27-2015, 10:40 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2012
|
GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
I've been toying with the idea of adapting Burning Wheel's Duel of Wits to my upcoming game, since I'm so in love with that mechanic.
For those who might be unfamiliar, it's basically a system that codifies argument and rhetoric into something resembling combat, only using skills like oratory instead of brawling, a body of argument (will, essentially) instead of hit points, and moves like 'make a point' or 'make a rebuttal' instead of attack and defend. It also has you plan your moves in sets of threes (called volleys) and then see how your moves match up with the ones your opponent makes (basically like rock, paper, scissors but you pick three moves ahead). Obliterating your opponents body of argument lets you achieve your intended goal (say, you talk down the reckless barbarian chieftain from rushing enemy lines), but the more dents and nicks you take to your own will force you to make compromises (the barbarian chief agrees not to rush immediately, but he's definitely doing it soon!). I know I could model it just using a basic skill check and abstract the whole conversation from that, but I've had a lot of fun in my experience with the mechanic and I'd love to adapt it to my preferred system. This is all to say, I know it's a long shot, but I was wondering if there was anyone that could help me adapt it into the skills and attributes of GURPS? I've been having a tough time doing that on my own. Thanks! |
02-27-2015, 11:23 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
This is covered as a topic in GURPS Social Engineering, but it doesn't use a combat-like structure at all; it's just competing Influence rolls, and possible complementary skill rolls to help out in various ways. Though there are a couple of techniques in the appendix, I think—notably the Irony technique, which emphasizes undermining the opponent's argumentative credibility.
__________________
Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
02-27-2015, 11:25 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
Do it! I love this idea.
Many systems, including GURPS, break combat out into its own little tactical minigame - and increasingly new games are trying to find ways to break social interactions out into little tactical minigames, too. I welcome this trend! I was hoping that GURPS Social Engineering would do this for GURPS, but it didn't. (It did some really brilliant other stuff, don't get me wrong, but not this). (Edit: Ah! Ninja'd by the Social Engineering author himself...) |
02-27-2015, 11:54 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
Yeah, I saw people proposing that sort of thing, but I find the whole idea alien. The structure of combat mechanics makes a fair amount of sense to me as a stylization of the process of combat; but I find it hard to imagine why anyone would think that the process of social interaction and persuasion could be stylized in the same way. It seems like using a hammer, not even to drive a screw or tighten a bolt, but to tie a knot. So I don't feel able to offer detailed suggestions for how to do it.
__________________
Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
02-27-2015, 12:06 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
It would be pretty easy to envision a will based "argument" score, modified by social disadvantages like stubbornness, bully, confused, etc. Those could actually modify the attack modes you use (if you're a bully, that could effectively be +Striking Strength). If I were doing it, I'd go |cp cost|/2 for the modified argument (HP) score, and use will for the base strength of an "attack" and modify it using |cost|/5 for effective thrusting damage. Maybe let the player use swing damage if they depict their argument particularly well.
|
02-27-2015, 12:40 PM | #6 | ||
Join Date: Oct 2012
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
Quote:
Quote:
I'll see what I can cook up with that as a base, thanks guys. Last edited by AchyuthC; 02-27-2015 at 12:46 PM. Reason: Formatting |
||
03-01-2015, 12:47 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
Quote:
You could also base your "Argument" damage thresholds off the FP loss table. |
|
02-27-2015, 12:50 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
Quote:
__________________
I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident. |
|
02-27-2015, 01:50 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
Quote:
But I also see a point to having mechanics that describes things accurately. If mechanics hasn't been created, I'm willing to try to think about what mechanics is appropriate rather than just using something that was designed for a different purpose.
__________________
Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
|
02-27-2015, 05:43 PM | #10 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2004
|
Re: GURPS: Adapting the Duel of Wits
Quote:
Quote:
I'd love to have some GURPS mechanics that would do the same thing for social interactions - that way, I could run a campaign that emphasized social stuff rather than fighting, but was still tactically dense, with the game mechanics doing a lot of the storytelling work for us, as above. I think this is probably right. The idea of doing "rolling to hit", doing "damage" etc seems odd in this context. Some of the systems I've sen have used metaphors of positioning rather than destruction, but none have really cracked it, in my view. Fun challenge, though. |
||
Tags |
house rules |
|
|