02-10-2017, 03:11 PM | #1 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
|
[Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
Esmology is an IQ/VH skill from GURPS Horror: The Madness Dossier that provides the ability to exploit the fundamental programming of the human mind, as laid down millennia ago by the Anunnakku, the key opponents of that setting. It has no default, and no skills default to it; there are prerequisites of a Hidden Lore skill specific to the setting, and either a related talent, Esmologist, or a special training regime that is a cut-down version of Trained by a Master.
The main use of this skill is to predict the behaviour of groups of people, either en masse (a mob, the stock market), based on doctrine or training (how a squad will move, how a hospital will evacuate) or group-steered action (how the legislature will vote, how the police will respond to a clue). It's very effective at this; the name of the skill comes from Greek "esmos", a swarm of bees. Additionally, a successful skill roll works like a complementary skill, but for +3, to any attempt to modify the behaviour of a social group, such as a Propaganda campaign, or for an Influence roll. This does not stack with the bonus for Manipulation methods from Social Engineering, since it's pushing many of the same buttons. Yes, this skill lets you treat people like rats in a maze. It's from a horror setting, by Ken Hite. Don't expect it to be nice. It is specific to Madness Dossier, and shouldn't exist in games outside that setting, except maybe in extreme tinfoil-hat-paranoia Illuminati games. Esmology is a useful example of a skill that exists because of an important difference between the real world and a game world. Differences in reality, philosophy, or the way minds work are far more likely to be unsettling than mere advances in technology or the presence of human-scale magic. GURPS has a framework for dealing with those, in TLs and new specialisations of existing skills, but other kinds of change have to be handled on a case-by-case basis. I've played a Madness Dossier campaign, and we had an Esmologist in the party, but she mostly used the skill for influence, rather than prediction. As far as my character remembered ...
__________________
The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques. |
02-10-2017, 03:17 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
That's an interesting term. What's the etymology?
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius |
02-10-2017, 03:20 PM | #3 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
I think Ken Hite coined it. The root is Greek, "esmos", a swarm of bees.
__________________
The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques. |
02-10-2017, 03:22 PM | #4 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
I think the Applied Anthropologist's player in ZIASUDRA isn't really exploiting this skill as much as he could be and I am trying to figure out how to get him to see its utility.
Fortunately the next mission they need to plan their own operation, so hopefully this will get some use. Incidentally did you see the Alternative Benefit that I wrote for the Esmologist Talent? http://papermenplasticmonster.blogsp...ative.html?m=0 Edit: Of course you did, you commented on it. |
02-10-2017, 05:14 PM | #5 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
I love how subtly disturbing that last sentence is.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check. |
02-10-2017, 06:28 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Jun 2013
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
Quote:
|
|
02-10-2017, 10:53 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Jun 2006
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
Quote:
__________________
-- MA Lloyd |
|
02-12-2017, 04:14 AM | #8 | |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
Quote:
__________________
The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques. |
|
02-12-2017, 08:55 AM | #9 | |
Join Date: Jun 2013
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
Quote:
*Characters who are resistant or even immune - be it due to training or simply their minds working differently from normal humans - to being predicted or manipulated via esmology could easily be a thing. I'm not certain how much such an Advantage would cost, or if I'd require certain prerequisites (such as Advantages like Unfazeable, or Disadvantages that represent insanity). |
|
02-12-2017, 02:47 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
|
Re: [Madness Dossier] Skill of the Week: Esmology
Quote:
Heck, the conspiracy in the Madness Dossier aren't the villains and aren't the ones who created the situation...
__________________
I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident. |
|
Tags |
esmology, madness dossier, skill of the week |
|
|