Is the Mimicry skill cinematic or realistic?

[entitivity]

One part of the mimicry skill is devoted to successfully impersonating any human voice that you hear. This is a check made at -3. If the listener knows the person whose voice you're trying to impersonate well, there is a quick contest with his IQ.

But compare this to the equivalent action using the Acting skill:

"Impersonation is a special type of acting. To impersonate someone, you must first successfully disguise yourself (see Disguise, p. 187) – unless your victims cannot see you!"

Okay, so imagine that your victims cannot see you.

The Acting skill notes that you would make this check at -5 if you're not very familiar with the individual who you're trying to impersonate, then an additional -5 if your victims are merely acquaintances with the individual you're trying to impersonate. The modifier is -10 if they know each other well! That is exceptionally and (to my mind) realistically difficult.

In contrast, using the mimicry skill to do this same task is (comparatively) very, very easy. There's no minus for being unfamiliar, there's only a -3 if the victims know the individual you're trying to impersonate *well*. It seems so easy that it's hard for me to imagine non-cinematic or supernatural individuals pulling it off with that much regularity.

Am I out of my mind? It's possible that I just don't understand what this skill corresponds to in real life.

[Last Pawn]

I think the separation between the skills is this: Mimicry allows you to make your voice sound like someone else, but it doesn't grant you the ability to sound like someone else. That is it requires Acting to imitate the mannerisms of the person you're attempting to impersonate.

Eg: If you're on the phone with someone you can use Mimicry to make your voice sound like their Rich Uncle. However; without acting you're not going to be sounding like him in terms of word choice and mannerisms and they might just begin to wonder if their Rich Uncle is alright.

[entitivity]

I take your point, but if Mimicry requires an Acting roll to be effective in the given context, why not just act? A PC would have a greater probability of success by making a single Acting roll than making a Mimicry roll and then an Acting roll.

[Verjigorm]

Uh, because if you have Mimicry AND acting, you're better at it than if you just have on? I've been trying to work on what I call "complimentary" skills in GURPs for a while, to make certain skill groups useful.

For example, consider allowing a Mimicry roll to offset the penalty for Acting rolls to impersonate, rather than just allowing straight up Mimicry to replace it.

[Langy]

Probably because Acting can't make your voice sound like someone else's?

[entitivity]

Originally Posted by Langy

Probably because Acting can't make your voice sound like someone else's?

Strictly speaking, in GURPS terms, it can. You can use the acting skill to impersonate someone if they can't see you. And you can do so successfully. I don't know any other way to interpret that other than "you mimic their voice".

[entitivity]

Originally Posted by Verjigorm

Uh, because if you have Mimicry AND acting, you're better at it than if you just have on? I've been trying to work on what I call "complimentary" skills in GURPs for a while, to make certain skill groups useful.

For example, consider allowing a Mimicry roll to offset the penalty for Acting rolls to impersonate, rather than just allowing straight up Mimicry to replace it.

So you would say that using Mimicry by itself to impersonate someone else's voice, as written, is cinematic without this qualification/modification?

[Verjigorm]

I wouldn't allow you to use Mimicry a specific persons mannerisms, no. You could sound like the persons voice, but you wouldn't sound like the person, no.

It's similar, I think, to how I identify people. I've got terrible eyesight, that I really need to have corrected. But from long distances(i.e. 10yds or more) I can't make out someone's individual face. Instead I have gotten used to identifying people I know by the way they walk, hold their body, etc.

[entitivity]

Originally Posted by Verjigorm

I wouldn't allow you to use Mimicry a specific persons mannerisms, no. You could sound like the persons voice, but you wouldn't sound like the person, no.

So, if I understand you right, you would allow Mimicry to function, as written, for brief communications ("Hey, open the door!") but not for anything longer without an Acting check.

[lexington]

I'd say it's definitely realistic. The guy who does Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series mimics the voices of the real cast very closely.