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Old 07-20-2017, 06:21 AM   #21
dds_ks
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

We once played StarTrek in 3e: Even the basic training for a starfleet lieutenant costed 78 CP, and having one level of Perfect Memory for 30 CP cut the basic training's cost in half, leaving you 9 CP AND having the advantage of Memory AND saving further CP in future.
So when the GM decided that only one of us were allowed to have Perfect Memory, because not all should have the same advantages...
... well, Cheerio, Miss Sofie...


The 4e version that it does not support skills and spells is much more balanced.
Nevertheless we used it for mages in a fantasy campaign. The main problem was that learning new spells needs literature or a teacher. So you first scan the book at a library (but don't understand the spell). You save it in your memory, and at the very time you earn CP, you finally understand the spell and shout "Heureka", so you can use it immediately.

Well, not during an action sequence, that was. Otherwise you could "scan" 20 different spells (if you have the prerequisites) and save one single CP, and then decide in the middle of a battle which spell you should "understand" to most effect. So you couldn't prepare a fire spell, a water spell, an earth spell and an air spell long ago, then wait until you see your encounter, decide, what attack type might work best and then activate the relevant spell. But nevertheless, Perfect Memory was useful.
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Old 07-20-2017, 06:24 AM   #22
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

Just a - maybe stupid - question:
Is the name of the advantage the right way round?
I always thought that a photographic memory would mean: You remember everything you ever have seen.
And an eidetic memory would include everything you ever have noticed, whether you have seen, heard, smelled or noticed by any other sense.
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Old 07-20-2017, 07:29 AM   #23
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

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Originally Posted by dds_ks View Post
Just a - maybe stupid - question:
Is the name of the advantage the right way round?
I always thought that a photographic memory would mean: You remember everything you ever have seen.
And an eidetic memory would include everything you ever have noticed, whether you have seen, heard, smelled or noticed by any other sense.
Nope. IRL they both mean "brief recall of a visual image at near perfect detail for a short period of time" (minutes or less). Where the terms are distinguished, photographic memory means being able to e.g. read a full page of text, huge list of numbers etc in the visual image and eidedic memory can't do the whole thing - photographic memory is "better".

Neither is much like the GURPS advantages, what with the rather short duration and the fact that photographic memory appears to be a complete fiction. Eidedic memory is a thing that only happens in young children - neural reorganization around the age of 6-12 destroys it, in favor of much better archiving and organization of information over the long term. The memory is also disrupted and distorted by trying to verbalize; it's basically a party trick for people too young to need a party trick :)
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Old 08-03-2017, 08:49 AM   #24
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

I just want to state that, even though it has been nearly two months since my last thread, I am still working on this discussion series. In hindsight, I ought to have just officially taken June, July, and August off; while I haven't been constantly busy, I've been busier than normal. Throw in some bad decision making and some being ill in a manner that makes it difficult to work at my desktop computer, and you get falling so far behind anyway.

I am still working on the next BAoW thread, but realized it was silly to tackle the next trait (Elastic Skin), without including Shapeshifting due to its overlap with Alternate Form and Morph when both are limited by Cosmetic. Seems like I ought to also cover Hermaphromorph while I'm at it. Though I will be working on it this whole time, I will probably only manage this one thread for August.
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Old 08-03-2017, 10:16 AM   #25
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

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Originally Posted by Otaku View Post
In hindsight, I ought to have just officially taken June, July, and August off; while I haven't been constantly busy, I've been busier than normal. Throw in some bad decision making and some being ill in a manner that makes it difficult to work at my desktop computer, and you get falling so far behind anyway.
It's all good. No ones upset, take your time we'll all still be here once your busyness is settled.


(Psst, guys, ixnay onway ethay artay andway eathersfay.)
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Old 08-25-2017, 01:59 AM   #26
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

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... anyone we met I memorized their faces (surprisingly useful).
"Faces only," and "Text only," are presumably straightforward Aspected (-20%) limitations.
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Old 11-01-2017, 08:18 PM   #27
Otaku
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

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Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
It's all good. No ones upset, take your time we'll all still be here once your busyness is settled.


(Psst, guys, ixnay onway ethay artay andway eathersfay.)
Regrettably, that business is not yet settled. Since I was doing this to prepare for the business of the holiday season, my new, absolute deadline for the next of these is Monday, January 1st.

I wish I could say that this delay is purely due to me being so swamped with work but... yeah, I dropped the ball when I had two nice stretches of free time. Which is why am so sorry; no more extensions past this unless I'm dead or gainfully employed.
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Old 12-07-2018, 12:59 AM   #28
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

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Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
"Faces only," and "Text only," are presumably straightforward Aspected (-20%) limitations.
"Faces only" seems to model "Super recognisers" fairly well.
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Old 12-07-2018, 05:09 AM   #29
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#46): Eidetic Memory, Photographic Memory

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Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
"Faces only,"... are presumably straightforward Aspected (-20%) limitations.
It's a perk:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Madness Dossier; page 16
Perfect Facial Recognition
You can immediately identify faces, and can recognize anyone you’ve ever seen, in person or in a photograph. You have +2 to penetrate any use of the Disguise skill on someone whose face you’ve already seen.
Profiling vision from Enhanced Senses suggest you should be able to take two levels of this.
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