Steve Jackson Games Forums - Social Engineering

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Re: Social Engineering

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Originally Posted by Johan Larson (Post 1017804)

So we can do without the whiskey?

My general experience is that engineers being social usually do bring the whiskey.

Re: Social Engineering

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Originally Posted by Kromm (Post 1018202)

he can't predict the future or control other writers' minds

Geez. You'd think you'd be able to hire a decent telepath in this economy.

Re: Social Engineering

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Originally Posted by Kromm (Post 1018203)

My general experience is that engineers being social usually do bring the whiskey.

Or scotch.

Re: Social Engineering

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Originally Posted by Astromancer (Post 1018188)

If this book does for social interaction what GURPS :Martial Arts does for combat interaction, how could it not be worth the money.

Precisely. After Martial Arts, Vehicles, and this one, we are only missing a crafts book. For a general "skills in use book," see DF: Dungeons and Action: Exploits, which are both genius.

Re: Social Engineering

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Originally Posted by Kromm (Post 1018202)

I chose Bill for this book because he's just about the only GURPS writer I'm certain has run successful GURPS campaigns that were largely or entirely about social interaction. I think that speaks volumes about his suitability here!

To be specific:

1/94-12/95
Uplift: The crew of a trade pioneer ship selling earth merchandise to aliens

1/98-12/99
First Contact: Diplomats and scientists negotiate with an advanced alien race that arrives in the solar system in force in 1935
Oak and Ash and Thorn: Present-day British teenagers turn the wrong corner and find themselves in Faerie

1/03-12/03
Ghazi: Dan Melson, Janet Tait, Marc Biagi, Stacy Sallume/Risa Yardas
Gods and Monsters: Alexander Shearer, Allison Lonsdale, Eben Brooks, James Hay, Tim Sallume
Under the Shadow: Carol Kalescky, Jefferson Swycaffer, Katie Weatherup, Laura Luchau, Risa Yardas

1/05-12/07
Whispers: A mystery campaign set in Transhuman Space (and a major inspiration for Transhuman Mysteries)

Plus some combat-heavier campaigns mixed in. But even those—for example, Salle d'Armes, which I ran to learn how to use the GURPS Martial Arts rules—had social encounters. Happily for me, my players always go for that sort of thing, so I get lots of practice.

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And I don't particularly think that Bill has a problem with crunch . . . he can't predict the future (which would've helped with Fantasy) or control other writers' minds (say, to make Lisa Steele write things you didn't like in Mysteries), but he does ask me before making rules calls (e.g., as in Supers), and has written his share of perfectly good crunch in such works as Steampunk, Steam-Tech, Covert Ops, and both editions of Low-Tech. And his playtest credit on Powers and Additional Material credits on High-Tech and Thaumatology weren't earned by not being good with rules.

Thank you for the testimonial, sir. And let me note that you have quite consistently been generous with help on rules puzzles, including detailed analysis of the reasons for doing things one way rather than another. For example, your clarification of reaction rolls and influence rolls usually being alternatives shaped not only the detailed content but the entire outcome of the current book.

Bill Stoddard

Re: Social Engineering

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I chose Bill for this book because he's just about the only GURPS writer I'm certain has run successful GURPS campaigns that were largely or entirely about social interaction. ... he can't predict the future or control other writers' minds

It's a good thing you didn't let him write Psionic Powers, then.

Is anybody at SJ Games HQ willing to play poker with RPK?

Re: Social Engineering

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Originally Posted by whswhs (Post 1017808)

(...) a book on social position, reactions and influence rolls, and related topics (...)

Cool. This book may be very interesting and useful for many campaigns.

Re: Social Engineering

Personally I'm actually as interested in a good social campaign book as in a social rules book.

Because I've tried my hand at "courtly intrigue campaigns," and found that creating a huge cast of NPCs, their interconnected web of open and secret relationships (even with SocNetV), and last but not least a tangle of interesting intrigues is quite intimidating.
A well written "how to" and "shortcuts" book would've been welcome...

Re: Social Engineering

Can anyone (Dr. Kromm, Bill, or anyone else "in the know") give an idea of what this book's definition of "Social Engineering" would be? In other words, what might, say, the introduction say about the scope of the term?

Also, will there be a playtest for this supplement? Because, if so, I'm interested!

Re: Social Engineering

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Originally Posted by Exeter (Post 1018741)

At this time, whether there will be a playtest is not known to me.

As to the scope of the book, you can infer that from what has already been said, and especially from the mention of GURPS Martial Arts. This is a book about things adventurers can do with social skills. Now, adventurers can try to change their societies, and sometimes succeed, so it will discuss what you might call the strategic parts of social engineering; but it will be more about the tactical parts, or direct social interaction. It's not a worldbuilding book. Which is not to say that such a book wouldn't be interesting!

But for a small treatment of parts of that topic, see GURPS City Stats.

Bill Stoddard