Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

You know, when I first read this, I thought he was talking about rules for using Twitter in GURPS. Which would be in line with the book, though really doesn't need any special rules.

As an aside, a roll against Games (Online Roleplaying) (each one is a familiarity; one point is usually World of Warcraft and either another combat one or Second Life) and some money (say, $20) let you design an avatar well enough to count as having an Attractive Appearance. Just throwing that out there, since I have seen folks react well to a well-designed avatar on a virtual world with no other interaction.

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

I think I mean 'cover', the kind that go *knock knock knock* when you rap them with your knuckles.

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

SE does have rules for virtual Avatars!

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

Yes, it does, but it deliberately sidesteps Avatar Appearance.

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

One thing I'd like to see (if someone can give me a page reference, if it IS in there...) is cultural styles. We already have Cultural Familiarity, so something to fit into a non-native culture.

We have styles for martial arts (unarmed and various pre-firearm weapons), for firearms, for magic... How about culture, or other social interactions...?

(Dumb idea? Well, it's just off the top of my head. :-P)

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

I mentioned the same idea up the thread a bit.

Social Styles would neatly fit into the other FNORD Styles ideas, but I'm not sure how it'd work. I mean, give one example of a 'Social Style'. The closest I can think of would be something like:

High-Born Nobility [3]
Skills: Savior-Faire (High Society); Dancing.

And that'd about be it. Not sure what the Style Perk would grant, either. These things aren't usually formally taught.

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

That's because extreme physical beauty as such is effectively free on the Internet. It's not even a 1-point perk to have a gorgeous avatar; it's a feature.

Do you know the expression "Hollywood ugly"? It's the other side of the same coin, I think.

Bill Stoddard

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

Go on Second Life sometime with a default avatar, then go on some other time with one on which someone spent time and money. There is a difference in reactions, believe me.

Much of Hollywood beauty is due to Contact (Makeup artist; Makeup-18; 15 or less; Usually Reliable), which one could indeed take as the other side of the same coin. It's astonishing just how unappealling many stars are without their makeup, even in natural lighting (where the photographs will turn out OK without it). Granted, even then, there aren't many with below Average Appearance, but there are many with Average.

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

"Spent time and money" is represented mainly as Fashion Sense (Digital), and is discussed at some length. Though you could use a variant of Artist as a complementary skill to your online interaction skill, I suppose.

Bill Stoddard

Re: GURPS Social Engineering
 

I know about Fashion Sense (Digital), though I tend to think of something innate for Fashion Sense rather than showing off mad skills with an online medium, which is in effect what is going on here, much like Hollywood stars and the Makeup skill. Tomay-to, tomah-to, in the end, since you'd probably dump about the same number of points either way.