Alternate Version of Chummy

[kdtipa]

Hi all,

I found these two threads:

• Disadvantage of the Week: Chummy
• http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...ghlight=chummy

I'm proposing an alternate version that I think might be better than telling the player they react to NPCs at +2 (or +4). So, I'm offering up a Self-Control roll version of the disadvantage...

Chummy (-5 points*)
You dislike being alone, and generally have an open mind around new people. Crowds are exciting… and you need to be around people to function well. Without, it you get distracted and bored. Your group of friends that you spend your time with are enough to keep you sated, but any time the situation offers you the option of meeting new people and having a source of social interaction that is new, your character should take advantage of that opportunity. The GM will call for a Self-Control roll if you try to avoid it.

I like that the burden goes mostly to roleplaying, and that you can get degrees of it via the Self-Control system. Thoughts?

[PTTG]

That's pretty reasonable.

This would mean that a Chummy person would be effectively ordinary during enforced solitude, but would be distractable and troublesome when there's lots of social options... unless their player finds a way to focus on the most useful social options.

[jason taylor]

Is there one for someone for whom being in a crowd acts as a heavy stimulant?

I remember because there was one episode of Covert Affairs where Annie Walker was assigned to be a plant in an arms-dealer's network. What she did was walk into a cassino and play until she ran out of money and supposedly got loan-sharked into treason (that actually being her assignment of course). The interesting thing, helped by the fact that she was more than a bit of an extrovert, was that she looked like the presence of people was something of a stimulant drug while she was playing. She was under control enough to bait the targets. But she played the part credibly enough that one might wonder if that has a Gurps disadvantage.

[kdtipa]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Is there one for someone for whom being in a crowd acts as a heavy stimulant?

So, you get additional benefits (stimulant) if you're in a crowd? Wouldn't that be an advantage? Or am I misunderstanding what you're asking?

I don't know of a GURPS trait off the top of my head that does what I understand of your question. But I could imagine one where you get maybe a +1 or +2 to mental tasks when you have an audience of at least 10 people or something like that.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by kdtipa

So, you get additional benefits (stimulant) if you're in a crowd? Wouldn't that be an advantage? Or am I misunderstanding what you're asking?

I don't know of a GURPS trait off the top of my head that does what I understand of your question. But I could imagine one where you get maybe a +1 or +2 to mental tasks when you have an audience of at least 10 people or something like that.

You get lowered inhibitions. It is like the party itself is it's own roofie for the PC. That is kind of what I am imagining.

It would be a disadvantage because it could get someone into a compromising position and possibly end up as the cornerstone for more harmful addictions.

[kdtipa]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

You get lowered inhibitions. It is like the party itself is it's own roofie for the PC. That is kind of what I am imagining.

It would be a disadvantage because it could get someone into a compromising position and possibly end up as the cornerstone for more harmful addictions.

So in game mechanics, maybes makes your other self control rolls worse? Like if you are in a crowd egging you on, your greed might get worse and you are more likely to gamble your money in an attempt to get more? I still don't know of an official thing that does that, but it sounds like a possible home brew option.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by kdtipa

So in game mechanics, maybes makes your other self control rolls worse? Like if you are in a crowd egging you on, your greed might get worse and you are more likely to gamble your money in an attempt to get more? I still don't know of an official thing that does that, but it sounds like a possible home brew option.

That's kind of what I had in mind, yeah.

[kdtipa]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

That's kind of what I had in mind, yeah.

I think that might be workable as a modifier on the self-control disadvantage that gets affected by it. Something like...

Egging You On
+20%
For a self-control disadvantage where the behavior you might want to avoid could be considered the desired behavior in certain social situations, this modifier represents people encouraging you to lose control. With this encouragement, and assuming your character still wants to try to resist, your self control number is one lower than normal.

Example: John has a gambling addition in the form of Compulsive Behavior: Gambling. He's at a casino and has gathered a crowd to watch him play. He's just lost a good chunk of money and the wise thing to do would be to stop before losing too much. The GM would call for a Self-Control roll, and in this case, the crowd really wants John to keep gambling for their entertainment. John's normal roll is 9 or less, but with the crowd egging him on, it counts as 8 or less.

I can see room for size of crowd adjusting the modifier. But is that basically what you're thinking?

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by kdtipa

I think that might be workable as a modifier on the self-control disadvantage that gets affected by it. Something like...

Egging You On
+20%
For a self-control disadvantage where the behavior you might want to avoid could be considered the desired behavior in certain social situations, this modifier represents people encouraging you to lose control. With this encouragement, and assuming your character still wants to try to resist, your self control number is one lower than normal.

Example: John has a gambling addition in the form of Compulsive Behavior: Gambling. He's at a casino and has gathered a crowd to watch him play. He's just lost a good chunk of money and the wise thing to do would be to stop before losing too much. The GM would call for a Self-Control roll, and in this case, the crowd really wants John to keep gambling for their entertainment. John's normal roll is 9 or less, but with the crowd egging him on, it counts as 8 or less.

I can see room for size of crowd adjusting the modifier. But is that basically what you're thinking?

Yeah. It was inspired by a TV episode. Like I said she was to a degree faking it but it did have a real counterpart in her personality.