Indirect Influence (Text) and Time Taken

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

Several Influence Skills are fully effective through text. They can even get an extra +2 from Calligraphy. However, RAW doesn't say anything specific about another factor that can affect the persuasiveness of a letter: the amount of time/effort spent on composing it. As in, what is the default time required to write a letter that counts as an unmodified Influence Attempt? Does Time Spent affect the skills in the usual way, or should there be a custom progression?

Related: why is Calligraphy an option, but not Writing? Writing seems like a good complimentary skill for a more convincing wording of a request. Also, Calligraphy is kinda dead when you communicate through fixed-width non-formatted text.

Thanks in advance!

[Anaraxes]

There is a generic rule for gaining a bonus through taking extra time on a task. It doesn't go into specifics per task per skill, of course.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Greetings, all!

Several Influence Skills are fully effective through text. They can even get an extra +2 from Calligraphy. However, RAW doesn't say anything specific about another factor that can affect the persuasiveness of a letter: the amount of time/effort spent on composing it. As in, what is the default time required to write a letter that counts as an unmodified Influence Attempt? Does Time Spent affect the skills in the usual way, or should there be a custom progression?

It's going to take a varying amount of time depending on how long the letter has to be, both to explain the request and to make the minimal socially required courtesies of the era. It's like asking, "How much does a book cost?"

Bill Stoddard

[Dwarf99]

Scribes can do about 8 pages a day (assuming 500 word pages 12x10 inches) someone who is thinking about what he is writing in terms of trying to impress people. It takes probably 2 seconds per word to actually do the writing though.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by whswhs

It's going to take a varying amount of time depending on how long the letter has to be, both to explain the request and to make the minimal socially required courtesies of the era. It's like asking, "How much does a book cost?"

Bill Stoddard

Well, on one hand, I am interested what amount of such courtesies counts as the default amount for an Unmodified Skill Check.
On the other I'm sort of guessing that the main text (i.e. explanation) of a Simple request should be something between one sentence and one paragraph.

I'm pretty sure many people can write a letter the size of this post either very rapidly in 1-2 minutes, or slowly and with careful wording. The question is what speed qualifies as Diplomacy+0.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Well, on one hand, I am interested what amount of such courtesies counts as the default amount for an Unmodified Skill Check.
On the other I'm sort of guessing that the main text (i.e. explanation) of a Simple request should be something between one sentence and one paragraph.

I'm pretty sure many people can write a letter the size of this post either very rapidly in 1-2 minutes, or slowly and with careful wording. The question is what speed qualifies as Diplomacy+0.

As someone who has to write letters to business contacts explaining difficulties with manuscripts and asking for help in resolving them, I'm going to say a quarter of an hour is a decent baseline. Perhaps an hour for a more substantial letter with a complex request. That's allowing some time to pace around and try out wordings and rethink them.

Bill Stoddard

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by whswhs

As someone who has to write letters to business contacts explaining difficulties with manuscripts and asking for help in resolving them, I'm going to say a quarter of an hour is a decent baseline. Perhaps an hour for a more substantial letter with a complex request. That's allowing some time to pace around and try out wordings and rethink them.

Bill Stoddard

Thanks.

. . . So would you say that the standard Time Spent modifiers are good enough for such actions, or would you treat them?

(Also, can I assume that the same rulings can be applied to the Piggybacking Technique? Or would it use Memetic time modifiers from the original memetics roll? Or something else? I was unsure where to ask the same time-use questions about it.)

[Refplace]

My professional writing experiance is considerably less then Bills but I would put a cap on time modifers.
At a certain point your over thinking and not improving your work.
But adding a bonus for an editor (other then the author) not only can be a big help it can let you continue the extra time modifer for the new draft. Sometimes after a fresh pair of eyes has looked at it you go beyond the errors they see and approach part or all of it from a fresh viewpoint and perspective.

Not sure how to work it, ill be back later to check this thread and think on it.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Greetings, all!

Several Influence Skills are fully effective through text. They can even get an extra +2 from Calligraphy. However, RAW doesn't say anything specific about another factor that can affect the persuasiveness of a letter: the amount of time/effort spent on composing it. As in, what is the default time required to write a letter that counts as an unmodified Influence Attempt? Does Time Spent affect the skills in the usual way, or should there be a custom progression?

Related: why is Calligraphy an option, but not Writing? Writing seems like a good complimentary skill for a more convincing wording of a request. Also, Calligraphy is kinda dead when you communicate through fixed-width non-formatted text.

Thanks in advance!

You might also consider that tweets and texts can also be quite persuasive, but only take a few seconds to write.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

You might also consider that tweets and texts can also be quite persuasive, but only take a few seconds to write.

I'm not sure if that's a manifestation of Writing skill, as GURPS defines it. It may be more a use of Propaganda skill.

Bill Stoddard