Contests to change reaction roll results

zot · 07-13-2018, 01:50 AM

What about allowing contests to change reaction roll results so that characters can try to "dig themselves out of the hole they just dug"?

You can role play trying to change opinions and impressions instead of using conflict rules but that makes social skills entirely subjective.

Worse, it makes it difficult or impossible for someone to play a character who is more articulate, witty, or charming than they are.

If the GM just crosses their arms and says, "convince me," instead of using conflict rules, there's an entire landscape of conflict that's missing from a game that's all about conflict.

***

In real life, if you ask for something and you get a refusal, you might try entreating, charming, joking, threatening, seducing, bribing, or deception (the last four really depend on who you are). If you try humor, maybe they'll think you're making light of a serious situation (but maybe comedy is your strong suit). If you try deception, maybe the other person has Detect Lies. If you try bribing them, maybe they're particularly honest. If you try seduction, well, maybe you're just not their type.

In our games, like in most RPGs, the rolling starts when the players get a reaction they don't like. The difference is that before they draw their weapons, they try to use social skills...

You can use contests as combat-like rules for changing opinions or impressions: they allow offense, defense, and aiding your cohorts. This makes social skills worth getting, meaningful in the game, and fun to use, so every character has some social skills because it's just a matter of survival. Characters can often avoid combat or imprisonment by using them; they add another dimension to the game and they make characters like Dr Who fun to play. In TFT, when personality comes into play and the GM hasn't detailed the NPC, personality rolls should work fine for that.

07-13-2018, 01:50 AM	#1
zot Join Date: May 2018	Contests to change reaction roll results What about allowing contests to change reaction roll results so that characters can try to "dig themselves out of the hole they just dug"? You can role play trying to change opinions and impressions instead of using conflict rules but that makes social skills entirely subjective. Worse, it makes it difficult or impossible for someone to play a character who is more articulate, witty, or charming than they are. If the GM just crosses their arms and says, "convince me," instead of using conflict rules, there's an entire landscape of conflict that's missing from a game that's all about conflict. * In real life, if you ask for something and you get a refusal, you might try entreating, charming, joking, threatening, seducing, bribing, or deception (the last four really depend on who you are). If you try humor, maybe they'll think you're making light of a serious situation (but maybe comedy is your strong suit). If you try deception, maybe the other person has Detect Lies. If you try bribing them, maybe they're particularly honest. If you try seduction, well, maybe you're just not their type. In our games, like in most RPGs, the rolling starts when the players get a reaction they don't like.** The difference is that before they draw their weapons, they try to use social skills... You can use contests as combat-like rules for changing opinions or impressions: they allow offense, defense, and aiding your cohorts. This makes social skills worth getting, meaningful in the game, and fun to use, so every character has some social skills because it's just a matter of survival. Characters can often avoid combat or imprisonment by using them; they add another dimension to the game and they make characters like Dr Who fun to play. In TFT, when personality comes into play and the GM hasn't detailed the NPC, personality rolls should work fine for that.