FireBoard
Welcome, Guest
Please Login or Register.    Lost Password?
FireBoard Forum Modern technologies
technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless (1 viewing) (1) Guests
Go to bottom Post Reply Favoured: 0
TOPIC: technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless
#10207
Frank Pitt (Visitor)
Click here to see the profile of this user
Birthdate:
technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless  
You *must* admit that it is *possible* that humans might one day be able to do this. And if the storyteller could make it seem plausible enough, and understandable enough, then such a story could be written involving human-created wormholes for interstellar travel, and it would be Hard SF. By your own definition of Hard SF it would only be hard sf if you can also come up with a scientificaly plausible way of generating the required energy that has a basis in real science. Frankie
 
Report to moderator   Logged Logged  
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#10208
Psychohist (Visitor)
Click here to see the profile of this user
Birthdate:
technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless  
Alain LaPalme posts:   I agree with Warren that inconsistencies are nowhere   near as critical in a short term game.  However, I'm   unclear as to what the _link_ is between inconsistencies   and mechanics. In my experience, a long term game is very   effective in pointing out all the weaknesses of the   mechanics used (said weaknesses often leading to   inconsistencies). Let me give an example from my most recent session.  The p_layer_ character group is setting up a camp in the mountains near an ancient underground city.  They are planning to stay there for a year or two, digging a new tunnel into said city; their purpose is to drain it so they can explore parts that are currently under water. They've brought along a group of hunters to provide food from the nearest available location.  It's critically important, however, just how 'near' that location is, since that distance will determine how much of the time the hunting group spends hunting, and how much they spend carrying the food to the camp, and thus whether or not the amount of food will be sufficient. Now, it turns out that the last time I ran p_layer_ characters through this area was about ten (p_layer_) years ago.  I cannot for the life of me remember how long it took the characters to get through the mountains to the _base_ camp location on that occasion.  I can't ask the p_layer_s, either, since it was a different group of p_layer_s. Fortunately, I have a mechanic for how far characters travel in a day in various types of terrain.  This allows me to confidently rederive a consistent travel time.  If I didn't have this mechanic, I would probably end up providing an inconsistent travel time - and one or the other group of p_layer_s would eventually complain, hey, it took way longer for us! Note that consistency is not the same thing as accuracy.  Mechanics that are frequently used do, as Alain points out, show their weaknesses more in long term games.  Sometimes, this is enough to require a change in the mechanics - giving up some consistency in exchange for gaining some accuracy. Warren Dew
 
Report to moderator   Logged Logged  
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#10209
Psychohist (Visitor)
Click here to see the profile of this user
Birthdate:
technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless  
Me:   I see - Vikki has a higher aerobic rate and better   developed gastrocnemius muscles, used in running,   while Chernoi has better developed flexor longus and   brevis muscles, which control static balance.  [etc] Mary Kuhner:   And one could easily go too far in *that* direction   for me to grasp as a p_layer_.  That's why I really   like the FUDGE-_style_ handling of stats, which allows   detail where the p_layer_ needs it, but doesn't force   consideration of a bunch of irrelevant stats. I'd better clarify.  I can infer that amount of detail just from the two stats you gave and your definitions for them.  No additional stats are required. My point is that fewer stats would be required if the game designers did their research better.  Stats start to proliferate only when the designers don't really understand what they represent, and start throwing in new stats which are really only combinations of old ones. Warren Dew
 
Report to moderator   Logged Logged  
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#10210
Mark Apolinski (Visitor)
Click here to see the profile of this user
Birthdate:
technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless  
If we are to talk about the differences between games using mechanics and those not using mechanics, we need some kind of definition.  It is a given that no definition will be airtight.  Language is like that.  However, a definition which can cover most of the game _style_s discussed in this forum would, in my view, be a good thing. Actually, we *could* produce a definition for mechanics that is airtight, *if* everyone didn't insist on making sure that their personal idea of what mechanics are was included in the definition. We just get to a point and say, OK, *this* is the definition we are going to use for mechanics . If you have a 'mechanic' in your game that doesn't fit this definition, find another word. Mark
 
Report to moderator   Logged Logged  
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#10211
Mark Apolinski (Visitor)
Click here to see the profile of this user
Birthdate:
technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless  
Now, Theatrix has mechanics.  You may have stripped those mechanics away and, really, that is your decision and no business of mine.  However, when you discuss Theatrix in this forum, people will think of the published version (ie the official version) of the game, not the version you are playing. It's good that they're thinking of the official version, because *that is* the version that I am playing. I haven't stripped any mechanics away at all. Yes, Theatrix has mechanics. I've never claimed otherwise. I _have_ claimed that Theatrix is _low-mechanics_. And I also have claimed that the flowcharts are _not_ mechanics. If you want to argue about what is official , why not ask the representative of the company, David Berkman. He has stated that the flowcharts were intended as a guide for helping gamemasters switch to diceless decision making, not as a mechanic. Mark
 
Report to moderator   Logged Logged  
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#10212
Mary K. Kuhner (Visitor)
Click here to see the profile of this user
Birthdate:
technological requirements HERO/Diced vs. Low Mechanics/Diceless  
Storyteller does do this, and there are times when it can be fun (the supplement for the Virtual Adept mages gives some details about how VAs sometimes settle their differences with Corewars-_style_ duels in the Digital Web, for which the roll is Computers+Avatar.  The book notes dryly that yes, this is an unusual combination .)  Still, I find that this is rare enough that I'm happy handling it ad-hoc when the situation arises.  What do you think is badly broken about the Storyteller implementation? Badly broken was an overstatement, sorry, but I don't like the fact (also true of GURPS) that there is no mechanical difference between a character with high stats and one with high skills (thereby, in general, horrendously favoring the former as stats are more broadly useful). I have been playing for years in systems that *do* differentiate highly skilled from highly talented characters, and I'm spoiled
 
Report to moderator   Logged Logged  
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
Go to top Post Reply
Powered by FireBoardget the latest posts directly to your desktop
 
 

Who's Online

We have 38 guests online
Google Earth 5.0 Google announced today the introduction of Google Ocean to its Google Earth geographical applications 5 Virtual diving, exploring three-dimensional underwater terrain, and view the material on the deep sea, prepared by ocean scietists - these are just some of the possibilities offered by Google Ocean. Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth's surface, and the hidden depths of 80% of life on our planet. The man managed to buy-usedcars.co.uk nice pics Milano photo not only meet 5% of that space. By combining unique images from the comments of experts, ocean in Google Earth allows users to easily reach the most difficult places available on the planet. Virtual explorers can swim around underwater volcanoes, watch film footage of underwater life exotic, read the information about the nearby wrecks of ships, as well as upload pictures and videos of their favorite places to dive or surf.

YouTube's serious problems approaching ? It seems that soon will disappear quite a large number of very Khulna photo girls girls Alveo Drink popular music videos by artists such as Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Led Zeppelin. This will be the result of the absence of a compromise between Google and the record company Warner Music Group, which demanded a greater share of the profits. Recently, one of the largest record companies - Warner Music Group has expressed its displeasure by too small a share iknowthatgirl moto.motor-blogs.co.uk camiones in profits generated by Youtube using such materials that label. The problem, however, is that Google is trying to how is that YouTube finally started to earn his.

Wooden Nokia Nokia's Eco-Team, a group of workers developing a more environmentally friendly phone concept, designed the wooden kamerofon with 8 megapixel camera. Embedded in a wooden casing for Nokia looks quite rustic, and although difficult to actually call it organic, could be an interesting alternative to traditional telephones. Phone is made of wood from forests with sustainable management, properties for sale in spain carfinance-offers.co.uk automobiles.real-car.co.uk which is obtained mainly from the spirit of eco (although it would be more environmentally friendly device made of bamboo for example). Since this is only a concept we do not have too much information about the functionalities, in addition to 8 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and that the phone has to work on Symbian S60 used cars Car reviews Teresina photo . The phone sees the light of day, of course, is not known yet.