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WinterRat1

Nov 2 2007, 08:41 PM

Post #1

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The primary purpose of this thread is to solicit feedback regarding the interpretation of Social Skills I use in my games. A secondary purpose is to present this system for use to any who wish to make use of it.

The Living in the Shadows (LITS) and Down in the Gutter (DITG) games over in the Welcome to the Shadows forum use the following interpretation of Social Skills. They apply equally to PC vs. NPC, NPC vs. NPC, or PC vs. PC.

I based them off of the Secret Arts mechanics from Eos Press's Weapons of the Gods, which is an excellent game, by the way.

I realize every group has their own way of doing things, and this may not be the best solution for everyone. Regardless, I hope this proves helpful to whoever may choose to use it, and informative in discussing ways to improve what is a potentially contentious area of gameplay.

Note: It's not explicitly stated in the rules below, but the penalty may or may not be a quantitative one. It may be a role-playing/qualitative one as well.

QUOTE

Social Skills

Social Skills in Down in the Gutter operate on the following basic principles:

1. Free Choice - No character, PC or NPC, should ever be forced to do something against their basic nature as a result of a Social Skill roll, or else it’s not a social skill, it’s mind control.

2. Genuine Impact - Social Skill rolls must have a material impact on the game, or else there is no point to having them as a game mechanic.

3. Equal Application - PC and NPC alike must be equally subjected to the results of Social Skill rolls, or else social skills become an unfair one way ticket for PCs to impact NPCs while refusing to be impacted in return.

4. Choices have Consequences - If a character chooses to act in a way other than what the roll would naturally dictate, there must be a consequence to ignoring the roll or else the roll has no validity.

Therefore, all Social Skill rolls in DITG will be handled in the following manner: All characters, PC or NPC, must either roleplay the result of the roll or suffer a penalty determined by the GM.

For example, suppose Aziz loses an Intimidation Roll to Ganger A. He can choose to roleplay being intimidated and act accordingly, possibly backing down, apologizing, or running away. Alternatively, he may act in a way that does not correspond with failing the roll, such as attacking Ganger A, and suffer a penalty of a magnitude and duration determined by the GM, depending on the result of the Intimidation roll.

You will note that Principle 1, Free Choice, is not violated. Aziz is free to choose his response to losing the Intimidation roll.

Similarly, Principle 2, Genuine Impact is followed, as Aziz is impacted in a material way, either letting the roll dictate his actions to a certain extent or taking a statistical penalty.

Principle 3, Equal Application, is followed, as Aziz is subject to the result of a Social Skill roll, just as he would expect the Ganger to be impacted by failing the Social Skill roll if the positions were reversed.

Finally, Principle 4, Choices have Consequences applies because Aziz will suffer a penalty as a consequence of choosing to act in a way other than what the roll dictates the result should be. Perhaps the penalty is a result of a loss of confidence in himself, or maybe he knows he got owned and can’t help but feel embarrassed.

Note that players may not invoke the, ‘well my character should not be subject to the penalty because he would do X even though the result of the roll is Y because he’s just like that’ defense.

To continue the previous example, Aziz cannot argue that because Aziz is a violent, ornery fellow, if he was Intimidated he really would attack Ganger A and therefore should not suffer a penalty. It may be true that Aziz is violent, ornery, and really would attack Ganger A if he felt threatened. In that case, he is forced to either do something contrary to his nature (back down and avoid conflict) or suffer a penalty to what he would normally do (fight). Even if it is what Aziz would do, it doesn’t change the fact that his self-confidence is rattled and he is now uncertain of himself as a result of the Intimidation roll, causing him to fight at a disadvantage.

Since the GM definition of what constitutes ‘roleplaying the result of the roll’ is what counts, players are free to ask us what they are allowed to do in the process of roleplaying the result of the roll and what actions would result in a penalty. In most cases this should be fairly self-explanatory, but as always, players are encouraged to seek clarification where necessary.

Posts in this topic

WinterRat1 Social Skill System Nov 2 2007, 08:41 PM

Fortune Same question as the other thread. I would like to... Nov 2 2007, 09:00 PM

WinterRat1 I left the penalty deliberately vague because the ... Nov 2 2007, 09:33 PM

Zak That is basically what I am using right now. Even ... Nov 2 2007, 09:43 PM

Fortune QUOTE (WinterRat1) Do those examples answer your q... Nov 2 2007, 10:24 PM

Glyph I like the system, too. If you need to have socia... Nov 4 2007, 01:11 AM

FriendoftheDork Hmm interesting take, but I'd still not want t... Nov 4 2007, 02:00 AM

MaxHunter Warning: not slept for more than the appropriate t... Nov 4 2007, 03:38 AM

NightRain QUOTE (FriendoftheDork) They do try to roleplay th... Nov 4 2007, 03:45 AM

toturi QUOTE (WinterRat1) Social Skills Social Skills in... Nov 4 2007, 03:47 AM

Kagetenshi QUOTE 1. Free Choice - No character, PC or NPC, sh... Nov 4 2007, 03:52 AM

Earlydawn Needs more tables. Give me a functional set of rul... Nov 4 2007, 05:12 AM

FriendoftheDork QUOTE (NightRain) QUOTE (FriendoftheDork @ No... Nov 4 2007, 07:56 AM

Fortune QUOTE (FriendoftheDork) ... but I don't mind t... Nov 4 2007, 08:10 AM

Glyph QUOTE (Kagetenshi)QUOTE 1. Free Choice - No charac... Nov 4 2007, 08:17 PM

martindv QUOTE (Glyph @ Nov 4 2007, 03:17 PM) Yeah, be... Nov 4 2007, 08:20 PM

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