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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 310 Joined: 26-August 10 Member No.: 18,972 ![]() |
I'd like to discuss methods that GMs use that are NOT hard rule modifications and limitations to discourage or otherwise moderate what might be an unfair advantage.
I do NOT mean "I don't allow that." I do NOT mean "House rule." Rules and allowances are hard: they are black and white, yes or no. Soft balancing is the GM using a (hopefully) believable downside to something in order to set things in perspective for a player, and make them weigh a decision. Sometimes, this just means enforcing a roleplaying downside that players (possibly at other tables) usually ignore. A player allergic to Watermelon would need to encounter some eventually, otherwise it is not balanced. Other times, no overt downside exists. Metagenic improvement, for example, is an easy one to abuse. For 10 BP you can bump a stat maximum, and it's cheaper to bump a maximum than pay the 25BP cost of maxing. Hard balancing here would be the GM saying "NO" or "you must take a very-bad negative quality." A soft balance would be the GM discussing with the player the unusual parts of the quality itself. "Ok, you can take metagenic body. As a mutation, it may affect how you look, or you might want to consider how regular people would perceive this. If a regular person sees you take a punch like a wall, or crush a baseball bat handle, or catch a paper wad thrown at your back, they may get more than impressed. They may be scared. Or they may be threatened by you, making you a target." The above I define as "soft" because it has a modulating effect on the world around them, rather than stone-cold numbers change. A "hard" social enforcement would be as "freak sidebar," with dice negatives. Another good example of "soft" modulating was mentioned in the discussion about the "In Debt" negative quality. The "soft" way that was mentioned was a loan shark revisiting you, offering you money, or interfering in your business, after the debt is payed (Falconer mentioned this I believe). There is zero dice pool change, and no threats are made to the players numbers (ie, legbreaking takes damage boxes), but still the player must live with the psychological pressure until karma is payed. I would like to discuss GM uses and strategies for "soft" modulating in general, especially how it is used to prevent munchkin-ing. This is psychological manipulation typically without dice roll changes, and are not "hard" rules, either RAW or house. It will be easy to stray to "hard" manipulators on this thread, since "soft" is so much harder to work with, but I'd like to avoid them and just compile a list for those who like this concept, but have trouble with it. Like me. |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 30th July 2025 - 04:29 AM |
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