Discussing Karma in character, What does a PC know about Karma? Options

[De Badd Ass]

Back when my friends and I role-played while sitting in the same room, the discussion of game mechanics like Attributes, Skill Ranks, Successes, Condition, etc. by characters was taboo. The same was true of Levels, Armor Class, Hit Points, THAC0, Experience Points (XP) and other mechanics of other games. The one exception was Gold Pieces (or Nuyen).

In some respects Karma is like Experience Points; in other respects Karma is more like Gold Pieces. The most glaring case relates to Initiation. What does a Technomancer ™, Mage, or Adept know about Karma? How does she discuss the need for Karma?

When she is invited to join a group, how does she explain that she does not have enough Karma? When she is asked to participate in a group initiation, how does she explain that she needs to accumulate 4 more Karma?

How does she know that she is 4 Karma short of what she needs, rather than 2 Karma short? Does she know how Karma is earned? How does she discuss the need to earn Karma? Is that even a valid concept?

Before you answer these questions, please think about them in the context of "in character" posts in the "Welcome to the Shadows" forum. Role-playing the speaker, what would you say? As a reader, what would you find acceptable, and what would you find cheesy?

Thank you in advance!

[Glyph]

Honestly, you can say the same thing about any other avenue of character advancement paid for with Karma. Why doesn't the street samurai do this thing or that thing, to improve his skills right now, rather than waiting.

In-character, the PC would probably say something like they are "not ready", or that they need to assimilate what they have already learned, before they can take the next step.

Alternately... much as I would wish for Karma to be purely a game mechanic, the fact that you can deal with free spirits and barter Karma with them means that it is a tangible thing in the game, although it still probably wouldn't be called Karma (unless the magician came from an Eastern magical tradition). The mage would say that he doesn't have the mystic whatever (ki, karma, wisdom, etc.) that is needed for the ritual yet.

I think mostly, it is best kept out of character, and the GM is better off not introducing situations that expose the mechanical workings of the game world like that.

[phlapjack77]

When she is invited to join a group, how does she explain that she does not have enough Karma? When she is asked to participate in a group initiation, how does she explain that she needs to accumulate 4 more Karma?

How does she know that she is 4 Karma short of what she needs, rather than 2 Karma short? Does she know how Karma is earned? How does she discuss the need to earn Karma? Is that even a valid concept?

I think you could handle it by separating the role-playing aspect from the actual rules aspect.

If a character wants to join a group, I'd say let them join, if all role-playing aspects align. The character, rules-wise, wouldn't gain access to any perks from the group until the required Karma has been earned.

Same way I would play learning a new skill. Characters should train and use the skills the player (rules-wise) wants to improve. It shouldn't just be "Oh hey my char. has 4 karma, he'll go train in Pistols for a week". It should be more of a continual training / use of Pistols, then when enough Karma is earned, the player can raise the relevant skill level.

[Midas]

I think phlapjack has nailed it on the head. Karma is very much a metagame concept, and would almost certainly not be known of as such by PCs.

The character can "join" the initiatory group, but will not get the benefits until they have amassed enough "life experience" to "put into" the group and bond with them. Similarly for group initiations, the character may "not feel ready" for the ritual, or the group leader might tell them that they are not ready to take that next step just yet. Bonding a focus would be the same - the character might spend months meditating on the thing, then boom, when sufficient karma has been amassed and spent by the player, the focus is bonded and active.

I like phlapjack's analogy with skills - characters are constantly practicing and honing their skills, but if the player spends the karma and the character takes the instruction, he/she suddenly makes that breakthrough which takes his/her skill (or attribute) up a rank.

[TheOOB]

Alternately... much as I would wish for Karma to be purely a game mechanic, the fact that you can deal with free spirits and barter Karma with them means that it is a tangible thing in the game, although it still probably wouldn't be called Karma (unless the magician came from an Eastern magical tradition). The mage would say that he doesn't have the mystic whatever (ki, karma, wisdom, etc.) that is needed for the ritual yet.

Karma is defiantly not tangible. In the game world, a spirit deal would probablly call for draining life force, or spirit, or potential, or even call it karma. The effects, as the characters understand it, would likely be like taking a little bit of their destiny, people who lose too much tend to be stagnant, maybe even listless or lacking motivation.

[De Badd Ass]

I think you could handle it by separating the role-playing aspect from the actual rules aspect.

If a character wants to join a group, I'd say let them join, if all role-playing aspects align. The character, rules-wise, wouldn't gain access to any perks from the group until the required Karma has been earned.

I like that answer. I am going to try it.

Thanks!!!