Recent content by Micah Sweet

Then why are there rules about determining motives, or interacting socially with other characters at all, if the players can just override the results if they don't agree? If I want the characters to believe a lie, it's because none of them saw through it, using the rules of the setting in...

I'm fond of sword and planet myself.

Right, but the character thinks that in an RPG, based on the input from the setting they receive, not the player. And your plot point comment only works if you're trying to tell a specific story. Obvious we don't all do that.

Today's episode was, for me, one of the powerful, emotionally meaningful pieces of television I've ever seen. It resonates with me personally. The Doctor has always been my favorite Star Trek character since I first encountered him back in the 90s. On this show, they've clearly been building...

This I agree with. I always prefer breaks with reality to be specifically called out, both in fiction and in games. Once you've done that, you can make all kinds of supplemental breaks that follow, and have a foundation on which to do so. You can also have wild, improbable things happen so long...

Seriously. That's IMO a very hot take.

Maybe I'd be more convinced if you used a less hyperbolic (dare I say more realistic?) example case. Realism and verisimilitude is a spectrum, not a binary. Chucking it as you suggest because you can't truly get there is throwing the baby out with the bathwater as far as I'm concerned. But...

I prefer option 1. If skills are to some degree interelated, and proficiency in one expects some amount of proficiency in related skills, let the game reflect that. Create skill groups that provide proficiency, but also include the ability to specialize for enhanced effect. Of course, you had...

I prefer narrow skills provided the costs to acquire them are reasonable. It's all about setting logic to me.

That's how it is here in the US too. My wife just started a business and she needed to provide a physical address to the government.

I grew up in that same era, but at least back then I had a good group of friends who were on board with the same playstyle. It wasn't the community giving my preferences a hard time. And I don't see WotC's enormous revenue stream (relative to the industry) and vast popularity over other RPG...

Fair enough, but to each their own. I like hexcrawls, and subsystems, and I'm fine with complexity if it adds depth. I see abstraction as a thing I have to do sometimes for practical play, not a goal.

We can only hope. I want Sim to make a comeback! Tired of people archly telling me how unpopular my playstyle is.

But more episodes at a stretch before having to wait a year or more. To each their own.

I like the idea that most results are near the middle of the distribution. Feels more realistic for most actions. But if there's some specific activity where that's not the case, I'm happy with making an exception for it. That's what subsystems are for. I love subsystems!