Approaches to RPG Design

[nomotog]

A rule I kind of have is that you can't take control of a PC away from a player. They just hate that. Kind of something I wonder if everyone agrees with or not. You have a lot of implied control take in some games. You know how charm is a spell in D&D.


Something I was pondering. As I am known to ponder is how would you do a techno babble mechanic. Like in star teck, there will be a problem and then they will solve it by doing some kind of science thing (they barely explain). How would you do a system like that in an RPG. I think it's tricky because each solution is unique and not from a list of abilities on a character sheet.

 

[GMMichael]

Techno-babble? Sounds like a great OGRE generator.

Yes, it stinks to not be able to control your character. You can't be a player if you're not playing. However, it's a roleplaying game. If your role is to play someone madly in love with President Putin ('s chest hair), because you've been psionically manipulated, there's no good reason for you to complain as long as your decisions got you there, or your decisions can get you out of it.

 

[nomotog]

Techno-babble? Sounds like a great OGRE generator.

Yes, it stinks to not be able to control your character. You can't be a player if you're not playing. However, it's a roleplaying game. If your role is to play someone madly in love with President Putin ('s chest hair), because you've been psionically manipulated, there's no good reason for you to complain as long as your decisions got you there, or your decisions can get you out of it.

The compromise I kind of have is the DM can say out a charcter feels, but not how they act. Like if you have been psionically manipulated to be in love with putin, then your in love with putin, but it's up to the player to decide how they express that.