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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sheadunne" data-source="post: 6209237" data-attributes="member: 27570">I was under the impression that the bluff on the drake was used to effect the chamberlain. In indie-play it is the intention of the action that matters, not the results of the action. Success in that roll was that the chamberlain was further convinced, rather than that the drake was bluffed. Another similar type of action would be if Character A was trying to sneak over the wall while Character B was distracting the guard by dancing the jig. Character B rolls Perform: Dance against a set DC (perhaps based on level as in 4e). Success for Character B is that Character A makes it over the wall unnoticed, not whether the guard enjoyed the dance or not. You seem to be focused on both the Drake and the Guard, rather than where the spotlight is, on the Chamberlain and Character A. You want the Drake and the Guard to both have the spotlight since both the Rogue's and Character B's actions were rolled against them. That's not the case in indie-play. Both the Drake and the Guard are means to an end, not the end itself. Whether the Drake or the Guard will ever be in the spotlight will depend on whether or not the PCs want to draw them into it. Otherwise, they're quite meaningless beyond the scene. Disposable props for the bigger story of the PCs.I can certainly see your desire to have every character, creature, entity in the world have meaning beyond just a prop in an encounter, but that just seems like doing unnecessary work. Why make the effort if it isn't needed. I'm with you though on the desire to do it. I do it myself. I'm just not finding any real payoff at this stage in my gaming life. I want less work with greater payoff. I'm tired of 80/20 and want a little more 20/80. If I can get three sessions worth of backstory downloaded in one 40 minute scene, you bet I'm going to investigate the style and see how I can integrate elements into my play. I'm busier now  than ever in my life and anything that can keep the action flowing without a sacrifice of the other elements of gaming that I enjoy is my goal. The question is, does it get at the other elements of gaming that you enjoy? If you're not sure, then  this is a perfect opportunity to explicitly ask those questions. Is there a loss to moral and personal conflict in the that mode of play? Are there issues with world consistency. Are there ways to put more focus on those aspects without a loss of other aspects of the style? Does the style balance character concepts and mechanics in a way that doesn't require DM arbitration? Does the style require me to relinquish control, when it's something that I enjoy as part of the process of gaming? (Power is not a bad thing. It's a great motivator for people who have it as a goal in both professional and personal lives. I myself enjoy the power associated with being a DM. But indie-style plays requires a relinquishing of that as a motivator to DM.)</blockquote>

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