Formula of D&D Awesomeness!

[Wileama]

You friend can stay. Might I interest you in some ale and whores?

Seriously though, your idea has potential. However the problem is how do we define furthered? Can the dm simply drop a hint about something? Also we'll need something to take into account how some plots are stupid and total not awesome. I'm sure we've all played at least one game were the DM subjected us to an offal plot idea. I ran into something like this problem last night as I was falling asleep.
Now it's perfectly clear to anyone that this is an objective measurement of a subjective matter. AWESOMENESS can not be directly observed in a quantifiable way. Thus I am working on a formula to infer a quantifiable amount of AWESOMENESS though other quantifiable values. Here's the snag that occurred to me last night though. How am I going to measure the seriousness and silly of games? I can't throw in a value of how well developed characters are. Also the math is giving me nightmares before I put pencil to paper!
I see a three types: really funny games, really serious games, and games that strike a balance between the two. What happens if you have a game thats simultaneously really silly and really serious? To much of each and i feel like the they cancel each other out. We're as if the game is kinda of silly and kinda of serious then their isn't to much canceling. So how in the world am I going to describe that mathematically? Do you think I'm wrong? Can a game be ridiculous silly, and sternly serious with out canceling each other out?
While you think about that let me bring you up to speed on where the formula stands. Last night I managed to drag Thomas Hobbes into his first serious discussion about the formula. He made the suggestion that I use EL instead of the number of creatures on each side. I whole heartedly agree with him. So as result E and A from the combat formula are
now measured in EL instead of raw numbers.

Also I've started thinking of a list of variables for the out of game experience formula:

1. Drinks consumed (liters)
2. Snacks Consumed (grams)
3. Length of game sessions (hours)
4. Time between game sessions (days)
5. Number of breaks
6. Average length of breaks (hours)
7. Ratio of Male to Female players

Breaks during a game generally break up game play so the break time and number will be combined to create a negative effect. Time between game sessions is something I'm up in the air about. Long breaks between game sessions tends to be detrimental, so I want to say it'll be a negative value. Though I'll do what I can to make a week, your average span between sessions, nothing. However if a year or two spans between games oh man will that affect score. I figure the closer a game gets to being 1:1 between male and female the better. I don't know this is one I really want opinions on. Snacks and Drinks consumed is an upside of the game to me. Can anyone say Cheetos?

Further more I've though up a few more variables for in game experience:

1. Player Deaths
2. Npcs Deaths
3. BBEG Deaths
4. Players Captured
5. Romantic Relationships

Players Captured will be a negatively effecting value. Lets face it when was the last time you had a DM handle that well? I think Romace will be a positive value. The rest is up in the air at the moment, I have to do some more thinking.

Finally expect to see a big change in the way criticals are handled in the combat formula. Also where do you think cohorts and armies the players control should go, combat or in game? Anyway as always I'm asking for feekback. Also I will clarify any questions you have. Thanks!

 

[Goblyn]

You friend can stay. Might I interest you in some ale and whores?

I'll have some of each thanks. I just killed some guy and took his stuff; I have ample loot, aside from the MacGuffin I found, to compensate nicely.

Seriously though, your idea has potential. However the problem is how do we define furthered? Can the dm simply drop a hint about something? Also we'll need something to take into account how some plots are stupid and total not awesome. I'm sure we've all played at least one game were the DM subjected us to an offal plot idea. I ran into something like this problem last night as I was falling asleep.

Well, I was thinking that the deciding of relevant values of the variables would be a group activity involving all who played/DMed(because if One says it was awesome and Another says it sucked, then they kind of cancel each other out).

So, as with furthering plots each instance of this hint, or whatever, would be discussed and the group would decide whether that hint was sufficient to count towards the variable. This would also determine whether the craptacular plots are included.

Thus: Furthered in a noticeable or satisfactory way to those involved. This does not include background plots completely invisible to the players. Such plots do, however, contribute to the total plot amount, T.

 

[ragboy]

The only things I didn't see that push up the Awesomeness level for me are:


1. Number of appropriately inserted out-of-game references/quotes by players from movies, TV, books, etc. (This would have to be a sliding scale of too few, just right and too many.)
2. Number of appropriately inserted in-game callbacks, in-jokes, etc.
3. Length of non-combat interactive role-playing where dice aren't even touched (again a sliding scale)
4. Number of hair's breadth escapes / near-death experiences and otherwise harrowing encounters (sliding scale)

That's all I can think of...