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Help Me Understand the GURPS Design Perspective
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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 7847821" data-attributes="member: 177"><p>Yes. The point is that if you are modeling both characters well, the result <em>isn't a foregone conclusion</em>. Superman doesn't automatically win. Batman has talents of similar fictional weight that could counter Superman's abilities. So, we need to use the mechanic. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Pretty much. </p><p></p><p>In real physics, you do not typically use the same equations at different scales - the model we use on the quantum scale is different from the model we use on the normal human scale, and that's different from the model we use an relativistic scales. But, for some reason, we expect the same rules engine to handle Aunt May and Superman's strength. That's silly.</p><p></p><p>Moreover, when we pay so much attention to <em>physical</em> action, we give short shrift to non-physical things that, in fiction, typically carries a lot of weight. Powers that aren't based in the physics model are undercounted and undervalued. Bruce Wayne's billions are probably only used to determine if he can acquire something expensive in play. Superman doesn't have to think about how his Invulnerability is applied - it is always effective in the instant it becomes relevant. Batman's money, not so much.</p><p></p><p>So, we put a patch on the game engine that is designed to help us resolve physical tasks, to make up for what the model doesn't do well. And gee, you know, patches are never as good as native design to do the same thing.</p><p></p><p>In games like MHRP, there is no patch, because the system isn't designed to be a task-based physics engine. It is more a conflict-based fiction engine, with broad concepts of what can be effective.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 7847821, member: 177"] Yes. The point is that if you are modeling both characters well, the result [I]isn't a foregone conclusion[/I]. Superman doesn't automatically win. Batman has talents of similar fictional weight that could counter Superman's abilities. So, we need to use the mechanic. Pretty much. In real physics, you do not typically use the same equations at different scales - the model we use on the quantum scale is different from the model we use on the normal human scale, and that's different from the model we use an relativistic scales. But, for some reason, we expect the same rules engine to handle Aunt May and Superman's strength. That's silly. Moreover, when we pay so much attention to [I]physical[/I] action, we give short shrift to non-physical things that, in fiction, typically carries a lot of weight. Powers that aren't based in the physics model are undercounted and undervalued. Bruce Wayne's billions are probably only used to determine if he can acquire something expensive in play. Superman doesn't have to think about how his Invulnerability is applied - it is always effective in the instant it becomes relevant. Batman's money, not so much. So, we put a patch on the game engine that is designed to help us resolve physical tasks, to make up for what the model doesn't do well. And gee, you know, patches are never as good as native design to do the same thing. In games like MHRP, there is no patch, because the system isn't designed to be a task-based physics engine. It is more a conflict-based fiction engine, with broad concepts of what can be effective. [/QUOTE]
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