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<blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 6722858" data-attributes="member: 6787650"><p>Okay, here's my thoughts on Courtney Campbell's product:</p><p></p><p>1.) It is excellent and inspiring. I will certainly use it in my games, though naturally I will tweak it. It is exactly what I want to make 5E more than just a combat simulator--it provides a framework which empowers players to act along multiple dimensions without requiring <em>personal</em> social skill at the activities being described. I had forgotten until now how much I missed AD&D Reaction Rolls.</p><p></p><p>2.) I especially loved the "What are they doing right now?" tables for monsters. I've struggled to come up with good openings, especially for random encounters. "The hobgoblins are scattered around the cave, sharpening their weapons. One of them looks up at you. How do you approach them? (Hostile/neutral/friendly stance?)"</p><p></p><p>3.) I don't love the 5E cheat sheet. I think I will leave the results on 2d6, if I can work out a way to integrate Charisma/etc. checks. The reason: the results of social interactions are often phrased in terms of their effects on future interactions within the same encounter, but a d20 is so flat relative to 2d6 that you don't get a proper bell curve effect, and so the results don't compound properly--on a bell curve, the value of +2 is relatively consistent no matter where you are on the curve, so the effect of something like "you offered me food" is relatively smooth and comprehensible and combines multiplicatively with other effects like "you also chatted with me for a while and now I'm in a good mood." On a d20, on the other hand, the variance is too high and the optimal strategy might be "cut to the chase and make multiple Demands before your luck runs out." I will consider using the 5E cheat sheet modifiers, but rolling the Charisma checks on 2d10 or 3d6 instead of 1d20, in order to provide a proper bell curve.</p><p></p><p>4.) The product is excellent for social combat, and has some good terminology (monsters vs. NPCs vs. agents) that I can steal for larger plots, and also some good advice RE: arguments and gating. But I'll have to do some more work separately if I want to model political struggles like the ones going on in my game right now, and I'll probably wind up doing some kind of Status Points-based thing instead. This is a product for small-scale encounters, it's not designed for large-scale or long-term effects.</p><p></p><p>5.) Did I mention how much I love this product? It makes me realize anew how shallow 5E's social pillar is, while also reminding me of ways to fix that. I look forward to using it at the table, even though making Charisma useful in social interactions as well as combat will make bardlocks even more overpowered than they already are. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="FormerlyHemlock, post: 6722858, member: 6787650"] Okay, here's my thoughts on Courtney Campbell's product: 1.) It is excellent and inspiring. I will certainly use it in my games, though naturally I will tweak it. It is exactly what I want to make 5E more than just a combat simulator--it provides a framework which empowers players to act along multiple dimensions without requiring [I]personal[/I] social skill at the activities being described. I had forgotten until now how much I missed AD&D Reaction Rolls. 2.) I especially loved the "What are they doing right now?" tables for monsters. I've struggled to come up with good openings, especially for random encounters. "The hobgoblins are scattered around the cave, sharpening their weapons. One of them looks up at you. How do you approach them? (Hostile/neutral/friendly stance?)" 3.) I don't love the 5E cheat sheet. I think I will leave the results on 2d6, if I can work out a way to integrate Charisma/etc. checks. The reason: the results of social interactions are often phrased in terms of their effects on future interactions within the same encounter, but a d20 is so flat relative to 2d6 that you don't get a proper bell curve effect, and so the results don't compound properly--on a bell curve, the value of +2 is relatively consistent no matter where you are on the curve, so the effect of something like "you offered me food" is relatively smooth and comprehensible and combines multiplicatively with other effects like "you also chatted with me for a while and now I'm in a good mood." On a d20, on the other hand, the variance is too high and the optimal strategy might be "cut to the chase and make multiple Demands before your luck runs out." I will consider using the 5E cheat sheet modifiers, but rolling the Charisma checks on 2d10 or 3d6 instead of 1d20, in order to provide a proper bell curve. 4.) The product is excellent for social combat, and has some good terminology (monsters vs. NPCs vs. agents) that I can steal for larger plots, and also some good advice RE: arguments and gating. But I'll have to do some more work separately if I want to model political struggles like the ones going on in my game right now, and I'll probably wind up doing some kind of Status Points-based thing instead. This is a product for small-scale encounters, it's not designed for large-scale or long-term effects. 5.) Did I mention how much I love this product? It makes me realize anew how shallow 5E's social pillar is, while also reminding me of ways to fix that. I look forward to using it at the table, even though making Charisma useful in social interactions as well as combat will make bardlocks even more overpowered than they already are. :) [/QUOTE]
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