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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ammulder" data-source="post: 6968010" data-attributes="member: 6864710">It would be interesting to have more elaborate mechanics around social interactions.But I'm not sure the system as proposed leads to reasonable results in the general case.It just doesn't account for things such as rank, social class, respect, honor, racism or similar hostility toward certain backgrounds, setting, membership in the same guild or faction, good or bad moods that day, and etc.An example: you're an adventurer.  You manage to somehow get invited to (or sneak into) the Duke's ball.  The Duke has information you require.  You can't Intimidate him (he's the Duke), you can't Investigate during the brief amount of conversation he'll tolerate from you without actually, you know, doing the Investigation beforehand.  Can't Persuade him because he's just not open to that from peons (unless, again, you've done a lot of legwork in advance).  Even if Insight reveals something, were you to try to take advantage of it, he'd typically just have the guards throw you out.  That leaves Deception... which might be workable, but I'm not convinced it's best represented as a series of attacks and ripostes until the Duke finally succumbs to your fake story or... or what, humiliates you before the other nobility?  Really the danger is that he loses patience and turns away from you, and that doesn't seem like one of the attacks or maneuvers on offer (you can add it, I suppose).  So...  it may be great to have a rule set like this for a set-piece encounter like you described.  But I would have a hard time using it for general-purpose social interactions.It seems like there really ARE situations that are closer to a spot decision (whether it actually involves a roll or not).  The best way to handle the Duke might well be to do your investigation or similar legwork ahead of time.  Then when you get your brief moment of face time, give him your best pitch.  ("By the way, did you know your estranged daughter has actually been kidnapped?").  And if for any reason it fails, you don't get to try a different angle and succeed.  ("Oh, you knew.  Well, give me the information anyway or I'll take your other daughter.")But... maybe you were only proposing it for the one-shot?  In which case, even if I argue that it's not that realistic, it may be a reasonable enough abstraction and if it ends up being fun, good enough?</blockquote>

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