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General Tabletop Discussion
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Social Pillar Mechanics: Where do you stand?
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<blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 9287341" data-attributes="member: 11"><p>For D&D (leaving aside other games), I let the player take the lead on whether they want to do some first-person role-play followed by a skill roll or if they just want to narrate what they say/do to me and then they make a roll. Either way, the gist of the argument (persuasion has an obvious argument, but intimidation and deception are making an argument of a sort as well) and the goal in making that argument needs to be clearly defined by the player before a roll can be made and the results are adjudicated.</p><p></p><p>I do tend to use a "fail-forward" approach in these kinds of rolls, where near misses can lead to interesting alternate outcomes that are not out and out failures - though a very poor roll or a very poor reading of the situation leading to a poor choice in that means and goal can still lead to out-and-out failure.</p><p></p><p>There are certain outcomes that, no matter what the roll, are unlikely to be achieved by certain means - so laying out those means and outcomes is really important. "I'm going to convince the king to make me his heir" is not something that is going to result from a single interaction/discussion - so even an "impossible" DC is not gonna do that (though it would/could get the ball rolling). "I'm going to convince the king I am an important dignitary from neighboring country and should be treated as an honored guest" on the other hand would be very doable - with the gist of how they are doing this part of the either role-played or narrated interaction.</p><p></p><p>Edit to add: The idea of "social combat" does not appeal to me at all (for D&D anyway).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="el-remmen, post: 9287341, member: 11"] For D&D (leaving aside other games), I let the player take the lead on whether they want to do some first-person role-play followed by a skill roll or if they just want to narrate what they say/do to me and then they make a roll. Either way, the gist of the argument (persuasion has an obvious argument, but intimidation and deception are making an argument of a sort as well) and the goal in making that argument needs to be clearly defined by the player before a roll can be made and the results are adjudicated. I do tend to use a "fail-forward" approach in these kinds of rolls, where near misses can lead to interesting alternate outcomes that are not out and out failures - though a very poor roll or a very poor reading of the situation leading to a poor choice in that means and goal can still lead to out-and-out failure. There are certain outcomes that, no matter what the roll, are unlikely to be achieved by certain means - so laying out those means and outcomes is really important. "I'm going to convince the king to make me his heir" is not something that is going to result from a single interaction/discussion - so even an "impossible" DC is not gonna do that (though it would/could get the ball rolling). "I'm going to convince the king I am an important dignitary from neighboring country and should be treated as an honored guest" on the other hand would be very doable - with the gist of how they are doing this part of the either role-played or narrated interaction. Edit to add: The idea of "social combat" does not appeal to me at all (for D&D anyway). [/QUOTE]
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