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The Thrills of Skills
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<blockquote data-quote="JoshDemers" data-source="post: 6133479" data-attributes="member: 6746063"><p>I've been thinking a lot about skills recently. I'm working on a system in which the players give marks to the obstacles. It could be marks of bleeding (vs goblins) or progress (vs difficult terrain); there are nine kinds of marks total, three physical, three social, and three based on the environment. When the players think they have enough marks on something, they challenge an aspect of the obstacle, like a goblin's strength, or the clinging mud of a swamp. The target number is the number of marks given, modified by the strength of the challenged aspect. It works really well, but there is a hitch: how to deliver the marks? I've tried specific skills, but because the game doesn't have an open-ended application of skills, that can be VERY limiting. On the other hand, when I go broad (like having a "Fighting" skill), everyone essentially becomes the same character.</p><p></p><p>Some of my players are fine with the broad skills - they get to narrate whatever they like, and as long as they are staying true to the character, no problem. But my other players feel like they want more of a guide, a limitation on the character sheet that tells them what they can, and more importantly, what they <em>can't </em>do. </p><p></p><p>Right now, I'm trying to find a way to provide specific skills so my players feel like they have definition of character without losing a player's ability to contribute in every situation. It's very tricky!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JoshDemers, post: 6133479, member: 6746063"] I've been thinking a lot about skills recently. I'm working on a system in which the players give marks to the obstacles. It could be marks of bleeding (vs goblins) or progress (vs difficult terrain); there are nine kinds of marks total, three physical, three social, and three based on the environment. When the players think they have enough marks on something, they challenge an aspect of the obstacle, like a goblin's strength, or the clinging mud of a swamp. The target number is the number of marks given, modified by the strength of the challenged aspect. It works really well, but there is a hitch: how to deliver the marks? I've tried specific skills, but because the game doesn't have an open-ended application of skills, that can be VERY limiting. On the other hand, when I go broad (like having a "Fighting" skill), everyone essentially becomes the same character. Some of my players are fine with the broad skills - they get to narrate whatever they like, and as long as they are staying true to the character, no problem. But my other players feel like they want more of a guide, a limitation on the character sheet that tells them what they can, and more importantly, what they [I]can't [/I]do. Right now, I'm trying to find a way to provide specific skills so my players feel like they have definition of character without losing a player's ability to contribute in every situation. It's very tricky! [/QUOTE]
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