Why I Hate Skills

[Bill Zebub]

I suppose I could have titled the thread “What happens if you…” and then described a narrow definition of skill use.

I guess I learned all about clickbait thread titles from zaardnar.

 

[soviet]

Flashbacks!

Well no, time is linear. The only verisimilitudinous explanation is that the relevant knowledge spontaneously appears in the character's brain.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Well no, time is linear. The only verisimilitudinous explanation is that the relevant knowledge spontaneously appears in the character's brain.

But that’s TOO real. I might never be able to return to reality.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Pretty much all knowledge checks in skill-based systems basically acknowledge that a particular character's knowledge is all in a Schrodinger's box state; the check is just when we actually decide to open it.

I do think the check will generally have an in-fiction narration, though; it's the character taking a second to wrack their brain and try to remember a detail. That isn't always applicable, but I think it's pretty common for situations that call for some kind of Lore/Knowledge/Intelligence check.

Would you rather the GM write up/buyl a hundred pages of setting knowledge and give players access to certain parts based of class/background/intelligence/etc. ???

This will also require a system of gaining access to more bits based on PC actions.

 

[pemerton]

When you say clock do you mean it in the OSR "visual progress clock" sense, or does "the game runs on calendars and timelines and appointments and time tracking and encounter / event intervals" count?

I mean some sort of game-regulated countdown or measure that leads to consequences. Eg each action takes a turn, and a torch burns for 4 turns (light clock *); each action takes a turn, and every 4 turns the GM rolls for wandering monsters (*wandering monster clock); each actio takes a turn, and after X turns you get hungry (and so need to eat) and/or tired (and so need to rest) (hunger/exhaustion clock).

The first two sorts of clock are as old as D&D; the third is also found in a clear form in Moldvay Basic. The closest to a dungeon crawler that I play regularly these days is Torchbearer 2e, which has a light clock and a conditions clock.