Re: [DL] persuading against the odds

[Spacedog <spacedog2@xoommail.com>]

Phadris@aol.com wrote:
 > Pat writes:
 > 
 > > If teh player says, "I persudae the Agent" I 
don't care if
 > > he rolls 167, it ain't happening!  If he RPs 
a nice little
 > > exchange, though, I'd let a few things 
slip.  Nothing
 > 
 > Hmm … this has become a peeve of mine, one 
who's resolution I'm not 
 > completely clear on what I want to see.  But 
my current thinking goes like 
 > this:
 > 
 > You want to ride a horse, you roll some dice.
 > 
 > You want to draw and fire a gun, you roll some 
dice.
 > 
 > You want to climb a rope carrying a ten-pound 
sledge in one hand and a 
 > shotgun in your mouth, then do a dismount Lara 
Croft would envy, you roll 
 > some dice.

These are all actions that can not really be 
roleplayed. The persusaion, intimidation, tale 
telling all can be roleplayed out.

 > But you want to smooth-talk your way into an 
awkward situation, it seems a 
 > lot of Marshals (refs, game masters, what have 
you) expect you to come up 
 > with a compelling argument that you present 
instantly, eloquently, and 
 > completely in character.
 > 
 > Now … I'm not an expert gambler, but I might 
play one in my game.  I'm not a 
 > fire-and-brimstone minister, but I might play 
one in my game.  Sometimes I 
 > play characters that are spiritually or 
mentally better at something than I 
 > am (and maybe even, dare I say it, smarter 
than I am), and I'd like to think 
 > the dice LET me explore these fantasies 
without me needing to become that 
 > character.
 > 
 > I know, it's boring as hell to see someone say 
"I smooth talk him.  I rolled 
 > 167."  It's exciting to see someone so 
completely in character that everyone 
 > wants to throw white chips at his feet.  But … 
not all the players are this 
 > compelling, this engaging, this dynamic.  
Maybe a successful high die roll 
 > should let a player sit back a moment and come 
up with his compelling 
 > argument.  Maybe he should be able to stumble 
his way through an explanation, 
 > and the high die roll should induce the 
Marshal to think of how this might 
 > work if the character were saying it a little 
bit more charmingly.
 
I will let my player roll the dice but when the 
person is ont very willling I want them to come 
up with what they said. The better the roll the 
less specific but they have to know wht they were 
going to say. 
One time I had a player give a great tale to the 
town of what the evil was but then botched the 
roll. The player came up with a quick explantion 
since his pants had been on fire people were 
starting at what was hanging out of his backside 
so they ignored his words at first until he said 
something along the ways "um there was this bad 
thing and we killed it"

Spacedog

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