Re: (TFT) Blane & SJ

[Prophesor <prophesor@yahoo.com>]

> >This is unfair.
> 
> Prophesor,
>      Welcome to the news group.  I haven't seen any of your
> posts before.  

You most definitely have.  :)

> You'll have to excuse us if we get carried away.  Some of
> these discussions 
> have been going on for four years.  If you don't mind, I would
> like to 
> lampoon you a little bit.  Just a bit of hazing to initiate
> you.

Since you missed it on the first pass, I guess I have it
coming...


>      "Unfair!?"  Hahahaha.  What.  Are you new to role
> playing?  Sounds kind 
> of whinny.  So HAVE you ever had a character killed before. 
> Just asking.  

Ah...  Thank you, Sir!  May I have another?


> Oh, by the way, what's up with the spelling of that name. 
> Prophesor.  Isn't 
> it spelled with an "F".  Or is that a new position where one
> tells the 
> future.

It's a new StarFleet position.  I'm responsible for predicting
the outcome of the episode before the third commercial.  Saves a
lot of time.  :)

Now, if I've been properly hazed, I'll unmask.  This is Thorn,
formerly edt@dopey.ne.mediaone.net, forced to flee as dopey, nay
all of ne.mediaone.net, was crushed beneath attbi's jackbooted
heel.  I thought I'd sent the list and, a lot of you
individually, a change of address notice.

I'm a veteran, if not quite 'old guard'.

So anyway, to keep on topic, I think that if some newbie nebish
(named Mann Straw) takes Diplomacy, Sex Appeal, and New
Followers, and proceeds to actively (and badly) approach comely
females with an eye toward establishing himself as a pimp, he
will indeed succeed or fail based on how entertaining the
situation is.  That's the game of it.

But, if a different Mr. (Guy) Straw found he had no idea what to
say, no idea what to do, in response to some situation not of
the player's instigation, and if Mr. G. Straw's character had a
skill pertinent to the situation, I would feel that I had a duty
to fulfill the character sheet contract (nice phrase, that), and
allow success (of some degree) as a default.  If Guy has no idea
how to swim, and Guy's PC took swimming, the PC can swim.  Same
for forge a sword out of iron, if Armorer.  Same for manage to
avoid angering a likely enemy, if Diplomat.

Now, Guy can still drown.  He can still forge a worthless blade,
even burn his forge down.  He can still insult that foreign
prince.  But if he's about to do any of those things, due to the
_player_ not knowing any better...

"I'm going to fill my mouth with water, so I have to breathe
through my nose.", Guy Straw might say, "The Apache ran for
miles that way, I should be able to swim better that way, too."

Then I as GM would feel I had to make a choice.  A) Inform Guy I
don't think that would work well, and allow him not to take that
action.  B) Let him take the action (perhaps after A), and
penalize his chances.  C) Let him take the action, and ignore
the downside, since it _could_ work... for an Apache.  D) Tell
Guy that his PC knows better, and having Swimming, doesn't do it
that way.

I'd go with A+B, and not feel it was bullying.  I could see D. 
I think B, by itself, is bullying.  I think A+C is overly
indulging, and C without A simply surreal.

All IMHO, of course.

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