Post by gaptooth on Dec 1, 2021 1:09:31 GMT -5
One thing I noticed pretty rapidly was my fluency in setting Saving Roll levels on the fly has atrophied through lack of use.
My last few T&T seasons, I adopted the standard that the Saving Roll level for any given task was the current dungeon level (or equivalent "threat level" of the area)—except when Saving Roll levels were given by specific rules, such as the missile chart or certain spells. That communicated a more palpable sense of danger when delving into deeper dungeon layers, and freed my mind from choosing arbitrary target numbers.
And most of the games I've been running in between T&T have not used open-ended or arbitrary target numbers at all.
But our MSPE play prompted Saving Rolls left and right, whenever the players wanted to use their skills in a risky situation—which was just about every single beat. I felt a little naked just choosing arbitrary target numbers in the 1st to 3rd level range.
This isn't a problem, just an surprising subjective response.
Another thing that came up is I found a place where my psi rules would lead to a sucky outcome, and I fudged a die roll for the first time in 20+ years. Finding snags was bound to happen with playtesting!
The problem came from a combination of factors which exposed an area of sloppy thinking in the way I wrote Mind Control. (All discussion of Mind Control here presumes that no one is going to use Mind Control in a way that abuses our social and personal boundaries.)
Factor #1: Any telepath can use Mind Control untrained, but they have to spend Strength equal to the Basic Telepathy skill level it requires. For Mind Control, that's 9 Strength! A hefty amount for a fresh character, but I'm happy with that.
Factor #2: Mind Control requires the telepath to make a Saving Roll vs the target's Mind Shield to make a Mind Link in order to break in. (If the target doesn't have Mind Shield skill, that would be a level 0 Saving Roll.) This is pretty much a gimme for the telepath.
Factor #3: "Any time you give them a command that contradicts their interests, the target gets an IQ Saving Roll vs. your Mind Control skill level to resist." Giving them commands that contradict their interest is the main use case for Mind Control, right? Otherwise, you could try to persuade them.
What I neglected to consider was that Factor #3 could be combined with #1, when the telepath is untrained in Mind Control. That would mean the target's Saving Roll to resist all commands would be level 0—even after the telepath spent 9 Strength to activate it.
That didn't seem fair when it came up in game. So I discarded the target's Saving Roll to resist, giving the player one command "for free".
I have a bunch of thoughts on how to fix it, and most involve simplifying it so that there are fewer, more dramatic rules interactions. I may post more here when I have an actual draft.
My last few T&T seasons, I adopted the standard that the Saving Roll level for any given task was the current dungeon level (or equivalent "threat level" of the area)—except when Saving Roll levels were given by specific rules, such as the missile chart or certain spells. That communicated a more palpable sense of danger when delving into deeper dungeon layers, and freed my mind from choosing arbitrary target numbers.
And most of the games I've been running in between T&T have not used open-ended or arbitrary target numbers at all.
But our MSPE play prompted Saving Rolls left and right, whenever the players wanted to use their skills in a risky situation—which was just about every single beat. I felt a little naked just choosing arbitrary target numbers in the 1st to 3rd level range.
This isn't a problem, just an surprising subjective response.
Another thing that came up is I found a place where my psi rules would lead to a sucky outcome, and I fudged a die roll for the first time in 20+ years. Finding snags was bound to happen with playtesting!
The problem came from a combination of factors which exposed an area of sloppy thinking in the way I wrote Mind Control. (All discussion of Mind Control here presumes that no one is going to use Mind Control in a way that abuses our social and personal boundaries.)
Factor #1: Any telepath can use Mind Control untrained, but they have to spend Strength equal to the Basic Telepathy skill level it requires. For Mind Control, that's 9 Strength! A hefty amount for a fresh character, but I'm happy with that.
Factor #2: Mind Control requires the telepath to make a Saving Roll vs the target's Mind Shield to make a Mind Link in order to break in. (If the target doesn't have Mind Shield skill, that would be a level 0 Saving Roll.) This is pretty much a gimme for the telepath.
Factor #3: "Any time you give them a command that contradicts their interests, the target gets an IQ Saving Roll vs. your Mind Control skill level to resist." Giving them commands that contradict their interest is the main use case for Mind Control, right? Otherwise, you could try to persuade them.
What I neglected to consider was that Factor #3 could be combined with #1, when the telepath is untrained in Mind Control. That would mean the target's Saving Roll to resist all commands would be level 0—even after the telepath spent 9 Strength to activate it.
That didn't seem fair when it came up in game. So I discarded the target's Saving Roll to resist, giving the player one command "for free".
I have a bunch of thoughts on how to fix it, and most involve simplifying it so that there are fewer, more dramatic rules interactions. I may post more here when I have an actual draft.
) and you are in Pulp territory right out of the box!