DQ in its former, current and future guises works.

There are many positive aspects for me. 
The 13 week commitment is one - though now I rarely can commit for that
The guild meetings where the exploits of characters are celebrated - not just forgotten
The freshness of a new GM - or one you haven't played with before - or new characters where we have to demonstrate yet again who our characters are.
The rapport of a repeat GM, and repeat players that we can build on our histories
The 'detailed' continent of Alusia
New planes of existance where we are unknown


There are many more - each with a positive opposite

We can argue which is more important for ourselves.
We can argue what makes the glass half full
Or half empty.

OR we can choose to look carefully at the glass, and recognise that it is completely full.

Sure it would be wonderful if everything happened at the guild meeting. But not all of us can be there, and it will happen that people choose to play together consistently. I feel they are trading freshness for certainty, and I think a ballance is required for maximise one's benefit of the guild.

Perhaps it is enough to have brought it to people's attention. Obviously it is causing some alarm, and a objective risk monitoring is warranted. If alarm bells continue to go off, we need a solution that enhances the game - can't think of one off-hand.

hopefully I have made the point obvious.

Ian

> 
> From: Martin Dickson <martind@peace.com>
> Date: 2003/03/04 Tue PM 04:00:33 GMT+13:00
> To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz
> Subject: Re: [dq] A point of order / etiquette on signing up for Adventures
> 
> Andrew Withy (DSL AK) wrote:
> 
> >The strength
> >of DQ is that it is multi-GM, with interaction between different sorts of
> >players - even those you may not normally mix with. This swapping of players
> >and GMs helps keep the campaign involved, complex and fresh.
> >
> Hi Andrew,
> 
> IMHO the strength that DQ derives from being multi-GM is not so much the 
> wide player interation (though this is a benefit) but rather because it 
> mitigates GM burn out (and retirement, relocation, etc).  Most single GM 
> games end because the GM stops GM-ing, not because the players get fed 
> up with one another.  With DQ one can decide to only GM every 6 months, 
> or even less frequently, and the players still have games.
> 
> If anything, the down-side of DQ is that swapping GMs leads to the 
> common complaint of inconsistent history and PC/world interation. (This 
> GM knows your PC has deep connections with Barony Blah and works in into 
> the story, that GM has never heard of the place and knows nothing of 
> your PC's past).
> 
> Swapping players works better for some stories than for others. 
>  Stories/adventures that are essentially disconnected, or episodic work 
> well for parties with little common history with either the GM or each 
> other; continuing story arcs work better when the player pool changes 
> less -- and trying to bring a new player up to speed with a story with a 
> lot of history may even be an unreasonable burden on the player (just 
> thinking of 12 pages of history I dumped on you, Sally and Jeff before 
> you went to Terranova).  :-)
> 
> I'm not disagreeing that mixing players/swapping GMs is a bad thing -- 
> just that it is more appropriate some times than others.
> 
> Regards,
> Martin
> 
> -- 
> 
>  _/_/  Peace Software International     Email: martin.dickson@peace.com
> _/     Martin Dickson                   Phone: +64-9-373-0400
>        Senior Analyst                   Fax  : +64-9-373-0401
> 
> 
> -- to unsubscribe notify mailto:dq-request@dq.sf.org.nz --
>


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It is for the reason given below that I wish some 'social combat' numbers, rather than having to voice how a 'socially inept' player guides a 'socialite' through a manipulation etc. (I like the exclusion of intelligence from the DQ character stats as I am yet to hear of a credible mechanism for a moron to think like a genius.)

I think Spy, Theif, Assassin, Courtier etc all need numbers as well as skills (perhaps with the codicil that GMs may award +-DMs for clever/complex/stupid plans (so that the adventurous can roleplay for a possible bonus) and the timid stick with the simple numbers)). You could have a very generic system of easy, moderate and difficult task % chances, and note if each sub-kill is easy, moderate etc. and a list of other skill-ettes (couldn't resist).

I would not like to consider how combat would work if we required players to 'voice' the sword blows etc. "I try for a wicked slice along the arm, only to hit his shield like last time." "I faints high, then stabs 'em low, beneath the shield an' ina knee." "Well, I, whilst whistling the William Tell Overture, ...." Each pulse would lengthen towards a Silverfoam DA question (leaving GM, players and little figures confused).

cheers Ian


> 
> Note to players, now that Spy is a roleplaying skill, not a numbers skill,
> people who are doing a lot of Spy stuff by roleplaying but don't have the
> skill should learn the skill. e.g. in the playtest, an unranked spy used
> more of the spy special abilities more successfully than anyone else and got
> away with it.
> 
> 
> Andrew
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mandos Mitchinson [mailto:mandos@iconz.net] 
> Sent: Wednesday, 26 February 2003 1:37 p.m.
> To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz
> Subject: [dq] Spy and Thief Playtest
> 
> 
> 
> On Williams Game this session we have been playtesting the new Spy and Thief
> Varients.
> 
> So I thought I would give my impressions on the skills.
> 
> Background.
> 
> My Character has Rank 8 in both Skills although she is primarily a Spy.
> 
> Conversion.
> 
> The lack of defined Spy base chances caused some issues to begin with. Some
> of the skills have a number of potential stats that could apply to them
> however picking one that seemed ok worked fine. All of the subskills were
> interesting and it was reasonably hard to reduce it to the appropriate
> number. I suspect this would be easier starting a character from scratch.
> 
> Theif was simpler but it is apparent that 1 skill plus 1 per rank does not
> really work for theif. While it was fine at the higher ranks it would make
> the skill virtually useless at low ranks (sub 3 or 4). Also base chances
> were not included for the effects of the default skills which are required.
> 
> Playing.
> 
> Most of the skills came in handy at some point in the game, teamwork stands
> out as one that does not really work well as a game skill and may need to be
> thought out a little more or removed.
> 
> I certainly felt that even though the skills I chose where as similar as
> possible to the original skills that the new skills gave a greater array of
> options and let to more inventive uses of the skills themselves.
> 
> The skills area knowledge and Spy/Thief Master I do think should not be
> options that are only available by gaining a rank. I think if you have a
> character that has learned an area as part of a game or has set up a Spy
> ring etc these should be added to the number of abilities by a GM.
> 
> All in all I think the new skills add some more options for the characters
> and work very well.
> 
> Spy 9/10
> Thief 7/10
> 
> Mandos
> /s
> 
> 
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>


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> -----Original Message-----
> From: dawnhaven@xtra.co.nz [mailto:dawnhaven@xtra.co.nz]
> Sent: Wednesday, 5 March 2003 1:32 p.m.
> To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz
> Subject: Re: [dq] Spy and Thief Playtest
> 
> I would not like to consider how combat would work if we 
> required players to 'voice' the sword blows etc. "I try for a 
> wicked slice along the arm, only to hit his shield like last 
> time." "I faints high, then stabs 'em low, beneath the shield 
> an' ina knee." 

The combat decorous faint? Do tell more!? It was IE I assume? :-) 

Errol


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Could someone please e-mail me the current versions of the new thief and 
spy that are currently being playtested. I want to make sure I've got the 
right version on file.

Thank you,

Keith.


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> Could someone please e-mail me the current versions of the new thief and
> spy that are currently being playtested. I want to make sure I've got the
> right version on file.

They are on www.dragonquest.org.nz

Mandos
/s


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