[UA] [OT] Non-UA Rules Wankery

[Scott John]

Some thoughts:

Depending on _what_ you're trying to do, there might be a couple of ways to
succeed.

Take, for example, the extended task ... let's use picking a lock as our
example.

The number of matches could equal the time that picking the lock takes - the
more matches you have, the shorter the time it takes.

The value of the match indicates the level of the complexity you've coped
with - a medieval lock might only need you to roll a target number of a 3,
while a Yale lock might need a target number of a 6.

So, if, with my lockpicking of 4 dice, I rolled 3,3, 6, 10 I have
successfully picked the yale lock, but only with one time-success.  However,
had I been picking a simple medieval lock, I'd have not only managed, but
also have picked it faster than usual.

Summary - this could be a useful mechanic if you're looking at two possible
_different_ measurements from a roll - in combat it could be "to hit" and
"damage" (Much like UA uses the same percentile roll to work out both these
stats).  In Extended tasks it's difficulty and time taken.  

Does that help?

john

> ----------
> From: 	Gregory Paul Stolze
> Reply To: 	ua at lists.uchicago.edu
> Sent: 	Tuesday, June 13, 2000 4:34 pm
> To: 	UA at lists.uchicago.edu
> Subject: 	[UA] [OT] Non-UA Rules Wankery
> 
> Okay, this has NOTHING to do with UA, but since you're all a self-selected
> group of gamers and the level of conversation here is generally so very
> high, I thought I'd tap the talent and bounce a rules mechanic idea in its
> formative stages off you.
> 
> Basically, what I'm toying with is a variation on the standard pool of
> d10s, just like WW and AEG.  Only instead of aiming for a target number,
> you hope that your dice match.  So if you roll 5d10 and get 1, 3, 3, 3, 9,
> that's a success because you got three dice the same.  If you got 1, 2, 5,
> 6, 10, that's a fail because none of them match.
> 
> So far it passes the sniff test because you don't need to do any addition,
> subtraction or multiplication on the fly.  However, it does create an
> interesting situation because there are two ways to succeed.
> 
> One is to have larger matches -- for instance, four dice the same instead
> of two.  The other is to have matches with bigger numbers -- two tens
> instead of two ones.
> 
> This is a complication.  Pointless complications are bad.  Complications
> that DO something are good.  So, how do I make it possible to succeed in
> more than one way with the same roll?  Any bright ideas?
> 
> -G.
> It's an honor just to be nominated.
> 
> http://www.thehungersite.com/index.html
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> UA mailing list
> UA at lists.uchicago.edu
> http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua
> 
> 

_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.uchicago.edu
http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua