[UA] Mundanity

[Stuart Anderson]

Will wrote:

> Sounds like an interesting idea for a Room of Renunciation for people who
> had a real ego problem. "So you think you're so _superior_? Let me please prove
> you wrong".
>
> Basically the entrance would be from a road that leads to nowhere ("I never get
> lost, I can't get lost, I don't need a map"). Then you end up there, and begin
> your "therapy".

That may have been what I was going for with the Roanoke thing. Interesting
observation. I hadn't thought of the Renunciation angle. Roanoke's one of my
favorite stories. I like to use it as sort of a faerie ring for pirates and other
unfortunates to wander into. Maybe I'll reintroduce the idea. The new party has to
go to Haiti by way of Miami. How's about I drop a little Bermuda Triangle thread to
be picked up later.  I'll have to dress it up a little, so it's not *so* cliché.
Hmmm

> One last thing I'd like to point out: average != 50%
> I think that if you take the average level of people in surgery, you'll get
> something very very low.

The dice thing was just a gimmick for the players to realize that nothing was going
to happen more that a few points either way of their ability level. They couldn't
try any Hail Marys or lucky shots (nor did they have to worry about being snake bit
by the dice), because luck itself was dampened. I wanted them to feel stifled by
their actual abilities, which they did. It was doubly unusual, since I never play
that way. I'm one of your more storiented (you like that word? I made it up.) GMs.
But I never explained or acknowledged anything unusual, I just nonchalantly put the
"tens" die in my shirt pocket and let them go on playing. Whenever I do anything
hinky with the rules, the players are immediately antsy and guarded, even
if--especially if--the situation seems safe. That's kind of what I was going for,
The insidious danger of safety.
--Stu


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