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Message no. 1
From: "Terry L. Amburgey" <xanth@********.UKY.EDU>
Subject: Increasing Attributes and suspending disbelief
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 11:41:09 -0500
At 01:50 PM 11/20/96 +1000, Bulletshower wrote:
>Hoi all.
>
>I don't know if this thread has been discussed yet, so hopefully I
>won't need an asbestos suit next time ;)
>We have some problems concerning the process of attributes increase.
>There are some attributes which, IOC, can't be raised. These are
>Charisma and Intelligence. While I understand and accept that you
>can become tougher thru exercise (Body), faster thru exercise
>(Quickness), stronger, and more stubborn, I completely fail to
>understand why something like Charisma and Intelligence could be
>increased thru training. Sorry, can't accept that.

I empathize. On the other hand, I always find it ironic when
someone raises 'realism' within the context of RPG's. You can accept
Dragons, and magic but not increases in charisma? :) Consistency
and coherency are nice in a game system but (as someone one the
list once said) if you insist on realism play Pencils and
Paperwork. :) Terry

Terry L. Amburgey Email: xanth@***.uky.edu
Associate Professor Phone: (606) 257-7726
College of Business and Economics Fax: (606) 257-3577
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0034
Message no. 2
From: BulletShower <nmatausc@****.CIP.FAK14.UNI-MUENCHEN.DE>
Subject: Re: Increasing Attributes and suspending disbelief
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 17:57:49 +1000
Hoi.

Terry L. Amburgey <xanth@********.UKY.EDU> said:

> I empathize. On the other hand, I always find it ironic when
> someone raises 'realism' within the context of RPG's. You can accept
> Dragons, and magic but not increases in charisma?

OK, that's easy to explain: you play human or near-human characters,
and give them feelings and emotions that are completely human,
because this is the only background information you can rely on.
To keep it short, we try to play "believable" characters, though they
might be magicians or other non-realistic beings. But charisma is a
conception humans know about, and since we're playing (near) humans
that live in the year 2057, it's OK to stick to human knowledge. All
other, non-realistic aspects are acceptable because they're products
of imagination.

> Consistency
> and coherency are nice in a game system but (as someone one the
> list once said) if you insist on realism play Pencils and
> Paperwork.

:) I like that, P&P, should be a game about the life of a wage slave.
I don't want realism in the action or plot department, but I want
believable characters. A character who makes you feel sick the
first time you see him, and comes back a coupla months later, and you
quite like him (because he has done some "upgrading exercises") is
completely unbelievable for me.


:)
BulletShower

______________________________________________________________________
"Gott wuerfelt nicht" (A. Einstein)
For More information on diceless roleplaying and own Shadowrun stuff,
jack into http://www.cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de/~nmatausc

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