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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: me@******.net (Hexren)
Subject: [OT] Physics and Realism in SR (and other games)
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:04:00 +0200
> <yoda>
> you must unlearn what you have learned
> </yoda>


---------------------------------------------

would

<yoda>
unlearn you must what learned you have
</yoda>

not be a better representation of yoda speech style. I admit that this
is soo completly OT but... ;)
Message no. 2
From: wilson.reis@*****.com (Wilson Reis)
Subject: [OT] Physics and Realism in SR (and other games)
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 18:44:51 -0300
On 8/18/05, Hexren <me@******.net> wrote:
> > <yoda>
> > you must unlearn what you have learned
> > </yoda>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------
>
> would
>
> <yoda>
> unlearn you must what learned you have
> </yoda>
>
> not be a better representation of yoda speech style. I admit that this
> is soo completly OT but... ;)

<nitpick>
Well, it would, but Keith was quoting the green fella word by word.
</nitpick>

Ok, you tried. But remember that, in fact, "there is no try".

Will
Message no. 3
From: sp@*****.gr (Stefanos Patelis)
Subject: [OT] Physics and Realism in SR (and other games)
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 10:01:23 +0300
It seems like some of my words were missinterpreted - I will just blame
my English not being clear enough with English not beeing my native
language... ;-)

I don't abhore laws of physics and neither do I introduce a Deus ex
Machina in every nook and cranny of my game to avoid explanations. I
just put the plot higher than the physics. There is a major difference
here that people seem to have decided to ignore and just concetrate on
how to tear apart my wordings....

If explainning why California sunk is important to the plot; or WHEN
this question comes in place plot-wise (and I find the example of a
player wanting an island a very good one to the point); then by all
means the GM must have an asnwer that is acceptable by his gamers or the
whole game starts going down the drain as most have already eloquently
described in their words. the GM also needs to have an explanation that
is acceptable by his plot hooks and game needs also or the game goes
down the drain for him and th eplayers ran rampart...

But if you as a GM do not want that poor kidnapped victim that is in the
SUV dying because of a trigger happy spell casting runner (to go back to
my example) and neither do you want to teach this guy a lesson in
thoughtless-cause-and-effect (And there are many reasons you might want
to do that - I wont go into that) I frankly cannot see why you have to
have an 100% true to the rules explanation. Especially when this same
guy or one of your GM controlled characters had cast the exact spell
with the exact force and successes in another session and had
obliterated a similar vehicle...

The possibilities are entless and soon I cannot see how you can avoid
the game becoming an endless stream of unnecessary queries on rules and
physics...What happens when a vampire bites a guy with Leukemia(sorry
for the spelling) - does it get dhiarria? Does a dragon need its winds
to fly- what about feathered serpents? Is there such a thing as a
cybered up ghost of a street sam dying a dramatic death? Has it still
got function of its machine parts? Can it get a virus????? I just feel
that you adress things only as you need them. And even then in a matter
that is needed for that specific instant. If you want to write a story
about a razorboy who turns ghost then you will obviously have to have
some explanations ready.

On the other hand there is somehting we have been ignoring here. People
have preferances. Players do too and GM's also. Sometimes there is a
line that is pointless to cross. I would probably not enjoy myself in a
game where Physics/Astronomy and Applied Sciences is the name of the
game, and neither would others enjoy a game of mine. End of story. RPGs
and their rules are there to give you an arbitrary rule base and let you
CREATE. When one creates fiction he does with the rules anything he
wants. If he feels fine changing them he does. If he prefers to be
admant about them he does. in the end of the day it is the players who
judge how much fun they had.

Now let me get my lightsaber and have achat with that green goblin who
speaks backwards... ;-)

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