From:	Bob Ooton <topcat@**.CENCOM.NET>
Subject:	Re: munchkinitis
Date:	Sun, 30 Apr 1995 14:16:49 -0500

>Anyway, my take on things are similar. I'm all for role-playing, but it pays
>to remember that not all of us are of the acting sort. Dice rolls become
>neccessary to make up for either inexperience on the part of the player, or
>simple lack of knowledge. My character might have Biology 6 and be able to
>name every fish species ever discovered, but the odds are I don't. Likewise
>my character might have some suburb social skill, and I not. Terry's post
>covers this much more eloquently.

Right, the dice are needed for that situation and would be used (though I
don't think that naming every species of fish discovered will crop up in too
many game sessions). If they weren't needed (i.e. player with biology 6
looks at a goldfish and wants to know if its a goldfish) then just give him
the answer, sheesh...

>I myself feel dice are an integral part of RPGs. After all, "if you take the
>dice away, you lose the game part of it", as one of my players put it. I
>agree. RPGs are different from acting for exactly that reason. This is why I
>do not really (personally) like free forms, and games such as Vampire which
>are very much non rules games (although I've seen a couple of Vampire
>munchkins - gee, do they have a hard time of it :-)). But others will have
>different tastes, and will like free forms. Just like others will not like
>RPGs, but will quite enjoy wardgames. Each to their own and all that...

Dice are an integral part of the game. Use them when they're needed (combat
and other such things). But every single action shouldn't require a skill
test. And as far as "free-form" RPG's like White Wolf's games, I like them
except for the fact that when they do need dice, they have no idea how to
use them (the rules system is sorely lacking, but the game background is
pretty good). And munchkinism is way too easy in that series...


-- Bob Ooton <topcat@******.net>