[Torg] Any ever thought of or tried reversing/altering Torg's Metapower vs Advancement struggle?

[Michael Jason Teegarden]

That's a useful way to help clarify the discussion!

I'd have to say, though, that I must support the "glass half full" view and disagree with the "glass half empty" view.  As a player and a GM, I do not support the attitude that player characters should always be able to succeed.  The main reason for this is that many times, the players do not know enough to fully understand what they are trying to do.  Until more information becomes available, players often are short-sighted and feel frustration only when they are impatient and unable to defeat the seemingly unbeatable odds.  Patience and investigation usually lead to the clues needed to "win," but the attitude that "I should always be able to succeed" is false if a player does not know what is important to succeed at and misjudges.  I know some players who get impatient, prefer to be bull-headed, and blaze away at the problem with brute-force and possibilities.  If they choose to do this, I say they should be allowed to, but at the cost of many
 Possibilities.  Whereas the patient and careful player will be more rewarded by not having to spend as many Possibilities, in order to achieve an equal amount of successes (or more, if this is in line with the GM's intended story arcs).

Michael



----- Original Message ----
From: Scott Schultz <prvteye at yahoo.com>
To: torg at justintimeadventures.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 6:06:07 PM
Subject: RE: [Torg] Any ever thought of or tried reversing/altering Torg's Metapower vs Advancement struggle?


Just to boil this down even further, I see this as a "glass half empty" versus "glass half full" discussion.

The glass half full view - "I was going to fail but this game mechanic gives me the option to spend my XP and succeed instead. Yay!"

The glass half empty view - "I should always be able to succeed. Any cost associated with turning failure into success is bad. Boo!"

If some of us are saying "It ain't broke", it's not because we're obtuse, it's because we place some value on the "XP as a resource" aspect of the gameplay. The view that spending possibilities is a "penalty for success" is a view that ignores the fact that it's really "an option to succeed in the face of failure". Exercising that option has a cost associated with it. That's a good thing, IMO. Your mileage may vary.




      
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