Marc W Miller Interview June 27th, 2022

[MyndkryM]

Interesting remark -- that Marc thinks the original game could have used conflict resolution rules.
T5 now has them in the form of the Personals rules.

I also had no idea that "Kinunir" was pronounced "Kih-nyu-near" (I thought it was "Kinoo-near").

Yeah...when he mentioned that in the interview I was thinking to myself "Hmmm....gotta read those again, because there are some good ideas in there."

 

[Spinward Flow]

I also had no idea that "Kinunir" was ⌧ounced "Kih-nyu-near" (I thought it was "Kinoo-near").

I've always spoken the name as sounding like "Kih-new-near" myself.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Yeah...when he mentioned that in the interview I was thinking to myself "Hmmm....gotta read those again, because there are some good ideas in there."

I've always spoken the name as sounding like "Kih-new-near" myself.

And apparently the Quote function doesn't preserve the trickery I used to make the word "pronounce" avoid the Scunthorpe problem (wikipedia).

 

[mike wightman]

He says that the conflict resolution rules are there but you have to dig to find them.

NPC reaction as a starting point? Use of Soc vs Soc? Skills such as bribery, admin, streetwise? Law level? Government type?

I'm also struck by how much the other folks at GDW contributed - 76 Patrons from LKW, the Emperor's List from FC, the animal encounter format from JH...

 

[HanleyTucks]

In general, players want to roleplay social conflicts, but are happy to resolve physical conflicts with dice throws. And so social conflicts will necessarily have ad hoc rules. And I think that's fine.

Today in play a player wanted his character in a bar to grab a woman and just start dancing with her. It went:

1. In high tech level, people are glued to their phones / AR/ VR and unsocial. This is TL8-9 so people still speak to each-other. No modifier.
2. He's a foreigner to the world. Historically, people dig foreign guys. DM+1.
3. He's big and strong, and this is a Size 5 planet so there are not many big and strong native-born guys there. Historically, women in particular like that. DM+1.
4. He's just out of the Marines - literally discharged that morning - so he stands up straight, is well-groomed, clean-shaven and polite. Everyone likes that. DM+1.
5. He had nothing relevant like Streetwise or particularly high or low Soc.
6. He didn't try to build up to it, just grabbed her. DM-1.
7. Nobody else was dancing, and it wasn't a dance bar, just a place with a jukebox. DM-1.
8. Net, DM+2.
9. I laid it out mentally: natural 2 = she has a stronger boyfriend or girlfriend. Natural 12 = love at first sight. Adjusted 5- unfavourable reaction, 9+ favourable reaction, 6-8 neutral.
10. Other possibilities like her particular personality liking or disliking spontaneity, her being not heterosexual, in a good or bad mood, out commiserating with a friend whose mother just died, celebrating graduating college, etc - those possibilities all fall under a 2d6 throw.

He got a neutral reaction. She danced with him one dance, then sat back down. The rest of the bar looked on, including someone from off-planet who was looking to be a patron. The patron might not have noticed them otherwise.

 

[mike wightman]

I loathe roleplaying social interactions. Also remember that this is conflict resolution so both sides could be angry at each other - role playing shouldn't involve shouting across the table at each other.

 

[aramis]

Later CT books include a bunch of FASA staffers, too...Guy McLamour,

I loathe roleplaying social interactions. Also remember that this is conflict resolution so both sides could be angry at each other - role playing shouldn't involve shouting across the table at each other.

I don't mind them, but I always leave the option to describe vaguely and go to a roll; RP only helps the roll, and in the end, I usually send it to a roll, modified by roleplay and/or out of character statements of direction of the interaction.

I started doing that in about 1990 - Dave, ex-Navy, got a TBI in a back alley on shore patrol. Dropped his IQ about 30 points, and while he was fairly bright, that left him at "warm summer day IQ" and limited ability to RP.

He wanted to play something other than a fighter... so with group approval, we just let him give a few words of what direction, then filled in the dialogue for him. That group also ended RCMQ's dump-statting of Charisma...

Some times, the inclusive choice is the one to rely on the dice.

 

[kilemall]

In general, players want to roleplay social conflicts, but are happy to resolve physical conflicts with dice throws. And so social conflicts will necessarily have ad hoc rules. And I think that's fine.

Today in play a player wanted his character in a bar to grab a woman and just start dancing with her. It went:

1. In high tech level, people are glued to their phones / AR/ VR and unsocial. This is TL8-9 so people still speak to each-other. No modifier.
2. He's a foreigner to the world. Historically, people dig foreign guys. DM+1.
3. He's big and strong, and this is a Size 5 planet so there are not many big and strong native-born guys there. Historically, women in particular like that. DM+1.
4. He's just out of the Marines - literally discharged that morning - so he stands up straight, is well-groomed, clean-shaven and polite. Everyone likes that. DM+1.
5. He had nothing relevant like Streetwise or particularly high or low Soc.
6. He didn't try to build up to it, just grabbed her. DM-1.
7. Nobody else was dancing, and it wasn't a dance bar, just a place with a jukebox. DM-1.
8. Net, DM+2.
9. I laid it out mentally: natural 2 = she has a stronger boyfriend or girlfriend. Natural 12 = love at first sight. Adjusted 5- unfavourable reaction, 9+ favourable reaction, 6-8 neutral.
10. Other possibilities like her particular personality liking or disliking spontaneity, her being not heterosexual, in a good or bad mood, out commiserating with a friend whose mother just died, celebrating graduating college, etc - those possibilities all fall under a 2d6 throw.

He got a neutral reaction. She danced with him one dance, then sat back down. The rest of the bar looked on, including someone from off-planet who was looking to be a patron. The patron might not have noticed them otherwise.

CT had the reaction table, so not a new thing.

 

[mike wightman]

Looking very closely at the rection table I think that it is the conflict resolution system that Marc hints at.

All you need to do is weigh up the DMs to apply based on skills being used, relative Soc that sort of thing. You can even make it an extended conflict until a definitive result is reached - you win/compromise reached/they win. Total failure would result in no conflict resolution and escalating to combat or going their separate ways.

 

[HanleyTucks]

CT had the reaction table, so not a new thing.

I didn't say it was new. I merely illustrated it in use. But you're not stupid, do you knew that. You just had to "ackshually...."

This sort of semantic quibbling has long been a part of these forums, and the TML before it. I saw the same with GURPS4e. It doesn't help us bring in new players.

Look up from your books and keyboard, be open to different playstyles, share your play experiences and encourage others to share theirs, and our little branch of the hobby grows.

It's a good and flexible game, which is why it's still around.

 

[Ildefonse]

Another great interview with Marc (and spurred me to watch a couple of others Gary did). His anecdote about his grandson reminds me of one of the reasons we for playing we often discount or forget, and that is the exercising of reading, math and reasoning skills.

 

[kilemall]

Later CT books include a bunch of FASA staffers, too...Guy McLamour,

I don't mind them, but I always leave the option to describe vaguely and go to a roll; RP only helps the roll, and in the end, I usually send it to a roll, modified by roleplay and/or out of character statements of direction of the interaction.

I started doing that in about 1990 - Dave, ex-Navy, got a TBI in a back alley on shore patrol. Dropped his IQ about 30 points, and while he was fairly bright, that left him at "warm summer day IQ" and limited ability to RP.

He wanted to play something other than a fighter... so with group approval, we just let him give a few words of what direction, then filled in the dialogue for him. That group also ended RCMQ's dump-statting of Charisma...

Some times, the inclusive choice is the one to rely on the dice.

I didn't say it was new. I merely illustrated it in use. But you're not stupid, do you knew that. You just had to "ackshually...."

This sort of semantic quibbling has long been a part of these forums, and the TML before it. I saw the same with GURPS4e. It doesn't help us bring in new players.

Look up from your books and keyboard, be open to different playstyles, share your play experiences and encourage others to share theirs, and our little branch of the hobby grows.

It's a good and flexible game, which is why it's still around.

Any one upping or other whatever is in your chosen interpretation. My point was that the mechanic was there all along and gave it a specific name for people to look up. My experience is many people overlook rules gems in systems they ‘know’.

I also don’t need your lecture on diversity of play, see my sig for my clearly defined perspective.

Some people around here are frankly jerks about pushing their interpretation as the only correct one, perhaps you can expend lecturing energy on them to general board benefit.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Some people around here are frankly jerks about pushing their interpretation as the only correct one, perhaps you can expend lecturing energy on them to general board benefit.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

 

[MyndkryM]

Ahhhh, the memories

"Roll the dice to see if I'm getting drunk!"

 

[Nathan Brazil]

In general, players want to roleplay social conflicts, but are happy to resolve physical conflicts with dice throws.

Well this is much safer than the reverse, yes?