[DL] persuading against the odds

[Phadris@aol.com]

Pat writes:

> If teh player says, "I persudae the Agent" I don't care if
> he rolls 167, it ain't happening!  If he RPs a nice little
> exchange, though, I'd let a few things slip.  Nothing

Hmm … this has become a peeve of mine, one who's resolution I'm not 
completely clear on what I want to see.  But my current thinking goes like 
this:

You want to ride a horse, you roll some dice.

You want to draw and fire a gun, you roll some dice.

You want to climb a rope carrying a ten-pound sledge in one hand and a 
shotgun in your mouth, then do a dismount Lara Croft would envy, you roll 
some dice.

But you want to smooth-talk your way into an awkward situation, it seems a 
lot of Marshals (refs, game masters, what have you) expect you to come up 
with a compelling argument that you present instantly, eloquently, and 
completely in character.

Now … I'm not an expert gambler, but I might play one in my game.  I'm not a 
fire-and-brimstone minister, but I might play one in my game.  Sometimes I 
play characters that are spiritually or mentally better at something than I 
am (and maybe even, dare I say it, smarter than I am), and I'd like to think 
the dice LET me explore these fantasies without me needing to become that 
character.

I know, it's boring as hell to see someone say "I smooth talk him.  I rolled 
167."  It's exciting to see someone so completely in character that everyone 
wants to throw white chips at his feet.  But … not all the players are this 
compelling, this engaging, this dynamic.  Maybe a successful high die roll 
should let a player sit back a moment and come up with his compelling 
argument.  Maybe he should be able to stumble his way through an explanation, 
and the high die roll should induce the Marshal to think of how this might 
work if the character were saying it a little bit more charmingly.

I don't know.  Like I said, my own personal jury is still out on this one.

Tom Huntington
The Truth Is Yonder