Godmodding, Azure Way, and You

[Aramara Meibi]

Rigwyn, for me your example would depend on the overall situation. Was Rigwyn in any way incapacitated at that point, to where he would not have the chance to in any way respond in time? Then yes, I wouldn't shrug at it. That's just a nuance in RP taste though. Yes, like Chessire said, if it makes for a good story, I'll roll with it.

What I would not do, no matter how egregious the foul, is to interrupt the flow of RP to call godmodding and launch into an OOC bickering match which wouldn't get resolved and only leave everyone involved steamed. I've seen that happen way too many times in the past, and it's probably the ugliest aspect of the game. So if I feel someone has godmodded against me, I'll roll my eyes behind the sanctity of my monitor screen, continue the RP and try to salvage what I can, and kindly start a forum thread on the topic the next day

Can I get a high five for passive-aggressiveness?

I have nothing against using dice to decide an outcome. Whenever i've seen it played, it's always been done intelligently, with all parties on board before hand, and the results, whether good or bad, were accepted. It takes just as much maturity to play by those rules as by any other.

Don't believe me? Oh good. Then here's an example of what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFnWqdoboMM

seriously though, how awesome is Legolas?

[novacadian]

Again, I strongly disagree. I'm not sure why you think there is a need for some external governing force to make things fair be it dice or GM.

My point is that active GM moderation would be the only way to bring all groups and playing styles under one tent. Without it the game is splintered into its many sects or cliques. If that is fine with you then fine. 

My observations in countless threads on these forums and the barometer of the player base seems to indicate that something is wrong here.

If one can find their little group of players that they have fun with then damn the torpedoes. My suggestions are meant to create a place where all can play with all in a comfortable game play with the intent to bring in more players. The suggestion was meant that GMs would be there if a problem arose like the godmodding issue of this thread; not to be there to roll dice to decide if your character was able to tie their boots or not.

- Nova


 

[Gilrond]

seriously though, how awesome is Legolas?

Legolas in the movie is too overplayed. Nothing like that in the book. It's not the only problem with the film.

[Aramara Meibi]

seriously though, how awesome is Legolas?

Legolas in the movie is too overplayed. Nothing like that in the book. It's not the only problem with the film.

Ha! I couldn't help but laugh out loud during the scene in Return of the King when he was swinging from the elephants and it was obviously CGI. Yep, they totally godmodded him at that point

[Jilata]

Pushing the topic a bit back to the azure way. I started to wonder a while back how the illusion work. Does it send an image to the mind of those in the area or is it something which overlaps with the background and the stronger it is, the better it hides what there is actually.

I mean like this: XXX thinks he is incredibly ugly and uses azure magic to have a cute face. Does he project the face he wants to have to other minds or does the illusion cover his face like a second skin?

[Tzarhunt]

I mean like this: XXX thinks he is incredibly ugly and uses azure magic to have a cute face. Does he project the face he wants to have to other minds or does the illusion cover his face like a second skin?

Well some kind of 'hologram' would be made of light, so I would say it would belong to Crystal way (which indeed does everything). Azure way seems to rely more on acting on one/others' minds and on air fluxes.


Back on the 'no dice you heretics' thing: seriously? How can you not get the magic there is into solving something on the roll of a plastic polyhedron, may it be virtual? There are some horrible flaws in action-interpretative RP; you'll end up knowing how any situation will likely go with a given RP partner, and it takes serious writing skills in the used language. So not only you reduce the population you'll enjoy practising it with, but you'll know how things will end up with every one of them.
I think we could use a '/roll [skill / stat]' command, that could be extended as 'roll [skill / stat] (against) [player] [skill / stat]'. Degrees of success to introduce and balancing to be thought of.
That said, I'll precise this place must be the only forum I haven't seen flaming after the interpretative RP VS moderative RP thing has been uttered.

Now about Azure Way. Whenever one casts a spell you can see fantastic light effects, so any use of an active spell would be instantly detectable. If so, up to you to break the caster concentration by punching him/her/kra in the face. The 'nature intuition' spell sounds to me like a plain mind reading spell, and we know there are spells to convince someone of something that isn't real, or to mute someone (noticeably in order this one can't cast any spell).
BUT we know there are Azure passive/buff spells (such as Dome of Perfection), and one that allows you at least to determine with certitude whether you're being lied to, or if the person in front of you is mistaking the orthography of an exotic shadowcaster's name (Dark Wanderer uses it), which might as well be a lesser form of nature intuition. I think it would be reasonable to imagine 'lesser casts' of these potentially cheaty Azure spells the same way.

[Eonwind]

Pushing the topic a bit back to the azure way. I started to wonder a while back how the illusion work. Does it send an image to the mind of those in the area or is it something which overlaps with the background and the stronger it is, the better it hides what there is actually.

I mean like this: XXX thinks he is incredibly ugly and uses azure magic to have a cute face. Does he project the face he wants to have to other minds or does the illusion cover his face like a second skin?

starting from a fantasy point of view (and not only) you can use it both ways: you can project your illusion to somebody else mind thus altering the way their mind perceive the reality (this way is harder but once you fooled his mind there's almost no way for him to distinguish what is real and what is not) on the other hand you can simply manipulate the environment around you to create a sort of "mask" or disguise (this you don not needs to alter way he perceive reality but it is easier for someone else to unmask your illusion using his own senses, for example he could touch your face and perceive a mismatch from what he sees and what he touches)

two examples from two renown tabletop RPG:

1- D&D illusion: your illusion is *real* and you are truly invisible, you can be perceived only by noticing something wrong in the environnement around you (standing in a pool of water for example) or by the means of other senses (ex. by hearing your breath, the sound of your walk...)

2 - Vampire the Masquerade illusions (aka Obfuscate): you are not invisible, you subtly force people around you not to look at your direction, should they be forced to look at your direction or should you stand in front of them they will see you.

Warning the next part is 
 

So if I feel someone has godmodded against me, I'll roll my eyes behind the sanctity of my monitor screen, continue the RP and try to salvage what I can, and kindly start a forum thread on the topic the next day

If someone feels godmodded by me I'd prefer to be told immediately with an OOC tell than having to read a ranting the next day when I am no more able to do anything about that.
/end 

[MishkaL1138]

I used to have an Azure Way user character, but then he took a noose to the neck.

[Tessra]

While its polite to use passive wording and to let the other player choose the consequences, when you do this you lose any feeling of domination in the writing. Let me give a quick example:

Vayl attempts to grab Rigwyn's face harshly and then slam his head against the wall.

This is pathetic and weak... the "attempts to" ruins the feeling. Compare it to this:


Vayl grabs Rigwyn's face harshly - gagging his mouth with the webbing of her thumb and fore finger as she digs her thumb and fingers into his cheeks. With a rage-driven shove, she rams his head into the wall with a sickening crack.

You know... I agree with you here, to an extent.  There are some people I would be comfortable RPing this way with, and some I would not.  Caraick and I don't even bother anymore with the /me tries, /me attempts.  We've written together long enough, and know each other well enough that we simply play out the characters.  I'd be ok with some of the other people I RP with on a regular basis doing this too, but there are some people who quite frankly infuriate me to no ends to RP with.  I find that they godmod, abuse the mechanics or settings, and in many ways disrespect the other players.  Not only would I not allow them to impart an action onto my character like that, I don't RP with them atall if I can help it.  Maybe that makes me a bit clique-y to players like Nova, but if it came down to me being forced to RP with those people or leave, I'd leave.

[Rigwyn]

Heh heh .. its certainly not suitable for every player, situation or place, Tessra. Like you said, with those who you trust.