Saturday 20 August 2016

#RPGaDay2016 - Day 20: Most challenging but rewarding system learnt

I... I don't know! I don't know that many systems, really, and if the game is good I generally don't notice the system after the first few sessions.

There is a particular aspect of Exalted I really like that I'm not familiar with an equivalent in another system, which is the social combat. In martial combat, you have a 'tick' wheel that effectively measures initiative. When it reaches your turn, you announce your action, role the dice (with bonuses for good descriptions) - your attack against their defense - then move your token round the wheel the number of 'ticks' your action takes. Social combat is the same: you get to your turn, you declare your action, roll (with bonuses for good description) your social attack against their social defense.

It's simple. It gives me a frame on which to hang an argument, and the back and forwards nature, rather than a single roll, means I can recover from saying something stupid. It's also given me the confidence to play with arguments. I like being backed up by the dice, but I'm getting more confident to run without them in other games. So this has been a really powerful mechanic for me.

 

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