Hello Colin, pls don't get me wrong if I come back on the topic: have you ever considered to remove from game mechanics any rule dealing with social relationships and simply let the players role-play? That is the solution I adopted and it works pretty well, it frees the game from unnecessary rules and it raises fun within players by giving them more importance to role-play!
Hi GMaia, I totally understand that instinct. I've definitely played and run games where that is the approach, where there are no rules for social interaction. I think it works great in Mothership and many OSR games. Some of my favorite sessions of D&D 5e and Pathfinder were the ones where we spend the entire session talking to NPCs and didn't roll any dice.
But I've also played other games where the rules for social interaction create a specific experience that you wouldn't have without them. PbtA games like Monster of the Week and Thirsty Sword Lesbians use their mechanics to introduce complexity and depth to what would otherwise be straight-forward interactions. And I think my particular idea of the heroic fantasy genre would benefit from having mechanics, because they help establish character differences and encourage varied approaches to social situations.
It all depends on the feeling you want to create and the genre of game you're playing.
For example, referencing my article on social stats, if the players discover that an NPC has an affinity for virtue, they might roleplay differently than they would otherwise - especially if that information about the NPC's personality didn't have a mechanical effect attached.
It's not meant to be prescriptive, I think of it more like a carrot to encourage people to roleplay their characters and imagine NPCs with complexity.
I understand your point, i think i found a different solution where social stats/mechanics are banned in favor of role-play and the carrot is provided by another game mechanic (morality)!
Thanks for your point and may the fun be always at your table!
Hello Colin, pls don't get me wrong if I come back on the topic: have you ever considered to remove from game mechanics any rule dealing with social relationships and simply let the players role-play? That is the solution I adopted and it works pretty well, it frees the game from unnecessary rules and it raises fun within players by giving them more importance to role-play!
May the fun be always at your table!
Hi GMaia, I totally understand that instinct. I've definitely played and run games where that is the approach, where there are no rules for social interaction. I think it works great in Mothership and many OSR games. Some of my favorite sessions of D&D 5e and Pathfinder were the ones where we spend the entire session talking to NPCs and didn't roll any dice.
But I've also played other games where the rules for social interaction create a specific experience that you wouldn't have without them. PbtA games like Monster of the Week and Thirsty Sword Lesbians use their mechanics to introduce complexity and depth to what would otherwise be straight-forward interactions. And I think my particular idea of the heroic fantasy genre would benefit from having mechanics, because they help establish character differences and encourage varied approaches to social situations.
It all depends on the feeling you want to create and the genre of game you're playing.
For example, referencing my article on social stats, if the players discover that an NPC has an affinity for virtue, they might roleplay differently than they would otherwise - especially if that information about the NPC's personality didn't have a mechanical effect attached.
It's not meant to be prescriptive, I think of it more like a carrot to encourage people to roleplay their characters and imagine NPCs with complexity.
I understand your point, i think i found a different solution where social stats/mechanics are banned in favor of role-play and the carrot is provided by another game mechanic (morality)!
Thanks for your point and may the fun be always at your table!