jRaskell, thanks! That post was really helpful! Me and the writer started the first draft right away!

Thanks again.

About the methods of Lip Reading. Since we come up with something better, we gonna use the following one: we have random dialogues database, every NPC has a "has_storyline_connected_info" flag, if the flag is on - provide some information, depending on your skill, like blank spaces in the dialogue, etc. If the flag is off, choose a dialogue from the database on various factors, like NPC profession, social status, some of his stats, etc. That''s all for now.


Boby Dimitrov
boby@azholding.com

Sorry, let me try again.

Most paper RPGs design character creation and conflict resolution based on a genre. ''These are the kinds of things that cold war secret agents do'' or ''here''s how wuxia magic works''. The specific adventures come later, because a single character might be reused over and again. This is great for paper games, where a GM can actively modify an adventure to suit a particular character or player strategy.

Computer games, IMO, should be done the other way around. Design the adventures first, then the character creation system to support it (or adjust/trim down an existing system to fit).

If you agree, then the implication is that you start from *specific* context and create the skills that you need from it.

So how does Escape Artist (Escapism) work? In general, the skill might be compared to the difficulty of the bonds. Specifics depend on the context where the hero gets ensnared.

a) It could reduce the time that a player is trapped (passive defense against a lasso attack).

b) It could open up plot branches that are otherwise unavailable.

c) It could be one method (of several alternates) to avoid a class of traps (active choice to reduce/avoid damage).

So what''s the context?

The same argument would apply against the others you have listed. Of course, these are just opinions, feel free to disregard or disagree.

JSwing

PS That anon above was me (too lazy to login)