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The Art Of Conversation (rules)

Started by greenstuff_gav, December 09, 2012, 10:59:00 PM

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greenstuff_gav

So, Inquisitor is somewhat lacking in the subterfuge and diplomacy prevalent in the background and stories.

Trying to encourage the local gaming group into the less violent aspect of Inquisitor, i've come up with the following to keep it simple and the game flowing :)

Conversations


A character can declare a Conversation as an action. Any furthers actions need not be declared (as with in Combat)
If the Conversation Action is reached, the character declares the target of his Conversation. The target must be engaged in non-hostile actions and within 10"

For each Action, the character may make a statement and the target may (but is not obliged to) make a response.

At any point the active character may stop the conversation with either a Pause For Breath or take an Initiative test to re-declare any remaining actions.

(the next bit is stolen from PrecinctOmega's Inq2.0)
3a) Persuasion
Often there will be occasions when one character wishes to talk another character into doing what he wishes. Persuasion is an opposed test with the persuading character making a Leadership test using half-Leadership. If he is successful, the target must make a Willpower test on half-Willpower, modified by -10% for every degree of success on the persuading character's Ld test. Note that the target must be able to hear or otherwise understand the meaning of the persuading character.

Players should use common sense when determining whether a character can be persuaded to do something and the GM should arbitrate any disagreements; however, a persuaded character will not shoot at or attack the persuading character.

A persuaded character may spend Actions considering the persuading character's offer by making a Sagacity test. If this is passed then the character is no longer persuaded.
Note that a player may choose for a character to be persuaded without testing.

3b)Threaten
When persuasion fails – or a character isn't a persuasive type – then threatening might work. Threatening works in exactly the same way as persuasion, but the target tests against half-Nerve.

Marco's addendum:
GMs should use modifiers to reward intelligent use of persuasion/threats, but penalise uninventive or poorly reasoned arguments/threats.
For example, attempting to convince an Ordos Xenos Inquisitor that an Ork is not an Ork wouldn't be very believable. Similarly, "Step aside, or I'll shoot you" isn't exactly likely to discourage a heavily armoured character who was expecting violence anyway.


Example:
Inquisitor Raving has encountered Magos Stein and wishes to find out why he is in the area.

Inquisitor Raving declares "I'll walk once toward the Magos and Start a Conversation."
He rolls 3 Actions.
The first is used to move toward the Magos. The second action gives him an opening statement
"I am Inquisitor Fy Raving of the Imperial Inquisition. Identify Yourself"
As part of the same action, the Magos gets a response "I am Magos Stein of the Mechanicus."

For his second action, Raving continues the Conversation "What are you doing in this area, Magos?"
And the Magos gains a response "This area is Holy to the God-Omnissiah. Leave the Area."

At the Magos' Activation he declares "I shall continue the Conversation." and rolls 3 Actions.
He uses his first action "I'll sacrifice my statement and allow the Inquisitor to reply to my last action"
Inquisitor Raving replies; "I am on a hunt for a Heretic. Allow me to pass"

The Magos reaches his second action "Leave this place or I will be forced to inflict irreversible damage."
Inquisitor Raving is allowed a response "I have no wish to fight. Allow me to pass."

The Magos declares "I activate my Weapon-Servitors and attack" before rolling his initiative to change his action...

New Skills
Brutal – The character may choose to make threaten tests using his Strength instead of his Leadership.
Intimidating – The character may make threaten tests using his full Leadership.
Persuasive – A Persuasive character may make persuade tests using his full Leadership.
Silver-Tongued - The character may reroll Persuasion Tests
Quick Wits - The Character exit a conversation and redeclare his actions without an I test.

so, hope that's of some use; as rules they're a pain to actually write but in game they do aid conversations and allow you to hold them without making a statement and waiting for characters to activate...
i make no apologies, i warned you my ability to roll ones was infectious...

Build Your Imagination

MarcoSkoll

When you brought them up last weekend, these seemed like a very good solution to the normal problem of conversation in Inquisitor.

It obviously stretches the 2 to 3 second guideline on the length of an action, but tweaking things a bit so a conversation doesn't take ten times as long as a gunfight definitely makes talking to people rather than shooting them more viable.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Hadriel Caine

I've been doing something remarkably similar for years! Nice to see it laid out and actually thought through. My games always lack a bit of structure/ devolve into RP. Encouraging players to spend actions on conversing/ persuasion is a great idea in terms of avoiding the pit falls of wanton combat! Also allows for more character development resulting from actual tangible interaction rather than assumed post game exposition.

Kudos.
The Fall of Astraea
Astrean OOC- feedback thread

\'You have to lie to keep people happy\'

MarcoSkoll

Quote from: Hadriel Caine on December 10, 2012, 01:48:40 AMMy games always lack a bit of structure/ devolve into RP.
Actually, that's exactly what happened in two of the games I played at the INQvitational. The turn order went completely missing for most of two games.

In one case, it was Kaled, Benadice and Corvus debating the circumstances of the former's arrival in the Dalthus. (Although I accept that Corvus was not completely in character. If I hadn't been so tired my eyes were falling out of my skull, she wouldn't've pretended she was the real contact, she would have just admitted she was gatecrashing and demanded to speak with Kaled anyway.)

The game after that (in an array of undercity tunnels, following Inquisitrix Madine's assassination), Asandrea and Inquisitor Bell had a long talk about whether the other had any involvement in said assassination.
That was actually quite interesting, as there was a heavy undertone of threat and standoff at the same time. The two groups had an earlier altercation - and one of my characters had overextended and found herself in the open, but Bell was standing next to a very large pile of promethium tanks and blasting explosives.

Funnily enough, we managed to get through that game (and make it to our respective exits) without a fight breaking out.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

DapperAnarchist

This video is actually about video games, and a lot of what's said there seems to have already been thought about here, but I thought it might be interesting anyway - http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/non-combat-gaming
Questions are a burden to others, answers a burden to oneself.

The Keltani Subsector  My P&M Thread - Most recent, INQ28!