The Challenge as a social karma investment instrument

[Christopher Weeks]

But when you challenge someone you're saying up front "Here's what I like, here's what I want. Show me what you want and how badly you want it". Now everyone can either oppose you or get behind you. It's very simple for them to decide because its just one tiny contextualised thing that's being challenged, they only have three options (support/oppose/watch and see) and they get involved by just pushing forward a coin (no clever arguments or imagination required).

This paragraph made me thing of something.  I know this is terribly gamey, but has anyone set up challenges on things that didn't really matter as a way of earning social karma for future challenges that did?  I think that in most of the groups I've seen, there is a very real chance that many players will consider chipping in to a Challenge that they don't care much about on the side of the guy who "got screwed" last time.  Have you done this?  Have you witnessed it?  Is it kosher?  Is it good or bad for the game?

I haven't done it and haven't seen it (as far as I know).  I think it's kosher and neither good nor bad (but maybe a little tacky).

Chris (who just thought of putting the link to the previous thread in the quote attribution and loves it :-)

[Tobias]

I haven't done nor witnessed it, but wouldn't challenging overmuch cause bad karma instead? Sort of the 'cry wolf' effect?

Or would you only challenge when expecting to loose, or 'for the good of the group', to build up this karma? Expecting to loose, saying something like 'ok, I'll fold to the will of the group, poor little me, sob sob', to get aid next time?

Anyway, it's a tool that's available, and using it is kosher, AFAIC - as long as you don't violate an implicit social contract - namely, that you use challenges on things that matter to you (which is how I explain challenges, thus giving them my own (elective) spin right off the bat).

Challenging more means more 'gaming' and less story-building, I guess. Whether that's good for the group experience in the end depends on the group.

[Mike Holmes]

Yeah, I think this is about as prone to backfiring as it is to doing you any good. That is, I don't think you earn any karma unless you actually have a decent case, and then lose.

If you do have a decent case, then I think you're doing some good by the challenge. Even if you lose, you still inform the game about what's "good" and "bad" play. If your challenge is baseless, then people will see thorough that.

In any case, it's a lot of work to have to act this way, in order to just get some karma on your side. Which may not end up working anyway. So, I'm not seeing any potential problems with this. Would take a really devious player.

Mike