A Design Checklist for FitM Conflict Resolution Rules

[lumpley]

Callan - well, no, I think we understood each other. I am saying that the rules can't specify where the buck really stops. The buck always really stops with everybody, no matter what the rules say.

Having a person designated by the rules as the person with the final say - it's convenient,  but it's a contingency. Like having a GM. Not all games need it, and not all play goes according to it.

So: rock solid (as far as I can tell) is: how should the players treat one anothers' contributions?

One possible answer is: everbody should affirm the contributions of the person where the buck stops. The person where the buck stops should treat everyone else's contributions as suggestions, picking and choosing the best ones.

See what I mean? Explaining where the buck stops in your game is going to be an effective way to answer many of my questions.

-Vincent

[Callan S.]

One possible answer is: everbody should affirm the contributions of the person where the buck stops. The person where the buck stops should treat everyone else's contributions as suggestions, picking and choosing the best ones.

That's basically how I imagined one would define the 'buck' and how it works.

I'm getting the feeling your trying to seperate stuff like 'add +4 to 1D20 to determine an attack' and 'your going to have to decide how you handle this...to facilitate this design, we suggest you handle it this way (something like your quote above)'. Clarifying it as a decision point rather than something where you add four to a twenty sider roll and that's all (no decision needed).

I get this from your comment: "I am saying that the rules can't specify where the buck really stops. The buck always really stops with everybody, no matter what the rules say.". It's sort of the idea that a rule can't pin this (so as to resolve it), it's always going to depend on the users decisions at that point. But that you can suggest a method for making the descision (as apart from an actual rule). Way off? I'd never actually thought about the destinction before.

[lumpley]

Ah, try this. Your rules can specify where the buck stops. They don't have to, so long as they specify how the players are to treat one anothers' contributions.

"The buck stops here" is one possible solution to "how will we treat each others' contributions?"

-Vincent