Real Time Enforcement

[lev_lafayette]

....

This is a deliberately extreme example, going as far in the direction of "unimmersed (dispassionate) author stance" as the realtime technique ("Suddenly three bullets buzz past your ears ZIP! ZIP! ZIP! making three pockmarks in the sandbags RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU QUICK SOLDIER YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS WHAT DO YOU DO??") goes in the direction of immersed actor stance. In any play mode there's potential value either way.

....

In general I think you're completely right. However in the above example, I'd say they'd be hit by fifteen bullets if they took five seconds to come up with an answer ;-)

Interesting point on this (which I don't recall anyone mentioning). DragonQuest; IIRC (and I haven't read the rules for years), there was an occupational skill which allowed you to "stop the clock" for a period of real-time seconds to think about your next tactical move.

Long time ago in gamer history, but a damn good idea.

[Ron Edwards]

The above was split from Fear and confusion: do all role-playing games miss the point?, but actually in reply to the posts now in Fear and confusion II.

Lev, feel free to duplicate your post in the new thread, leaving this one alone. Please pay more attention to the dates of threads, including the year.

Best,
Ron

[Rodger Thorm]

Interesting point on this (which I don't recall anyone mentioning). DragonQuest; IIRC (and I haven't read the rules for years), there was an occupational skill which allowed you to "stop the clock" for a period of real-time seconds to think about your next tactical move.

Yes, it is the Military Scientist skill in DragonQuest which allows the players a short period of time to plan their next actions.  I never found it to be particularly useful.  In almost 25 years of playing, I can't think of more than a couple times that that rule was ever used by any Military Scientist PC in my campaigns.  By and large, I don't think that it really related to the way the game actually played.

Rodger Thorm
DQN-list moderator: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/dqn-list/
DragonQuest Players Association: http://dragonquest.org

[lev_lafayette]

By and large, I don't think that it really related to the way the game actually played.

True enough. As a rough rule of thumb it was a good idea. As a precise, stop-clock measure, it was a complete failure. Still the concept was a good one; that in a conflict situation
play it real time unless the character was a skilled tactician.

DQN-list moderator: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/dqn-list/
DragonQuest Players Association: http://dragonquest.org

Hmmm.. I think I'd better join.