Simple is hard

I'm still in the process of trimming the system down and editing my writing for clarity. Unfortunately, I only have a little time every day to spend on this project. Over the past two or three weeks, I've trimmed the combat section down a lot. I always try to make things too complicated, so most of my writing is actually just re-writing for simplicity. I had so many specific rules for combat situations that were really not necessary. To be honest, most of them were just examples of how to use the standard task resolution rules for combat. I struggled to figure out ways to represent things that I suddenly realized I had no interest in playing anyway, so I cut them. It's really hard to make these cuts, because I liked making the fiddly little details, but they're actually useless and need to go.

I've got the combat stuff trimmed down to a reasonable level and I decided how I want to do damage and healing issue. This week, I've been revisiting the Social Conflict chapter to bring it more in line with the revised skill list and combat rules. I've decided that I don't want to have separate "combat" and "social" rules. I want them both to be handled as "conflict". Today, while I was cleaning up the social conflict section, it occurred to me that I really need to tie it in with the damage system.

The damage system isn't particularly revolutionary, but I decided to track damage for physical, mental, and social values in addition to other things (although not every campaign or setting will need to use all of them). I originally planned for the Social damage track to relate to your position in society. If someone causes Social damage to you, it's because they humiliate you or make you look foolish in front of everyone and cause you to lose face (for settings where that matters). It occurred to me today that I need to actually talk about how this works in the social conflict section on an individual scale too.

The guiding principle here is "social skills are not mind control". Mind control can make a character do something that the character doesn't want to do; however, social skills can make a character do something that the player doesn't want. Characters only have so much willpower. I know from personal experience that baser instincts can win over better judgement. Just because the player knows that it's probably a trap when the sultry femme fatale invites him up for coffee, that doesn't mean the character will refuse. Just like I know I shouldn't eat a second piece of cake, but sometimes I do it anyway.