tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928710026331957513.post1134012779374080165..comments2023-03-30T05:56:53.894-07:00Comments on nerdthink: Stunts: A Glorious PassionBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05909943463326709853noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928710026331957513.post-87816823543895332007-10-22T23:32:00.000-07:002007-10-22T23:32:00.000-07:00Hey Leslie!A bunch of great comments.On not stunti...Hey Leslie!<BR/><BR/>A bunch of great comments.<BR/><BR/>On not stunting well yet... I am convinced that stunting is an almost orthogonal skill set to the skill set of traditional roleplaying. As I mentioned in the article, my exalted group (ghen-ki, mike, keith and some other occassionally) only recent (last 1.5 years) have really been hitting the stunts. And I don't think we were bad roleplayers before, and moreover, I don't think that adding stunting has really increased our roleplaying ability. What it does allow us to do is have very stylistic and cool things happen in our games. I also think we're just beginning to explore the world of stunting and how it can have an impact on the game play beyond that of just making combat cool (see my Goal Oriented Stunting post for more about that).<BR/><BR/>But, like I said before, I don't think stunting really helps get at the heart of the roleplaying experience (perhaps "yet"), I really feel like exposure to gamers like you, Chris, and Andi has really been the impetus to "kick it up a notch" and improve my roleplaying skills.<BR/><BR/>As far as not having that much to draw on, I do think that puts you at a bit of a disadvantage, especially early in your stunting career. But, I also think it is a really honest-to-god skill that can be trained. When I think about what used to pass for stunting in our games a year and a half ago, I realize just how far we have come as a group in our stunting abilities, and I further see that you really do become a lot better the more practice you have.<BR/><BR/>For the record, I thought both you and Chris held up quite well in the cyperpunk persona game we played, which I had meant to really bring out the stunting in our regular group.<BR/><BR/>Just some more thoughts :)<BR/><BR/>-BenBenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05909943463326709853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928710026331957513.post-10028193635362557232007-10-21T22:27:00.000-07:002007-10-21T22:27:00.000-07:00Stunting is something that's starting to hit my ga...Stunting is something that's starting to hit my gamer radar too, though my thoughts aren't very cohesive on the subject yet. Despite that, I think I'll try to dribble a few of them out here. ;)<BR/><BR/>One thing I must say up-front is that I *suck* at stunting. I freeze, I stutter, and if I see a 'stunt' situation coming up - I have to stop all other forms of gaming to try and prepare for when the GM rounds on me for my turn. (It's not pretty.) And for a gamer of 20+ years like myself - that's a bit humbling.<BR/><BR/>I'm starting to suspect that the reasons I suck at stunting is that my sources for gaming inspiration are not primarily visual. I watch *some* action films - but not a lot. I'm familiar with *some* anime - but not much of the new stuff. I don't download from YouTube. And I don't play combat video games at all. <BR/><BR/>My inspirations are primarily drawn from comics and literature. Ask me about any cyber-punk novel. One whole room of my house is a library. I have a complete run of Nexus comics in my basement. (A little visual yes, but not in motion.) Etc, etc.<BR/><BR/>Therefore, the things I enjoy (books, not video games) have predisposed me toward what I enjoy and - hopefully - will then do well with in a game. (This may also go back to the 'sandwich builder' vs. actioneer style of gamer, Ben.)<BR/><BR/>Ask me to describe something cool, fast and visual in a running combat situation? I blink at as the panic rises in me. Ask me to describe what my character's wearing? Perpare for the seminar complete with hues, materials and cultural significance. ;)<BR/><BR/>Having said all that, yes I still think that stunting adds a lot to a game. Particularly a one-shot or pick-up adventure game. (I *am* very fond of highly cool things.) But how to maintain that kind of coolness through-out a longer character based campaign - I don't know yet.<BR/><BR/>I'm thinking around this area because Amber Diceless Role-Playing, with it's very powerful characters and very loose combat system, *should* be a system with great potential for stunting and yet it's one of the hardest to get people to stunt in. <BR/><BR/>That may be due to the game being based upon a series of books. Does that imply that most of it's players might have a 'readers' background as opposed to 'viewers' background...? I don't know, maybe.<BR/><BR/>Hmmmm.... need to think some more. :)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04581368560159812748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928710026331957513.post-16188518003035824872007-10-03T14:28:00.000-07:002007-10-03T14:28:00.000-07:00Sorry I didn't respond earlier (I'm on a recruitin...Sorry I didn't respond earlier (I'm on a recruiting trip)<BR/><BR/>I definitely agree that character design can influence how stunty a character is. I've certainly used that to my advantage several times (and I know Mike has too).<BR/><BR/>I aggree that stunty characters and plot destroying characters do share some common traits. But at the same time, I know characters that are stunty and don't distrupt plot. I'm playing one of those right now (she is mike a meek lamb as far as plot goes, but very stunty nonetheless).<BR/><BR/>I think this whole topic deserves its own blog posts (creating characters for stunts...)<BR/><BR/>I definitely think the idea of encouraging experienced people to play less stunty characters and newbies playing more stunty characters is an idea worth trying. There is something to be said for the experienced people getting to "show how its done" but my bet is that that will happen on its own, even with the less stunt driven concept.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05909943463326709853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928710026331957513.post-46001139178308268482007-10-01T07:28:00.000-07:002007-10-01T07:28:00.000-07:00One bit of advice I think is relevent:Some charact...One bit of advice I think is relevent:<BR/><BR/>Some characters are a lot easier to stunt than others. I think it basically comes down to this: the more "flashy" your character is, the easier it's gonna be to stunt. This flashyness can happen on a variety of levels:<BR/><BR/><B>Appearance:</B> As stated before with skillful, saying "beautiful" is like saying nothing. But if your character wears nothing but bright orange, you're never going to run dry of "...like a orange juice factory exploding, my character..." kinds of stunts.<BR/><B>Personality:</B> The more obviously insane, the easier it is to stunt. "Killing rage" is something that gets used a lot to get you where you need to be for more brutal stunts.<BR/><B>Humor:</B> Getting a laugh is often a lot easier than impressing people, but oftentimes you can do both. Insanity makes this easier too.<BR/><BR/>It just strikes me, writing this list, that characters overdesigned for stunting are exactly the sort of character that can quite easily derail a campaign.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps a way to help new players ease in is to encourage "old hand" players to play more stunt-averse characters while helping newbies play more study-apt? It also might help the experienced gamers exert a more moderating plot influence. This, in my experience, is usually the opposite of how things usually pan out if left to their own devices. Thoughts?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com