WyrdGM

I make playing cards of characters in games with lots of cast members. Here is an example from a Nordic Themed game I ran in another system.
Character Cards

I tend to add one or two at a time. Seeing someone talking with someone else. Entering a shop, etc. 
I try not to give more than three details at any one time.

Sometimes I even succeed. Heh

 

I like to describe the mundane, especially when added to the fantastic. Heck, to make Malifaux breathe, sometimes making the fantastic mundane gives it life.
An example might be describing a cafe built into the ruins of an old building with unusual stained glass. When the wind blows through the walls, it seems to make a soft music. Describe people having tea there, and perhaps cookies or biscuits. The cafe is known for the second best tea in town.

 

Tactical Breach Wizards? Only saw a little bit of it, but it looked interesting.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/Tactical_Breach_Wizards/

1 hour ago, Kimberly said:

"What is your favorite aspect of the Quarantine Zone and why?"

 

For me, it is the exploration beyond the normal order.
Visiting a hundred little kingdoms in the bones of buildings left long ago. You walk through streets that are haunted by tragedy or wonder. It is danger a stone's throw, or bullet shot, away from a perceived safety. And each kingdom you visit is different. Within the same city, blocks apart, you can have a wasteland, or a regal area. There are mysteries and wildernesses that change as fast as you can turn a corner. Every wonderful thing you can find under the watchful eye of the guild can be potentially found by someone wandering... and so much more.

It is a place where the fated can be Kings and Queens, or Queen and King Makers, or anarchists and rebels. 

It is... opportunity.

44 minutes ago, LeperColony said:

Oh, I see what you mean.  I don't judge people on the quality of the RP.  

Rather:

P:  "I'm going to intimidate the guard."

G:  "Okay.  He has three buddies behind him, and they are all chuckling and making crude remarks.  What exactly are you doing to intimidate him?"

P:  "I say: 'I'm the Governor General and they'll all hang if they don't move aside!'"

At that point I'd apply a negative modifier because the course of action they've decided to take is less likely to succeed.  But it has nothing to do with how well the line was acted by the actual player.

Okay, we're on the same page. 🙂

18 minutes ago, LeperColony said:

This is a fair viewpoint.  But to my mind, I don't see negatives as penalties.  Rather, in my opinion, the basic plot of a game only takes up about half the session.  The other half is the players mucking about, screwing up, chasing red herrings, pursuing their own interests and agendas, etc.  So to me, it's not only appropriate to evaluate what happened in the RP, it often leads the story in other directions.

I am strictly talking negatives to flips, or dice rolls, based on RPing in a social situation.

Consequences of RP and actions are different.
I am not going to give a player a negative to a flip because their RP was not inspired, or they said the wrong thing but were trying, etc.
I find that can shut down players who are trying to open up.

An example:
P: "I am going to intimidate the guard."
GM: "Okay. He has three buddies behind him, and they are all chuckling and making crude remarks. What exactly are you doing to intimidate him."
P: "I am... umm. I'm gonna get in his face and say 'Shove off, big dummy.'"

Now, in many circles I have been in, that would not be considered inspired, nor even good depending on the delivery. The point, however, is that we want to reward the behavior we want, not penalize it. So, if I give him a negative to a flip, he might pull back and be less likely to try. On the other hand, if I say 'Sure, you got in his face, and he almost takes a step back out of reflex... Make your flip,' then they know they are not being punished for going out of their comfort zone.

I am not saying what anyone else does is bad. Just something I have noticed when running for non social people and newer players. It's an opinion I push to try and be more inclusive in promoting RP. If that makes sense. 

On 8/13/2019 at 5:03 PM, LeperColony said:

I used opposed flips in TTB so I don't have the same issue.  However, when it comes to social skill use, I ask the player what their "tack" is going to be.

For instance, Fated X wants to convince a guard to let them pass. 

1)  I ask player X what their pitch is for why the guard should accede to the request. 

2)  There then proceeds some role-playing, but some players are less dramatically inclined than others, so the scene is more of a framing mechanism than a deterministic factor.  The fated may come away with a modifier (either positive or negative), and it helps me understand how they're trying to accomplish their goal.

3)  Then I assign a skill check.  Since I don't use single-flip fixed TNs I don't have the same issue you do, but if I did use them, I'd assign it here.  On occasion, the player will appeal for a different skill and if their request is reasonable, I go along.  If not, which rarely happens, I make my ruling and the game continues.  

This is mostly what I do in all games with social skills, with a couple caveats.

The first is I like to come up with attitude templates.
For example Basic Guards might respond well to bribes, bewitch and leadership; neutral to Convince; negatively to intimidation and deceit. They probably provide negatives to intimidation the mode guards that are there. But you can still do it - but if you embarrass a guard in front of his coworkers, you gain an enemy for life.

Having these templates, of course, help me in determining standard reactions for random NPCs.

Custom NPCs, however, always have a custom attitude.
But also in this, there are some things a skill will not allow them to change.
You cannot convince a fanatic that he is wrong. But you can befriend him, or deceive him. Still, if you roll a successful convince, I like to give you something. 
Hell, if you fail, I still like to give you those fail forward moments.

The second is that I have come up with a personal rule that I will never give a negative to a social skill where someone tried to RP, no matter if the argument seems uninspired, crazy, strange or not. For the RP only. I have discovered, especially with newer players and less social players, that a negative modifier when they are trying acts as a reinforcement for them to not try. So, I never do it anymore. If the negative was because they are a guard and there is always a negative to intimidate a guard with 3 of his fellows there, I explain that is why the negative is there.
I know that is not what this post was about, but I felt it was a good point of view to add.