Assessment checks feel cluncky

By Yandia, in Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game Beta

The roll and keep mechanic is a rather involved rolling mechanism. With the additions narrative dice the complexity per roll increased.

Don't get me wrong I think this is something interesting. Each roll has a lot things going on and to consider.

However I also think that some things shouldn't be handled with the same intensity, as others and the assessment is such a thing.

Pick an approach, resolve the effects of this approach, determine the initative value as: focus + ring of the approach + specific skill used for this kind of conflict.

So, are you suggesting to always let the player ask the appropriate question/learn the appropriate piece of information?

6 minutes ago, blut_und_glas said:

So, are you suggesting to always let the player ask the appropriate question/learn the appropriate piece of information?

yes

Yeah, I agree with completely with this. Forcing the player into a specific check to learn a different type of information is too fiddly and slows down the already slow combat.

Would you leave in the option to skip the Assessment (ask no question/receive no information) to iĀ“nstead heal Strife?

If yes, would you change the amount of Strife healed?

34 minutes ago, blut_und_glas said:

Would you leave in the option to skip the Assessment (ask no question/receive no information) to iĀ“nstead heal Strife?

If yes, would you change the amount of Strife healed?

This can be left in... The initative would use no ring (but your skill) and you would assume the Void stance.

However I am not really sure this is needed.

5 minutes ago, Yandia said:

However I am not really sure this is needed.

It certainly can be an attractive option. Although it might turn out to be some sort of cop-out as it adds no interesting/new information or details to the scene. To circumvent that, maybe you could have it so that the player has to reveal something about their own character (why do they need to calm themselves before entering this scene) if they choose that option?

Anyway, if the option is in, then the question is whether the amount of Strife should be changed. If we assume the current amount (3) is balanced against the current Assessment checks, are the new effects better (automatic success) or worse (no opportunity to roll Opportunities :P) than the current version? Or are they about the same? My first instinct would be to consider them worse...

7 minutes ago, blut_und_glas said:

It certainly can be an attractive option. Although it might turn out to be some sort of cop-out as it adds no interesting/new information or details to the scene. To circumvent that, maybe you could have it so that the player has to reveal something about their own character (why do they need to calm themselves before entering this scene) if they choose that option?

Anyway, if the option is in, then the question is whether the amount of Strife should be changed. If we assume the current amount (3) is balanced against the current Assessment checks, are the new effects better (automatic success) or worse (no opportunity to roll Opportunities :P) than the current version? Or are they about the same? My first instinct would be to consider them worse...

I would say there are still on level. The TN1 is extremly easy to hit. You are missing out on the opportunities, but also on the strife. So I would keep things at 3.