Good Cop/Bad Cop is Dividing Attention

Realizing that Good-Cop/Bad-Cop is a tactic meant to Divide Targets resources. When you are making a decision and trying to predict your outcomes. Creating two sets of outcomes based on two different personalities is harder than creating a set of outcomes for One personality - either good or bad. You can better foresee the outcomes if you're dealing with one Speaker/Target/Claimant/Customer/Client etc... 

So as a GM I would require some Social skills to employ "Divide and Conquer" or "Flanking Attacks" or "Good Cop and bad cop". A Clueless person about how the tactic works more likely will waste the tactic. At least one of the two is skilled. 

Next is that I will use Advantage or Boon or apply the Inverse modifier: Bane or Disadvantage to the person who is under this circumstance. 

Imagine yourself with your friend who you know well enough to know his/her tells, strengths and weaknesses. You're in a negotiation and advance a point of discussion that complicates the opposing party. it doesn't have to be a really good argument, even a bad argument works fine, as long as it Divides the Targets attention then it prevents the target from successfully arguing his case by building up credibility or strong arguments. 

This can be reversed, a skilled negotiator will use every negative point against the two people who are arguing against him. Dictating the pace and managing from an advantage position (the burden of proof is on the other party;  one party has to make more effort per argument). 

The same Biomechanics fighting multiple Opponents requires can be said about the Speech and Conversational Pacing mechanics - you have to be an expert in taking the weaknesses and flaws of one of the opponents to give the attackers obstacles. 

Stress is where Heroism can be better viewed. Stress Mechanics

Because of the Stress Mechanic (its like HP but the Stress doesn't go away so quickly without coping mechanisms like Vices and Habits; unified Conditions see 200425 GITB Quick Combat - Combat Mechanics,), I can now impose some tangible costs for very SMALL spaces and very difficult and frustrating equipment. 

the way I handled Load (Level of Effort), Stress, and Wounds is a Single Track of Penalties: 0, -1, -3, -7 and -10 and one of the 4 Modifiers to a Roll (so players don't get overwhelmed by the number of factors). 

I don't know yet how, but the NASA data on the crew would be my baseline. Noting that NASA crew is the exceptional or Elites and PCs fall under lower levels unless the GM sets it to more heroic competence levels. This means PCs require more maintenance and not as stable (no psych evaluation and filtering). 

It also helps that I have a Level of Effort aka Burden or Load Mechanic for operating Space Suits. The Time and Motion of Operating a Space Suit (like Space welders) and the physical toll even if in Zero G reminds me of Rapid Changes in Temperature exhausting the Body which leads to the superstition of Rain Causing sickness - that rapid changes in temperature exhausts the body because the body will switch gears and have to recalibrate itself (as it will always try to maintain equilibrium). It is the exhaustion that causes a weakened immune response and not the "rain" which leads to adequate rest and managing the transition to reduce the exhaustion. 

Interestingly it was discussed in the chapter of Embodied Emotions has started talking about Proprioception (I'm currently listening to Boosting your Emotional Intelligence by Jason M. Satterfield and a lot of CBT and Mindfulness studies seem to give me Ideas how to simplify my Management of all these factors: physical, energy levels, and stress). 200510 Cepheus Engine Variant Rules

Title: Stress is where Heroism can be better viewed. 

You explain to your Kids that Courage is Overcoming Fear. Then you reflect on that statement and where that saying leads oneself. Does that mean Virtue is overcoming Internal Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities? Is the Heroism found in overcoming the Physical Obstacle or the Internal obstacle? Is it heroic to overcome prejudice, intolerance, engendered bad behavior, and biases? When you think about the Economic vs Moral decision -what is $2 to a person who has nothing vs yourself, vs the moral/ethical act of providing aid - there is a disconnect between the Economic Decision (measuring the Physical Obstacle) vs the Ethical Decision (overcoming the Bias, prejudice, internal weakness). 

In an interview Jim Dinnigan (Who I never heard of until last night when Jay Duggar sent me the link and I listed to this while looking him up in Wikipedia) noted that Wargaming allowed them to Simulate and Model the situation so as to Systematically review Alternatives and review the Forces. Breaking the GAME, disrupting the prevailing forces in a situation is what we always look for when the Forces are against us. When it is to our advantage, we look at how the Opposite party can disrupt our advantage. The Change of Perspective lead to More information, and Actionable information to affect outcomes. 

Behavior and Cognition are the same, imagine what Jim Dunnigan was talking about but the battlefield for your attention and your behavior. To be able to MODEL the forces that affect your behavior and to disrupt these forces with levers and mechanical advantage. 

After Jon Oliver's lesson on how we teach history (I'm more studied in Filipino and Chinese and Roman History but his video is TRUE to Filipino and Chinese history; instead of race in Filipino history how the Poor has been used and vilified) the BIASES and false dichotomies/equivalencies that surround it is a ready example of Overcoming Internal Conflicts, not to remove conflicts but accept and make sense of them (example: Humans are capable of incredible compassion and love; while capable of cruelty and evil beyond comprehension - that cognitive dissonance is healthy and actually true to a degree).  

The thing about any good intention, action plan, and self improvement through Games is that these are tiny changes that can be easily disregarded and belittled. But over time allows us to shape our behavior and our gamer mindset. We seek to understand and play, I realized Gaming is emotionally ENGAGING with something I otherwise would not care for. Learning science, math, business, and all these things because I want to play or test these forces in a theoretical model gives me hope that the hobby is a wholistic way of self-improvement. echoing the domain: game in the brain. 

Networking in the Gamer Mindset Part II

Contact Ally Freq-6

Depending on how the GM arbitrates Freq-6 MOST contacts in the real world fall into this category! Imagine that contact you can talk to once a month if you know it won't bankrupt your Favor balance. No one likes dealing with someone who is not self sufficient and can FILTER the leads they get, also people get negative reaction when presented a "under cooked" (hilaw in Tagalog) lead. If you think things half baked then you cannot bring that to a business or professional contact seriously (over dinner where you ask about it and what their opinion is but never in a serious proposal like fashion). 

Free Contacts

The GM can even give you "FREE" Contacts and Allies that are accessible once or twice based on your back-story (the GM rolls their skill level in secret), these people can be contacted maybe at the same frequency or more IF you pay or you can give them something in return in the future. 

Off the bat the GM can give you a generous number depending on the backstory word count and how many RP situations are in the character's story which is strongly correlated to the amount of people your character can feasilby interact with. Then with as many Positive reactions as reasonable with your character.

The more extra Curricular with your characters the more circles he is able to tap. Imagine Gaming Circles and related Hobbies like Wargaming, LARP, Anachronistic Simulation, and a bit farther out Airsoft/Paintball or Milsim games. Now if you really play often and go to the events often enough you meet A LOT of people... if you don't sound to much of a user asking what they do and their contact information, and have the presence of mind to get their contact information without being creepy then cool.... also the presence of mind to write down notes about the interaction... that's hard. 

Contacts with Terrible Reputations

Lolz this should be tackled, people with terrible reputations will basically tell you otherwise. Rarely are people truly rational when it comes to these things: 1) no one directly says Ill of someone if they are professional because its unprofessional to do so (if they tell you then be worried about how quickly they talk about you with other people); 2) the Terrible Person will Fast Talk and Lie their way towards getting connected or asking a favor - Promises are Cheap as spit. 

ANECDOTE TIME lolz. 

I know one particular scoundrel that exploits the benefit of the doubt and initial talks when it comes with professional engagements. If you call the contact information of an entity, someone will answer and send a representative - some small representatives represent a lot of people and various interests and not just their company. This scoundrel basically gets various representatives and make outrageous claims of their Interest in a project... to the people who don't do due diligence this is a remarkable claim and like SPAM and Phishing done often enough with a large enough target market will snag some people in their moment of weakness (the more desperate one is the more one is in their moment of weakness). 

Due Diligence should have a Tricky mechanic. Exploit last word in Rules if the player did due diligence, if they have it as a Perk, make it eat up their time... if they have it as a perk with a dedicated Analyst and A contact on retainer then well they enter any event with intelligence. As the GM the question is: "What information is the PC going into this situation". As a frustrated biz person steeped in theory and the academic I always see opportunities I miss and those that I am not in a position to exploit too often... which cycles the frustration. 

Strangely even in "Professional Circles" and even in some Financial Due Diligence firms.... they don't do due dilligence as frquently as you'd expect with if you had the same resources. So I find myself curious when a professional firm that can afford the manpower and should have the habits fail to do their homework. You know when you have that resource, you can even delegate the Connect-the-Dots with the PA who works with the same information and ask the PA to do the analysis for the higher ups with you just doing the editing and the higher critical thinking function (Basically Thomas in War Beneath Heaven when he works with Jeni)... although too soon your PA will learn Intelligence Analysis and might get bored and leave for greener pastures lolz... but such man power concerns are for a discussion of Modern Day Patron-Client relationships.

Maybe as a Due-Dilligence habit once a week just do basic notes recap of all contacts made in the past week... that sounds like a lot of work lolz. 

Why Networking is used explained in a Gamer mindset.

Networks are the easier way of doing business IMO, but that's not the impression that actually influence character builds. Sun Tzu's says avoid a test of prowess (avoid drawing the sword or going to war), which means if that I must explore all the other options before resorting to those with risks.

There is a red flag in the back of my brain being raised when I'm about to enter a situation that has risk, when presented in a way that there are limited options (false dichotomy). The condition response is that, I can find another way and there must be an answer that does not require a test. Why should I enter a negotiation (or a situation) where I don't know the outcome, its better be a negotiation that has nothing to lose and something to gain otherwise (where it will cost me something if I lose).

I'm coming from Call Center Background, I hated Cold Calls and Outbound Campaigns. I don't like it being pestered or spammed, and most people don't either. I know its part of work, but thats the result of match making (finding someones whose willing to deal). I've experienced too many fly by nights in the misguided effort of trying to salvage the business and having dealt with such desperate and shady people, there is a reason why we filter our transaction by who we know (renshi 认识, kilala in tagalog). In the end of the experience, when I contemplate Due Diligence was something overlooked too often. But the cost of due diligence adds up over time, so we use what we have and deal with who we know when we cannot give due diligence.

Renshi 认识 or Guanxi 关系 in Traveller

So I'm doing business with people in another star system. Even more is relationship and network more important. I like it when the GM emphasizes this because, it always boils down to this. Especially in my experience dealing with BPOs and establishing new markets and business. 

Introductions is a big deal and Social Occasions are also, I cannot AFFORD to be reclusive and anti-social as much as I want to. At least I'm not stuck with my anti-social disadvantages, instead I have my characters or if the game system does not have that kind of granularity then HAHA I don't have those disadvantages! Those disadvantages are what makes it interesting and immersive for me, we all have quirks and even the Pros have a "best practice" which shows where their strengths are invested. 

Basically, make introductions (crypto  letters of introduction) so that one has some trusted verification who they are dealing with. Socialize with the NPCs, lolz. What is funny is that its kinda like dating! Your trying to socialize with someone and they can come in all different forms, and you can get into some risky situations or even trouble before you make business relations. 

I'm the type who likes meeting people, partially because as a gamer I find myself running out of people to play with since they move around and get busy. I translated that to work, and the chance I can meet a gamer at work lolz. So anyway it is an exercise of being open minded and through that interesting things happen. 

I guess any adventure scenario can begin with a bunch of people testing and verifying each other. Think of the golf game where business people try to read each other while playing, and other hobbies where we get to know each other through the medium of the hobby. 

Enemies as Contacts

An Interesting thing about GURPS is that Enemies are people you know as well as Ally Groups. You can have Watcher enemies, that the character KNOWS. They may not like the character but the character KNOWS them and thats a good start (sometimes all you really need is a connection to someone who has what you need even if that person hates your guts).

I remember making a Fading Suns GURPS character whose primary build is that he KNEW everyone lolz. Enemies and Contact Groups was his special ability. That was a one shot so nothing much happened after that, but in my work experience, if you knew everyone and what they did then you would know who to ask, what to ask, and who can answer and how to go about making something possible.

Count Watcher Enemies as very unreliable contacts (basically contacts that PAY YOU in points lolz), what they are good for? Count on them to do tell your enemies what you mislead them to think they should not know lolz.

Contact Groups: Diversity

Gaming Contact Group: Having a Contact Group may be excessive... unless you can use that LARGE group for your networking. Imagine a group of people as a spectrum and the variance within that group there will be some odd fringe/outlier people who can provide some unsual connections for the PC.

So the GM may allow you to use a Contact Group with a Familiarity penalty. "Oh Jimmy here has family in the Mob/Gov't/Army/etc...  So Contact Group is really 5x more expensive than one contact but has more survival chances and versatility.

GURPS Social Skills Include Personal Grooming, Dress, and Styling

All Social Skills, have grooming and styling as part of the training and knowledge base of a social skill. I'm of the opinion that it should be universally built-in into social skills of any game system. Savoir Fair (Business) means dressing sharply according to your (professional or social) status, and not just how to address the owner of a company (a particular position), or what each title and position means, or how to format a letter of introduction, how to give professional gifts (that don't break rules of ethics), etc. etc...

If you add Grooming, Styling, and Dress then Social Skills becomes more indomitable to myself and many other gamers who don't need to deal with Byzantine Social Strata that has made us feel inferior and excluded since childhood lolz. But made into PART OF The GAME the attitude changes and the geek will try to use adaptive learning to make sense of it all using the learning tools of gaming.

So the PC who is a social animal, is able to convert a business casual (Savoir-Fair Business) into party clothes (carousing), attention getting clothes (sex-appeal), or "gangster" (streetwise), etc... or basically their Savoir Faire (High Society) to other mediums or knows how to "clean up" or "dress up" when needed. (note these days even artists who are recluse need to learn dress and personal styling to make believable characters).

Some Notes

• Of course if your defaulting from a Non-social Skill like Psychology or Merchant it does not help with dressing, unless you are defaulting from Connoisseur: Dress IQ/A.  Note that communicating with clothes is as alien as Mandarin to me, I'm learning but its still a language I can barely understand and need my wife to translate. 
• Fashionable is typical for this but I would suggest using Charisma instead with a limitation where its accessibility is in situation where clothes matter (limitation: Accessibility only Dress, Style, and Grooming -40%) . So using charisma over the phone won't grant the bonus or if the character was not able to Groom-him/herself the bonus is lost.  It gives a new meaning to "Cleans up nice" or Transformative looks while in uniform or Dressed to kill. This assumes Charisma is capped at 2 levels.  
• The Player declares what Social Skill he/she is using to Dress. Multi-Tasking penalty when trying to dress Business Sharp (Savoir-Fair Business) but able to Party (Carousing) etc..
• The reaction bonus from Social Status is halfed in modern setting. The only way to get the full bonus (which is 4) is through the Social Skill Ability Modifier ex. Carousing (E) IQ+2 [4] allows a Rockstar to dress to Party. 
• Formal Clothing are restrictive! Tailoring (use Low Tech Tailoring Rules or just apply Fine or Very Fine Cost modifier) -3 to DX and HT checks (try running or hiking in heels or those pointed hard heeled business shoes). Quality modifier negates some of the penalty.  

Again work is often a source of inspiration-frustration and this is one of those little details that matter when I wish it didn't.

First Session of Reclaiming Khazad-Dum

+Christian Blouin, +Alex Safatli  (Kalin Brother of Gimli) , +Arne Jamtgaard (Bain, uncle of the king) , and +Jason Woollard (Khazek a very young dwarf ranger), and I got to Play Drolf son of Hemmolt.
Congrats to everyone and the preparation was awesome and the results were awesome.

The social combat was satisfying, it really felt like a battle well in my experience it is practically a battle. The council of dwarves were successful in preventing the king in foolishly playing his entire hand before knowing what the dwarves are up against in the KD (Khazad-Dum).

Since I've been playing a lot of social combat games, I find that this is a more organized means and more "game-fun" model to run a social encounter. Comparing it to the others I've experienced, that don't use Narrative Control Mechanics to balance things out.

This approach, by christian, vs narrative control system are a good fit for Traditional RPG gamers for a way of resolving a social situation. In the NC systems, you have to "Yes and.../Yes but..." (all discussed a former post). This system is very tactical and has a beautiful visualization of how the positions are related. Its a "GURPS"sy more system than SIFRP, but it does take some setting up and KUDOS to the GM prepping!

Its such a nice system why not play a Political Animal? Now here is the thing about a Soldier is that they are pieces in the game, and they are trying to survive. They will go with the strongest at the expense that they can't push much of an agenda - I didn't have an agenda and that helped in the long run. Drolf is just trying to get things to work out, and will work with the party to achieve this.

As a Soldier, I just kill stuff and win battles. I execute the command, and my real field is on the battle field and leading troops.

Social Mechanics: Its not just about Skills, its about consequences

Cutting into the meat of social mechanics, it is more about circumstance and consequence. There are   many strategies in dealing with people; it gets more complicated when there is deceptions and it is more about ancillary benefits.

Strangely everything boils down to a "cliche" that people want to be wanted for themselves. The funny thing about the "cliche" is that "themselves" is nothing simple and very often complicated. The only times a relationship becomes very simple is that it is transactional/economic or when there is a deep connection.

Skills are necessary to avoid Noise. What I mean by noise is the information and communication theory definitions of it . Noise is both uncertainty and the natural messy nature of how we communicate as humans. A simple instruction being a feat of abstract thinking, having a precise set of expectation, and a feat of probabilistic interpretations. (the lessons taught in TTC effective communication is more pronounced when we learning a new language, when we hear one that has a set of sounds Culturally/Linguistically we cannot hear like the 5 tones in Chinese)

Where skills are heaviest and most useful is in reducing noise is Analysis and Information Gathering. Where skills are least is in delivery and for those who have mastered all the fundamentals (delivery and information gathering) there are route techniques and tricks.

Psychology is one of the key skills, but most interestingly such a broad topic. there is Psychology the science we learn, and the one we experience and have observed. Depending on the lense we have cogntively psychology is influenced by Background Culture, our Professional Culture, and the social skill sets we need to survive.

It is interesting to measure one's life by transactional vs non-transactional but positive relationship we have.

Simplifying Social Mechanics without getting deep into a Philosophical Discussion is the challenge, because you trim the discussion by removing the examples and supporting statements to the theory proposed.

It is also assumes that you have a similar experience with the reader. I like Steve Longs comment in an interview, which is to the effect Hero is not for Assholes. I think anything written is universally not meant to be interpreted by the kind of people who seek to "strawman" the writer's own words. I've read Dawkin's: The greatest show on earth and the language is so precise and protectionist it turned off my wife from reading it; I didn't mind it because I knew it was designed to limit the wiggle room for assholes.

I talk about leverage in my Social Mechanic rules. I don't mean for Leverage to be a mechanic, but one of my intentions is to provide a creative commons description of the real world modeled in games so that people have a better mental model and that people with better wording can improve on it and spread it around. It the mental model gives people not only a tool for an RPG but a better understanding of relationship Huzzah!