Razkar-
I understand exactly what you're saying. I try and work really hard at making sure I play my skills as they are, but I think it's kind of the nature of any rping site that you'd have to be a bit more aware than would make sense, otherwise not noticing anything would make for a dull time.
As far as for your other point, what's to stop them? Their own limitations, their own skills, the situation it's happening in. While the PvP section doesn't directly address the social issues, it does provide the basic groundwork for any of it. In an even match, higher skill wins. If the circumstances allow the lesser skilled to get the jump though, then that's where adjustments would be made. I agree totally that an overall skill set should be taken into account.
Cunning, strategy, yes. Writing skill, to some extent. Not everyone is a wordsmith, if you will, but if they've taken the time to work hard and earn a high level in a skill, regardless of their ability to truly put it down, it still needs to be honored.
How can your character have that cunning and strategy, though? I'd say it comes from your experiences, which translate into xp and lore. You just can't start a new character and be an amazing tactician with masterful aim with your bow, you know?
Jen-
For sure! I don't think that just because you have a million points in seduction you should be able to walk up to someone and be like 'remove your top'. Well...maybe..in the right circumstances....But yeah, it's really a case by case. Like I said to Razkar, it really is something you have to take all circumstances into account. I guess my overall thought is that it seems to kind of work like this, and correct me if I'm way off:
100 Weapon defeats lesser skilled weapon, all things even
100 persuasion can be defeated by a PC whose player doesn't think their character would do whatever they were trying to get them to do, regardless of skills.
It's oversimplified, I know.
I guess the social skills really need to take a lot more into account. I can see myself getting frustrated as Orion's social abilities start to reach higher levels but still get scorned as though they weren't there. As a novice and low competent, I expect to fail frequently at getting what he's trying to, though.
Imass-
While I agree that this isn't a computer game, it's still a game. The 'Writer's RPG'. This isn't 'Whose Line', the points do matter. But I get what you're saying. I try not to emphasize the game more than the writing. I don't have a problem with anyone in particular with this, these are just some thoughts I've had while reading through people's threads and such.
You can look around all you want, be paranoid, try and notice everything, but if you have 5 points in Observation, you still shouldn't notice every detail and spot the subtle things that everyone is doing. If they were constantly looking around, trying to be aware of their situation, but not noticing everything, I'd bet they gain a lot of xp in it very quickly, and start to be able to have backing behind why they can notice the hidden.
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I'm really enjoying the conversation in all this. Thanks for all the replies.