Re: Updates.

["Kris Ames" <kris@cioe.com>]

No it did not need to be written up.  Since it did not
give him the memories, no write up means he does
not know squat.  If that is not the case then, what is
to stop any character from saying "I know how to
create a nuclear device, GM so and so gave it to me".
If a player said that to me my response would be as
follows.

1.  Is there an item number for your knowledge?
2.  Do you have a skill on your card labeled
     nuclear physics or the equivalent?

If the answer is no then, I would not let it float.

Now just for argument sake let me say I believed the
person had knowledge of a police man when it comes
to guns.  Okay so they MIGHT now how to assemble/
make a modern bullet, but people who make modern
ammunition don't know how to make the components.
You buy primers, you buy casing (with machined tolerances
of +/- 0.1mm), you buy gun powder (you don't make it).

Do you see where I am going with this.  Even if you had
all the knowledge of the people you killed there is no
way to reproduce it since no modern person has the
knowledge necessary to replicate all the components of
something.  Take yourself for example, I am sure you could
put together a computer, splice some cables, but if you are
dropped on a low tech world I challenge you to  replicate
one.

Two things could have prevented Joe's abusing his knowledge
(or supposed knowledge).

1.  GM's playing by the rules (no magic item/no skill/no rule no allow)
2.  GMs showing a little bit of common sense (knowing something
     exists/knowing how to assemble the components does not equal
     knowing how to make on a low tech world particularly since
     tolerances on bullets for modern semi automatic guns would be
     IMPOSSIBLE to replicate with anything other than highly specialized
     equipment)

Once again I say, I did not need to write anything up since he was not
given anything.


-Kris
----------
> From: Wright Frazier <khelek@ns1.cioe.com>
> To: Kris Ames <kris@cioe.com>
> Cc: gmlist@cioe.com
> Subject: Re: Updates.
> Date: Tuesday, June 30, 1998 8:49 AM
> 
> > actor didn't like.  As a punishment/consequence for the
> > character's actions at that time, the actor made him
> > "relive" the life of every person he had ever killed.
> 
> As Joe himself said..thats not a punishment to relive the death
> of every person he killed, thats a bonus, even if you gain
> only a few things.  Also, do not say that Gm's are running it
> wrong, we have 0 details on this from any source beyond Joe,
> and it is not Joe's fault if its misunderstood, may be it
> wasn't outlined properly to him, or if it was done over time,
> it was forgotten since there is no written documentation whatso
> ever about it.
> Experience is good enough, esspecially for things like combat,
> and I believe one of his major points was that he wacked
> several combat veterans of vietnam in some gunfight with
> police, as well as several police officers.  So even if
> he does gain some minor knowledge from these people, he is
> gonna get a lot of knowledge that shouldn't be given out,
> i.e. even 1/10 of the training that a US Marine receives is
> still going to help significantly.
> 
> 
> > 2.  The player/character certainly did NOT immediately write
> > down anything RIGHT after the fact so normal memory checks
> > would apply.  Since he got all of these memory/experiences at
> > once, it would be nigh on impossible for the character to have
> > the knowledge to create bullets.  If anything, the character would
> > have enough knowledge to get himself blown up in the process.
> > 
> > 3.  There was no write up since this should not have had any
> > far reaching effects other than to curb a characters blood lust
> > if played out properly.
> > 
> > Once again, GMs should NOT take players words on what they
> > know or what they have.  This brings up another point which Dan
> > has already sort of fixed.  There are a couple of items that I made
> > (which were not supposed to get into player hands anyway, but
> > they pulled something out of their a**) which got changed in the
> > magic item database to be SIGNIFICANTLY more powerful than
> > they were.  Any change to a GM's magic item should be run through
> > the GM who gave it unless something in game happens to that item
> > so that it is modified through the course of an adventure.  Often 
> > these modifications take the form of such and such player said "that
> > is not the way this item is supposed to work".  The GM that player is
> > running under that evening changes it to match what the player says.
> > Occasionally a GM has "fixed" an item so that it isn't in their opinion
> > so "Mega".  Even if this is Dan doing the fixing, I think the original
GM
> > should be contacted.  This should be done so that the GM can either
> > be made to understand how what they gave out was unacceptable, or
> > so that the GM has a chance to defend their decision/point out how
> > someone altered the item.
> 
> And how are we supposed to do this when there is no write up on it or
> the item given out is badly detailed?  Answer, we can't, so it should
> be written up.
> 
> 
> Wright
>