[MUD-Dev] Re: Role-playing [was Re: several messages]

[Adam Wiggins]

> >On Sun, 11 May 1997, Adam Wiggins wrote:
> >> [big dumb ogre types 'look':]
> >> You see here a big pile of coins.
> >> 
> >> [human types 'look':]
> >> You see here several hundred coins.
> >> 
> >> [Rain Man types 'look':]
> >> You see here 327 coins, one of which has a small scratch on its underside.
>  [JCL:]
> We've debated this area of how or even if intelligence should be
> represented inside the game world.  My own view is that it shouldn't
> even be touched.  Leave that to the humans.  The concept of the system
> attempting to represent anything more than the base physical
> capabilities of the character body in question gives me the heebies.

Hmmm, I guess I wasn't clear above.  Rain Man is not intelligent.
(I shouldn't have said "..dumb ogre".)  This is based on perception,
not intelligence.  Based on both your perception stat, your own size
(an ogre, being large, will be less like to notice a faerie and vice versa,
completely regardless of their individual perception stats), your paranoia
levels (someone who is overly paranoid will sense things that aren't there,
while someone who is not too paranoid won't notice Bubba hiding in the corner),
the clutter in the room, the light levels, etc etc...you may or may not notice
things.  (It's not a boolean state, either, as illustrated above.)

Not to say we don't use intelligence.  It's also a very important stat -
namely, how quickly your character learns their skills.  I really don't
see why modeling mental stats (perception, willpower, intelligence, spirit,
charisma, etc..) is any less important than physical stats.