Alright, so pretty much every GM out there, at some point, let's some things kind of slip past rules, because it's cool or fun (or funny), but, how long do you let it go on?
I bring it up, because I just had to have that conversation with a player... he'd been, in my opinion, abusing the RoCool, and it needed to stop, and since there were certain skills associated, that he just didn't have, it would start being an automatic failure. I had allowed it longer than I normally would, because it was a "fun" part of the character concept, but then he just kept going with it way too much.
So, I was wondering, what are your limits on it?
--GS
"It's weird to be back"
Abusing the "Rule of Cool"
Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones
Re: Abusing the "Rule of Cool"
An unlucky roll when things are just getting good, a cinematic moment when a player is really roleplaying their heart out, when I as a GM get caught up in it and just don't care about the rules as we're having fun (happens a lot with the more obscure rules I couldn't be bothered to remember)... the RoCool is fine in the moment to accentuate gameplay. In this sense, it is not a game mechanic, it should be solely at the whim of the GM, and players should never expect it.
As a player, I try to think and make smart choices so when there is a lucky roll or a plan or action works out spectacularly, I make my own Cool and the Cool is undeniable.
When it comes to stuff without skills etc., I allow attribute checks, but I use a conversion of Atts to % with context modifiers. So if someone with no relevant skill, IQ 10 and in a rush to compute advanced math before a bomb blows up... off the cuff, that is 10% for the IQ, divide by half for something super difficult, and -40% for the extreme pressure/stress... yah, auto fail. Take away the bomb, and even still, when a player has only 5% chance and they make the roll, that is a reason for everyone to jump out of their chairs and cheer. However, failure is punished with prejudice if the attempt was wasting everyone's time on a foolish gamble when other more reasonable options were possible. No debate, no reprieve.
As a player, I try to think and make smart choices so when there is a lucky roll or a plan or action works out spectacularly, I make my own Cool and the Cool is undeniable.
When it comes to stuff without skills etc., I allow attribute checks, but I use a conversion of Atts to % with context modifiers. So if someone with no relevant skill, IQ 10 and in a rush to compute advanced math before a bomb blows up... off the cuff, that is 10% for the IQ, divide by half for something super difficult, and -40% for the extreme pressure/stress... yah, auto fail. Take away the bomb, and even still, when a player has only 5% chance and they make the roll, that is a reason for everyone to jump out of their chairs and cheer. However, failure is punished with prejudice if the attempt was wasting everyone's time on a foolish gamble when other more reasonable options were possible. No debate, no reprieve.