Re: mechanics of surprise

Mere moments before death, Erol K. Bayburt <ErolB1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
hastily scrawled:

>On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:57:33 -0600, Ed Chauvin IV <edcfour@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>wrote:
>
>>Mere moments before death, Erol K. Bayburt <ErolB1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>hastily scrawled:
>>
>
>>>Well, in some styles of play the GM *can't* "use it cautiously" - the
>>>GM doesn't have that kind of storytelling control, but instead is
>>>obligated to play the foes as competently as possible. Which means
>>>that if surprise is a hefty weapon, the foes will try to exploit it as
>>>best they can.
>>
>>I would submit that in those styles of play, this is "Not a Problem".
>
>Mileage varies.

I don't see how.

>>>And as a player it can get unpleasant to always have to play
>>>characters who are obsessed over surprise; over gaining suprise over
>>>their opponents and over not being surprised themselves.
>>>
>>>So in a game, it might well be a good thing to depower surprise,
>>>making it unrealisticly weak as a weapon in order to promote in-game
>>>fun. 
>>
>>Which would be just as unacceptable to me in a game where the GM
>>wasn't allowed to use surprise cautiously.
>
>Why?

Essentially, for the exact same reasons.



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