Verbs and Aproaches

 

So... every core number on your character sheet (all the stats and skills and attributes and ability scores etc.) is answering a few questions.

For the GM, they take those numbers and plug them into some kind of mechanic and get a result that tells them what should happen. (Does a character succeed? Is a character affected by some condition or temporary state? Is a character aware of a piece of information?) Should the GM actually listen to the result of these mechanics is a different question.

For the Players, I believe these numbers are answering the following questions:

  • What are my characters strengths and weaknesses?
  • What kind of things can my character do, and how likely is my character going to succeed at a given thing?
    Now at first these two questions might seem like they are the same question rephrased. But I think the first question is about role-play and the second is about mechanics.

To put it another way: The stats are telling the Players how their characters approach the world (what lenses they see the world through) and what mechanical options are available to them.

Keeping this in mind I think its possible to do some really interesting game design. For example: Stars without Number has a really amazing skill list.


Ignoring the psionics skills at the end, you may notice that each of them is a verb. It reminds me of those old point and click adventure games with a verb list. I think this kind of skill list is pretty cool because its doing a couple things:

  • Its focused on the mechanical aspects of stats
  • Its providing a nice complete list of possible actions for players who struggle with creative problem solving.

Because of that focus on the mechanical side of things, a skill list like this can free up a different stat list to be about roleplay; how you approach a task. For example a character is trying to get through a locked door. If they try to pick the lock, they roll Finesse + Burglary; but if they try and break the lock, they roll Brawn + Burglary. One stat is the verb, they other is the approach.

In conclusion, try and keep in mind what the main purpose of a number is in your game, is it to answer a specific mechanical question, or is it to signal to the players how they should play their characters.

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