11-12-2015, 12:31 AM
Unless you go and share this system with the players, players generally won't know what the 5 steps are. But it's obvious that the persuader will need to get the prospect's attention first and foremost. And it's obvious the persuader will need to present his case at some point, and that hopefully this ends up in a deal. The Elaboration phase is optional and will be initiated by the prospect only according to questions or objections the prospect has, so the player need not know about that phase to proceed to it.
The only part of the system that is not 100% obvious is the Discovery phase. And this is key. If the player doesn't know what the prospect wants, the outcome of the persuasion attempt will seem random to the player. It will seem as if the GM is disregarding dice rolls and stats in appropriate skills and just making an arbitrary ruling. GMs who've run social interactions according to role play and common sense are often accused of this. And it is thought (and often griped) that the player's Charisma, not the characters, is what's driving the outcome. But it isn't. It's a common sense adjudication.
In my experience as a GM, players who are presented with challenges generally want more information. If it's a battle, they want more information about their enemies, about the battlefield, anything that might give them an edge. If it's problem or puzzle solving, they want more information, more clues so they can come up with the right solution. It's important that players treat social challenges the same. If they find themselves wanting more information about the person they are trying to persuade, they may start asking you as GM, "What does it seem like this guy really wants? Do I get the sense he's being truthful with me?"
In the case of the latter question, I would call for a skill check. In the case of the former, especially if it's not an ultra-important encounter or if the NPC is reasonably patient, I would turn this as a teaching moment. I would say something like, "I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Probably the first time, the player will come out with, "What is it you really want?" Which in most cases is too vague to be a useful discovery question. So I'd have the NPC answer in a smart alecky way. This will prompt the now probably frustrated player to ask a more exacting question. But I think once the player sees it work, they'll have a lot more fun with such encounters in the future.
The only part of the system that is not 100% obvious is the Discovery phase. And this is key. If the player doesn't know what the prospect wants, the outcome of the persuasion attempt will seem random to the player. It will seem as if the GM is disregarding dice rolls and stats in appropriate skills and just making an arbitrary ruling. GMs who've run social interactions according to role play and common sense are often accused of this. And it is thought (and often griped) that the player's Charisma, not the characters, is what's driving the outcome. But it isn't. It's a common sense adjudication.
In my experience as a GM, players who are presented with challenges generally want more information. If it's a battle, they want more information about their enemies, about the battlefield, anything that might give them an edge. If it's problem or puzzle solving, they want more information, more clues so they can come up with the right solution. It's important that players treat social challenges the same. If they find themselves wanting more information about the person they are trying to persuade, they may start asking you as GM, "What does it seem like this guy really wants? Do I get the sense he's being truthful with me?"
In the case of the latter question, I would call for a skill check. In the case of the former, especially if it's not an ultra-important encounter or if the NPC is reasonably patient, I would turn this as a teaching moment. I would say something like, "I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Probably the first time, the player will come out with, "What is it you really want?" Which in most cases is too vague to be a useful discovery question. So I'd have the NPC answer in a smart alecky way. This will prompt the now probably frustrated player to ask a more exacting question. But I think once the player sees it work, they'll have a lot more fun with such encounters in the future.