Haggling between Players
Making Trade work for you..

There are two points to haggle. One is the coded getting things cheaper in markets and other suppliers and the other is the how much people are inclined to pay for things.

Codedly means the automated skill use that removes the RP interaction from the transaction.

RP-wise you can always say no to a price, be it buying or selling. We shouldn't force people to give a discount due to their skill being less than another. But instead we offer the tools for a better RP. Trading is used when inspecting items, checking their value and then you can see how much things are worth. If baka A is asking too much, don't pay...

But in the case where you want an opposed skill check you can always xhelp and ask for it. The admin will tell you who got the best roll.

I think this could be expanded to a generic, optional 'contest' command, where two players can opt to contest a skill roll of any kind with each other, if they feel that it would enhance their RP. I can see this factoring into some player-run 'games' where the character's skills and stats might be a component, with something like arm wrestling being the most obvious example.

I can understand where BattleJenkins is coming from though, since many people do not appropriately play to their stats. Using the arm wrestling thing as an example, one person may have barely above average strength but describe themselves being ripped and muscular, while another has fairly high strength, but doesn't make it a prominent feature. In an ideal world everyone would RP appropriately to their abilities, but sadly it doesn't always happen, so a way to codedly establish you are more strong, or agile, or have better aim, or whatever, without just going into combat, does have some merit.

I recognize there are also many problems with it, and it may lead people to using it to compare abilities without actually RPing about it, but the idea is worth thinking about.

So, when it comes to new features or code or builds or whatever, we look for things which enhance RP.

I don't see putting in a system where PCs can arbitrarily do rolls against each other or against their environment as a good thing. Three main reasons are: A - It looks extremely abusable because of the information leak which it would enable. B - I don't see it as RP enhancing at all, because there's no way to do it in a way which is "aware" of the specific situation. And C - Players don't always KNOW what the "right" stats and skills are for a given situation or contest, so, it wouldn't even be appropriate, relevant, or useful, for many of the situations where players would want to try to do these "self service rolls".

That's where your friendly neighborhood GMs come in.

As has always been the case, and as comes up in the game frequently, GMs will roll skill-checks manually to suit a specific RP situation which doesn't have coded support.

Usually we do this when the RP situation is between PC and environment, PC and NPC, et cetera. Not limited to those situations, though. Those are just the situations we on the GM side are aware of and can react to.

If there is a PC vs. PC situation which one or both of the players feel would be enhanced or improved or facilitated or made possible by a GM skillcheck contest between them, you're free to make GMs aware and see if they want to get involved and support your "scene".

It's best if you have the time before doing so to set the scene up and let the GMs know what the situation is, with @notes and a description of what exactly the contest/challenge is and why it can't be resolved with existing coded support, and how the potential outcomes will drive different RPdirections.

Ideally that 'homework' would be done before xhelping to say "Can you roll the dice". Either way, understand that the GMs don't have to get involved, or even if they want to and decide to, it may take them some time to get up to speed, choose the appropriate skills and stats to check for the situation, and roll them, and compose some spoofs or tells for telling the player(s) what the results were.

So, that's another thing to consider. This is a potential option, depending on GM availability, interest, and willingness, but, it can impede your RP for however long it takes for one or more GMs to get prepared. It's also going to be "GM Choice" whether to get involved at all. I predict that some of the time, the situations where a roll is being requested might look like any of the following: A - a bad idea. B - something which there's a coded way to resolve. C - a thinly disguised attempt to learn someone else's stat/skill, with not much real RP enhancing benefit. D - Something where the potential RP outcomes are not distinct, dramatic, novel or otherwise compelling enough for GMs to get fired up about it and join the roleplaying situation.

But there will be times when it's worth it, too. Speaking for myself, I personally like this aspect of game mastering and I do it a lot, where you don't know I'm doing it but the world might be reacting to your character. Sometimes I do it when you -are- aware. But like I said, I'm only aware of PC-vs-environment or PC-vs-item or PC-s-NPC situations and don't get very much opportunity to influence how things play out between two PCs.

An automated tool for that kind of situation, available to players, I think is maybe not worth developing, and maybe not suitable for the spirit of this game. But GM support? Again, speaking for myself and not all or any other admins, Big yes! Provided that the situation is compelling and there's a good reason for a rolled challenge between PCs.

I support the idea but I think it should be something that is an automated system mixed with GM support.

You wanna just do a simple arm wrestling contest?

Challenge Player to strength for (We are having an arm wrestling contest and would like to see who would win out in the end) *More detail could be used as where it is going on, if they are using the bar or sitting at the table across from each other etc etc*

Admin see: player A is attempted to roll strength with player B for (We are having an arm wrestling contest and would like to see who would win out in the end)

Allow admins to either join into the scene as you have suggested Linekin, or if GMs are not available they can just type in a quick command that would thus allow the skill result to be checked and echoed to the two players involved, and then a GM may or may not decide to watch on to MAKE SURE you are RPing the results.

When it comes to skills however, I think that should be pretty easy to do ICly. Who's the better shot? Lets go down to the rifle range and take some shots, see who gets the best score. Who's a better driver? Well I get some sick wheels, I'll run this block, we'll time it, you can go next (or two vehicles can be used).

etc so forth. Sorry for multiple posts, brain is a bit fractured so I think of something else that I should have originally said after I hit post so let me think.. anything else that should need to be addressed....

Don't think so okay!