Jiminy wrote:
It is interesting to note that there remains an extremely wide disparity of views as regards the necessity for social mechanics. The tension between "acting" versus "rules" for social encounters is a conundrum without any clear answer.
For me, it depends on your players. For those players with the acting skills to represent their characters fairly in social encounters, such mechanics are not necessary but, just as we have combat mechanics for players unable (or unwilling) to use their own combat skills as a substitute for their character's, social mechanics help facilitate the flow of play. A player without the confidence of a con-man character they are playing should not be penalised for choosing to play that type of character. One of the benefits of RPGs is the escapism - playing a role you do not get an opportunity to, or do not have the skills to, play.
BUT
Also only in my opinion, social encounters should not simply be resolved on the roll of a die - the roll should either inform the narrative, or the narrative should inform the roll. In the former scenario, the GM rolls the outcome secretly and then the players play out the encounter, with the GM sticking to whatever outcome was rolled (the GM adjusting the narrative to reflect by how much (or little) the roll was made or failed). And in the latter instance, play out the encounter and, based on the arguments used or other elements of the player's narrative, apply modifiers to the final roll. In each case there is value in the narrative and, unlike combat, becomes more than just about the rolling of dice.
If you want to make social encounters more like combat, you would add a new attribute (let's call it "Social Resistance") that work like Health Points and social encounters are played out in rounds - create a few social skills, a few 'special manoeuvres' and create an Attack & Defence equivalent (Guile & Conviction, anyone?) Social encounters then also start to get the same table time as combats, which might start reclaiming the RPG homeground from the murder-hobo. Of course, I'm more in favour of combat working more like social encounters - fewer dice; faster resolution; more narrative - but that's not for everyone either...
Well, I guess that's my colours nailed to the mast. Let the debate begin!