Help With Contacts

[Greywind]

Can't he have an AI run it?

 

What you're describing isn't so much a contact use as a plot fill. Goober has to be at point A and point B at the same time. He should show up in the armor and get an LMD to do his guest appearances.

[psyber624]

My opinion is if you took Iron Man as a contact you could call Tony up with some Techno geek question, ask him if he has a spare "Plot McGuffin" lying around to save your butt when faced with "Evil GM Plot Device", or possibly tickets to the fundraiser where Dr. Secret Spy is expected to attend. If you asked him to come kick badguy butt with you I would probably say no, if you asked for a suit of his Power Armor, unless it was the "Plot McGuffin" mentioned earlier again I would say no. Contacts should never provide you with Powers (again other then Plot McGuffins) as this would be unbalancing.

 

As far as your Sentinels concept, my PERSONAL OPINION (others will highly vary) Mind Scan: Maybe, unlikely unless I planned upon your calling her being how you solved the problem or felt that was an interesting solution to a problem and I hadn't considered it. Mind Link: Probably not (unlikely to be plot-centric enough). Teleport: almost certainly not (I guess it COULD turn into a plot-centric solution but for the most part Teleport is just movement and you should have some other way of getting around). As far as Super Strong girl unlikely in the scenarios you mention (she probably cant get there fast enough to keep the building from falling. Taking hits is WAY to combat oriented for a contact, and "Look Menacing" is unspecific. If you are trying to intimidate someone that should be done by a PC, not an NPC although its sort of a grey area for me.

 

For me, most of the time Contacts can give you minor benefits such as a potential Skill Bonus, odd equipment, or one shot "perk" type items (like the fundraiser tickets mentioned earlier). The other main use is as a potential source of "Problem Resolution" for plot issues that come up, although most of the time that will only work if I planned for it to work or if the story is bogging down because whatever route I planned hasn't occured to the players. I will also let it work if it seems to be an interesting, intelligent solution which makes the game more fun in some fashion (trust me your players can surprise you.)

[Uthanar]

Can't he have an AI run it?

 

What you're describing isn't so much a contact use as a plot fill. Goober has to be at point A and point B at the same time. He should show up in the armor and get an LMD to do his guest appearances.

Actually, he could not. The way the suit runs is off a Bio Battery that needs a living person within the confines of the suit to draw power off their Bio Electric field. It then amplifies it and stores it.

 

Sure it is a plot fill, one that he used his contact for (in the actual play, not trying to say that is what Contacts should be picked up for). So he effectively looked at the character he was playing and found a widget in the game setting that he interacted with (his best friend who knew he was a hero). He called on him, and was able to get help from him for the problem he was facing.

 

The fact that the person was a contact had nearly no bearing on me (GM), I am just showing how the PCs have attempted to use their contacts.

[Uthanar]

My opinion is if you took Iron Man as a contact you could call Tony up with some Techno geek question, ask him if he has a spare "Plot McGuffin" lying around to save your butt when faced with "Evil GM Plot Device", or possibly tickets to the fundraiser where Dr. Secret Spy is expected to attend. If you asked him to come kick badguy butt with you I would probably say no, if you asked for a suit of his Power Armor, unless it was the "Plot McGuffin" mentioned earlier again I would say no. Contacts should never provide you with Powers (again other then Plot McGuffins) as this would be unbalancing.

 

As far as your Sentinels concept, my PERSONAL OPINION (others will highly vary) Mind Scan: Maybe, unlikely unless I planned upon your calling her being how you solved the problem or felt that was an interesting solution to a problem and I hadn't considered it. Mind Link: Probably not (unlikely to be plot-centric enough). Teleport: almost certainly not (I guess it COULD turn into a plot-centric solution but for the most part Teleport is just movement and you should have some other way of getting around). As far as Super Strong girl unlikely in the scenarios you mention (she probably cant get there fast enough to keep the building from falling. Taking hits is WAY to combat oriented for a contact, and "Look Menacing" is unspecific. If you are trying to intimidate someone that should be done by a PC, not an NPC although its sort of a grey area for me.

 

For me, most of the time Contacts can give you minor benefits such as a potential Skill Bonus, odd equipment, or one shot "perk" type items (like the fundraiser tickets mentioned earlier). The other main use is as a potential source of "Problem Resolution" for plot issues that come up, although most of the time that will only work if I planned for it to work or if the story is bogging down because whatever route I planned hasn't occured to the players. I will also let it work if it seems to be an interesting, intelligent solution which makes the game more fun in some fashion (trust me your players can surprise you.)

Thanks for more of your thoughts Psyber. As they were above (and generally are) well thought out and fairly enlightening.

 

What you have outlined here is my understanding of how Contacts are supposed to work. Just when I started talking about the fact that they had only used their contact for Research (and filling the suit), folks in general thought that was not a good application of Contacts.

[Christopher]

Interesting' date=' because when I was asking earlier and talked about someone able to provide information and get into Power Armor when the normal user has to be elsewhere, that was deemed 'not worth a contact'. (Though you did seem to be in a different camp)[/quote']

I think you are running into being over detailed. If a character has a DNCP or allied hero that could fit into his armor and is aware of the Secret ID, then that just happens. The DNCP might have to be at least normally usefull (so no totally useless adder for the Complication). It would also mean that maintaining his Secret ID might not be a difficulty as the Player declared when writing up the Secret ID Complciation.

But that is certainly way below what you need a Contact for.

 

You do not have to model the ability to fart as "Images vs Smell Group, Uncontrolled, Only unpleasant Odors".

So you should not try to model every last fart that happens in the game either.

 

If it isn't an advantage or a hinderance on a regular basis, it does not need a Cost.

[Greywind]

Interesting' date=' because when I was asking earlier and talked about someone able to provide information and get into Power Armor when the normal user has to be elsewhere, that was deemed 'not worth a contact'. (Though you did seem to be in a different camp)[/quote']

I think you are running into being over detailed. If a character has a DNCP or allied hero that could fit into his armor and is aware of the Secret ID, then that just happens. The DNCP might have to be at least normally usefull (so no totally useless adder for the Complication). It would also mean that maintaining his Secret ID might not be a difficulty as the Player declared when writing up the Secret ID Complciation.

But that is certainly way below what you need a Contact for.

 

You do not have to model the ability to fart as "Images vs Smell Group, Uncontrolled, Only unpleasant Odors".

So you should not try to model every last fart that happens in the game either.

 

If it isn't an advantage or a hinderance on a regular basis, it does not need a Cost.

"No conscious control"

[Uthanar]

Interesting' date=' because when I was asking earlier and talked about someone able to provide information and get into Power Armor when the normal user has to be elsewhere, that was deemed 'not worth a contact'. (Though you did seem to be in a different camp)[/quote']

I think you are running into being over detailed. If a character has a DNCP or allied hero that could fit into his armor and is aware of the Secret ID, then that just happens. The DNCP might have to be at least normally usefull (so no totally useless adder for the Complication). It would also mean that maintaining his Secret ID might not be a difficulty as the Player declared when writing up the Secret ID Complciation.

But that is certainly way below what you need a Contact for.

 

You do not have to model the ability to fart as "Images vs Smell Group, Uncontrolled, Only unpleasant Odors".

So you should not try to model every last fart that happens in the game either.

 

If it isn't an advantage or a hinderance on a regular basis, it does not need a Cost.

I feel that there is more attention being given to one specific example of what a player did with their Contact of their own choice than I am intending.

The research aspect is the focus for the character, not putting someone in the suit randomly. I wonder if it would have been better for this discussion if I never brought up that the player decided to use their contact for this purpose.

[Christopher]

"I feel that there is more attention being given to one specific example of what a player did with their Contact of their own choice than I am intending.

The research aspect is the focus for the character, not putting someone in the suit randomly. I wonder if it would have been better for this discussion if I never brought up that the player decided to use their contact for this purpose. "

There isn#t a problem with the exampel per se. It is that this was only a one time thing. Once, not regulary.

And the same job could have been done by a Teammate, a DNCP or a total NPC with wich the Hero does not have a contact.

While a Contact can do this, he isn't the only one. And in order to be worth his points the contact has to be regulary able to do something for the hero that isn't just "being gm-plot device".

 

Helping in combat is usually beyond a Contact's limits. Most often they aren't even written up enough for that.

Preforming Non-combat task in a combat zone? (be it holding that building with Superstrenght or Cracking that Code while the heroes and Villaisn slug it out) Propaby the upper limit with "I owe you a favor".

A Contact should only enter combat when he has a personal Stake (Policemen, UNTIl Agent) in it - and then as a full NPC, not the Players Contact.

[IndianaJoe3]

Interesting' date=' because when I was asking earlier and talked about someone able to provide information and get into Power Armor when the normal user has to be elsewhere, that was deemed 'not worth a contact'. (Though you did seem to be in a different camp)[/quote']

I think you are running into being over detailed. If a character has a DNCP or allied hero that could fit into his armor and is aware of the Secret ID, then that just happens. The DNCP might have to be at least normally usefull (so no totally useless adder for the Complication). It would also mean that maintaining his Secret ID might not be a difficulty as the Player declared when writing up the Secret ID Complciation.

But that is certainly way below what you need a Contact for.

 

You do not have to model the ability to fart as "Images vs Smell Group, Uncontrolled, Only unpleasant Odors".

So you should not try to model every last fart that happens in the game either.

 

If it isn't an advantage or a hinderance on a regular basis, it does not need a Cost.

Of course, this is the perfect setup for the bad guys to attack the press conference.