Stat unknown?

[williamson]

What if your atributes were unknown, just like your skill percentage? Instead of everyone getting a reroll, you would get to choose a primary attribute to be your highest statistic. I think this would prevent people from killing off poor stat characters. Hopefully, there would be fewer characters to approve and the process would be more efficient. It would also reduce the number of muscular-looking characters who are actually weak (which makes me laugh).

-Williamson

[jstorrie]

I think it's reasonable for a character to have a fair idea of how strong, quick, tough and smart he is, even if he chooses to delude himself about it. Unlike testing your prowess at, say, wagoncrafting (which would take trying to craft a wagon) little things crop up all day to let you know your 'stats'.

Knowing your stats also gives you another avenue for fleshing out your character, even if it's an arbitrarily assigned one. The 'select your best stat' discussion comes up a lot and every time I think it'll just lead to twinking out.

[Maybe42or54]

I'd twink it out. Definately.

I like having my stats seen, because I like to know if I can beat other people at Arm Wrestling and what not. (Even though 2 pcs can't play it, which makes me a little sad.)
I want to know if I am going to get my ass kicked at Izdari, or if I am just not going to be able to remember a shit load.
I like calling others "pansy ass kank fuckers" (No, I don't say pansy IC) when my endurance is AI and I can go months without food or water in the desert.
I like to know if I should be emoting my quickness, even if it does make others think I am part elf or part dwarf, or hell, part lazy ass bynner.

[Cale_Knight]

How do you think that being able to choose a single primary stat would lead to twinking?

Honestly, I think the 100% random stats are somewhat against the RPI environment. I should have some say over what my character is, especially since I'm required to write a description and background prior to knowing what my stats will be.

[Armaddict]

Classes would start to dictate stats.

You may think that's reasonable, with the argument that 'faster people will probably fall into this profession' or 'magickers are smarter anyway', but that's just plain not true.

Otherwise, there would be no such thing as a half-giant magicker (which there are).  Stats shouldn't dictate classes, and classes shouldn't completely dictate stats.

What dictates the class?  Background.  Experiences.  Their way of thinking.  So that makes sense you make that when you choose the class.  Not everyone ends up excelling in what they first excelled in.

[waroth]

After recently seeing the result of it firsthand, I am now with the group who says stats mean crap.  Honestly, your skills do end up compensating for stats, no matter how bad they are.  If you get bad stats with your next character, just roll with it as long as you can and see for yourself.

[Cale_Knight]

I agree that as far as mechanics go, your stats aren't as important as your skills. But to say that they're meaningless when it comes to dictating who your character is, that's ridiculous.

If my character has a exceptional strength and a below average dexterity, I'm a strong but slow man. Nothing will change that. My background, experiences, and way of thinking don't make me weak or fast.

It just seems odd that while I have control over every other aspect of my character, the attributes that mark who he is at the most fundamental levels are completely random and chosen after I've decided who and what I want the character to be.

[jstorrie]

But you don't have complete control over every aspect of your character. You can't apply for someone who is better than any other newbie warrior at skill_headcrushing, short of a special or sponsored application. Similarily you can't apply for someone who is incredibly stronger than any other human, short of a special or sponsored application.

Yes, it is a pain to write up a background that says your PC is strong, dumb and slow, and then come up with weak, genius and quick for stats. So: don't write up a background like that. You know you're going to get a grab bag of stats, so keep it in mind when you write your character up. You don't write in your background that your ranger is the world's best lockpicker, do you?

[Maybe42or54]

Personally. I'd always Pick Endurance as my first stat to have as its highest if I wanted to play a PC that lived in the desert alot. He should be better suited to it.

Or if My pc was growing up working as s a labor slave, he'd be stronger, so I'd pick strength.

Or maybe I was with some sort of knowledgeable guy that owned my slave ass before I killed him, so naturally I'd be a little smarter.

Point is, I just found logical ways to pick things that my pc may want.

I like stat ordering.
Having one stat of your choice may put you at an "Advantage" in the ring, but then you stay out in the desert five minutes, then you die because you didn't think endurance was important.

[Anonymous]

If your stats do not fit the type of character you would like to have, e-mail the mud about your problem. Surely, there would be a staff member out there who would like to address your problem.

Really, play out the character if it has bad stats. If it is something that doesn't fit my concept, I'll reroll or e-mail the mud with my problem unless it is worthy of being addressed. Writing a description for a human with a bulky, muscular frame with poor strength was just a waste of time.

[Yokunama]

Blah, that was my post.

Sorry.

[joyofdiscord]

Pick an appropriate weight/age, and you're very likely to get the appropriate stats.  Your beefy adult human is very unlikely to have poor strength.

Really, it's that easy.  I may have had only 11 characters, but every last one had what I'd consider to be good to excellent stats, and I could have anticipated all of their stats just by the weight and age I chose.