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Crafting

Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:14 pm
by cole45
Right now, as the rule stand crafting is a time based skill. Once you begin it, you must complete it, and if you are disrupted you have to start again. as such you may not set it down half way and come back to it.

Is it SUPPOSED to be this way? or can we get a clarification?

Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:00 pm
by GM-Mike
It has always been that you could come back later, though it has never been well stated in the rules. It should probably go in the FAQ

Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:05 pm
by WayneO42
We have, in the past, allowed craftsman to use their time sleeping as crafting time. Is that something you all think we should do again?

Crafting Time

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 1:22 am
by Torakhan
These are just my two cents.
Ovak Stonecrusher wrote:It has always been that you could come back later, though it has never been well stated in the rules. It should probably go in the FAQ
It makes sense to me that a craftsman should be able to halt the crafting of something and resume making it. I can't really think of anything that that wouldn't work with in-character. Obviously, once you begin making something, the resources used are only usable to finish making the item you started making. (You can't start making a sword and end up making armor, etc.)
WayneO42 wrote:We have, in the past, allowed craftsman to use their time sleeping as crafting time. Is that something you all think we should do again?
I don't believe that a craftman should ever be allowed to create something while they are not there giving their attention to their product (unless specific circumstances say otherwise... like building a building I guess, which happens more in down-time, right?) If you sleep, walk away, etc., you should not be able to treat it like brewing a potion. I think it should be treated like casting a spell, or anything else that requires concentration, except that when you "halt" and then "resume", you don't have to start from the very beginning and lose everything you started with--you just start from where you left off (maybe rounding-up to the nearest full minute as a penalty if you want to go that far?)

This comes from a RP perspective rather than a mechanics perspective from someone who did not really go anywhere far from where he was doing his "crafting" in game before. If you want to allow characters to continue to craft while not there, maybe come up with "psychic crafting" or "crafting machines" or "E-Z Bake Crafting Ovens" if folks don't want to sit at a table for a half hour "crafting" something when there's more exciting things to do? Or just make it a matter of mechanics without In-Character reasons why they can do such a thing if nobody cares (it only benefits the players if they don't have to spend the time doing non-exciting things... and they can actually roleplay the activity if they really want to.)

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:39 am
by General Maximus
I feel you should allow people to count the time they sleep as crafting time with the current crafting times.
If you can't count sleep time as crafting time, than I suggest lowering the crafting times so a person is not spending 1/2 the event or more just sitting around to use their skills.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:02 am
by cole45
I can NOT get behind crafting in your sleep. Crafting times is one of the limiters of hiow many of certain items can get made in the game. I don't think the times are out of control. MANY of the craftman don't do this sleep crafting crap and make plenty of armor.

I do think you should, be able to put it down and would like that in the rule update section. you can stop making a sword an come back.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:06 am
by Peace420
I agree with Travis.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:40 am
by General Maximus
Ok, If the crafters are cool with that, then I'm game. I personal could not sit for hours pretending to do something. But other people might like that.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:49 am
by Peace420
General Maximus wrote:Ok, If the crafters are cool with that, then I'm game. I personal could not sit for hours pretending to do something. But other people might like that.
Some people lay pretending to be dead for hours in civil war reenactment. I would go crazy, but to each their own.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:02 pm
by dier_cire
Maybe consider a mechanical advantage for sitting there? Then those that couldn't do the sit there for hours could still be a craftsman?

Something like crafting while sleeping (or whatever) takes 4x as long?

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:21 pm
by cole45
well, mechanically speaking, you do get an item tag.

I'd like to hear from players of craftman like art, wes, and shea.

Manage your time.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:12 pm
by Torakhan
dier_cire wrote:Maybe consider a mechanical advantage for sitting there? Then those that couldn't do the sit there for hours could still be a craftsman?

Something like crafting while sleeping (or whatever) takes 4x as long?
Time is both a mechanic and roleplaying aspect. By taking away the decisions needed to decide when you can fight and when you must stay and prepare, you take away part of that essence in the game. The time to create/repair is already a token of the actual time needed to create something but I think that's fine for this type of game.
However, to have a purely mechanical-based ability or loop-hole that should have in-character reasons simply because you're too lazy or have other wants or needs, I think you take away from the game. You can't stay home and craft AND go out and play at the same time.
You would laugh at a player who wanted to be a warrior and deal damage, but said that he didn't want to be attacked because "it was uncomfortable to be hit by weapons." The physical activity is the "price" you pay for being an active warrior. Sitting around an spending time focused on crafting is the "price" you pay for creating something as a Craftsman.

If there was an in-character reason for being able to craft while asleep/unconcious/not even there, then I'm fine with it. But just to allow a craftsman to craft because "they're busy doing other things" isn't a good enough reason for anything else (that I'm aware of) in the game. A magical/mechanical device that cafts for you when you sleep? Sure! A potion that allows your spirit-form to craft while you're not there? Fine! But just to relax the mechanics is not good enough to me. Otherwise take away the need for concentration/presence for other abilities too (spellcasting, healing, sage-researching, mixing, etc.) because it's just too much work to sit around away from the action. (And I don't think anyone is saying you can't craft while at one of the hours and hours of meetings and gatherings and down-time that happen between the few hours of actual combat during the game.)

Calling All Craftsmen!

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:14 pm
by Torakhan
cole45 wrote:well, mechanically speaking, you do get an item tag.

I'd like to hear from players of craftman like art, wes, and shea.
Julie too. Especially since I believe she has an alternative view to my own. Wasn't Durgan also a craftsman? Joe played caftsmen too, I think.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:31 pm
by dier_cire
I'm not talking about maknig normal crafting available in your sleep. I'm talking about allowing the skill to work at a drastically reduced effectiveness for those that want to do other things. We have had many instances of people using craftsman for a set period and then NPCing or some other such thing over the years.

It'd be like brewing for potions. You don't have to be there and things still happen. Obviously, roleplaying it out is far more effective. Basically, your co-workers are finishing things off like sword grips, sharpening, detailing etc.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:40 pm
by cole45
I wouldn't have problem with NPCing..persay. since that's really helping everyone.