Posted by The_Meehan on May 19, 2002 at 21:10:14:
In Reply to: Re: (CONT) Reckoning: an accounting, as for things received or done posted by The Student on May 17, 2002 at 12:38:35:
: Essentially, I think that the problem you have is an endemic problem, and not one of bias. No, the problem is not a bias in favor of the Mercy creeds, but people with cardboard NPCs.
Fair enough.
: I think that your problem is that the stories with fleshed out monster NPCs tend to be Mercy-type games. Moreover, of the high-profile "good" stories, more seem to be Mercy than Zeal.
: What this means, I don't care to guess. But, there is certainly more of a bias towards Zeal than towards Mercy. It's just that fewer Zealots are memorable or interesting. That is the problem that needs correction.
Maybe I should do something about that...
: The problem is not mercy-twinking, though we do get that. It's more along the lines of Zealots who want a new weapon in the form of a convenient werewolf.
Oh, lord, that's worse. Which probably explains the strength of my revulsion, at least in part.
: Like I said before, it's all in the execution.
Yes, indeed. However, the problem is that the shit-poor execution is much more common than the worthwhile one. Of course, this is true in general as well, which is why I so rarely bother reading the list in depth for extended periods.
Basically, I still stand by the guidelines I wrote in my first post of this thread; those guidelines, as far as I'm concerned mark the difference between a poorly and a properly executed "monster ally" storyline. Address the issues of the earlier paragraph, and avoid the rules gaffs of the later, and a poster/writer is well on his way.