From: barnett@mummy.agsm.unsw.OZ.AU (Glen Barnett)
Subject: Re: RFD: rec.games.frp.campaign - A systemless suggestion
Keywords: Systemless, translation-of-scores, MILAHSE. 
Organization: The Australian Graduate School of Management
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 07:45:34 GMT

r.g.f.campaign: sounds like an idea. (however, I didn't
cross-post to news.groups as this is a long and frp-specific
suggestion):

I have a suggestion regarding formats: 
Please have systemless, but where a scale is necessary to explain something,
use a scale as follows:
                         Minimal
                         Inferior
	                 Low
                         Average
			 High
			 Superior
	    		 Exceptional

(I call it the MILAHSE scale, for obvious reasons). When in regard
to particular attributes, it can convey a general 'feel' for the 
attribute, without worrying too much about exact value. These
qualities are of course relative, and as such more appropriate
that some set of raw scores, even *within* a game system -
I've seen AD&D games (for example) where 17's and 18's (and
even higher!) were not unusual, and others where 16's were
unusual. [I'll use a few AD&D examples purely because it is 
something most people have seen before, not from any sense of
advocacy]. In the first case, 'Average' might be around 14-15,
and in the second it might be 10-11. A 'typical' PC in the first 
game, *on a raw scores basis*, would be almost god-like in the
second, whereas going via the medium of a MILAHSE scale, we
get: 

   "Munchkin game"     --->  MILAHSE ---> "Low power game"
       13                    Average          10
       18                    Superior         16
       19                    Exceptional      17

or something like that (don't take these figures too seriously,
I'm just trying to convey the general idea).

The same idea allows us to translate between game systems (or
non-systems) more easily - while what might be a stat in one
game might be just and advantage in another, or even a skill
in a third, or even merely description and colour in a fourth,
the scale will still work fairly well at translating "flavour"
[or "flavor" in the U.S. :) ] between campaigns.

Just as an example, take the follwing NPC description:

Nina Gentle is in her late teens. She is thin and wiry,
and of average strength. She is unusually tall (Superior
height). She has a strong voice that carries a tone of
command (High attribute if appropriate). She has dark 
brown hair, cut in a page-boy style. She is dressed as
a boy, but is not in disguise - she is clearly female.
She carries a kitchen knife hidden in her boots, but has 
rarely used it as a weapon (Low skill).  Nina has been 
working in local markets earning a few coins juggling,
singing and telling stories (for which she has high
aptitude). She has nothing else about her of note (any
 other stats would be in the average range or only a 
 little outside that).

I think this conveys a clear picture of Nina (except
for the essential background and personality, but you
shouldn't need the system for that). I reckon that
she is easily translated into any system. 

(Again for AD&D, her voice attribute would raise her
 Charisma, whereas in Chivalry and Sorcery it would
 be Bardic Voice, and so on. If you put her in a 
 PARANOIA universe, you might pull up her intimidation
 skill because of it - although she's not really appropriate
 to the genre.)

For those interested in a more "stat-like" conversion, the
system goes as follows:

        Low    Middle  High       Rough 3d6 
        end %          end %      values: 
   M       1      2      3           4  
   I       3      5      8          5- 6
   L       8     12     20          7- 8 
   A      20     50     80          9-12 
   H      80     88     92         13-14
   S      92     95     97         15-16
   E      97     98     99           17

So, for example, the middle 60% (just over half, or call it
half if you like) of values are Average. Superior corresponds
roughly to something better than  about 95% of the population 
of values.

A conversion from 3d6 is given for comparison. If you had a 
non-muchkin AD&D game, you might call that a rough conversion
for "ordinary" NPC stats. A game with typically high stats
would shift the scale a bit. From what I've seen, a typical
AD&D game would just shift everything up one: 18 is exceptional,
                                             10-13 average etc.

Going off scale: You might find the need to go outside the
range of 1-99% into the fractions of a % at either end.
I'd just say "below Minimal" and "beyond Exceptional" or
similar and leave it at that - for example in describing the
effect of some particular magic that conveys strength way
off the scale.

I'd be happy to calculate conversion tables to a MILAHSE scale
for any system you like (given details), but it should really
be a way of conveying "feel" rather than stats.

While I wouldn't like someone to make money off this (humble)
idea without me getting some of it (not that I expect that 
anyone would), I'd be very keen for it to be freely used on the
net. (Like freeware)

Glen

Comments welcome, but keep the flames down to a dull roar.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy