Which, in many cases, is completely intentional. This is, after all, a game that we play for personal enjoyment. A conscious design decision is that you cannot, in most cases, permanently affect someone else's character. Which is why it is very difficult to kill someone else's character, or do them permanent, debilitating damage.
Yes and while I understand that that is a feature I would still be willing to roleplay round the mechanics for the purpose of good roleplaying. Expecially because it is a game and when bad things happen to you in a game... They should actually happen because there is no reason for them not to happen... Because its a game.
I would also challenge any of you to name a method of torture that isn't mutilating and fits SMA...
In some ways, yes, I agree with you. This is a decent summation in most respects. (And, really, shows a different interpretation of playing the game that is very interesting.) But along with it, you also have to use the guideline of "If you're using a game mechanic for something other than what it was intended to do, then you're probably doing something wrong". When you use game mechanics, the action itself should speak for itself. If you have to send a message to qualify the intention of the mechanic you're using, then you're probably doing something wrong. Especially if you have to say something like "I know the game says we're doing X, but we're really just doing Y."
Games like this are always limited by mechanics, both IRL roleplaying games and pc games and generally I've been taught by players and game masters to be creative because it simply makes the game more fun and easier to roleplay. Playing the mechanics (because I mean really who plays a roleplaying game because they enjoy working spreadsheets which is essentially what battlemaster is if you do) seems counter productive to the essence of the game.
That's not what the Titans (I think) said when I complained about it happening to me.
Why did you complain about it happening to you? You obviously in some way got into a situation where your character was captured in order for them to get tortured so there is plenty of IG justification for it. If you don't want your character to get into those situations... Don't put your character in those situations. When you send your character into battle do you think "My character might get captured and tortured, but its okay because all that will happen is they'll get to read my letters" Or do you think "My character might get captured and tortured, that would be really bad because who knows what state he'll be in afterwards"
Because it most definately IS NOT AGAINST ROLEPLAYING ETIQUETTE for a player to do anything he likes to another players character when that character is in a situation where they are completely powerless to do anything to stop them and using OOC to try to stop a player mutilating your character is DEFINATELY POWER GAMING.
It would however be powergaming for me to roleplay my character beating yours in a duel without either your permission or the game mechanics saying I won. The difference between the two situations is that if I torture your character then he is definately not in a situation to defend himself because if he was then he wouldn't be being tortured. Where as if your character and mine were to duel, there is a chance yours could win.
Also if while I was torturing your character I cut his hand off, then you RP using that hand, your powergaming.
