[Poll] Regnancy

[Kinaed]

Dear Players,

Regnancy has been a part of TI since Bazarov's original implementation. It's changed a lot - a mage can no longer force a regnant to enact various commands (such as say and emote), but still has a great deal of power over their regnants.

We have some rules against specific circumstances like rape, and I have had questions about whether regnancy flies in the face of those policies due to a loss of 'player agency' over their character. Other spells, like compulsion, affect this stuff as well, but not as massively or invasively as regnancy.

Aynway, those people who have experienced it, like it or hate it? Those players who haven't, does it scare you that a mage can get into your character's head and take control like that? Let us know what you think.

[Dice]

I am not against regnancy as a concept, but I firmly believe the current incarnation is overpowered with insufficient checks on those powers that do limit player agency. There are no balances against overuse or outright abuse, at the moment, in a way that I expect us to encounter very dangerously at some point in the future.

[Pixie]

I voted "Maybe". I am pretty unfamiliar with actually facing Regnancy, but the concept has always been appealing to me. I wouldn't want to see it vanish completely. It sounds like there are some balance issues that need addressing, though, that others (DICE!) knows a heck of a whole lot more about.

[Voxumo]

I've also voted maybe because truth be told I've never properly experienced Regnancy. The few times I have awakened someone, and tried to use the dominate command, assuming that is the same thing as Regnancy, it has failed miserably. On the otherside I've never really been on the receiving end of regnancy, aside from a few awakenings with people who were generally rather upstanding and just didn't bother with it, or if they did bother did humorous things.

However on that note, when was being able to force someone to say or emote removed? I awakened someone earlier last year, probably around the summer? maybe earlier fall. And I'm almost certain I was able to use dominate to force them to do an emote, which in this circumstance was pinching themselves.

[Rabek]

Well. I had a character with two people regnant to them using the new system.

As a player, I hate mind control. I do not like being on the receiving end of it. I'm part of the "losing player agency" side of things, particularly when it's permanent. Once a character has a permanent compulsion (which regnancy gives in the form of protectiveness), I consider them dead to me, as a rule.

What, exactly, 'force' versus 'suggest' are capable of is also entirely left up to the regnant in question. I don't think that's a good thing. They need clarified in a help file accessible to everyone.

That said, both of my regnant partners became regnant willingly. At least one quite enjoyed the roleplay it provided.

It's also hands-down the most useful tool available to witches. Which I kind of dislike. It's too powerful. I'd honestly like to see all mind control spells removed from Fire and replaced with something else, because they're simply far outside the typical power scale of spells. It makes Fire flat-out better than other elements.

I like regnancy still for when you awaken people. It creates an interesting idea of lineage and a safety net for forced awakenings. But I'd like to see it far more subtle.

[Noobus]

Voted Maybe. While I particularly wouldn't mind to be on the receiving side of regnancy or dishing it out myself, I second what Dice said. Despite having insufficient checks, it also appears to be a combination of several high level spells of other elements, which doesn't quite sit right with me(and I would loooove to use that aspect of it on several occasions, I kid you not.). Want to do that high-end thing on someone from afar? Save slots for that water spell. Want to do that other thing from a distance as well? Save slots for that void spell and that other void spell. We could keep this, but decrease the number of regnants that one can hold at the same time.... though there is also that aspect of X constantly happening after that cloaked figure did Y to you that day(I don't even know if the regnant is supposed to notice if that it is unnatural or not, if they notice, there is at least one check that may lead to one being denied RP).

[The_Last_Good_Dragon]

I voted yes. Magic is scary, and there should be very scary things that people fear. However, Regnancy itself seems a bit of an odd-ball in this regard; there's no helpfile for it for non-mages and it seems a very pointedly over-powered tool for mages to use, as I understand it. There's no mention of it or its affects anywhere in the Rhyme of Portents and I feel that it's probably a bit too severe in how much control I understand it to give over other players for how easy it can be to apply.

I think there should be: more safeguards against it — this seems the sort of horribly scary spell that there'd be stories or suggestions about, keeping it more hidden away and more carefully applied outside of the awakening process, and fewer controlling properties about it — what about, rather than control which fits better the more active and forceful Compulsion spell, Regnancy was more a personal protection for the Mage, keeping someone locked into the spell from acting against the health of the mage who has it applied? Ie, that instead of valuing the Regnant Caster so highly one instead simply feels more trusting of that person and, at higher levels of the affect, find it impossible to act against the personal health of the mage ... a spouse, for instance, to a witch would find themselves completely incapable of going to the Order when they discover the secret, but isn't bound to having a forced emotion that can ultimately limit RP. In the same vein, an awakened mage would find it impossible to go the Order and name the person who awakened them because of the automatic Regnancy applied.

[chronodbu]

I voted yes, it should stay.

Regnancy is a scary thing and being a bit of a horror story fan, I love seeing scary things. Especially when it comes to Mages. The only thing I've really seen from them that's 'scary' persay has been demon summoning and let me tell you.... demon summoning is incredibly overdone at this point, entertaining as a few of our most recent demons have been.

Now, one thing I'd like to say - Regnancy as a -spell- that can be cast on anyone? I'm not a huge fan of it. Maybe if it were a major ritual that had to be performed on the target or was simply removed as a castable spell in general to be replaced by something cooler with fire, sure. I sort've feel that this particular effect should only really be available for the Mage and awakened Mage aspect as it really, really, ingrains an idea of a Master/Servant relationship in Mage culture.

Dragon's idea sounds like a really cool one for that aspect. Making it so it's more of a protection against the person in general. Again though, I feel this should be restricted to awakening and not castable otherwise we'd just have every fire mage ever using it on the Order constantly.

[Jules]

I voted yes, it should stay.

Regnancy is one of those abilities that, in the hands of an attentive and thoughtful player, can be exciting and produce some really great and complex RP -- but in the hands of someone who just 'plays to win' could likely end up being a bad time for the victim, both ICly and OOCly. Generally, we play for a good story around here, despite being a largely non-consensual game, and I'd rather see Regnancy remain available due to the unique RP it can provide.

That said, I think clarifying the helpfiles could go a long way toward preventing abuse, by setting reasonable limitations and expectations for both parties. (For example, when, if ever, is a victim allowed to realize that they're acting or feeling strangely?) Personally, I've only used Regnancy abilities sparingly, but I can understand others' concerns about it being overpowered or not subtle enough. If there aren't already reasonable cooldowns for the different abilities, there probably ought to be, for example.

[Dice]

I agree 100% with cooldowns, and think each of the different abilities requires some tweaking, either codewise or with policy. As-is, the power is just too powerful/unbounded.

Conceptually, the only aspect that TRULY bothers me re: coercive RP is the suggest option (how do people know how to RP this?) and the think option (nope nope nope nope nope). In my mind, once somebody else can change what your PC THINKS, you are no longer playing them.