Are social skills the most prevalent trap option in all of TTRPGs? I mean is there anything more cucked than wasting precious chargen resources on the ability to bargain and compromise with useless ass NPCs? How about putting all those points into the ability to achieve whatever the fuck it is that you actually wanted the NPC to do for you? What could an NPC possibly offer you that you can't do yourself? And you will obviously do it better because NPCs are incompetent, retarded, and unreliable.

It's just such a fucking blatant scam and yet it's present in every single system.

>precious chargen resources
bruh

>>96180109 (OP)
>Born to shit
>Forced to live in a society
woah...

>>96180109 (OP)

>>96180109 (OP)
Why are you playing in bad games with useless characters?

>>96180109 (OP)
I play uncucked games where Social skills have game mechanical benefits outside of having permission to talk to NPCs. Git gude.

>>96180109 (OP)
So this is that superior Japanese art style I've heard so much about...

>>96180109 (OP)
>kill monsters to get loot.
>Optimising social skills to get best price for loot so I can afford better gear to kill monsters.
It's the circle of life friend.

>>96181445
>>96181836
Doesn't change how much of a scam it is.

>>96180109 (OP)
If you had social skills you might be less of a faggot. Or not, it's a tough challenge in your case, but don't lose hope. Maybe run with what you do best and spec into blowjobs?

>>96181436
Name 5 games without social skills.

>>96182604
If you don't like what the NPCs are charging, why not use intimidation, or just steal what you need? A shop at night is just another dungeon and a crusty shopkeeper and his retarded assistants should be easier to burgle than the Dark Overlord's Fortress of Eternal Rape. If the DM insists every shopkeeper is tougher than your character, tell the DM to fuck his preplanned campaign and suggest he send a few of his superpowered shopkeepers at the Dark Lord's forces instead.

>>96183296
That's exactly what I'm saying. Get real skills instead of learning how to beg and grovel better.

>>96182604
If social skills do what they're supposed to do and what they're supposed to do is worthwhile, then obviously they're not a scam.

>>96183331
Circular logic.

>>96181482
OPM original webcomic vs. published manga is probably the ultimate sovl vs. sovlless example honestly. Webcomic looks like shit, is funny and full of heart. Manga (used to) looks amazing, is complete dogshit in every other way.

Oyvind Thorsby might be another good example. Comics look so fucking bad you feel you might get eye cancer just from reading them, makes incredibly high concept fantasy worlds that inevitably devolve into extremely funny farces.

>>96183343
No, it's not.

>>96183296
If you're at the point where you can't think of a better way to deal with a cheap salesman than falling back on petty thuggery, the problem might not be the social skills in the game

The uselessness of social skills is directly predicated on the fact most groups don't like doing stuff like >>96183296 since that risks becoming town pariahs and "consequences for [party member] is consequences for all of us, and consequences I didn't ask for are unfun". The DM, being in charge of the world and not directly a player, can only help you so much and you're fucked if he's a retard too. You might just have to talk to your group and be open about your feelings of uselessness - and if that fails, either accept that nogames is better than bad games or accept that your guys just don't have interest in social nuances and adjust.

>>96180109 (OP)
>What could an NPC possibly offer you that you can't do yourself?
Most games don't have item crafting rules at all. Even then, you're probably not going to stop the game for a few months to prospect for ore, mine the ore (manually, otherwise you'd involve NPCs), commit a bit of deforestation to acquire charcoal, and then finally smith a completely mundane sword that must then be enchanted. That's also at least 3 different specialized skills that are totally useless for whiteroom murderhoboing.

>>96180109 (OP)
Interesting image choice given that diplomancing Saitama is the most overpowered thing a character in that setting could do.

>>96183587
Because Saitama himself is such a socialite, right?

>>96183816
He is not, but he would be much better of if he were. Even if he spent some of his 'levels' on social stuff, he could still easily win in any combat encounter anyway. Transfer some 'stat points' in his weaknesses and he does not have to be a loser in his normal life.

>>96183847
No, he'd just be weaker.

>>96180109 (OP)
Why isn't making strong allies a valuable resource?

>>96183930
In the context of the OP post, it's the assumption that most NPC's AREN'T a valuable resource, that they're miles behind in competence compared to what a PC blessed with protagonist power and level ups can achieve by investing EXP. Or, in the case of actual powerful and competent NPCs, that their own initiative and agendas make them unreliable compared to just investing on your own PC who you fully control. This whole argument ultimately relies on bad GMing. or in the PC having uncontrollable murderhobo impulses and antisocial behavior that makes them find compromise and social conflict boring.

In the context of the OP pic, Dr. Bofoi is pretty much single-handedly carrying the hero association on his back. They rely on his technology and military might for everything, and in return give essentially nothing worth having except for endless red tape and blatant spying. Their only worthwhile asset, the top heroes, are infamous for completely ignoring orders at a whim, so spending half his awake hours spinning plates to please the paper pushers and the top brass wins him nothing and is just a waste of time. After that page he confesses that literally the only reason he helps them in the first place is philanthropy, and doesn't give a shit if everyone finds him shady and a villain in disguise for it.

Also something about time being his most precious resource at his age so fuck waiting for approval and whatever.

>>96183930
Only if it comes at the expense of your own strength.

>>96180109 (OP)
They exist so spergs like you can approximate the feeling of having a normal conversation with another person. Truly fantastical.

>>96180109 (OP)
Depends on the game. Face characters tend to be more useful in investigation games like CoC, intrigue games like Vampire, and to a lesser extent heist games like Cyberpunk or Shadowrun.

>>96182950
How about five games with social skills that don't suck?
>exalted 3e
>starforged
>dracorouge
>pendragon
>monsterhearts

>>96184851
>>96182950
...I read that wrong and am retarded, plz excuse

>>96183930
>>96184295
The funny thing is his complete lack of interest in social skills backfired horrifically in the most recent chapter since he wound up getting gutted by another character who was easily convinced that he was evil because of his suspiciousness

>>96184719
>Face characters tend to be more useful in investigation games like CoC, intrigue games like Vampire, and to a lesser extent heist games like Cyberpunk or Shadowrun.
They really don't though. Nobody ever says anything useful in these games, you have to go breaking and entering to get information worth getting.

>>96184987
That sounds like a you problem, frankly

>>96185041
Only nogames think otherwise.

>>96185534
I dunno, I find that not acting like an autistic antisocial loser kind of makes social skills function properly.

>>96185598
You should find some games instead.

>>96185603
Already did. I found that not playing D&D helps a lot in coming to appreciate how useful social skills are in a game. You should try it sometime.

>>96185698
No, you didn't. And it's obvious to anyone who's played.

>>96185708
Can you prove your assertion?