Research 2.0

[Jacob]

Ladies and Gentlemen:

In response to player concerns, forum discussions, and poll results, we are using the following system for Research going forward. Before getting into the specific changes, I want to make a brief statement on the philosophy and nature of the changes as a whole, to whit:

We are not out to nerf research. We have not nerfed research. If you interpret the below as a nerf, please take a step back, take a moment, and reread the post. I assure you, research points remain exactly as valuable as they have ever been, with each and every one being a solid resource. The more points spent on a particular Research Project, the better an answer you will get, even if some of those points are "required." See below, but remember: nobody lost any value. Also, I've used "Research Project" in place of "question" to denote that multiple people are likely work together.

1) Players will use a form separate and apart from the PEL to submit research questions within two weeks of the close of an Occam's Razor Session.

2) In short order after submitting their research, Players will receive a response from Staff indicating whether a particular Research Project is reasonable to pursue or not. If a submitted Project is not reasonable, the player will have the opportunity to submit a new question (within 48 hours). In some cases ("near misses"), Staff may suggest an alternative to a submitted question in order to facilitate more satisfying answers.

3) Each Research Project beyond the first a Player submits after a given Session requires a cumulative additional investment of 1 Research Point. E.g, For each individual PC, your first Project requires a minimum investment of 1 point, your second Project requires a minimum investment of 2 points, your third Project requires a minimum investment of 3 points, etc. This model applies no matter if you are working solo on Projects or pooling with a group of people. Note: Players receive full faith and credit for all points under this paradigm--spending 6 points on 3 Projects does NOT earn you three 1 point answers. You would receive a 1 point answer, a two point answer, and a three point answer. Players are not losing any point value under this system.

4) A single player must "head up" a given Research Project. All individuals collaborating on a Research Project must invest points in line with the model outlined above and will receive the same answer. The answer will be based on the total number of points contributed towards a given Project (as delineated by the Project Name system already in use).

5) Mixing genre research pools will never hinder or detract from an answer. This does not mean that all genre pools are equally valuable to a given Research Project, but you will never detract from a Project by putting your shoulder to the wheel and contributing points, and each point does help to obtain a better answer.

6) Research answers will end with one of two phrases:

"You feel you have exhausted this research topic."

or

"You think you may be able to discover more about this topic with further investigation."



So, with all that said, a parting note or two:

We want people to be happy with the Research system and the answers they receive. We think this set of tweaks will better focus PC attention and allow us to give answers you guys will be happier with. Also: Every point helps! A person with even 1 point has a valuable tool at their disposal, and we want to make sure that we get that across.