+Rumors has seen several modifications, following recent feedback.
* Botched investigations will now only return PCs from the area of play as possible sources. Currently, the code does not check for connection time, so some of the results may remain implausible (from an OOC perspective). We will evaluate whether checking for connection time is also desirable.
* Rumors with an obfuscation of 2 or higher (ratings run from -4 to 4) were previously impossible to discover the source of. This how now been changed somewhat. 4’s remain impossible to discover under any circumstances—the person who has started the rumor has simply covered their tracks too well. However, if your investigation roll is superior to the obfuscation value of a rumor, its obfuscation rating will fall by one point. This means that a rumor with an obfuscation of 3 will, after two superior roles, be reduced to a rating of 1 which would then mean a subsequent successful investigation will discover the source.
Finally, each time the source of a rumor is successfully discovered, the obfuscation rating is dropped by 3 points. This means that when it hits -4 (the lowest value), +rumors/view will show the source of the rumor to all people.
Some of these changes are, again, experiments in an attempt to find the perfect balance for the system. Please take that into consideration when using the system and providing us feedback.