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If I don't know I'm "percieved to be X" why should it effect me or be taggable? Why does it make it harder for me at all? Why can I not fight on through this perception of myself? Does being embarassed or feeling bad for someone take away my will to fight on or to live? I know that's just the system. I accept it if I'm in a game where such rules apply. I'm just saying I don't care for it.
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Actually, yes, this is a specific instance where it would. One of the largest social stigmas in recent decades is "Perceived as a Pedophile". There doesn't even need to be any evidence to that effect to condemn someone utterly in every possible social situation in a community. People up and move their entire
life, states or even countries away, to escape that black mark-- even if they are in the right. And you don't have to even know if you've been declared as such right away. People will eye you strangely, not give you the time of day, and tell you to get out of their store with no explanation.
And why shouldn't people? They believe they're protecting their children. They may be wrong, but from their point of view, "Better safe than sorry, right?" So it's very
real.
The other side of this coin is: does it make for a good game?
My answer sides with you: no. If you, as a player, don't know there is such a consequence or how to clear it, it can breed frustration. The separation point is whether you, as a player, know how/why things are happening. If the character doesn't know, it's narrative depth. If the player doesn't know, its a shitty GM. The system doesn't come into it.