Re: why talk about the rules?

From: Andrew Dawson <asmpd_at_...>
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 21:00:34 -0500

At 04:58 PM 03/27/2000 -0800, Steve Lieb wrote:
>Hrm, as one who possibly might fall into that definition (have I
>carped?) that's not my point at all. RQ is RQ, HW will be HW. I do

Reasoned criticism isn't the same thing as carping.

>It's for this same reasoning that using the AP system for combat is in
>total disjunction with having a range table for missile weapons, for
>example. As was mentioned previously I don't think I'd even count
>arrows, using the HW system. Why? If someone buys 120 arrows when
>they have a chance, does that make ANY difference to whether or how
>they succeed in an archery contest? No. So why count them, if they
>provide no advantage? It's what my players will say. Call it carping,
>call it whining, but that's the truth and as a Narrator - and as
>someone who would very much like to run a demo game - I NEED TO HAVE AN
>ANSWER, and at this point (for a very narrow aspect of the otherwise
>great rules set) I don't have it.

What is the specific question for which you need to have an answer? If the question is "Can the Hero Wars system (all contests, not just extended contests) handle any situation?", this is an opinion question and YMMV.

My opinion on this question is that the Hero Wars system works for any situation I have come up with in the Hero Wars setting. I'll be testing this opinion in two weeks with a group of friends and I'll probably let the list know if my opinion on this issue changes. I won't use Hero Wars for my modern-day weirdness game because I want "gritty detail" (there I use GURPS), however I'm considering Hero Wars as a better alternative to the Amber DRPG system for running an Amber game.

If this doesn't address your question, please let me know.

Some thoughts on counting arrows:
Your group may not want to count arrows and instead rely on their Wealth ratings to ensure a bountiful supply, but there are still situations where the number of arrows on hand could be important, such as: *The party loses their pack mules. How many arrows do they carry on them? I bet the non-archers don't carry any and the archer only carries a single quiver (10 or so at most).
*The party is surrounded and the archer is firing his arrows one-by-one to take out the foe (simple contests). Sooner or later, he's going to run out.

Later,
Andy