Re: Re: Heroic Actions [Rant, OT]

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 10:16:57 -0800

> I invest time and money in a game system and setting so that I don't
> have to do my own translation of effect in the world to game
> mechanic. The desired end result is to be able to sit around a game
> table and play a fair and interesting game with my friends. I'm
> finding that every time I have to resolve something, I feel like I
> have to reinvent the wheel. I'm tired of it.

I program in PERL, whose motto is "There is no right way". Same thing with HeroWars/Quest.

Yes, it is more of a toolkit than a complete nailed-down system - like, say, U*x vrs. Windows (or MacOs X.X, for you Apple fans). Is this everyone's cup of tea? Emphatically Not. And it isn't designed to be so. (BTW, I *hate* the various U*x operating systems I've had to run).

I *like* to be able to make on-the-fly decisions. I have a fast-and-loose GMing style, and the system suits me. It's the system I wanted back when I was using RQ for Pirate and English Civil War swashbuckling games. I *want* to have people swing on chandeliers without worrying too much about the exact ability needed (Acrobatics? Jump? Climb? Agility*5? Ah screw it, just roll something).

I thouroughly understand the other side of the equation as well ("I hate Unix" was a private mantra while I was at Intel...). Sometimes you need the security of having a pre-done application that you just fire up without having to re-write hundreds of lines of code.

HeroWars is a hacker's system - modifying code, thinking up new applications on the spur of the moment, etc. If that is not to your liking, then HeroQuest will probably not suit your needs either. If you've played HW since its release and you don't like it, don't punish yourself any more. Use RQ, or any other system that you feel comfortable with.

Roderick