Re: Mythic Russia, and Pyrrhic Victories

From: Mark Galeotti <markgaleotti_at_...>
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 19:38:37 -0000

What I don't understand is what some people have against others having the _option_ of running contests in which even the winner is hurt. No one, as near as I can see it, has suggested that the core mechanic ought to be changed to one which requires this. You want to play Die Hard, wth victors who leap unfazed into the next battle with no more than a new tear to their vest and a picturesque bruise, that's fine. The core HQ rules certainly cater for this.

But others might want to run games catering for different tropes. I confess I like the additional dilemmas created when the players must trade off mission success against potential risk to their 'health' (defined broadly as this applies as much to reputational damage as a spear in the arm). There's the Pyrrhic Victory mechanic, there's Jane's suggestion of trading negative consequences for improved successes (which I quite like), there have been other ideas. Those of you who don't want that kind of thing in your game are free to ignore them -- no one is trying to foist them on you. But just characterising these discussions as trying to introduce tedious victory-by-attrition mechanics doesn't really advance the debate further.

All the best

Mark