Some simple questions and opininos, taken from our first session, mostly
combat-related:
- If a character uses magic to provide an edge in combat/contest, how
long does the edge last? One exchange or until the contest is over?
- If the character discovers a way to provide himself with an edge
during combat -- say, the opportunity arises to invoke a particular
magic -- I assume he must use an Unrelated Action to attempt to gain the
edge. Does the UA take the place of the character's normal action --
does he forfeit the chance to wager APs that round?
- On our first night, combat proved quite exhausting for us and a
little tedious. First, let's talk about the tediousness. Because the
players were closely matched to the opposition, they were NOT willing to
wager extravagent AP bids in combat; rather, they were happy to let the
default 3AP carry them along. And even though the opposition was more
agressive (high AP wagers), the combat drug on out for 30 minutes or
more as the sides *whittled* each other down. This tediousness lead to
exhaustion because we were trying to describe the combat vividly --
being good "story-tellers" -- but not *specifically brutally*, as the HW
rules advise. After a while, with our mental stores of creatively
describing minor combat results were exhausted, combat descriptions
degenerated to "I swing using 3AP -- oh, you win, he forfeits 3AP".
- During this major, drawn out battle, one player said "This game is
not detailed enough!" in exasperation. He meant, he really missed
graphic combat explanations. As a group, they found the idea of
whittling an opponent to "Dazed", then being forced to take the risk
action of a coup de grace to actually kill the opponent somewhat
distasteful. To paraphrase one player, "I'd rather chop his head off in
one mighty blow than stab a down opponent through the heart." Even
though I tried to explain that you could certainly perform the former
action if you wagered enough AP, the player shot back that having only a
60% chance of succeeding greatly discouraged them from taking any such
risks (ie, why give your opponent a 40% chance of gaining 14AP!??)
So, it was a bumpy night. I'm certain I made many errors running the
game (I prefaced the game with 'I'm going to make a lot of mistakes
tonight' and I finished with 'I'm sorry I made so many mistakes tonight,
please hang in there with me until we learn the rules.'). And I've
discussed the session *at length* with two of the players who have a
good grasp of the rules and mathematics. They have some very
interesting points about how the HW rules actually *discourage* bold and
cinematic action because of the riskiness of APs. Since my players have
always been cautious, tactical types (they are excellent CoC
investigators), they are afraid that HW combats will be very, very dull
affairs for us.
If anyone would like a really detailed opinion on this, I'd be happy to
connect you with the sharpest player via email, who can detail his
concerns with the mechanics much more eloquently.
--
Clay
claycle_at_...