> Message: 8
> Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 16:43:48 -0800
> From: "Richard, Jeff" <jeff.richard_at_...>
> Subject: Mastery inflation
>
> <CHOP>
> The bigger problem for me is on the sample resistance numbers given in HW.
> I know I'm a big fan of "bitterly cold Dragon Pass winters" (although I did
> just run my adventurers trekking across the Rockwoods in winter - boy that
> was unpleasant), but 5M4?
>
> Jeff
Actually, I'd think it could be this hard.
Here's a scenerio for you:
Get yourself caught mooning after chief's wife in midwinter,
and flee the steed with your shirt half on
Unless you're a really good Odaylian bear, what's your chance of
prospering during winter?
After all, what do you do during half the year?
- collect massive stockpiles of food
- and still wind up making stone soup in spring...
- lots of firewood (damn whiny elves complaining...)
- thatch and rethatch your steads.
- elders finding youngsters who can handle all their knowledge
before age claims them and their remaining secrets?
And during winter:
- huddle close during half the winter keeping warm.
- guard against maurauding starving foes.
This sounds like a couple masteries worth of enhancements to me. But
you only notice them when you don't have them.
And how often do you get a major or complete success during winter? Ie:
- not have many elders/children die
- no guards/hunters frozen to death/eaten by cold spirits?
- no cabin fever causing crimes/feuds.
It might be argued that even after all the preparation (call it
enhancement/buffing), clans still tend to only get minor
victories/loses.
And quite possibly, every couple years/decades, they get some major
defeats? (I seem to recall someone on the KoDP list moaning over
having half their ring die one winter. :)
Of course, I might be scarred from:
- that abused Mouse God.
- Those hideous punitive taxes we got one year cause of xxx.
- That group of Valindi spirits trying to create a stead
inside our Tula.
- Our warband being unable to stand being without clan (we got
outlawed outselves for the good of the clan. We had to destroy
those vile pro-lunar Black Oak despite the cost to our clan.)
So we formed the hidden spear clan from us and refugies, and
we did it far too late in the season to have a good winter...
When it's almost a choice between: eat those stickpickers and
well, seeing if we could actually put 4/5 of the clan into
hibernation....
We learned to treat winter with respect and fear....
But... I'd use another figure if I was seeing how bad the night was
during a well prepared one day jaunt during winter.