> Silburn, Luke wrote:
> ...
>> As far as I'm concerned all abilities can be flaws (and vice versa) >> depending upon context
> I'd say that was a path to pissing-off your players, by being deaf to
> the nuances of the character generation system. If a player chooses an
> ability for their character, and especially if they have spent points on
> it, it is as if the player is declaring 'this is an aspect of my
> character that I consider to be an important part of how *I* want my
> character to change the game world'. If the player *wanted* to create a
> character who's disrespect for authority got them into trouble, they
> could have chosen 'Disrespectful of Authority (flaw)'. They they did not
> should be significant. The narrator gets to control all the NPCs; let
> the players control their characters.
Basically, when trying to "sell" HeroQuest to my gang of hard-core simulationist players one of the winning points was that e.g. the application of "love family" in a hostage situation might result in a negative augment if the situation warrants it (attacking the person threatening a loved one). While I wouldn't let the ability cripple the attack if the player neglected it, in this case any positive effect would be more than canceled out by an additional negative situation modifier. Whether to use a direct negative augment or to apply a straight modifier for bringing in "love family" mostly becomes a question of style of narrating.
Another fun feature in HeroQuest are internal conflicts where the narrator may choose a character's ability to rate a seduction...
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