Re: Hero Wars strengths, interpretations, rules

From: David Dunham <david_at_...>
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 08:36:26 -0800


Dave Bailey asked

> Apart from the character creation what else is really good about the
> mechanics?

They're the first rules I've seen that are scalable both in power level (they work for heroes as well as stick-pickers) and number (I've run many a combat with dozens of people on both sides, and they aren't significantly slower than one on one fights).

(BTW, I just had to use "strengths" in the subject, since it has the highest consonant : vowel ratio in English.)

Nick Hollingsworth asked

At 09:52 +0000 03/16/00, eGroups Digest wrote:
> Assume I am nifty-sword-stuff 10w2, talk-reason 10. In a potential combat
> situation
> my basic intent is "try to defuse the situation first, but if it comes to a
> fight kill
> them". If I use talk-reason as my opening skill I get 10 AP instead of 50.
> On round 2,
> having failed to stop the fight, I switch to nifty-sword-stuff, but am
> already 40 AP worse
> off.
>
> No doubt you can come up with reasons that might do to explain this as a
> one-off, but
> it does not seem reasonable to me that going for this tactic should backfire
> if a fight
> breaks out.

You are frustrated at your failure, and aren't in the correct mental state for fighting (I know from experience that a significant part of fencing is mental preparation, it's probably the same for fighting with real weapons).

Or looking at it another way, you failed in your primary goal. Why should you be given a big bonus for succeeding at what you weren't attempting in the first place?

Without knowing more about the context, I wouldn't run it like Jeff would -- the overall situation is still to get past the potential combat. There is only one contest.

Tim Byrd asked

> Are the pairs of
> bids/attacks simultaneous? Can the outcome of a HW combat be mutual
> destruction? Like Arthur and Mordred both going down with mortal
> wounds (ala the movie "Excalibur"). Or is there a dying blow rule?
> Or else, if we used the system to resolve a game of 'chicken' (two
> people in automobiles racing at each other head on to see who
> 'chickens out' first), how do the rules allow for neither party giving
> way and both dying in the resulting collision?

No, they are not simultaneous. Hero Wars seldom has such conclusions, though especially with the optional wounding rules, it's possible for both to be wounded (and even for the victor to be more seriously wounded).

David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_...>
Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein

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