Terry, NO GAMES have reported problems (note plural) with player characters powering up to monstrous levels. One group reports one particular situation that they were concerned about. It was not a general problem with augmentation. So yours is yet another fix for a non existent problem.
> Of course, some feats
> are obviously designed to give you an augmentation, such as [Weapon]
> Help, but I cannot see how a narrator could allow a player character to
> use all feats in an affinity to only provide bonuses, such that a
> player character could raise his skill by a mastery or more.
Note that almost any 'special move' can be used as an aid (translation: augmentation) during a contest. A Vingan can use Run on Treetops to travel in an unconventional way, or as and aid during combat in a wood:
'I repeatedly attack with my sword, darting from cover in trees then leaping back again, running around on the treetops to gain a good position.' --- which sounds like an attempt to gain a bonus. Different wording could change the emphasis. giving an offensive edge ('... darting from cover... gain a good position') of defensive edge ('... leaping back again...'). Being able to use feats for special moves, edges and bonus as the situation and intent dictates is a good feature.
...
> If the players and narrator stay within the spirit of the game,
> actually using affinities and feats as they are described, the game
> balances itself. I cannot see it happening any other way, and in the
> year or so of playing Hero Wars with my group, we've never come across
> any of the "problems" described in this discussion so far.
Quite. So why introduce an unnecessary house rule?
...
> I think it might be a good idea for everyone to go
> back and re-read some of the rules, and the descriptions of the various
> feats and affinites... you will get a nice 50/50 split
> between bonus and edge augments. Hey presto: a balanced game.
...
Except, if someone regards rolling 8 augments to gain a +W3 bonus to be unbalancing and/or boring, is that person really likely to find rolling 8 augments to gain a +120 edge OK? I think the heart of this problems is not augments, or feats, its having *8* augments (or even more, if the Narrator and players can stand the boredom) for free.
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