Re: Re: Last actions as played

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 08:22:09 -0700

> > > In the Convulsion-era draft of the rules,
> > > the differences are:
> > > 1) that the resistance to the "relevant
> > > ability" is the negative AP of the hero.
> > > (it's a lot easier to accomplish an FA if
> > > your only winded, than if you're dieing)
>
> I find this option too much "Simulationist" and anti-narrative.
> Maybe I am anime-biased (in Japan fiction, last actions are
> interminable, often longer than the previous contest), but I don't
> like the resistance being based on the level of defeat suffered by
> the hero.

Well, I detest the Japanamation style, so I don't watch anime (no, don't try to tell me how good the plots and stories are, the animation just looks bad to me, and I won't watch it - personal opinion).

> If the hero is dying, with this rule he won't be allowed a FA (unless
> he is very powerful at the beginning or he badly chose his contest
> ability) and that's anti-heroic, in my opinion (rem the old heroic
> option of RQ3?). Moreover I like the option of not reagaining any AP,
> but still being able to perform a single action (truly dramatic, of
> course) and then dying, without the villain hacking him again.

If the hero is trying to do a true "final action" and not *just* get back into the fight (ie, he wants to fall on the grenade/jump into the vortex/push the button to start the Final Countdown(tm)/etc) then I'd let him without "rolling for AP" - but he'd still need to be free from interferance by the enemy. Will this become a rule? probably not. It might become a sidenote.

Unfortunately, I've found that few players will willingly kill off their characters instead of getting back in the thick of things (I'd be happy to be proven wrong for other groups), so the main rules for FAs focus on getting back in the fight, not doing one last desparate act before dieing.

RR