> But that is exactly one of the ideas behind the game. HW is a dramatic game,
> not a simulation of reality. A lion's abilities will vary on how important
> it is to the plot. It doesn't matter if the heroes are Stickpickers or
> Harrek's companions, if the narrator wants the lion to be a threat it needs
> to have the numbers to make it a threat.
Okay, this works, but even drama has some reference to reality. This is how we're able to suspend disbelief. I still want to have some idea of where a rating of 15 fits in the scheme of things. I've run a few sessions of a game with the materials available on the web, and I intend to run a real demo game once I have my copy of the rules. While I understand now how the benchmarking of scenarios work, I still don't have a feel for how the numbers relate to reality. I'm sorry I keep using that word, but it IS our (the players' and narrators') point of reference. Just how would a stickpicker rate, and how does that compare to the default starting ratings of a player character?
To illustrate with an example, I started a campaign (in Prax) using RQ. When I started, I wound up getting my curiosity piqued by HW. After a couple sessions, the first three chapters were released. I read them, liked them, and even found how it would make some things easier to do. I decided to convert over (hoping the actual rules would be published soon), but I ran into a problem. I had the impression that the default starting level of characters was a bit higher than the characters currently were. The problem lay in I wasn't sure how much to adjust the values by; I had no point of reference. I was forced, as a temporary measure, to guess. I don't have my copy of hte rules (it's waiting for me at a game store), and these questions may be answered there.
I understand, now, how the relative comparision between the characters and the opposition is supposed to work. It's still, for me, missing a reference point. How do you know when a lion is just lion and it's divine lion, aside from that it could kick the butt of a Hero? It's not about creating scenarios, but about relating the game numbers to our experiences. Just what does a 15 or a 20 mean in terms that we, as people, understand?
> RQ was based on a more Real-world model. If the guard had 75%
> attack, then his "threat level" was greater or lesser depending on if you
> had 30% or 120% in your own attack.
I'm not looking for relative threats. I see a skill of 75% and I conclude that he's an experienced fighter. Should a 17, a 1w, or 5w make me think that?
Michael W. Ryan, MCP, MCT | OTAKON 2000 mryan_at_... | Convention of Otaku Generationhttp://www.netaxs.com/~mryan/ | http://www.otakon.com/
No, I don't hear voices in my head;
I'm the one that tells the voices in your head what to say.
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