> I posted this on the Forge messageboard but only got
> one answer.
You've now got more, and reading them, they seem to have understood your question differently from us. Let me take another look.
> Anybody understands what im all about?
I thought I did, but...
> I was thinking about: what could be the HQ pendant
> to a visual effect from a movie or a comic book?
>
> A special effect is something that blows you away
> visually and sometimes mentally.
So now you're on "special" effects, not merely "visual".
> Like for instance the AT AT from The Empire Strikes
Back.
Means nothing to me.
> Im a great fan of ... His work is very visual.
> Very little language and lots of action scenes.
But now back on visual again
> Well the answer is, you cant. Because manga is
> visual and roleplaying game is descriptive.
But descriptions have to describe something, and the "something" might as well be visual as not.
> But how could you use the concept of visual effects
> and apply it to HQ ?
And here is where we come unstuck, because I have no idea what you mean by the "concept" of visual effects, if not, well, visual effects. Like "his sword glows".
> So what im looking for is a way of coming up with
> interesting
> abilities that make an opponent especially
> interesting and
> challenging, while also distinctive,
OK, that's been discussed a lot.
> in the same way a visual effect
> in a movie makes a scene interesting and
> mindblowing.
er... it does? I find it has about as much effect on me as the font a book is written in. Ignored unless they get it wrong.
> I think it would be very cool to have opponents that
> posess very few
> abilities, but each of them is so special that it
> makes interacting
> with them very interesting and challenging.
Very true, but I don't see where visual effects come in.
So let me take that last paragraph in isolation, since I suspect the earlier ones just boil down to "you enjoy films in a totally different way from me".
Opponents with few abilities. Yes. Well, we deal with "few" by handing them a keyword or two for the easy stuff (Heortling Warrior 10W, Destor initiate 5W) and then get down to the interesting bits.
HQ convention is to have abilities named rather than described, with a few "poetic" words that leave you guessing. Colour and meaning is then added later, as you use it, or argued over for ages (because the writer knew exactly what they meant but didn't bother to write it down and left everyone else bewildered).
I'd suggest that when the ability is almost the entire point of the character, you probably don't want to stick to this convention. Design your ability in loving detail, WRITE IT DOWN, then put the short name on the character sheet (as "Interesting ability 10b" if you can't find an unambiguous name).
Are you after a one-off impression on the players, or something for a long-term villain? Something designed as a one-shot can get boring if repeated. ("Yeah, OK, glowing red eye in the sky again staring into your soul, been there, done that, take the Ring off").
For long-term, an ability whose effects aren't all shown at once might be better. First time, he's stroking a white cat. Odd, for a super-villain. Distinctive. Next time you meet, the thing's wandering around the floor, and you realise it has fingers, not claws. Hmm. Eventually it'll be revealed as the major Chaos Demon in disguise it really is, they'll find out that it's controlling the human not vice versa...
But what will your players regard as "interesting"?
Here I think we have to go back to basics - it's their
universe, they're the centre of it. Take a look at
their character sheets and think what would challenge
*them*. Do you hit their main physical abilities, or
their weaknesses? Or personality traits, or
relationships? Or hit them with a *new*
weakness/relationship they didn't know about? Trying
to find a film parallel for you again, the point about
Darth Vader isn't his cloak, the helmet, the silly
voice, or what colour his sword was, it's "I am your
father". Immediate hit on the player. Picks up on the
"orphan" flaw.
Powered by hypermail