Re: One System to Rule Them All (Was: Re: [WorldofGlorantha] Re: How Much Rule fiddl

From: Robin Laws Mail List Only <tjaderoo_at_...>
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:32:36 -0400


On 7/22/07, ttrotsky2 <TTrotsky_at_...> wrote:
>
> > The other approach doesn't imply that armor is completely useless.
> > Instead it assumes by default that combatants are wearing the best
> > armor for their fighting style. In those rare situations where they
> > are not, a penalty remains appropriate.

>I have to confess, I have no idea what you're saying here.

In most cases, treat armor part of the characters' combat rating, rather than modeling it separately. It is one factor among many that make up the character's ability to solve problems by fighting--along with training, speed, strength, determination, religious fervor, quality of weapon, favor of your ancestors, how well you slept that night, and so on and so on. All of these factors are important, but that doesn't mean they require the constant application of an extra level of rules detail.

This is not saying that armor is useless in the world. Its importance is simply subsumed into the overall abstraction of the system, like everything else. You can and should continue to describe the role armor plays in the outcome of contests and of exchanges within extended contests. The lack of a specific special-case rule to govern something in HQ does not mean that thing is not important or relevant to an outcome. Importance is determined by what you and the Narrator choose to describe when describing outcomes.

Only in unusual cases, where your armor, or the lack thereof, becomes an important plot point, do you need to assess a modifier. And then it should be a big, noticeable modifier, because it has suddenly become dramatically important.

Take care >>> Robin

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