RE: Re: Relative resistances and narrow/broad abilities

From: Matthew Cole <matthew.cole_at_...>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:11:31 -0000


I think Jamie (Trotsky) has answered this pretty fully.  

I'd add that I think that both the pass/fail cycle and the base resistance are *default* modes of play for HQ2. I think that people who play this sort of game need to be wary of any over confidence in moving away from this mode; Robin has designed this as HQ2's only written method (with inbuilt caveats to inspire people to develop their own ways). I think it would be a mistake to forsake it from the start. It's my advice to try it out for at least a series and then look back.  

I nearly always write on this list without re-reading the HQ2 rules. Let's get that out right away. It's normally all from memory but we do play every week with the rules ready and always work through anything unfamiliar book-in-hand. Jamie MacLaren and I discuss the rules in great detail and I always insist that we play as close to vanilla as possible (limited only by comprehension).  

Having said that I'm going to read it and post here what I find: (with given permission from Mr Richard)

Beginning heroes start off with skills at 13 or 17 and spend 20 points raising them, limited to a 10 point maximum spend.

This 20 points can affect every number on your sheet on a 1-1 basis (depending on what kind of series you have agreed to play - this decision is covered in detail).

In hero creation, some series can also treat entire keywords (and their contained abilities) as raisable single entities where others treat them all as separate figures that cost individually.  

Interestingly, HQ2 determines that the more restrictive of the two methods is a more 'traditional' approach. This speaks a little bit towards Trotsky's recent post about 'not needing experience increases'. It suggests that it's not so important to keep such a tight control over creation expenditure.  

HQ2 recommends that players are allowed to increase whole keywords full of abilities with a single expenditure of HPs. For example when using the
'umbrella' approach to keywords - where you are allowed to raise keywords
and abilities - (other approaches are 'keyword-free' and 'keywords as packages') by spending 2 HPs per increase.  

That is beginning ability target number assignment in a nutshell, so you will get abilities ranging from 13 to (17+10=) 7W. Heroes with mastery level skills will really be focussing their character creation and those without will have a broadly-based level that it likely to gain a mastery skill with a bit of concentrated spending.  

Resistance.

The starting base resistance is recommended to be 14 and the table given for
'guidance' starts there, increasing a point every 3 sessions.
 

I don't know where it says this can be altered, or how. BTW, resistance augments have a separate column in the table and increase at a different rate (slower).  

HQ2 does not, unless I'm missing something, cover starting with higher ability ratings. I think that maybe that would be against the idea, really. After all - there are no 'benchmark' figures to compare with, right?  


From: HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com [mailto:HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of L C Sent: 07 March 2009 00:28
To: HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Re: Relative resistances and narrow/broad abilities  

Matthew, if you are going to tackle explaining this, here's somewhere you can start.

How does pass/fail intersect with this "base resistance" idea?

Also, is this base resistance increasing every 3 sessions a suggestion? Some core of the new system? Are you supposed to adjust it depending on how fast your players are progressing?
I would assume any game in which you started with different values, you would obviously adjust this, but your question makes it seem like it is a fixed expectation, applied mechanically without any input or judgment from the narrator. (This surprises me.)

LC

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