As for option "b" I would definitely make the ability go up on either a success or failure - the player paid for it by "bumping" the resistance after all. I might explain this as "you learn as much from failure as from success", but that sounds uncomfortably like a simulationist explanation. The more narrative explanation is that regardless of success or failure, the character still used the ability to resolve a conflict in the story and thus it should be a larger part of the character.
Note: the sim vs nar issue matters to me only because I try to make my particular game run on narrative principles and the logic gets confusing if I mix the two. In other words, mixing the two approaches makes it harder for the players to predict what they need to do to be successful.
-Kevin McD
On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 2:45 PM, Aleksandr <ave_at_...> wrote:
>
>
> It seems interesting too! But what will do some hero when facing ugly ogre
> (14 resistance) with only his pistol (pistol and sombrero 13 ability)?
>
> a. (first option) If he wants to make his skill remerkable and magnificant
> hi bumps up Mastery and tells good story about it. His ability "pistol and
> sombrero" goes up.
>
> b. (second option) He wants to make it hard significant struggle and bumps
> up low resistance... Oops! Isn't it Nartrators job? OK, he bumps up
> resistance to very very high. And he fails. Does ability go up or not? I'm
> not sure.
>
> --- In HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com <HeroQuest-rules%40yahoogroups.com>,
> Kevin McDonald <kpmcdona_at_...> wrote:
> >
> > That's an interesting idea! I may try a variant: players can bump as
> usual,
> > but if they want to increase an ability they have to bump a *contest*
> > instead. In other words, they spend the HP to bump up the resistance they
> > face to the next level, and then they explain why the odds are suddenly
> that
> > much worse. That way increasing character abilities becomes tied to
> > increasing the drama in the story.
> >
> > -Kevin McD
> >
> > On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 8:39 AM, Aleksandr <ave_at_...> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > Have anyone ideas about nonstandart use of HPs? I like to totaly invert
> the
> > > rules!
> > > 1. Each player gets same amount of HPs at start of each session (3 as
> > > example)
> > > 2. Any time a player can use HP to bump Mastery in contest, as usual.
> > > 3. Player marks corresponding skill, whick was used in contest.
> > > 4. At the end of session all unused HPs is lost. And all mark are
> converted
> > > to +1 in skill.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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