Re: Re: new guy

From: Emmanuel Kanter <emi.kanter_at_...>
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:12:03 -0200


that's very epic. I'm feeling better about trying it, even if I can't really "playtest" the system as I would with, let's say, the diaspora mass combat minigame.

other than that, I think it can get the storytelling edge I need in the combats, and the naive/fairytale magic style I like (man, I'm having a hard time looking at many, many rpgs to find a magic system that feels just that - magical! - and I'm thinking the best thing is not having a 'system')

now I just need to convince some people to try it with me :D

emi

On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 3:00 AM, <ryancaveney_at_...> wrote:

>
>
> > I was thinking of adding rules to deal with being
> > outnumbered, charging, holding, but you're almost
> > convincing me that's not necessary at all! :P
>
> It's not necessary! It can provide a useful framework, and I personally
> feel
> more comfortable when I have guidelines to help me respond to those
> situations,
> but it's not necessary. I say this even as a self-confessed hard-core
> simulationist whose favorite role-playing game is Advanced Squad Leader ;)
> As
> you say, it's mainly a question of getting comfy with the system through
> practice.
>
> Mechanically, running a HQ contest between two different abilities is all
> about
> choosing improvisation penalties. For example, "Swing Sword All Day Without
>
> Tiring" is a really good choice for resisting "Overwhelm With Vast
> Numbers", but
> not nearly as good a choice for resisting "Volley of Arrows". Well, exactly
>
> *how much* worse? That is left entirely up to the Narrator to decide. In
> the
> beginning, you and your players will need to realize it will take time to
> get
> comfy, and it may be very inconsistent at first. For example, they may say,
>
> "hey, why is being outnumbered 3-to-1 a 12-point penalty tonight? it was
> only 3
> points last week!", to which you respond, "well, last week I discovered
> that
> wasn't enough, so we're trying something else this time; depending on how
> it
> goes, next week's penalty may be 7 or 17. either way, in four more sessions
>
> we'll have it down pat." Alternately, you can say, "it's not just their
> numbers; you're at minus 12 because these guys also have more training and
> better armor," and assign whatever bonus or penalty you want, inventing
> plausible reasons after the fact. I really don't like to do that, but I
> know
> it's a personal choice. Making yourself a table of standard effects for
> numbers, maneuvers, weapons, etc. can be a helpful reference, but
> fine-tuning
> the right one is a complicated problem which depends on your gaming group's
>
> preferences as much as any real-world "truth".
>
> I like the various detailed tables in Hero Wars as a starting point from
> which
> to learn how to operate the rules -- I see them as not a straitjacket, but
> a
> safety net. Whatever ruleset I'm running, I never stop tinkering with it. I
>
> have a personal obsession with self-consistent simulation, but even I have
> come
> to appreciate how well HQ handles dynamically changing levels of detail,
> and how
> it lets you decide which part of your campaign is what you want to focus
> on.
> Most RPGs have the most detailed rules for combat, so they are generally
> better
> suited to modeling combat than anything else. HQ can be used that way, but
> it
> doesn't have to be; you can easily decide on the fly when and where to zoom
> in
> and out.
>
> Ryan Caveney
>
>
>

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