The thing that's so different about HQ2 and that I have to keep reminding myself of is what a "dice roll" means in the game.
In "traditional" RPGs each shot fired (or series of cuts/parries/thrusts) is represented by an "attack roll" and usually followed by a "damage roll" to interpret results.
But that's not what a dice roll means at all in HQ2. Here it represents the degree of success or failure *in attempting to move the story forward* - which is how the Millennium Falcon can "defeat" 3 Star Destroyers in a Simple Contest with a single dice roll in one scene with ease, and then experience a challenging Extended Contest against 3 Tie Fighters later.
So the process for determining how difficult it is to kill a cow a single shot in HQ2 is completely different. Instead of things like Range, Windage, Weapon Caliber being important, I ask myself other questions like:
-What is the tone/genre of the campaign? -How crucial is pulling off that shot to Story Progression? -What are the impacts of Success/Failure? -What is the purpose of the Contest in the larger story?
If it's a Contest to determine who is a better shot between a PC and and NPC then the Contest is really about Reputation and not the physics of cowslaughter. If the Contest is the acquisition of food in a Post Apocalyptic campaign then the questions up above set the Resistance (Are the PCs starving and will die without getting food very soon? Will they just go hungry and pick up a -3 Starving Consequence with Failure? etc).
A .22LR round can kill a cow at 100 feet... if the shot goes right through the cow's eye. How possible (or impossible) is it to pull off that shot? Ask yourself the questions listed above ;D
On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 6:10 AM, Bo <lorgryt_at_...t> wrote:
> **
>
>
> Right, I get that. But where I have a problem is physics. Reality is a
> b*tch. The energy of a .22 Long Rifle and 7.62mm NATO round are very
> different at 100 feet. But, the weapon firing them is identical (both
> are M14s in different calibers). The .22 will not kill the cow, the 7.62
> will. There is a difference.
>
> One way of showing it is to give gear and another is a "credibility"
> test. I have no issue with the latter, but what happens when you are
> dealing with items in which no one at the table has a clear idea of how
> things compare?
>
> All of this is a stupid question and I know it. It is a hold over of
> simulation based gaming. But it is the point where my head goes "wait!'
>
> Once I play the system I am sure it will all melt away. LOL
>
> Bo
>
>
>
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