Re: style

From: Alexandre Lanciani <alexanl_at_...>
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 22:42:05 +0200


David Dunham:

> The Hero Wars mechanics don't model reality at all. They model drama.
> In other words, they don't model the *process* of determining an
> outcome so much as they simply determine the results.
>
> This is wholly different from almost all games out there, and the
> difference takes getting used to. (If Alex F isn't listening, this is
> a genuine paradigm shift.)

        Really? I don't think so. I've always used game systems as "propagators", that is, give me the initial condition (i.e. the characters' intentions) and the game system will determine the probability of getting a certain result.

        The only difference IMO between HW and other games is that the former uses a "black box" approach. In other words, it doesn't exactly translate what happens between the starting and ending point in rules lingo, but parameterize all the factors affecting the outcome in a single, abstract, score - the AP bid. But this is not say that this score is (or should be)random and not represent, or model, anything at all.

        If this would be the case I'd rather leave everything to Narrator's call and in case some randomness is needed flip a coin. This is why I'm arguing that the bid should represent both opponents' actions, and not only the actor's.

--

Regards,
Alexandre.

"Cinq milliards de races d'hommes sur Terre,
Est-ce assez pour croiser le fer...?"

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