IMHO that is the strength not the weakness. This may be an issue of taste. Some people want D&D style rules for every combat option some like to let their creativity drive the game. Each to his own as they say...
IMHO in HW it is the narration that is important, the mechanics are there to help adjudicate and add the element of uncertianty to actions required for dramatic tension. For me it works well in play, it is harder to concieve of in the abstract.
>This leads directly to my biggest complaint about HW, there aren't
>enough rules to guide GM's and players.
You may have had more rules in RQ or D&D but they mainly covered one topic: Combat. HW gives you one set of rule mechanics, but they cover everything. Want to win a case at the moot, woo your bride to be, inspire the clansfolk to resistance, climb Kero Fin, win a chariot race, race home before the advancing lunars slaughter your wife and child - the rule mechanics cover all these situations. For example in Benedict's game the last week we intimidated our opponents to get our way. Insults, boasts, threats - these were all AP bids. Dice rolling fun was had by all. RQ did not give the rules to handle this situation interestingly (I make my oratory roll - what happens). Worry less about the mechanics, think about what is happening, and let the rules help you to adjudicate it. From playing it I think the extended contest mechanism is a VERY strong game mechanism.
>His idea of a game system and rules were D100. Roll low good things
>happen to you, roll high, bad things happen. Very much like HW,
Don't you mean very much like RQ :)
Extended constests with imaginative AP bids are the key to dramatic moments in HW. Put the effort into the bidding and the results can be really great.
<snipped on opponent strength>
>Well I did that, a champion with an skill of 20W, versus 4 skilled
>opponents (skill of 20). Ignoring, edges, augmentation, and the
like. It was no
>contest. The champion who started the combat at 40 AP, ended with
>almost 100.
Did you remember defending against multiple attackers. He defends against the second guy at -3; 3rd -6; 4th -9; 5th -12. SO against the last attacker he only has 8W. If his opponent has a skill of 20, there are going to be a lot of occasions where his opponent succeeds and he fails. sure he gets bumped to suceess if his opponent gets a lower roll...
>From playing characters at 5W, at that level I would not regard
someone with 17 as a pushover, you may have to spend HP to avoid
serious injury. My gut feeling is that opponents at about -8 (i.e.
folower level) and above to a hero can be dangerous (including
figuring multiple attaacker penalties), mvoing up as you want more of
a threat. Give special villians HP to negate hero HP.
>Quite frankly, I think that a person with a full mastery level can
knock
>out a virtually unlimited number of opponents.
Ian
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