Re: HQ newbie questions

From: donald_at_...
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 21:07:02 GMT


In message <20031121191329.9928.qmail_at_...> ALISON PLACE writes:
>I'll admit right up front that I haven't tried
>searching the archives on this, so if someone can
>point me in the right direction, I'd be happy.
>
>Our bunch are trying out some of the beginner
>scenarios in HQ. Our pre-rolled PC's have various
>magical possessions, e.g. thunderstones and in
>Aileena's case, a sword. We have found no
>descriptions of the powers of these objects in the HQ
>book. We are feeling very uncomfortable about this,
>as it leads to much confusion when trying to use them.
> I know that thunderstones certainly existed in RQ3,
>but their power would presumably differ somewhat in
>HQ. The sword's features are a complete unknown.
>
>Is the narrator expected to look at these and define
>them ahead of time with the players? In that case,
>including that info for the beginner narrator would
>really help!

Have a look at the example on pg.22, which shows Kathy sorting out the details of the Collapsing Ladder but leaving the Bright Stone String for later. Basically when the player has an idea of how it works the Narrator makes sure it fits the game and accepts it. That's how it works from then on.

>In fact, there seems a general tendency in the
>character generation phase to give new PC's magical
>items and powers, which was certainly not the case in
>RQ. There you usually started out pretty raw, and had
>to acquire them as you went. Is this difference
>because it is now universally assumed that all PC's
>are experienced?

It's up to you and your players where you start, the character generation assumes late teens with possibly a few years away from home. Magical skills and items are common but only at the same level as anything else. In the hands of a hero thunderstones may decimate regiments but for a new PC they only make him a bit better slinger.

>If so, OK, but I'll miss the stage of guiding one's
>tender new PC. If most scenarios people are now
>writing (and I haven't seen many, so I don't know)
>assume 10-15 years prior experience, I think that it
>may cut off a range of minor experiences that could
>still be fun for players, but are now too trivial for
>their characters.

Of the scenarios I'm aware of there seem to be plenty for starting characters and a few for very experienced heros but not so much in between. One advantage of HQ is that it is very easy to recalibrate a scenario by adjusting the abilities of the NPCs.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/

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