This is pretty much on the money. The bidding system to me seems stangely at odds with the rest of the game system, to the point that I simply don't use it at all. If anything can be justified as an extended contest I resolve it as a sequence of "narratively important" simple contests instead, with augments based on the degree of success or failure from the proceeding events.
Thus the feel of an "ebb and flow" of the conflict is kept, along with the ability to change abilities during an overall conflict and minus the "Action Points" bookkeeping.
All the best,
Lev
> Hi,
>
> This is actually a weakness in HQ, As best I can
> determine HW and HQ were designed to maximize
> support for role-play, at the price of ignoring
> complexities needed to support simulationism and
> power gaming.
>
> There are two problems with this. The first is that
> simulationism and storytelling are actually related,
> by the necessity for "suspension of disbelief". If
> people cannot accept a game's simulation assumptions
> for storytelling purposes, because they do not feel
> real to them, the game's utility for telling stories
> is limited. This was actually an issue as far back
> as RQ I; since one of the main issues the other
> designers of RQ had with D&D was that D&D was such a
> wretched simulation of SCA combat that they had
> trouble suspending disbelief in D&D long enough to
> enjoy the game. Some of my players had this problem
> with Hero Wars, in that the limited assortment of
> skills often mean that you would be opposing a skill
> with something that seemed inappropriate. The
> bidding system in Hero Wars was pretty much loathed
> and despised. The second is that many decent players
> actually like powergaming. If the group I'm in has
> someone I've known for ten years
> andgenerally like, am I supposed to throw him {or
> her, though femaile powergamers are very rare} out
> of the group because he or she likes to powergame?
> Why not look for another set of rules instead?
>
> So HW and HQ are good sets of rules, but they are
> not for everyone.
>
>
>
> Ray,
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Jane Williams <janewilliams20_at_...>
> To: HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 8:45:44 AM
> Subject: Re: Introducing new players
>
>
> --- CJ <chris.romer_at_ blueyonder. co.uk> wrote:
> >.... and being intensely gamist was the
> > player who just took every possible augment he
> > could, spending ages adding them up and generally
> > trying to break the system.
> >
> > He is a powergamer - it's what he enjoys, and
> there
> > is no fun for him in a system you can't powergame,
> > mini-max, or make a character significantly better
> > than anyone elses. Hey, it's a common trait in
> some
> > gamers, but not one HQ caters well to.
>
> If at some point you do want to run HQ with this
> player, there are ways of making it work (or at
> least,
> keeping him happier and less disruptive for the rest
> of you): but that's a separate question.
>
> > So what kind of scenario works well on introducing
> > new players, without requiring a great knowledge
> of
> > glorantha, but can showcase the system? Any
> thoughts
> > on ways to introduce gamers used to other systems?
>
> My immediate thought is that it's usually combat
> where
> players used to more "crunchy" systems get confused.
> So choose a scenario where there is no combat: or at
> least, none to start with. Almost any other form of
> conflict, yes, but not combat.
>
> Also, if your players are used to the system being
> something for them to try to beat, it may be worth
> being explicit about the fact that in HQ, it isn't.
> "Losing" a conflict may well be far more fun than
> "winning" it, and the end result is never going to
> be
> one that stops them from going further or limits
> their
> options to the point where play is no longer
> enjoyable. "Oh, great, I've rolled a fumble!" is a
> concept that does make sense.
>
> Yes, I know, a bit unspecific about scenarios there,
> but it's one of the main points of confusion and
> unhappiness I've seen, where the players are trying
> to
> aim at the wrong target: success rather than fun.
>
> ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________
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