Re: [DL] Mad Scientists

["Derek D. Bass" <wangenstein@mad.scientist.com>]

<<I don't think I have any spoiler-type things in here, but I'll respect the
spoiler space of the previous poster . . .>>
















<<You know, that's a really good point. Even if you're doing something
simple with a trick (not even a full-fledged hex), such as lighting a cigar,
there's the potential to grab the big brother of the demon you -meant- to
call. It's all in the cards-- you know eventually yours is going to come up,
whether it's when you're trying to steamroll over an entire posse of undead
or trying to light your cigar. One is just a little less glorious than the
other. I think most people who play Hucksters beyond the charred remains (or
twisted and broken psyche) of the first one have to learn this lesson. I
certainly did. (Kinda like the time I perfectly parked my velocipede using
the Legend chip, and died approximately two minutes later because I botched
a strength roll and fell underneath a train. *grin* That will do wonders to
your pride.)>>


<<I will say this. If a Marshal is going to go a little easy on the MS when
it comes to doing simple things they might want to extend the same courtesy
to any hucksters in the group-- double-standards seldom go over very well,
particularly when they're dealing with the same devils. >>

<<Melissa
http://www.angelfire.com/weird/savannah/index.html>>

It is a good point. Personally, I don't think a Huckster should get his head
blown off for trying to light a cigar with a simple Trick (isn't that what
those really minor Hexes are called?). The point of the game is to tell a
story, to have an adventure. What's the point if the Posse gets killed
crossing the street on the way to the saloon where they would've heard about
the lost gold mine which was recently rediscovered when a map was found in
the hand of a dead miner who... and so on.

Besides, there are other things you can do to screw with a Character who
makes minor or non-lethal weapons. For example: Professor Harvey Wangenstein
designs weapons that are primarily non-lethal and submits their underlying
Theories to New Science. Soon after each article appears, another article is
published, decrying Wangenstein for being nieve and showing how the
Professor's non-lethal Device can be used to lethal effect. Wangenstein is
enraged at this, and redoubles his non-lethal efforts in order to thwart his
critic.

What he doesn't know, is that the Manitous, frustrated at having their
Scientific secrets used for (essentially) peaceful purposes, have taken to
possessing Wangenstein when he sleeps, making him write out the lethal
versions of the Devices and send them to New Science. Thus, by continuing to
invent, Wangenstein is literally becoming his own worst enemy. What happens
when he learns he's doing as much harm as good? That's why we play the game
in the first place...

No game mechanics can accurately portray reality. You'd be rolling a lot of
dice just to replicate the chance of your character being killed by slipping
on a bar of soap. My game philosophy revolves around the idea that part of
being a Hero (even an evil Hero) is the fact that accidental, non-dramatic
deaths don't happen to you. Otherwise, why play, when you could go home and
get killed slipping on a bar of soap yourself instead? Losing a good
character to a meaningless, accidental death is a huge pain, one which I
could do without, what with the amount of time and effort I spend in
inventing them.

I know that, strictly speaking, that kind of fudging doesn't have much to do
with the rules, except that the whole point of the game itself (and
therefore the most important rule) is for everyone to have fun. Remember,
there are more satisfying ways to torture a character (and his Player) than
killing him.

Derek D. Bass
Etheric Musings - The Science of the Sons of Ether
http://members.home.net/wangenstein/ether.htm

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