Re: [HoE] Balance of Power(spoiler marshals only)

["Steve Crow" <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

> >Hmmm, attack-from-surprise is pretty much controlled by whether the Posse
> >makes its Cognition checks.  I'm not big on arbitrary surprise (or 
>arbitrary
> >TN modifiers) anyway (except for those creatures listed as having the
> >Surprise ability, of course - heh), but it's pretty hard to fudge 
>surprise
> >rolls when A) the Posse typically makes them, or B) they know the target
> >number is a base 5.
>
>remember to use the 11 when they are not expecting it...but your right...
> >

This is Hell on Earth - they're _always_ expecting it. Not an unreasonable 
approach, IMO.  :)

> >The one thing I've considered is tossing out the stun rolls for 
>simplified
> >NPCs anyway.  They tend to be the first thing I forget anyway in the heat 
>of
> >combat and juggling 10+ NPCs.  The NPCs are already -1 - -5 anyway due to
> >psuedo-Wound infliction.
> >
>use Undead man...undead are your friends...undead are fun...undead don't
>make stun checks...generally.
>Course I have been told I like Undead entirely too much.  but you
>know...you CAN'T like Undead too much...I say.
>

Well, as someone noted as well, dropping stun checks for NPCs would probably 
be simplest:  at least in the simplified combat system, they're screwed 
enough as it is.  Granted, if nobody except "individualized" NPCs has to 
make stun checks, that tends to blur the distinction between living and 
Undead grunts.

But I've tend to find Walkin' Dead among the most reliable  of 
spur-of-the-moment threats to throw out.  Plus, as I noted elsewhere, our 
HoE campaign is only on its 2-3 month (although we ran Deadlands for a year 
and that's what my players are sortof used to).  The look on one guy's face 
when we had to explain to him those Walkin' Dead had NA Commandos was pretty 
funny...

As far as simplified combat system, I suspect tossing out 1-1/2 cards per 
NPC would work best.  At least that would give about half of them the chance 
to do Speed 2 actions each round, Vamoose, whatever.  One seems too low, but 
two for everyone is a bit high for my tastes.

---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/


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