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

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

> >>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.  :)
> >
>possible...I guess its how you define "expecting" I consider expecting to
>be  the players feel they will be attacked at any time verses playing 
>cards.
>
>
>

Ah, well to date they're are time when they're not expecting to be attacked 
in that regard (one of our characters is a 200+ year old Huckster carry-over 
from our Deadlands campaign). But to date we haven't had any Walkin' Dead 
come up to them in the middle of a bar while she's playing cards and attack 
her, either.

In that case, yes, I'd grant the TN 11 for surprise. But that really isn't 
going to help in most of the "hostile" encounters we tend to use.

> >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...
> >
>I bet. walkin' Dead are good as they do not require much explanation.  only
>risk is making them too common thus not scary.
>I'd love to have seen the guys face tho.
>

It was one of those "Whaaa...?!?" kind of looks.  Of course, then we 
introduced him (and everybody else, really) to the automatic fire rules - 
not something we ever had to worry about in Deadlands.

Actually, automatic fire does tend to be the one great balancer, since NPCs 
are assumed to have just enough ammo to fire as many times as they fire in 
that combat, while PCs have to be a bit more...conservative. problem is, 
using automatic fire is like (literally) using a machine gun to kill a gnat. 
  Unless you want your PCs to be walking tanks, armor-wise, one good burst 
of AF can put the hurt on almost anyone.  Either that, or my NPCs are 
getting lucky on those die rolls than the rest of their stuff.

> >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.
> >
>all this is why I dropped the simplified system. ;-)
>

Unfortunately, I really hate Wound/location tracking and Quickness 
rolling/card drawing for 10+ NPCs.

The other reason I'd not big on the Stun Recovery rolls is because...well, 
it's the last roll you have to make in a combat/attack sequence, and there's 
already enough rolling.  Roll to hit, maybe have the defender roll to 
Vamoose and fail, roll for location, roll for damage, roll for Wind, 
possibly have the target make a roll to oppose (I'm thinking Psyker and 
Doomsayer stuff, mostly)...and _then_ finally there's the Stun Recovery 
check.  It's actually pretty elaborate to resolve a single combat attack.

> >---
> >
> >Steve Crow
> >
> >"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"
>
>TBS
>
>
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---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

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


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