Re: [HoE] Revised Edition

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

>As a note here, one problem we've noticed is that some Traits in and of
>themselves are much less necessary than others.  For instance, Quickness
>(both good Trait and Coordination) are extremely important because every
>combat you're in, you'll be making Quickness rolls to determine the cards
>you get.  Vigor is always used for Stun & Recovery checks.  Cognition to
>avoid surprise.  Strength for HTH damage.
>
>By comparison, how often does someone use straight Mien?  If you wanted to
>be persuasive, you buy the appropriate Skill.  If not, you'll leave it up 
>to
>someone who did.  Ditto for, say, Knowledge and Nimbleness.
>
>Well, my Mad Scientist will be using his base Mein a LOT more then he will
>be punching for HTH Damage.
>All your examples are based on combat. which although a part of the game, 
>is
>only part, not all of it
> >
>

But will he be using his base Mien more than his base Quickness?

I would have cited non-combat uses of straight Strength, Cognition, and 
Quickness Traits, but none exist.  Which is part of the problem.

The only non-combat Vigor check is for Rad poisoning, which is more 
appropriate to HoE than Deadlands, so I avoided mentioning it.

However, combat is again relevant because every player has to make a 
Quickness check _every round_ of combat.  There are far less Persuasion 
attempts (involving Mien, unskilled or not) in any given game session that 
we have ever run or seen run.

To take another example, even if I felt comfortable with letting a character 
make unskilled Knowledge checks for _every_ Area the character ever entered, 
or wanted information on every Area he might choose to ask me about, there 
are far less rolls required or wanted by the characters then there are for 
Quickness in combat.

>As long as it is clear which weapons are double-action and which are
>single-action, should work.  Presumably Bows will be one/action stuff as
>well?  I would have some concerns about shotgun, which at close ranges can
>be extremely dangerous without a slow-down.  So a Dbl-bar Shotgun will now
>be a Speed 1, ROF 2 weapon that does 1-6d6 damage _twice_?
>
>The problem I saw when playing Deadlands when the D-B Shotgun had these
>stats (and presumably still does) was that someone could Speed Load the D-B
>Shotgun and throw some truly hideous amounts of damage into the air at 
>close
>range.
>
>A double barrel shotgun CAN rip hell at close range, that's why the U.S.
>Marines use it every chance they can.
>
>

Which is interesting, and I wasn't disputing it's power vis a vis a 
real-life comparison.  That doesn't necessarily make it desirable in a 
role-playing game.  A weapon that is substantially more powerful than many 
others will become the weapon of choice, denying variety.

You can, of course, impose artificial limits on the use of a superior 
weapon, but it would be better if the game system addresses this.  Which 
they had (by making a DB Shotgun a ROF 2 Speed _2_ weapon in HoE), I 
thought...



---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

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


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