[HoE] Hucksters in HoE

[Casey McGirt <cmcgirt@hotmail.com>]

My take on the huckster situation is mixed.  On one hand, I see the reasons 
behind the penalties.  Furthermore, there is a good chance that some of 
those penalties will be removed in the conversion to revised edition.  
However, as it stands, the AB: Huckster does not seem worth the points.

My suggestion to balance it out is twofold.  First, with the conversion to 
Revised Edition, only Black Jokers should cause backlash.  Second, include 
the Old Hand edge for free - all hucksters in HoE should be quite practiced 
in their art, in order to survive.  That means Backlash will be less common, 
but more severe when it happens.

Remember, the +4 to Backlash makes the 20 result on the table occur 1 in 5 
times.  That's -very- severe!  Heaven help anyone using a relic that 
increases Backlash rolls even further...

As a final note on HoE Hucksters, for those who want a viable Weird West 
Huckster in HoE, I would point to the Child of the Reckoning knack listed on 
my website (www.anet-dfw.com/~mcgirt/kestrel/games/deadland.htm), in the New 
Edges and Hinderances section (the same edge could be used for someone born 
on the day the bombs dropped, BTW).  I actually plan a time-travel scenario 
where Caleb (my campaign's 13-year old huckster) will meet his future self, 
so even though I don't normally run HoE, it's important to me.

Someone said a little while back that it shouldn't matter what the official 
policy is on the matter, since you can use your own rules.  That may be 
true, but the gaming community is much better served when the rules 
currently in use are the way the majority of people play.  This helps when 
conventions are run, and when people move to a new gaming group.  We want a 
core set of rules that don't require everyone to use a house rule (to 
replace a rule few people like).  Right now, the response on the list seems 
about 50/50 about the rule...but this doesn't count the lurkers that are 
letting others argue the issue.

To close, I'll open up another potentially sticky subject - who plans to use 
the new rules for double-action guns that will be in the Deadlands revised 
edition?  If you keep the two games consistant (Weird and Wasted West), then 
almost every gun in HoE fires 2 shots per action.

-Casey


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