Re: [HOE] Running perfect HoE Campaign

["Kai Tave" <kaitave@harborside.com>]

On the other hand, HOE with no arcane powers has already been done.  It's
called Gamma World, and I didn't particularly care for it.

AB's should be limited on a case by case basis.  If a player has a really
groovy idea for a Doomsayer, don't hold him back.  You can still use
Doomsayers for bad guys and such, and if it gets the player to contribute to
the game in a creative and entertaining manner, so much the better.  On the
other hand, if the player is a known powergamer who doesn't care about
spreading the word of the Glow so much as nuking stuff left and right, talk
to him about what playing a Doomsayer really means.

I agree that Librarian arcane powers are dumb.  Won't get an argument out of
me there.

But honestly, the list goes through this argument what seems like every
month.  Really.  There is no right or wrong answer; it's dependant on the
group you play with and your style of play.

Also, I bet Mad Max would've taken arcane powers in a heartbeat.

Speaking of mundanes, some ways to give mundanes a bit of an advantage:

1). Socializing.  Not every community will accept a
Syker/Junker/Doomsayer/Templar with open arms (though Templar are usually
sneaky sorts anyway).  This will probably vary from settlement to
settlement, but some folks won't like to deal with certain arcane folks.
Think anyone near or around the remains of Virginia City wants anything to
do with Doomsayers?  And that little town in New Mexico might have
lynch-on-sight orders for bald-headed folks ever since a Syker raped the
mayor's daughter.  Normal folks, that is no arcane backgrounds or mutations,
will probably face much less of this, making things like acquiring
information or persuading someone to do you a favor.  Sure, the Doomie could
threaten someone and the Syker could take over his mind, but then you're
just shooting yourself in the foot by causing MORE animosity.

NOTE: Do not have every single town prejudiced against AB's.  That's being
unfair.  Mix it up.  Some towns LOVE Doomsayers.  Some towns don't.  Smart
players will be making maps.

2). Cause and effect.  It's a simple and understandable oversight, but not
all GM's treat supernatural powers as "real" things.  What I mean by that is
that some folks just treat their miracles/powers as canned effects where X
Strain gives you Y effect with no regards for the actual consequences of
their actions.  If your Doomsayer is a Nuke freak, just wait until your
players need to do something that takes them inside a cave, or inside a
ruined building, or an underground bunker with tight corridors.  Also, Nuked
bodies bear no salvage.  Wanted the Kevlar vest off of that Black Hat?  Too
bad it's now one with the universe.  If your pyrokinetically-inclined Syker
is a little too liberal with his Arsons, it's possible he could do anything
from causing a raging brushfire to accidentally setting the settlement
you're defending on fire.

NOTE: Again, do not constantly put the arcane characters in situations where
their powers are useless or detrimental to their own health.  Simply make
sure they understand that with great power comes great responsibility.

3). Strain.  It doesn't last forever, and when it's gone, you'd better hope
you can get by without it.  The dime novel Leftovers gives a perfect example
of a Doomsayer who cuts loose with several Nukes, only to discover when he
had to run that he didn't have enough juice left to Powerup his electric
pickup truck.  In the short-term, AB's are very powerful.  In the long-term,
mundanes can often bridge the gap handily.

4). Equipment.  Cut mundanes some slack on starting gear.  If the character
is a mundane, look a little more favorably towards him when he asks for the
dozen shotgun slugs at character creation (assuming he does, in fact, pay
for them).

5). Authority.  Have folks respect the authority of Law Dogs or Librarians.
While Brother Manhattan might be able to deliver a rousing sermon, he might
not necessarily have the same sway as a tin badge when trying to recruit a
posse to go tackle the raider's camp.

6). Fate.  If all else fails, toss mundanes a couple fate chips at chargen.
My gut tells me one red and one white is a nice lagniappe.

Mundane characters make for some interesting characters.  I certainly don't
advocate FORCING your players to conform to any standard, but do point out
that being normal can have its own rewards in a world gone mad.

--Kai Tave


>I would agree with the people who say starting AB's should be initiates.
>
>Looking back, I would run HoE without ANY Arcanes or I would ONLY allow
>initiates/greenies.  Maybe I would let a Templar in,  but really.  NO
>Harrowed (Unless everyone was Harrowed).  Junkers... I would limit, but
>allow, provided they weren't doing much with Gun Spirits (Something people
on
>this list forget).
>
>Doomies are much more fun as villains, Sykers similarly, but in my days, it
>seems players want to rack up the supernatural power and go out and rock.
>And that just aint American. Did Mad Max need snacky powers?  Did the
>Jerusalem Man need anything except his guns?  Wizards existed in The
>Gunslinger, and Roland wasn't one of 'em.
>    There are always exceptions, but as I get older, I think a major
problem,
>with both this list and HoE in general is that the writers/players don't
seem
>to want to think about anyone without arcane powers.  And they make the
silly
>mistake of giving interesting people with no powers (Librarians), really
>stupid powers.
>
>
>To unsubscribe, send a message to esquire@gamerz.net with
> unsubscribe hoe
>as the BODY of the message.  The SUBJECT is ignored.
>
>