[HOE] Heroes&running the perfect HoEGame

[Dusarat@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/16/01 11:01:06 PM Central Daylight Time, 
hoe-owner@gamerz.net writes:

<< If you'll forgive me for asking, if you're so dead-set against AB's WHY did
 you pick up HOE in the first place rather than a more "normal"
 post-apocalyptic game?  This makes no sense to me STILL.
 
 --Kai Tave >>

AB's, are for the BAD guys!  The more powerful and destructive the AB, the 
better it is.  Go back to the Coolness check..

    Davey Crockett, standing at the Alamo in 1820, one man, one gun, 
thousands of enemy Mexicans....
    Dave Crockett, at the Ruins of The Alamo in 2081, one man, one gun, 
against thousands of Mutants, who, on top of everything else, Can Fire 
Friggan Laser Beams!

    I'm not saying HoE isn't a great setting, my position is that in most 
parties I've seen, easily half the party members have been Arcanes.  And 
considering the high-level of power of arcanes (Templars being an exception, 
thankfully), putting them in a genre that is supposed to be about ordinary 
folks standing against extra-ordinary odds, it takes away from many elements. 
 
    These aint hucksters we're taking about (reletively minor effects unless 
they draw uncharacteristically well) or Mad Scientists here (Durability 
check!), these are guys who have abilities that are superheroic.  The fact 
that the idea of balancing them is an issue proves it. 
    Rad priests are a great idea, for villains.  especially since the GR 
radiation is supposed to be PURE EVIL (not that this affects the schismatics 
any).  And gun-toting junkers are another good villain idea, especially since 
junkers who make weapons are supposed to fall to THE TAINT (Seen a lot of 
Junkers make weapons in my time, never seen one make a Taint check).  Sykers 
are a wonderful mold for an NPC who first fights the party but they 
eventually get her on their side (Team players, they are not, except with 
other faraway Sykers). 
    Munchkins love to play superheroes in normal people games.  Munchkins buy 
books, LOTS of them, I'm afraid that books will do things to pander to that 
crowd.  
    There are exceptions to every rule (The idea of playing a PARTY of 
sykers, fresh back from Faraway and thier experiences on HoE....).  But 
mixing the superheroes and the norms and then expecting the Marshall to be 
able to scale challenges in a way that the AB's don't take over, but the 
norms aren't irrelevant...  Try to keep THAT one up.