RE: [HOE] AV - going back to the old way

["Jeff Yates" <jyates@primaryfunction.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-hoe@gamerz.net [mailto:owner-hoe@gamerz.net] On 
> Behalf Of Theo McGuckin
> Sent: Friday, April 05, 2002 4:32 PM
> To: Hell on Earth
> Subject: [HOE] AV - going back to the old way
> 
> 
> 
> I've been thinking about going back to the old AV rules and 
> wanted people's opinion. By old rules I mean that each point 
> of AV reduces the weapon's die-type by one and if it drops 
> below d4 the weapon does no damage. I wanted to adopt this 
> rule just for our HoE game (and not our Deadlands game).
> 
> Several reasons: 
> 1. This rule first came out in Deadlands, where high-damage 
> weapons, AP ammo and arcane attacks are much rarer than in 
> HoE. 2. It would make sense that Deadlands armor wouldn't be 
> as good as HoE armor even if it has the same AV. It's using 
> 200 year-older technology (even if it is a little "mad")

This I disagree with.  Not that technology didn't get better, but that
AV 2 in 1877 is different than AV 2 in 2087.  AV 2 is achieved
differently to be sure (a steel plate vs. reinforced Kevlar), but it's
still AV 2.  The difference I see is that newer tech allows lighter
materials to provide the AV, and higher AV possible.  You don't see much
AV 4 in 1877 do you?

> 3. 
> The realist in me just has a hard time seeing cops walk away 
> from getting shot point blank in the chest (with a 20th 
> century vest, not 21st
> century) and players taking 2d4 damage (which is most likely 
> to cause a single wound) from a pistol even though they're 
> wearing an AV 2 vest (hell, the books list a police vest as 
> AV 1!) 

Show me a PC that doesn't walk away from their first wound, and I'll
show you a whimpy character ;)  Cops in a 20th century vest that survive
the point blank shot might be doing a very good job of smiling thru the
bruising (or even cracked ribs) of a single Deadlands wound.  And Police
Vests of AV1 for HOE goes to show how the general public could be kept a
little fearful of criminal violence if even "well-equipped" law
enforcement didn't live long...

> 4. It's not really a problem from a balance point of 
> view, because the rules will apply to both the good guys and 
> the bad guys.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 

If it makes you happy, go for it.  I've even considered it too, cuz I
too thought it sucked that you could still manage to get something thru
previously good armor.  But like you said, it works for and against the
posse.  I decided it was just easier to go with the published updates,
and I'll tweak up the AV of baddies I feel are important enough.

Jeff Y.
Marshal for the Dynamite Gang