tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post3819749737113860396..comments2024-03-25T00:36:40.345-07:00Comments on Heroes & Other Worlds: Inquiry into Gaming #2: ExplorationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-53194266843409098152016-08-26T05:40:09.023-07:002016-08-26T05:40:09.023-07:00the AFF Quickstart didn't cover armor and dodg...the AFF Quickstart didn't cover armor and dodging -- so i'm extrapolating from your comments and what i've seen in some rpg-ish boardgames...<br /><br />i don't have a problem with handling armor like that per se. it's sort of like saying "the orc's blow was deflected by your armor" or "the orc's blow found a chink in your armor". there probably wasn't a simpler way of introducing armor to such a simple system -- and it flows from how Luck was used in the FF cyoa/solo books. however, i'm not fond of the extra rolling it introduces to combat.<br /><br />in the FF cyoa/solo books, there was no armor or dodging per se. you could roll against your LUCK and if passed, the damage you took was reduced, halved, or negated. you could also do the same thing when you hit a foe but increase the damage instead. however, each time you used LUCK, it was reduced by 1 point. i'm going to guess that AFF handles DODGE like that.ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-45039318042640414552016-08-26T05:20:12.207-07:002016-08-26T05:20:12.207-07:00from what i gathered in my "research", A...from what i gathered in my "research", AFF grew out of FF -- which were basically choose-your-own-adventure (cyoa) books with a little dice-rolling thrown in. a very basic AFF (FF) rules system and very little book-keeping. i found some free downloads of these cyoa books and like the fuzzy stats/simple system for that sort of "game".ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-45258974989300284912016-08-26T05:13:11.949-07:002016-08-26T05:13:11.949-07:00ha! tru dat!ha! tru dat!ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-20918779231679959612016-08-25T12:12:26.492-07:002016-08-25T12:12:26.492-07:00I am NOT annoyed AT ALL! None of this bother me in...I am NOT annoyed AT ALL! None of this bother me in the slightest! People sharing good ideas-thoughts-stuff they like or don't like, other systems--it's all good. There is more than enough "don't say that, you might offend someone" crap in the world--I steadfastly refuse to be that sort of cat. Speak freely--while you still can! :) Fenway5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14870312188585916750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-78300106889009433412016-08-25T10:45:31.934-07:002016-08-25T10:45:31.934-07:00BTW, yes, I agree -- I much prefer that method of ...BTW, yes, I agree -- I much prefer that method of opposed tests as well; it just makes a lot more sense and is much easier to wrap your head around than the way it was being handled before. This way, it's a simple "roll-off" instead of figuring out how much someone "missed" by and then trying to figure out what that means. In short, it takes a two- or three-step process and reduces it to one step. Much more elegant. When I read it, I said; "THAT'S the way to do that!" ;-)Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-28075642556322506462016-08-25T10:40:19.067-07:002016-08-25T10:40:19.067-07:00You know what? We've really hijacked the heck...You know what? We've really hijacked the heck out of this thread. I apologize to C.R. Maybe we should carry this off-line somewhere so we don't further annoy him! ;-)Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-61501137023022423712016-08-25T10:39:00.155-07:002016-08-25T10:39:00.155-07:00I'm not sure what this means. Is that somethi...I'm not sure what this means. Is that something different from what's in the AFF rules? (I never saw or owned any of the solo books, and I haven't purchased any this go-around -- this was all an attempt on my part to sift through another rules set to see if there was anything I liked in it. There's a lot to like here, and most of it can be fit in with existing TFT family type rules with a little tweaking, but there are quite a few things that are just annoying too.)Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-10485217310349821532016-08-25T10:36:07.108-07:002016-08-25T10:36:07.108-07:00Totally concur -- what's worse, it seems like ...Totally concur -- what's worse, it seems like your armor and weapons are totally dependent of random chance. Personally, I think they should either work, or not. A cloud passing over the sun doesn't suddenly make my shield ineffective. Personally, I'd go strictly with the TFT/HOW/LAW combat system by preference. It's one of the reasons why I always preferred the TFT family in the first place -- logical and consistent.<br /><br />I do like the way they implement DODGE here though -- that seems to be a more efficient way of accounting for it than the somewhat convoluted rules of TFT back in the day.Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-79443518940706045592016-08-25T10:32:22.738-07:002016-08-25T10:32:22.738-07:00@ewookie: I agree completely with you on the &quo...@ewookie: I agree completely with you on the "stats" issue -- I really don't like their choices there (though it holds together consistently with their rules, and thus works well for AFF). I much prefer something I can get my head around and that matches up with a concrete characteristic (like ST, DX, and IQ, for example). The only one that I could see possibly being of use is "Luck," and even there, I think there ought to be a way to tie it to something else. (I REALLY like the way luck works in AFF -- you can substitute it for a "skill" roll and if you make it it's an awesome move, but you lose some of your luck as a result; which really brings to life those old saws about "living on your luck," or "running out of luck!" Despite that, it ought to be handled in relation to a given TFT style characteristic somehow, I think; I just can't come up with any bright ideas on how that would work at this point.)<br /><br />Their Gods are bog-standard too -- "Blah-blah, Prince of Evil" and that sort of thing. You could easily replace them with your own Gods and simply tailor the selection of preistly powers to the God of choice. Do you have a list of the priestly powers in the Quickstart? If not, please e-mail me at jlv61560 (at) Yahoo (dot) com, and I'll send you them. (I could also provide a list of the gods and what they grant at the same time...) I don't want to publish them here because; a) that could get Brandon in trouble, and; b) I still have SOME slight respect for the Copyright laws... ;-)<br /><br />As far as the mechanics go, I would imagine that they assume something more or less like what you are suggesting above occurs, but hand-wave it in the pursuit of simplicity. After all, this is pretty much one of the simplest FRPG systems I've ever seen... Still, I like your suggestion on how to "power up" the priest for the day. I was also thinking that perhaps there should be some sort of tie in to the Priest/Theologian skills (though, for my purposes here, I think "Theologian" should be changed to something like "Hierophant," since really even what SJ was talking about when he put it in place back in the day was a "higher level" of priest). Maybe the priest gets two powers and the Hierophant gets to add an additional power plus the special power... Using the powers should still take a casting roll vs IQ (I think all casting rolls should always be vs IQ, not DX).<br /><br />One other thing I like from AFF on the magic front is the "oops table." I've always thought there should be more serious consequences than were indicated in TFT to begin with.Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-47897829153126953742016-08-24T03:15:13.520-07:002016-08-24T03:15:13.520-07:00p.s. i do like the stats/system for the original s...p.s. i do like the stats/system for the original solo/cyoa books. i may have to give those a go.ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-30725866980557480852016-08-23T19:19:21.399-07:002016-08-23T19:19:21.399-07:00p.s. also, i find using tables to resolve man-to-m...p.s. also, i find using tables to resolve man-to-man combat utterly detestable. AFF seems to do this from the quickstart.ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-2196820954722038742016-08-23T19:11:42.535-07:002016-08-23T19:11:42.535-07:00@jeff
i actually went "hunting" last nig...@jeff<br />i actually went "hunting" last night. found the "quickstart" for free on drivethruRPG. i was pleased to see someone has already implemented opposed tests the way i like to handle them (2d6+stat vs 2d6+stat). i like the different forms of magic as skills. i've toyed with that myself. i have sometimes thought of doing something similar to their normal tests (2d6+stat vs. target number). what i don't like are the "stats" themselves - SKILL, STAMINA, LUCK, MAGIC. i've never liked anything with "fuzzy" stats like that. i like my stats specific and concrete and my skills "fuzzy".<br /><br />of course, the quickstart doesn't delve into priestly magic but i like what i've read here (your description) and on wikipedia. it sounds very dependent on the campaign/setting though - you must pick from a set list of deities from their "pay-for" materials. another approach (if they don't suggest this in their "pay-for" materials) would be to let the player make up their own diety and negotiate with the "Director" on what his 3 powers and 1 special power would be. even so, instead of saying "you can use these powers once per day" or some other mumbo-jumbo, i still like the concept i had going with "karma points" and "prayer". at the beginning of each day, the "priest" or "paladin" prays for the blessings of his deity. the "praying" is a test against his "priestly" skill. if successful, he gets "karma points" equal to his "priestly" skill. each of these points may be used like normal karma points or to exercise one of the "priest/paladins" powers. the powers can be derived from the DCG/HOW spell lists we already have or the player and "Director" can negotiate a new power. to gain a new power, spend XP equal to the "IQ" of the spell (power).<br /><br />letting players create their own deities seems like a nice way to let the players shape the world in which they are playing and creates a great diversity of deities. win/win.ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-1030222176488548452016-08-23T10:51:10.367-07:002016-08-23T10:51:10.367-07:00Now you've gone and done it -- I've starte...Now you've gone and done it -- I've started looking up BoL and OQ2 to find out more about them. Darn it, I spend enough on RPGs as it is!Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-52564583833981532742016-08-23T10:35:13.909-07:002016-08-23T10:35:13.909-07:00@ewookie:
1) Point taken.
2) I think, if you w...@ewookie: <br /><br />1) Point taken.<br /><br />2) I think, if you want to look AFF over, you can get the <br />PDFs pretty cheap at DriveThru; or you can go to NobleKnight for the hardcopies. I prefer print when I can get it, so I hit NK up for my copy. By all means, get the stuff published in 2011 -- it's a much cleaner read than the original stuff from the '80's according to the many reviews I checked out prior to buying.Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-17853571331845970962016-08-22T20:45:34.914-07:002016-08-22T20:45:34.914-07:00then again, what is luck if not the favor of the g...then again, what is luck if not the favor of the gods? :)ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-32735805253930342862016-08-22T14:55:32.086-07:002016-08-22T14:55:32.086-07:00See, what you call them doesn't really matter....See, what you call them doesn't really matter. Karma points already existed in DCG rules. What matters is how you obtain them and what you can do with them. For clarity, yes, a final rules draft should call them something other than "karma points". I was trying to contextualize the discussion by saying "where ever you see 'karma points' think 'faith points' instead.<br /><br />AFF sounds lovely...ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-77013982405877361072016-08-20T22:39:23.560-07:002016-08-20T22:39:23.560-07:00AFF it's one of ma favouritte setting. My love...AFF it's one of ma favouritte setting. My lovely "FOUR" are: HOW, OPENQUEST2, Barbarians of Lemuria and AFF.<br />Rules regarding Divine Magic are great in OQ2 and in a BoL:fantasy Hack. OQ2 - percentile system, Divine Magic it's a skill having it's value. You have own portion of priestly spells. There are Holy Warriors and priests with specials. Yummie!<br />BoL:the Hack. Divine actions are fuelled with Faith Points. There is a pool of such an actions you can undertake - healing, blessing...<br />I cannot give you a link to it, for there is a watermark... :(<br /><br />Mrufhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02482062940971238657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-62453450929944849232016-08-20T20:37:55.330-07:002016-08-20T20:37:55.330-07:00See, I was always more equating Karma points with ...See, I was always more equating Karma points with "luck" (which the folks who created AFF came up with an interesting system for using as well) -- a way for the players to "play a hunch" or just say "to heck with it!" and go for broke. I never really thought of them as a religious element.<br /><br />Especially since the only actual DCG skill that creates them for the players is "Bard"...Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-55216348821758365582016-08-20T20:34:06.105-07:002016-08-20T20:34:06.105-07:00I LOVE me some DCG!
I'm looking through vario...I LOVE me some DCG!<br /><br />I'm looking through various rules sets to see what I can figure out for this kind of stuff. I recently acquired a copy of Advanced Fighting Fantasy, and they have some surprisingly clever ideas in there for both religion and various kinds of magic. (I was in the Army by the time the AFF books were hitting the market, so I was completely unaware of them and that entire episode in fantasy gaming history -- until I stumbled across them via a couple of reviews literally by sheer accident. Actually the original AFF rules (written, apparently at about the same time that Metagaming was shuttering their doors) would dovetail very nicely with TFT/DCG/HOW with only a minor bit of rewickering. The most recent version (the one I have) does apparently an even better job of writing a tight set of rules. I have to admit their "game world" is bog-standard (and frankly a bit boring), but they have a nice, tight, fast-playing set of rules there!<br /><br />The way it works there is that you have to pick the skill Magic-Priestly and then are given a "standard" set of three spells (specific to your deity), along with a "special power," all of which you can invoke once daily, or, in extreme emergencies a second time (but usually have to pay a price of some kind for the privilege -- Deities don't just hand these things out for laughs, ya know). If you fail to live up to your priestly responsibilities, you can have your powers revoked (they actually have rules for "priestly responsibilities" too, though it's mostly up to the GM to manage that).<br /><br />It's actually a pretty workable system. If we disregard "Magic -- Priestly" as a skill and substitute "Priest," suddenly things take on a whole new dimension. If we say that "Theologian" adds additional Priestly magical abilities, we have a useful set of skills that in the past have been studiously ignored by most players as being fundamentally worthless unless the GM specifically designed a campaign around them.<br /><br />Oh, the possibilities!Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-40500069875617045412016-08-20T20:23:33.079-07:002016-08-20T20:23:33.079-07:00Again, sorry -- see above!Again, sorry -- see above!Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-78861239282383424432016-08-20T20:23:00.903-07:002016-08-20T20:23:00.903-07:00Ah. My bad -- I was under the impression from the...Ah. My bad -- I was under the impression from the way you wrote that that you already had some working ideas. My apologies... ;-)Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-1942658316979340322016-08-18T02:29:10.435-07:002016-08-18T02:29:10.435-07:00@all
"I would start, not with a map, but with...@all<br />"I would start, not with a map, but with its inhabitants. Who lives in this world? What is the culture/society like? Who are their enemies? Allies? Things like this take the most time to develop and can be dropped almost anywhere on almost any map."<br /><br />to be honest, most good "monster manuals" cover most of this - at least for the non-human factions. most "monster manuals" don't cover various human factions. this makes me want to dig out my old MERP book. most of the "monster manual" section covers the various "races" of men. there's more about humans in MERP than about the other races. part of the reason why i've never understood why LotR takes a bad rap for being "high fantasy". truthfully, it really wasn't that "high" - but it inspired a lot of "high fantasy" that attempted to emulate it. the emulators failed for precisely this reason in my mind - they were too "high"! lolewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-8706341056878168752016-08-18T02:12:03.864-07:002016-08-18T02:12:03.864-07:00the conversation about "faith points"/di...the conversation about "faith points"/divine magic starts here:<br />http://darkcitygames.proboards.com/thread/101/itl-skills-talents?page=6<br /><br />i call them "karma points"/Priests/Paladinsewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-49226796990549206122016-08-18T02:08:46.825-07:002016-08-18T02:08:46.825-07:00You're right... Brandon certainly...You're right... Brandon certainly...Mrufhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02482062940971238657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-47108823513015431972016-08-18T02:01:58.473-07:002016-08-18T02:01:58.473-07:00@Jeff
My thoughts exactly!@Jeff<br />My thoughts exactly!ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.com