How high can you go?

[Bankuei]

Hi folks,

Another way to use the system to your advantage with these sorts of players is to actively use and enforce modifiers.  Modifiers in the book are mostly shown to be penalties, although smart tactics can add bonuses.  

If you encourage these sorts of players to take bold and exciting actions(swinging from chandeliers, kicking a chair at a foe to trip them, everything Jackie Chan, etc.) and let them know its going to give them anywhere from a +5 to a +20 bonus, they begin to get really creative and exciting with their actions. It puts them to doing what they want to do(action) and focus less on the list-reading.

Also, it helps alleivate the fear that these players have about failure.  Giving them options and allowing them to use them constructively for play helps the entire game run smooth.

Chris

[buserian]

Just wanted to see high I could get a combat skill in HeroQuest - the experiment is below:

Sartarite Warrior - Devoted to Humakt (built with the list method)

[snip]

So his 7W skill jumps by 41 points to 8W3 (and 12W3 vs. Lunars). Not bad... not bad at all - and this is without Iron weapons and armour.

I just can't stop laughing. This is so cool.

buserian

[buserian]

Let's say that the player is fighting a bear.

Player: Heortling Culture?
GM: Oh, yeah, thanks, Heortlings revere bears, that's a -2.
Player: Legends of Humakt?
GM: Yep, that's another good one, there's the legend of Humakt defeated by Odayla the bear, that's another -2.
Player: Strong? Surely that counts.
GM: Well, it's a bear, silly, um, your strength gets you in close thinking you can take him on which gives you...
Player: let me guess, another -2.
GM: Yep. Want to try any more?

This thread just gets funnier and funnier.

I think that all of the points brought up so far to limit the augments are very true and appropriate. Note, though, that even this munchkin isn't all that great at fighting when you consider other starting heroes. And if he is ever involved in anything other than a fight, he's hosed.

I do very much like the idea of limiting augments from Personality Traits or Relationships to just one or two primary ones.

buserian

[Mike Holmes]

Note, though, that even this munchkin isn't all that great at fighting when you consider other starting heroes.

Yeah, I think this is sorta key. Even at 12W3 against Lunars, there's then the clan's head weaponthane who has all the same abilities except for the base combat one which he has at 10W2. Meaning that when he's in the same fight, he's got a 15W4. And then there's that guy from the village over who everyone's heard of because his ability starts at 10W3 making him 15W5 in the same situation (likely more, actually, because some of the augments will be higher).

Never mind Harrek or somebody like that.

12W3 is nothing to sneeze at. But it certainly doesn't make the character superheroic or anything. Just a really impressive youngster or so.

Mike

[Paul Watson]

I don't want to have to do the "pre-game" activity for several reasons. One of them is that I want the players to define the abilities somewhat in play and as a group.

Well, dang. I like the idea of pre-game establishment of expectations, but I've always thought that one of HQ's greatest strengths was the ability of a player to define how exactly the character's abilities work. And you're exactly right. The pre-game activity, especially with new players, would wreck this aspect of the game. Point well taken.

Hmmm ... I'll have to give this some thought.

[Mike Holmes]

I'm a big fan of doing "education" in play. That is, if there's some exercise going on to "teach" players how to do something right, then I think that it's probably just as good to do it in play. Yeah, this might get some characters killed in TROS, and it might slow down the first few contests in HQ, but I think that players learn that much more quickly for it. And it's more fun. :-)

Mike