tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346997917591558747.post4170770360715799333..comments2024-03-13T23:09:50.841+00:00Comments on Vaults of Nagoh: Luck Does Not a Hero MakeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346997917591558747.post-34504410472390637322009-05-18T21:33:00.000+01:002009-05-18T21:33:00.000+01:00@Tom: Hi mate, thanks for posting.
"...what is t...<B>@Tom:</B> Hi mate, thanks for posting. <br /><br />"...what is the difference between the one soldier who gets hit by the german morter and the other right next to him who survives? they were both ducking in their foxholes."<br /><br />In game mechanical terms? Could be current HPs, saving throw, distance from aim point, any number of things. Sure, a lot of those factors do depend on unpredictable random chance; but on sheer 'blessed by Fortuna' luck? Ockham's Razor says (probably) not...<br /><br />I think we're going to remain a little po(tay)to/Po(tah)to over the question of luck vs. heroism. But then, wouldn't a hivemind just be boring? ;)Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346997917591558747.post-14116974095823323782009-05-18T14:50:00.000+01:002009-05-18T14:50:00.000+01:00In my opinion, Fate Points are directly descended ...In my opinion, Fate Points are directly descended from Hit Points. It is no accident that WHFRP has an otherwise lethal combat system, and something similar might be said of <I>Star Wars D6</I>. I have often contemplated introducing fate/destiny points to my D&D games, and a mechanism for doing pretty much that was introduced in the AD&D/2e supplement <I>Skills & Powers</I>, but really hit points are already doing the same job.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05646247954542936623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346997917591558747.post-9601842022613283412009-05-17T23:47:00.000+01:002009-05-17T23:47:00.000+01:00FIst of all, if not luck, what is the difference b...FIst of all, if not luck, what is the difference between the one soldier who gets hit by the german morter and the other right next to him who survives? they were both ducking in their foxholes...<br /><br />I have no problem if you think differently, different strokes for different folks - I am an older gamers and verteran of campaigns played to completion from before second edition. I am just throwing somethign out there to think about that resulted in a lot of fun in our group<br /><br />As for the merits of a Fate system in the first place - Heres the rub - gamers bravado frequently logically results in their death if you played everythign by the numbers. I dont have time to go into grat detail, but everything boiled down to two things: fake stories where the DM wimped out on encounters just because the players went rolling the 20's the way they expected them to, or threats that were so easy that they were frankly boring. The fate system was a mutual idea of our game group adopted from WHFR and it worked out great. We still had deaths, because most players only had about 4-5 fate points per adventure and modding a roll to a clean miss was 3 points. Fate could not save you from death if you were in an unwinnable situation. Say you spend all yoru fate to achieve a few clean misses - so what, the third shot is still coming at you - Fate just gives a small window to re-think your options.<br /><br /><br />Tom WAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346997917591558747.post-10384861728222176852009-05-17T21:50:00.000+01:002009-05-17T21:50:00.000+01:00@noisms: Yep, Gleichman can be passionate about hi...<B>@noisms:</B> Yep, Gleichman can be passionate about his gaming. I've known guys like that IRL. Like thoroughbreds; a proper handful at times, but great if you can get them pointed in the right direction.<br /><br />Planescape Belief Points are something which had completely overlooked. Thanks for the pointer.<br /><br /><B>@Jonathon:</B> Thanks for taking the time. It was interesting (and a little disorienting in a "Do people really think this now?" way) to read a view of heroism so widely divergent from my own. More preconception challenging stuff like that pls.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346997917591558747.post-21932789067275941172009-05-17T18:58:00.000+01:002009-05-17T18:58:00.000+01:00"If anything, it sounds more like a lemming-like r..."If anything, it sounds more like a lemming-like rush to self-immolation" -- LMFAO.<br /><br />Tom is somewhat new to blogging; I've asked him to check out this and the WhiteP post in reply to his post at TCM. Personally; I'm on the fence. Fate systems have their advantages for certain styles of games - I mean, 4E Action Points are pretty much the same thing, albeit a bit watered down.Jonathan Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06133232985480734844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346997917591558747.post-14488570252451842482009-05-15T19:08:00.000+01:002009-05-15T19:08:00.000+01:00I've been on the recieving end of a bizarre Gleich...I've been on the recieving end of a bizarre Gleichman rant myself - apparently I'm a symbol of postmodernity and how young people these days are pathologically afraid of making judgements, or something. So I take anything he says about anybody with a pinch of salt.<br /><br />Nevertheless I do somewhat agree with his rant about fate points. There is a sense of entitlement in the concept (and in 'cinematic gaming' generally) which gets up my nose. But I also think that luck does play at least some part in who gets to be a hero in real life, so I don't mind fate points used in tandem with some sort of balancing mechanic to represent bad luck.<br /><br />I also quite liked Planescape's Belief Points, which represented the way belief and faith actually do mould the multiverse.noismshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933436762608669966noreply@blogger.com