Comment by themodelplumber | Hacker News Reader

Comment by themodelplumber | Hacker News Reader

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themodelplumber

There are so many different ways to run games. It can be disheartening to see people play very energetically to what is essentially one's own point of least interest.

Maybe it's similar to seeing someone speed run a video game where you mainly go for the sensory thrill of taking it slow. And you feel some pressure to get "better" but it doesn't exactly sound fun. Maybe something like that, anyway...

Personally I like to house-rule away just about everything that bugs me about any given game, if I like the setting for example. (And I also appreciate games with optional rules like "here are some ideas for making this game more heroic and less depressing for your PCs")

For example I was using one system and realized the writer didn't care very much about how one weapon differed from another, except in terms of raw damage. So I found a way to take the game in the complete opposite direction and I called my rules framework PaG, for "Play as Gun." (As opposed to playing as a character)

Every rule that the original game used for creating baroque characterizations was applied across to weaponry, and then ammunition. I started getting into all kinds of crazy smart ammo and it was a lot of fun.

This got me thinking of the idea of Ammo As Character in which you could effectively write up your ammunition as an archetype and play it as a character in the game.

That world got really cool fast, IMO. And mostly just to me. But that own-world, own-prefs stuff is a huge part of TTRPG culture.

Weapons functioning the same is mostly about playability. A player can learn their character class and then be set, if they find a new weapon they don't have to learn a new class. But if the complexity lies in the weapon it means that every time a characters weapon breaks or they have to use something new, their entire playstyle now changes and they have to learn new rules, that really slows things down and most players aren't that interested in reading about the rules of new things. Even the basic character rules in dnd are said to be too much for newbies.

Having more complex weapon behavior like that works much better in computer games where players can just play without having to understand what things does.

There are roleplaying systems that do embrace the complexity (and well beyond CPRG).

Here's an "attack table" for one specific weapon in Rolemaster: you roll a 1-100, add and subtract a whole lot of offensive and defensive bonuses and end up with a result like "15DK" -- 15 hit points of damage and a severity D critical hit on the K (Crushing) table. The broadsword can give both Crushing and Slashing criticals. That again has 20 random outcomes such as "Strike lower level; tear tendons. Foe is at -25%. +3 hits. Foe is stunned and unable to parry next round"

https://i.stack.imgur.com/SPCmu.png

Yeah, that strikes me as much too complex. I like the games where you get something like ‘3 damage points, pick any effects you want (optionally limited per weapon type) or just pure damage’

Rolemaster? That's rules light. Try Hârnmaster:

https://writeups.letsyouandhimfight.com/hulk-smash/hrnmaster...

Holy flashback to my 90s gaming days!

https://writeups.letsyouandhimfight.com/images/14470f59529fa...

Rolemaster is probably my favorite system, to this day. Had a devil of a time finding anyone to play it with though. Somewhere around here I have a couple boxes full of ICE Rolemaster books. I like the complexity, and the ability to run either a low power or a high power game.

I still think ShadowWorld (the main Rolemaster campaign setting) is the most detailed and well put together setting I've ever seen.

Just checked, ICE and Rolemaster are still going.

I think I'd love to play, I just wouldn't want to GM... ever!

I found that FantasyGrounds virtual table top platform supports Rolemaster, automating much of the table lookup and rolls (no more sticky notes marking pages with certain tables). I haven't tried it myself, but have read good things. Virtual table top platforms (FantasyGrounds, DNDBeyond, etc.) are an interesting market to examine the history of, from inception to the success they currently enjoy.

I know some people like those hyper crunchy systems but they're just not for me. It always feels like they're better suited for the backend system for a computer rpg where all the tables and math can be simplified away.

I agree, if you have to consult 50 charts and formulas to calculate damage in a single round of combat that's going to slow the game down too much. No need to go full computer rpg though, I could see a DM pulling out a laptop and writing some scripts to handle some of the math while keeping the rest of the game tabletop though.

That could ease some of the burden yeah but you still have to know the tables pretty well to be able to predict and plan what your combat is going to look like.

Easiest way to avoid that: don't let weapons break and only introduce new weapons when players ask for it.

The rules shouldn't be a straightjacket dooming the players to a death spiral of despair and boredom. Especially so if they're your own houserules.

Personally I don't even understand why people buy rulebooks anymore. Just for the art I presume, or to cannibalise for their own systems and settings.

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