What point total for an FH game?

[assault]

I've got every edition of Fantasy Hero from 3e onwards.

 

The thing with the elves is that I don't really want to have non-humans but people expect them. So they are a kind of lump that doesn't really fit in the setting.

[L. Marcus]

A clash of taste, huh? That's inconvenient. So are you going for a sort of grim and gritty Low Fantasy while the players are expecting epic D&D Forgotten Realms High Fantasy?

[Ninja-Bear]

1 hour ago, assault said:

I've got every edition of Fantasy Hero from 3e onwards.

 

The thing with the elves is that I don't really want to have non-humans but people expect them. So they are a kind of lump that doesn't really fit in the setting.

Ok, gotcha.  At one time I was wondering though that even though Non-humans aren’t in the S&S stories (at least as Heroes), does it have to be that way? Would it ruin a S&S game? Now I don’t think you could (or should) have Tolkien style elves in a S&S game. But, I think you could have elves that are more wilder and alien. I’m thinking the Children from Game of Thrones is the direction I would look at.

[L. Marcus]

Or Melnibonéan elves, like in the Valdorian Age backstory.

[Christopher R Taylor]

That is an option, you could have an elf-like human subgroup with elfin culture and tendencies without being long-eared Tolkien types.

[Mr. R]

10 hours ago, assault said:

 

I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of your characters if it's not too much drama.

 

 

I'll be posting them in the near future as soon as I get a few in storage!

[Mr. R]

On 11/10/2021 at 3:41 AM, assault said:

I've got every edition of Fantasy Hero from 3e onwards.

 

The thing with the elves is that I don't really want to have non-humans but people expect them. So they are a kind of lump that doesn't really fit in the setting.

 

On 11/10/2021 at 10:27 AM, Christopher R Taylor said:

That is an option, you could have an elf-like human subgroup with elfin culture and tendencies without being long-eared Tolkien types.

He said What I was going to say.  What niche do elves play in your mind, and construct a human kingdom that mirrors that.  You could do the same with dwarves, a human kingdom of hardy human miners who are expert craftsman and fierce warriors.  (If anyone scoffs at that, point to Switzerland).

[Ninja-Bear]

@assault were you looking at standard fantasy hero campaign limits? I could probably put  together a character or two.

[Martyn Webster]

Personally, I prefer to have fantasy character start off with as few points as possible and allow circumstances and need drive development - say 50 to 75 pts plus 50 complications. Otherwise, you get power-designed characters who have a backstory just to explain how they got so perfect. This way, they have almost no back-story as they have no heroic history, just a pretty normal upbringing with perhaps some personal struggles, advantages and achievements. You can be generous with experience points at the start and make skills learning not too difficult (e.g. friendly mentors are available) and they can decide how to develop their characters in response.

 

I would also expect a minimum points spend on background skills and talents since you can't logically develop these quickly later. 50 pts of complications can seem a lot at that early stage, but you can go soft on those at first until they get more powerful (eg their hunters are rumored to be near, but they never actually show up in force until much later).

 

If they start off weak and grow fast, they will develop according to what you throw at them and in ways that fit the campaign setting. If there are lots of combat tasks, they will naturally spend point on combat. If there is more talking, sneaking, travelling or mysteries, they will naturally spend points on skills to be better at those things. They will then work out that they don't need everyone to be good at everything, so strategic decisions about who specialises in each area of ability naturally occur and everyone feels they have an important individual role in the party.

 

This is particularly useful for starting players, but it's also an interesting challenge for experienced players who may have a "road map / master plan" in place but can then adapt their concept to fit the campaign and work with other party members more effectively.

 

[Christopher R Taylor]

Quote

Personally, I prefer to have fantasy character start off with as few points as possible and allow circumstances and need drive development - say 50 to 75 pts plus 50 complications. Otherwise, you get power-designed characters who have a backstory just to explain how they got so perfect. 

 

Yeah unless I am doing a Con game or a one-off, I very much prefer starting a campaign at low points.  The last FH campaign I ran started at 25+25 and grew as time went on.  People gained complications as well as abilities (they started as teens in an academy who had just graduated).  This gives more focus on personality and character and less on points and power, in my experience.

[Steve]

One way I am considering doing fast, early growth in an upcoming campaign is to taper it off at different point totals. In 6th Edition starting characters at 50 points and 25 in Complications, then granting 20-25 XP per session for the first few sessions, then lowering that to 10 XP once characters reach 125 total points. Then to 5 at 175 and see how things go from there. Maybe stop to 2 points per session once characters reach 200 points. We play every other week, so quick initial growth followed by slower growth seems good to me.

[Ninja-Bear]

Sounds good Steve. Let’s us know how that works out.