Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

[Trebuchet]

All four GMs for our upcoming 1905: The New Century Campaign got together for lunch yesterday, and one of the things we agreed on was that we would definitely use Heroic Action Points in our pulp campaign. The only other thing we were in complete agreement on was that the points could not be saved or transferred; otherwise each GM will probably assign and use them as he sees fit when he's running. We trust each other enough that we see no reason to use identical approaches since we each have our own styles as GMs. I thought, since we see a number of obviously top notch Pulp Hero games written up in this forum, that it might be informative and interesting to see how other groups are doing it.

 

Do you use them in your Pulp Hero games; and if so do you have any suggestions or caveats about them? How many do you usually give per session; do your players use them much; and has there been any downside in your game from using them? What has been your experience with them?

[Steve Long]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

I use 'em and they work beautifully -- the players love them and have used them in a perfect Pulp fashion, to save themselves from looking bad, cancel out rotten luck of the dice, and things like that.

[Barton]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

I use 'em and they work beautifully -- the players love them and have used them in a perfect Pulp fashion' date=' to save themselves from looking bad, cancel out rotten luck of the dice, and things like that.[/quote']

DITTO.

I also assign them secretly and then the players must guess how many they have, extra nail-biting fun!!!

[Trebuchet]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

Do you assign the same number to each character, or is each character's individually and/or randomly determined? How many points is average? Do you give extra points during the game as a reward for particularly heroic actions?

[Koshka]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

I was playtesting a pulp adventure last night, and used them. I just had everyone roll 3d6, total is the number of HAP the character had. To keep track, I gave everyone one glass nugget per HAP, and they handed them back to me as they used them.

 

I've got a pair of questions to piggyback on this thread:

 

1) How do you combine regular Luck with HAP? Add the Luck dice to the dice rolled for HAP, or run Luck separately?

 

2) One of the pregens has Unluck. How do you combine that with HAP -- can the character spend points to overcome the results of an Unluck roll?

[incrdbil]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

Ok, this sounds intriguing. What is a Heroic Action Point--or more specifically, what do you use them for?

[Lamrok]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

Do you assign the same number to each character' date=' or is each character's individually and/or randomly determined? How many points is average? Do you give extra points during the game as a reward for particularly heroic actions?[/quote']

 

I would assign them for particularly genre-appropriate actions, especially actions that put the character at a tactical disadvantage. This would provide a mechanism to re-inforce genre conventions.

[Robyn]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

Ok' date=' this sounds intriguing. What is a Heroic Action Point--or more specifically, what do you use them for?[/quote']

 

It sounds like some sort of "fudge mechanism", with built-in limitations on when they can be used (only for Heroic Actions). Used to reroll a single die, all dice, or assure success in some endeavor.

[Trebuchet]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

Ok' date=' this sounds intriguing. What is a Heroic Action Point--or more specifically, what do you use them for?[/quote']In Pulp Hero they are points given to characters to retroactively alter results of actions in the character's favor. They can change die rolls, CHAR Rolls, damage given or taken, etc. Changing a result takes one or more HAPs; and the player may or may not know how many points his character has available.

 

What I'm trying to do here is get some suggestions about the nuts and bolts of using them.

[Aroooo]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

I've used them in my Pulp games, and sometimes my sci-fi games as well. We start by rolling 3d6 and add the total (per character). Characters with Luck get to add 1d6 per level to the 3d6 roll. For Unluck, I generally charge double (or tripple) HAP, i.e. Levels of Unluck x HAP = HAP required... All this is per game episode or chapter. Once the episode is over, points get reset.

 

Oh, sometimes I will award HAP based on good role play or humorous player interaction, etc.

 

Aroooo

[Steve Long]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

To expand on my original comments, I use 2d6 for HAPs. I tried 3d6 at some con scenarios, but it always seemed to lead to one guy with 14-18 of 'em, which proved to be a bit much.

 

In the current adventure I'm running for my group (Voyage Of Doom), one of the features of the early part of the scenario was an in-character poker game with several NPCs. The reward for good play on the part of the two winningest PCs was that they got a certain number of HAPs that carry over from game to game -- they don't "vanish" at the end of the game like usual. Once spent they're gone, but until being spent they remain. Added a great element of "we really have something to gain/lose here" to the poker game.

[Curufea]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

Hmm - now I'm going to have to get my Pulp Hero book back from the friend I lent it to and look up these HAPs. It sounds like an interesting game mechanic.

[Robyn]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

In the current adventure I'm running for my group (Voyage Of Doom)' date=' one of the features of the early part of the scenario was an in-character poker game with several NPCs. The reward for good play on the part of the two winningest PCs was that they got a certain number of HAPs that carry over from game to game -- they don't "vanish" at the end of the game like usual. Once spent they're gone, but until being spent they remain. Added a great element of "we really have something to gain/lose here" to the poker game. [/quote']

 

What loss did you have in mind for them, if they had? 2d6 minus their losses for future HAP rolls?

[Savinien]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

Could you use an HAP to reroll your poor HAP roll?

[Steve Long]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

What loss did you have in mind for them, if they had? 2d6 minus their losses for future HAP rolls?

 

No, the losers just didn't get anything. As it turned out, neither of the "winning" players was actually the big winner for the game, so they didn't benefit too much, but c'est la vie. The tactic accomplished its aim of giving the poker game some real significance to the players.

[JmOz]

Re: Heroic Action Points - Do you use them?

 

I have house rules for the Luck Power (which is a talent in my games)

 

Basicaly each player can buy dice of luck, roll at the beginning of the session, count body

 

Luck points can be used to reroll dice rolls (Better result)

Get a free Recovery

+2 to a skill roll

+1 to OCV/DCV

Council a Unluck point

Give another character a single luck point (This takes 2 Luck points to do)

Make minor changes to the enviroment (Bigger the change, more the cost)