Limitations 2: The singling.

[Doc Democracy]

26 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

But if all we want to do is  change what we write on the character sheet (more flavour, less crunch) and which rules we leave off the character sheet, we don't need any change to the rules.  Just read a typical Hero sheet, but remove most or all mechanics of the power.  So all we see is "Disorienting Confusion" or maybe "Disorienting Confusion (6d6 Mental Entangle) rather than following it with the entire power writeup.

 

I think the initial suggestion from Neil was not really a change in the rules but in the guidance as to how they are applied - I really dont think what was being suggested was all that radical - having a single limitation value that sums up the limitations applied to the power forces the player and the GM to really think about whether all those limitations in gameplay add up to the value suggested arithmetically.  It has the added benefit of looking cleaner on the character sheet and possibly encouraging more flavour text on the character sheet...

 

I do think there is a need for more than Disorienting confusion or even Disorienting confusion (6d6 mental entangle) to serve as an aide memoire during play.

 

Doc

[Surrealone]

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

Let's expand a bit. 

 

How often have you seen a player provide a limitation for his power with "-0" beside it.  He takes the limitation and applies no point cost, rather than just not adding that largely meaningless limitation.  Not 100% meaningless - he fully expects it to impair his character at some point, but the combined extent and frequency of impairment, he notes, are not enough to justify any limitation value.

 

Or perhaps he limits it more than the rules require.  Maybe the power has 5, or 7, charges (less than the maximum number it could have for the same limitation - 7 because it is luck-based, or 13 because it's card-based and there are 13 cards in a suit).  Perhaps the power which would normally cost 3 END costs 7, at the 2x END limitation, rather than the 6 it could cost, "for flavour reasons".  Or it has an activation roll of 6-, st the maximum (7-) limitation? 

 

By the way, the implication that any player who might build a mechanically effective character, or disagree with your judgement over whether a limitation is sufficiently limiting to merit even a -1/4, reflects a lack of maturity is, in my opinion, itself immature.  It suggests that anyone whose playstyle, or whose vision of how limiting something could be, fails to align with your own is "immature".

I've seen -0 a number of times and, in fact, have it on a few of my own sheets.  I also regularly see charges taken at a smaller number than the maximum charge total at a given limitation value -- specifically to properly represent magazine capacities on real-world firearms.  That said, I'm a bit of an anomaly, I suppose … because the -0 is a pretty rare bird unless we're talking things Steven Long built out in his Gun Fu book.

 

As for the maturity comment, I think you took my implication differently than I intended.  I consider it immature to stack as many limitations as one believes possible to reduce cost, but I consider it normal/mature to have a laundry list of limitations if that is what is required to properly define the limits of a power.  (Intent is the differentiating factor, here.) 

 

 

[Cassandra]

With Slinging you'll need a Blade, and maybe some Fried Potatoes.

[Brian Stanfield]

On 10/1/2018 at 3:44 PM, Cassandra said:

With Slinging you'll need a Blade, and maybe some Fried Potatoes.

 

With mustard? Gotta have the mustard. . . . It's real good.

[dsatow]

18 hours ago, Brian Stanfield said:

 

With mustard? Gotta have the mustard. . . . It's real good.

Personally, I always like it with chopped garlic and a little chives (yes on Fries).

 

[Brian Stanfield]

6 minutes ago, dsatow said:

Personally, I always like it with chopped garlic and a little chives (yes on Fries).

 

 

That sounds quite . . . French, as far as fries go.

[dsatow]

2 minutes ago, Brian Stanfield said:

 

That sounds quite . . . French, as far as fries go.

Pomme Frites are ok, but America I believe has the best variety and taste by far (though my sample size is only limited to 6-7 countries so take it and fries with a grain of salt).