Vanguard00

Re: A Thread for Random Musings Tonight I've mentioned my girlfriend three times in various contexts. My girl's pretty cool, and here it is 11pm and I kinda want to call her and tell her so, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow. But yeah, she's pretty cool. Just thought I'd share.

Re: The cranky thread My girlfriend let me know that her son's bike got stolen this afternoon. It had just happened, so she jumped in the car and trolled the neighborhood to see if she could find it. She made it all the way around the corner (she's one on corner lot, she made it to the one right behind her) and saw a kid with a bike. She pulled over, asked him about it, and he denied it, taking the bike (which she didn't get a good look at) into the backyard. She goes home and goes upstairs, looks out her back window to the house and sees him hiding the bike. She goes over there, confronts the kid, gets his mother to fetch the bike, tells the kid to not be caught in front of her house again, and leaves. She called me, bitched for 20 minutes about how now she has to make sure everything is locked up, the kid's parents are clueless, he'll be going to jail soon, etc. My girlfriend is a sherriff. She opted not to play the badge and the "scared straight" role and would rather bitch to me. Kinda blew my good mood this afternoon/early evening. Then I had dinner and felt better, but man I hate it people bitch without going for the obvious solution.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Kara did mention something about "Rage's friend" on a certain Bikini thread...

Re: Cool to the touch disadvantage...Thoughts? Yeah, I'd go with a "Distinctive Features" disad, as well, and make it "Extreme reaction" (-3 to Interaction rolls).

Re: Answers & Questions Q: So what'd you think of the movie "Catwoman"? A: I'll try anything once, twice if it doesn't leave scars.

Re: Answers & Questions Q: What are you, some kind of stalker? A: I tried it your way and got shot for my trouble.

Re: Thanks to Keith Curtis... So you see, Steve, it's your own fault for publishing the products you do. Your rule books have an entire GM section (just about every one, if I'm not mistaken), just about every character you put out (if not all of 'em) have 1-3 plot seeds, you devote entire books to "supportive" information, and you provide even more such ready-made material for selected NPCs, organizations, etc. It's quality merchandise like this that's going to be the downfall of...um...you know, other quality merchandise. And stuff. Like this. Crap. I started with a point. Really...

Re: My Dee-en-Dee conversion!!!1 Actually, when I first saw the handle I immediately though of Mariah Carey. Go figure.

Re: Real and Active Point Limit Campaigns Cool. Just checkin'. It just takes a while to get to know people's posting style.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER I have to go to the store now. I have to find something to make for dinner. I have lots of stuff to put on and around food, but no actual food. If it was just me I could handle it, but the girlfriend frowns on mac'n'cheese, Rice-a-Roni and stuffing dinners. Apparently she wants something called an entree. Something about carb overload... Sheesh! Women.

Re: My Dee-en-Dee conversion!!!1 That would explain a few things.... Kidding!

Re: Real and Active Point Limit Campaigns Soulcatcher, please understand that I didn't intend to knock your example of Real/Active Cost caps. When you solicited information on how to make it better, you also open yourself to the question of "Is it worth making it better". As I said before, it can be difficult to post something new and then see criticism of it. However, if you're posting here to the boards you'll see that quite a bit. Don't get too thin-skinned. Also, don't be discouraged by those who disagree with you. Continue posting your ideas and sift through those posts you don't agree with to find those you do. Perhaps it's a simple matter of not responding to those in open disagreement with you, or perhaps you shouldn't try so hard to convince us it's a workable solution. It may be, but it's up to us to accept it or not. And being Hero System gamers we tend to pick apart just about everything that comes our way. You'll see it a lot. At the risk of being argumentative, you can continue looking for the positive input you desire, but be prepared to accept the negative input, as well. My first reply to you was solely in answer to your questions and you didn't seem to like it much. I'm sorry you felt that I was trying to shoot it down. I wasn't. I was simply offering alternatives. And I sincerely hope you can, too. Again, don't let this round discourage you. Continue posting your ideas and try to gracefully accept that not everyone is going to agree with you.

Re: What if REC was based on EGO, not STR? Oh yeah! I forgot to say welcome! My mom would be so ashamed...

Re: What if REC was based on EGO, not STR? Um...I have to say that I haven't. I can kinda see where you're coming from, but I probably won't change anything. It might be an interesting limitation on a power, though: How Does He Keep Going? +10 REC, Must make EGO Roll (-1/2)

Re: Real and Active Point Limit Campaigns Actually, I can say that it makes it weaker. It's a difference of opinion, something you'll get on these boards a lot. I'm not knocking your gaming style, but I am saying that I believe it's overcomplicating the system in place. I told you why I thought the math was wrong. If you didn't like my answer I'm sorry, but that doesn't negate it's veracity or applicability. No argument there. It is indeed a novel approach, and trying something new is rarely a bad idea. However, based on your depiction of such an approach, it's perfectly reasonable for me to state that this approach is not one that I want to "check out". Heh...I'm really not trying to knock your system, SoulCatcher. I'm simply replying to the statements you make. The first sentence in the quote above sums it up nicely. Everyone does do it their own way. You asked why the thread was deviating from "how do you add this up" to "this isn't good" and I tried to explain it, that's all. I maintain that if it works for you then more power to you, but don't expect people to be convinced, and don't be surprised when people come out and say that they aren't convinced. It is a novel approach, and I'm sure that someone will try it and maybe it'll work for them, too. All saying is that even with my original suggested differences on your example as to how I'd do it, I probably won't institute such a model for gameplay. It can be difficult to say "This is what I do" and then see bunches of people try and tear holes in it. I tried not to do that, but rather demonstrate what I thought were some flaws in the logic of it, and then state that I personally wouldn't use such a rule. Seriously, no offense or malice was intended in any of my replies.

Re: My Dee-en-Dee conversion!!!1 I don't suppose you'd share...? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Generally I assign a hunted or a DNPC through the course of game play. If it's a Hunted, I try and develop a good archnemesis for the character, someone who will bring something to the table whenever the PC and the villain clash. A DNPC might be a love interest or a fan/wannabe-sidekick or even a long lost relative. Something that might make for good non-combat roleplay. On rare occasions (like, twice), I've used that "mystery disad" as a revolving disad, changing it with each adventure. One adventure it's a hunted and the PC must somehow deal with it. The next adventure it was a DNPC (the stereotypical "guest star" type thing), and the DNPC would no doubt move on at the end of the adventure. Maybe a shift in powers has led to a new vulnerability, and that adventure needs the PC to find a way to fix it. Honestly, I've only had "mystery disads" a few times, but for the most part they've been positive experiences for all involved. "Mystery hunteds" are more common in the games I've played in, which usually leads me to adventure-specific hunteds (guest villains), or a permanent nemesis as stated above.

Re: My Dee-en-Dee conversion!!!1 Methinks Melvin has a new handle... ..but I don't think this one is funny at all.

Re: Help? Need power to counter shapeshift Brainwaves. *nods solemnly* Yep, that's the way to go. Brainwaves.

Re: Real and Active Point Limit Campaigns Bad example, really. Hero system is like a buffet or a salad bar. The same things are going to be there every time, but it's up to you to put 'em together in the manner which best suits your purposes. It's about variety, not "stunted growth". I maintain that if it works for you, cool. But you're trying to convince the majority of us that it's a workable system and some of us, at least, just don't see it. Forgive me, but, um, duh. You brought up a system that no one had ever heard of (myself, I've been playing Champions for about 24 years). Another reason for the thread shift, perhaps, is that you didn't really like anyone else's answer. You've made a couple of comments to invite the "this isn't a good system" discussion, as well. Example: You think it is, many of us think it isn't. For example, I maintain that you are not using the appropriate definition of "Active Cost" in most of your calculations, and you have failed to convince me that your own example of how to do a Real/Active Cost ratio is workable. Thus, this is not an approach that's worth me checking out. You get opinions here at the Hero Games threads, and while we do try and be helpful, "helpful" rarely equates with "say what you want to hear". It's nothing personal, Soulcatcher. You'll get it a lot.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Fooey. Four hours' sleep ain't enough after a good night's partyin', but here I am, checkin' out the boards. Ah, well. Breakfast soon, then a nap.

Re: Answers & Questions

Re: Real and Active Point Limit Campaigns Which is, of course, perfectly fine if that's what works for you. But again I reiterate you are not using Active Cost anymore. 'kay.

Re: Best way to post characters? The only character I ever posted (way back when), I simply viewed the .hdc file, which brings it up in HTML format, selected "view source", then cut and pasted that into the reply box.

Re: Real and Active Point Limit Campaigns Sounds like it might be. I've never heard of it myself. *snicker* Stephen, he called him. How formal You should add up all the numbers under Active Cost except the cost of the EC itself. In other words, just add up the AC of the powers themselves, not the "control cost". Thus, you'd end up with 149/262. Conversely, adding up only the "remaining cost" gives the player a free 100 pts. That ain't right. Here's where your logic begins to fade on me. Granted, MPs only allow one power to be used at the same time, but that doesn't change the Active Cost. It just changes how they are used. Using your method, Armadillo has a Real/Active point total of 58/143. Just because he can't use them all at the same time doesn't change the fact that there are 143 points in Active Cost for the powers. Active Cost doesn't change regardless of whether it's in a framework or not. That seems like an arbitrary solution, but it could be workable. Since you as the GM are limiting it, though, it might be worthwhile for you to give an accompanying limitation value to go with it. Perhaps a mandatory limitation on the Control Cost itself; Active Cost of powers within pool cannot exceed R/C Cost limitations (-1/2 or even -1). The characters now get a break on the Control Cost in accordance with the restrictions now placed on VPPs. Remember, though, it's your campaign. Whatever works for you and your players is usually good enough. Well, then, welcome aboard!