Hugh Neilson

How about a Physical Limitation complication with reduced frequency to reflect the fact that the character is not always missing those portions of his anatomy? I suppose another possibility would be a Multiform construct where each Multiform has a "Duplication; altered duplicates; cannot recombine" construct. Complicated, but perhaps no more complicated than the Summon approach.

Yup - rowboat, rather than sandbox.

Some years back, I had someone refer to a "sandbox" campaign in contrast to a "rowboat" campaign. The sandbox as he described it had players who would work together. The game world was there, it had plenty of plot hooks, and the players/characters would decide their goals and which hooks to bite. The rowboat was "You are in a boat on a massive featureless sea. What do you do?" Why you can pick any direction you want, with no idea what may be found, or even whether anything will be found, no idea where you came from or where you are going. Have "fun".

"It depends". One of the most effective tactics for a team up against a Big Bad (or even 2 against 1) is to wait for the opponent to commit to an attack, the target Dodges (or Blocks), the rest attack.

I find part of the challenge is defining "ordinary circumstances". PCs get an Everyman skill which is PS 11-, representing their job or a hobby. Since people can typically perform their jobs, 11- must be good enough to pretty much auto-succeed in ordinary circumstances. Or do you expect most people fail at basic on the job tasks 3 times in 8 (11- fails 37.5% of the time) and do even worse at anything slightly out of the box? We get an 8- Area Knowledge. I think most of us can navigate around the town or city in which we live pretty effectively, so it seems like even an 8- must be good enough for ordinary circumstances. Looking at page 58 of 6e vol 1, a -3 is the starting point for "extremely difficult", which caps out at -5, the breakpoint for "sheer folly" (ie why even try?). "Routine" is +5 to +3. "Easy" is +1 to +3. I think we tend to assume a baseline roll for something pretty routine and assign penalties from there, which is effectively starting every task with a -5. I'd say leaping from the bridge when the stones start unexpectedly shifting under your feet is not "routine" or "easy", but would be a pretty standard task for which a roll is required, so no penalty. Trying to make that roll while carrying the unconscious princess over your shoulder and fighting off an angry Wyvern darting out of the shadows, without losing your DCV? OK, that's probably at the higher end of Difficult.

That sounds a lot like a construct I recall in a magazine somewhere (might have been Adventurers Club, or Dragon) which was defined as 3d6 of luck that came up all 6's, one charge. It was named "extra life" or something similar, with the same game effect.

It seems unwise to fire up his competitive spirit in this regard.

I'm not a political scientist, so if one wants to correct me, feel free, however I do not believe the world has ever had a true communist regime as envisioned by Marx. His vision saw a nation move from monarchy to capitalism and then to communism. Russia was not on his radar - they were a monarchy and had not transitioned to capitalism. The Russian Revolution used his buzzwords, not his maxims. To me, the problem with his vision is that it requires human beings to place the welfare of their fellow human beings equal to, or even greater than, their own. The basic human trait of selfishness prevents the system from working. Much like economic theory breaks down under the practical reality that "perfect competition" exists in few if any industries.

A man, called to testify at the IRS, asked his accountant for advice on what to wear. “Wear your shabbiest clothing. Let him think you are a pauper.” Then he asked his lawyer the same question, but got the opposite advice. “Do not let them intimidate you. Wear your most elegant suit and tie.” Confused, the man went to his rabbi, told him of the conflicting advice and requested some resolution of the dilemma. “Let me tell you a story,” replied the rabbi. “A woman, about to be married, asked her mother what to wear on her wedding night. ‘Wear a heavy, long, flannel nightgown that goes right up to your neck.’ But when she asked her best friend, she got conflicting advice: ‘Wear your most sexy negligee, with a V neck right down to your navel.’ The man protested, “What does all this have to do with my problem with the IRS?” “No matter what you wear, you're gonna get screwed.”

An IRS agent contacted a preacher to verify a parishioner’s church contributions and asked, “Did Mr. Smith give $6,000 to your church?” The father said, “He will, son. He will.”

Sounds like not wanting someone to buy OCV to hit more accurately.

I recall one of Mystique's early X-Men appearances. Wolverine sees two Nightcrawlers fighting. He slashes at one without hesitation because the other one smells right. I don't think there is a more classic shape-shifter than Mystique, and she was missing a sense she could fool.

I didn't find it combative. It is frustrating to see people look at these programs from the perspective of "how much can I get" rather than "am I the one truly in need", though. Generally, there are no "perfect right" answers in broad government programs. Having to design programs that should take months of drafting, review, consultation and more drafting and review over a long weekend does not improve the process. All they can do is the best they can to reach those in need as fast as they can, and patch the cracks as we discover them.

Badger, there is a lot of ill will from many business owners that much of the Canadian relief measures facilitate loans, rather than outright subsidies (although there are some pretty hefty wage subsidies - the big one passed into law in under 12 hours yesterday). It seems we cannot figure out that, whatever we call it, it IS a loan. Either we're borrowing directly from the bank or indirectly by boosting the deficit and the debt to pay subsidies. Unfortuunately, the cost of NOT making these investments is greater than their huge costs. I've seen a few reporters ask "well, do we know the cost this will have?", and I try not to wonder whether, in 1939, the question would have been "Well, I know it's a war and all, but have we figured out how much it's going to cost?". The COVID-19 crisis has been compared to WW II a lot in recent days. But in WW II, the actual fighting never hit our continent. COVID-19 is right here.

I think it depends on what you want from the power. The "summon" model means that each part gets its own actions and operates independently, so he can have one arm attacking the Bad Guy while his other arm is hauling Reporter Nellie Nale off the bhuilding ledge to which she is precariously clinging. Meanwhile, his right eye is following that henchman who just ran off with the Maguffin so we can retrieve it later, and the rest of him is doing a Move Through against another Bad Guy. That's a lot more utility than Stretching, and more complex, mandating a completely different build.

Remember how different things were going to be after we elected a government on a platform including no more huge omnibus bills that disguise the stuff the gov't wants to sneak through (we blew away all historical records in that regard), greater transparency (so, why can't the former Justice Minister be freed of her confidentiality obligations to testify to government committees, again?) and more independence/free votes for MPs (anyone remember a free vote; I do remember elected members being forced or kicked out of caucus for failure to toe the party line). Oh, and of course, diversity and inclusivity like a 50% female Cabinet. Oh, boy! No more scandals! What did we get? A Finance Minister who can't remember he owns a French villa through a corporation, or answer when asked whether he and his family still own a big chunk of a company that makes a lot of money on things squarely under his portfolio. A leader who has to be told by the Ethics Commissioner that accepting expensive vacations from someone who is constantly lobbying the government is outside the lines. Political interference in the decision whether to criminally charge a corporation that results in one (female) cabinet minister being ostracized from the party and a second resigning from caucus because she just can't support the treatment of the first one. Three (or more?) provinces taking their case that the government overstepped its bounds and implemented a regime from which they will not back down which is outside their constitutional powers (the three Appellate Court decisions to date being split 8-7 in total suggests that could go either way - but there;s the little matter of a pandemic to deal with before we hear what the Supreme Court has to say). And after all that, we re-elect them, albeit in a minority position, after the most divisive political campaign in living memory, leaving a big chunk of the country asking whether separation may not be that bad an idea while watching how well that's working for the UK. It's nothing short of miraculous that even this pandemic could get the various leaders working as a team again. After that necessity passes...who knows? To LL's point, however, it is truly disturbing that, for all that is wrong up here, it's STILL at least an order of magnitude or three better than it is south of the border.

I noticed two things in our last election here in Canada. First, it seemed like any pretense that my vote would be cast based on anything other than who promised me the biggest cheque in the shortest time had vanished. Second, the price of a vote seemed to have undergone a marked decline. * I'm not sure why we can't figure out we are being bribed with a portion of our own money, but it has not improved in my lifetime. * I think it may move in step with the market for souls.

I don't find we see the parents of very many of these child characters (or a whole lot of adult characters) in fiction. Why should we see them in the game? There seem to be a lot of orphans in fantasy fiction. Luke Skywalker was a bit older, but a somewhat younger Luke would not seem to have needed a permission slip from home to take a field trip to the Death Star.

OK, now I don't want to fix the typo...

I'm sure no one will care but me, but that is what the Internet is for. The Canada Revenue Agency (think IRS, but with maple leafs and hickey [EDIT: oops - hockey] sticks) is, for the first time ever, manning the phone lines on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Why? Well, they don't say. But with most of their call centres (including the ones that call to ask where your unpaid taxes are) closed, the main centres are the individual enquiries line (presently restricted to calls to help with 2019 tax returns, people whose benefits aren't showing up and those trying to get access to CRA online services used to help with those same issues) and the brand-new, 2,000 person call center dedicated exclusively to helping people apply for a brand-new benefit for those who are unable to work (sick; quarantined; laid off; etc.) due to COVID-19, I could hazard a guess. The business line (the only other one that's not closed for the duration - I think I know where those 2,000 people came from to staff the new line) is closed as is normally the case on holidays. We all know the reputation of the civil service in general, and the Tax Man in particular. We get a lot of negative news these days. We need to hear more about the people who are giving their all to help in a crisis. There's way more of them than we know.

To play the Devil's Advocate, how much does it cost to look like a little old lady? How much does it cost to look like a cute little 5 yo blond girl? I'd look sideways at "I look like a housefly". Really? Yet you have the DCV of a 6'2" human being, take knockback like a 100 kg human being, are perceptible as if you were a 6'2" human being, can't actually fly or cling to walls - a housefly that just runs along the floor, and pretty fast given those itty bitty legs - and can lift 100 kg. Seems like a pretty odd character concept to me. But if you paid nothing, expect to receive benefits commensurate with that cost. "Hey, there's a housefly on the floor. Ain't there a SuperNinja what can look like a housefly?" If you took DF: Housefly, then expect the world to notice and recognize you - that's what DF does. You wanted all the stealth and infiltration opportunities that logically come along with taking the form of a housefly? Then you logically spend the points to buy that ability.

I agree with Gnome - if it wasn't a surprise, they probably wouldn't be standing on the part of the bridge they were expecting to drop away. The DEX roll determines if they can react fast enough to the surprise.

Although Germany's case count is a bit lower per capita, their per capita death rate is 2/3 of the US and their per capita testing is almost double.

As long as it stops your droplets reaching anyone else, it prevents the person wearing the scarf spreading the illness they do not know they have.

The core combat mechanics, skills mechanics, etc. are not overly complex. Toss on a pile of optional rules and that changes. Relative to other games, how complex is CharGen? Let's assume you want to play Pathfinder, or D&D? How complex would that feel if you had to read every class, race, spell, feat and special ability in the game before you could make a character? What makes these seem simpler is that the abilities are bundled. OK, I want to play a warrior-type, so I don't read any class that doesn't get +1 BAB every level, or any race that doesn't have bonuses suitable for combat. No need to read any spells I can't get at first level, or many feats, and I only need to read low-level class abilities for the class, or classes, that catch my eye. A "powered by HERO" game would, or at least could, provide similar pre-bundled, pre-fab abilities with no build data, just game effects.