S. John Ross

Re: What kind of fantasy campaigns do you love?

Re: What kind of fantasy campaigns do you love?

Re: What kind of fantasy campaigns do you love? Hrm. This echoes something about your original post that struck me as odd ... you moshed "low power" and "gritty/lethal" together as bedfellows (in my experience, they're separate questions, and the amount of cool action depends on the grit/lethality, not on the power). I am, though, still a Fantasy Hero newbie, so I'm not sure if the distinction maps to the Hero system. Are Hero's "toggles" set up in a way that forces (or at least tends to cause) "grit/lethality" and "low powered" to be related in some way? If so, I feel a sudden worry for how much this may multiply the work I need to build my preferred campaign style (which is low-to-moderate-power, but virtually nonexistent grit). In iconic terms, as I like to put it: Han Solo is the once and future protagonist, and I build every campaign (regardless of genre) around that basic notion ... To be clear: I'm not "disagreeing" with anyone's tastes (that'd be silly), but just asking a question that your comment put into my mind. Does Hero marry grit and lethality to low power levels, and if it does, how simple is the divorce procedure?

Re: What kind of fantasy campaigns do you love? All of the above. But my preferences on the details you mention are approximately: Power Level: Low to Moderate beginnings, with slow but constant advancement that lead gradually toward the dizzy heights. Epic-Ness: I prefer a more personal focus, where heroism is a genuine choice. If things get too epic, and the stakes get too big, then increasingly there's a sense of being only one right answer, lest the Entire World fall into ruin or whatever. I like it when there are lots of real choices with real consequences, and in my experience that means a little less epic, a little more intimate. Earthlikeness: I guess my preference is a world that is "earthlike" enough so that I can learn the cultures in quick shorthand and start playing easily, but "weird" enough that further exploration and investment in the campaign begins to showcase the more alien elements. I like a swimming pool with a shallow end and a deep end. Entirely alien worlds aren't my cuppa, but I like a lot of weird to be waiting around the corner, right behind that perfectly ordinary-looking farmhouse Long, world-spanning quests: For that it depends on the group's scheduling. If we can be certain to play weekly or biweekly, then go for long-term world-spanner, since we can keep it fresh in our minds. If we'll only be meeting monthly, on the other hand, self-contained episodes means I don't have to keep detailed notes of the names of NPCs that maybe even the GM didn't remember much, and what DID we do last time? Am I healed? I forget? Political court intrigue?: As long as the GM doesn't mind me approaching it as satire. Plus, I still want to hit something now and then, please.

Re: Pulp Hero, after looking it over I poke in here once in a very, very blue moon I'm doing a brief thread necro just because this isn't worth starting a whole thread over ... In response to occasional questions I've had about it, I've added a short section to my FAQ re which (teensy tiny) portions of Pulp Hero were mine. The rest is of that beautiful monster is all Steve (well, actually, some of most of the _beautiful_ parts of the beautiful monster are by Keith Curtis)! My FAQ is at: http://www.io.com/~sjohn/faq.htm Hope everyone has a groovy New Year!