05-08-2013, 11:19 PM | #211 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: OK
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
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Another issue I've had is that players just won't take stuff they think is overpriced, even if it's in-genre and they would otherwise take that stuff. In supers games, I don't see any comic book-style bricks, like Colossus or The Thing, who can get hit really hard and hit hard back, because those are too expensive. There are a lot of speedsters and psychics, but the other common type of hero from comic books is missing entirely. Edit: Quote:
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"For the rays, to speak properly, are not colored. In them there is nothing else than a certain power and disposition to stir up a sensation of this or that color." —Isaac Newton, Optics My blog. Last edited by ErhnamDJ; 05-08-2013 at 11:23 PM. |
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05-08-2013, 11:28 PM | #212 | ||
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
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It almost seems your players play almost gamistly with you leaning towards simulationism. Have you tried changing your style temporarily, just for science/fun/other reason? I've done it, and it changes so much of what I see and how I know to GM. And Gurps is absolutely the best system for houserules and the system that says 'we aren't perfect'. Rule Zero exists for a reason. If you want crushers to exist more prominently, just make their values line up or even cheaper than speedsters and psychics. Quote:
As a side note, I'm pretty sure my signature explains plenty.
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Last edited by kirbwarrior; 05-08-2013 at 11:32 PM. |
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05-08-2013, 11:51 PM | #213 | ||||
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
First off, it assumed that character traits were rated relative to each other rather than on any sort of absolute yardstick. Each player was given a pool of points, and then the players went through a bidding war on each trait to see who got top billing.
Bear in mind that I'm not recommending this for GURPS; I'm just using it as an example of a point-buy system that incorporates player feedback into the costs. Quote:
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Which is to be expected; it's the nature of the beast that point-buy systems will have flaws. I wouldn't quite go that far; it's not like GURPS is the only RPG out there with some form of Rule 0, after all. |
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05-08-2013, 11:55 PM | #214 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
Basically the rankings in the categories that defined the PCs in the game (relative to basically the entire universe) were auctioned off. Each player got so many points (and could get bonus points for agreeing to do certain meta-things like keeping a campaign log). So you bid to be say the Best Swordsman in the Entire Multiverse and the winner got to be that, second place was the Second Best Swordsman in The Entire Multiverse and so on.
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05-08-2013, 11:56 PM | #215 | ||||
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: OK
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
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The goal of the character creation game is to get a character you'll enjoy playing in the roleplaying game. You either win that game or you lose that game, and the stakes are pretty high, since you won't find out which you've done until after you've devoted quite a lot of everyone's time to it, and if you lose it could end up seriously jeopardizing the roleplaying game. It sucks an awful lot when the GM builds the world around your character only to figure out that the character doesn't work in the game. Quote:
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I want players to be able to understand what sorts of characters they'll be allowed to play in the game, so they can take that into account when thinking up a concept. Character point limits are really good for doing that. But that goes away completely when I'm arbitrarily changing prices all the time. Once people internalize the prices, they're usually able to eyeball a point cost in their head. That's why I was wondering how that bidding game worked out. My players usually put a lot of work into their characters and their backstories and stuff. They usually show up with a concept that we discuss and flesh out before the game. I'm not sure how that would work out if the player didn't know what the traits would cost. "I had a cool character idea for a baron, but it turned out I didn't have enough points." Edit: Looks like while I was typing this up, the bidding thing was explained. Sounds pretty terrible.
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"For the rays, to speak properly, are not colored. In them there is nothing else than a certain power and disposition to stir up a sensation of this or that color." —Isaac Newton, Optics My blog. |
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05-08-2013, 11:59 PM | #216 | |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
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"Your pile of crap sure is gold plated, but it is still a pile of crap." We have to make do with what we have. If you tear apart every movie you watch, you won't enjoy watching movies. If you tear apart every roleplaying system, you won't enjoy roleplaying. And you absolutely can tear apart everything and laugh at it's failures. Human nature at it's finest. EDIT: Okay, ErhnamDJ did post while I half-ranted. I want to get myself back on track. There are two ways to build a world; before or during/after PC creation. I can't imagine how you can build the world around the character and then have things not work. I almost always create the world after the fact (just giving the PCs enough details to start their characters), because I've never had it work the other way around.
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Last edited by kirbwarrior; 05-09-2013 at 12:03 AM. |
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05-09-2013, 12:04 AM | #217 | |
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: OK
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
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"This steak looks great. It just happens to have a hair on it."
__________________
"For the rays, to speak properly, are not colored. In them there is nothing else than a certain power and disposition to stir up a sensation of this or that color." —Isaac Newton, Optics My blog. |
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05-09-2013, 12:06 AM | #218 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
If I were running a game where naval combat is central, I'd probably just figure out how to make GURPS skill rolls matter in a naval wargame of my choice. The vehicle combat rules are usable for games where it's not the central focus.
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05-09-2013, 12:10 AM | #219 | |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
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I've very rarely had an issue with actual play rules. Character creation rules are 10:1 on how often they come up as issues on these boards from what I've seen. One solution I've seen on the boards is, if a player doesn't seem to be as good as the others, slightly push their capabilities to get them somewhere (who knows, Cup Staking-20 could become Cup Stacking!-20). And then there is, you have to know what the characters are capable of and line up the adventure around that. No matter what, GM Fiat is going to come up in play, even if the GM doesn't realize it. |
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05-09-2013, 12:10 AM | #220 | |
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: OK
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Re: Advantages Are Not Utility Priced
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So if we take the time to explain how the brick got his powers and to map out his backstory, and I go through the trouble of putting in the NPCs who are important to him, and I figure out what sort of stuff the character's going to be doing, and I figure out and put into the game interesting drama and challenges for him, then I have done a lot of work. And then we might start playing the game where things don't work out for the brick. If it's not as much fun for the player as she had expected, then that's a considerable amount of effort wasted and it's going to significantly detract from the game no matter what I do at that point. It's one of those ounce of prevention type deals. If I already have the story rolling, then it's not easy to stop but it's also no fun for the player to keep playing a character they don't enjoy. It's a no win situation at that point.
__________________
"For the rays, to speak properly, are not colored. In them there is nothing else than a certain power and disposition to stir up a sensation of this or that color." —Isaac Newton, Optics My blog. |
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