Orcs as player characters

[Jim Kane]

Originally Posted by JohnPaulB

Round Up? MA=5 That would be better than MA=4, but worse than MA=6.

You can do what suits you best for your game. While odd integer value MA is very helpful in scaling the speed and distance of movement of various figures, but when it is used, as you see, it leaves an odd integer value half-move; and therefore as GM we are always forced to justify the odd value to an even value for the half-move, so that any given MA works in combat too.

JK

[Rick_Smith]

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

... While odd integer value MA is very helpful in scaling the speed and distance of movement of various figures, but when it is used, as you see, it leaves an odd integer value half-move; and therefore as GM we are always forced to justify the odd value to an even value for the half-move, so that any given MA works in combat too. JK

Hi Jim,
You didn't reply to my previous post, but I think I might be misunderstanding your point. Let us say that someone has a limp, -1 MA. So they are moving 9 hexes per turn.

Under the old TFT rules, they can move half their MA or less, and attack, dodge, etc. So they can move 4 hexes and do these things, or move 9 MA if they just want to run.

Why do you have to justify anything? Am I missing something?

Warm regards, Rick.

[Jim Kane]

Originally Posted by Rick_Smith

Hi Jim,
You didn't reply to my previous post, but I think I might be misunderstanding your point. Let us say that someone has a limp, -1 MA. So they are moving 9 hexes per turn.

Under the old TFT rules, they can move half their MA or less, and attack, dodge, etc. So they can move 4 hexes and do these things, or move 9 MA if they just want to run.

Why do you have to justify anything? Am I missing something?

Warm regards, Rick.

Sorry Rick, I didn't think your post was seeking a response from me; simply because a figure can indeed move *much* less than half their MA (i.e. one hex), so your comment was on-point.

Well, I think you may be misunderstanding the use of the word: *Justify*, as used in this case. I do *not* mean it as in: "To provide a reason"; but rather, to round (either up or down, for whatever reason) to a whole integer for movement purposes on the combat map, when the half-move would otherwise end up as a fraction.

JK

[Soyt Gose]

Originally Posted by Steve Jackson

Designer's intent is that all the humanoid races be playable as PCs, even Prootwaddles if the group thinks it's amusing.

I have smoothed off some of the rough spots on character generation to make starting characters of the different races more equivalent. This in particular means that a starting PC goblin is SIGNIFICANTLY superior in total stats to an average goblin, but I have decided I don't care. We are playing extraordinary people, even the green ones.

(Examples: The Dwarf bonus to damage with hammers has been removed. The extra weight they can carry remains. The Halfling ability with Thrown Weapons is now regularized as an automatic grant of the Thrown Weapons skill.)

After several years of D&D-style Orcs and immersed in the Tolkien orc (pretty much as red-shirt enemies), my players really enjoyed playing TFT-style orcs. For a while, it was the preferred character type. It was a great modification to RPGing. I wonder what would have happened in those days if Goblins had been more evenly matched as PCs.

[Anomylous]

Originally Posted by Rick_Smith

Hi Steve, everyone.
I prefer that the different races be ... different from each other. Sure a campaign could have every race being the same except the paint job, but I would rather than each race is significantly different from each other, with real advantages and disadvantages. Ideally the races should be roughly balanced.

In TFT as written, the +2 MA for Elves was a huge advantage. Their -3 DX penalty for crawly things does not come up as often as the MA helps them, and is a weird disadvantage for Elves. (Elves live in the woods and freak out over insects???)

Anyway, an Elf with Running moving 14 is fine to me. But cool advantages need to be balanced somehow.

Warm regards, Rick.

I once tried out making Elves allergic to iron, a nod to pre-Tolkien mythology. It's a fairly severe disadvantage, limiting Elves to leather/cloth armor (unless they spring for silver armor), and restricting their choice of weapons. As compensation, I removed the creepy-crawly "squickitude" (great word!) and maybe gave them a +1 damage with bows (due to secret elven bowyery techniques).

At the time I tried to institute some kind of fatigue damage for elves being in contact with iron, but now I think I'd say it just gives them a nasty, itchy, and painful rash - no damage, but Elves being the vain creatures they are, will never willingly touch metallic iron.

[Rick_Smith]

Originally Posted by Anomylous

I once tried out making Elves allergic to iron, ...

Hi Anomylous,
I really like this disadvantage! I much prefer it to elves freak out every time they see a preying mantis, giant ant, or lady bug. Hopefully Steve will use your idea.

Warm regards, Rick

[zot]

Originally Posted by Anomylous

I once tried out making Elves allergic to iron, a nod to pre-Tolkien mythology. It's a fairly severe disadvantage, limiting Elves to leather/cloth armor (unless they spring for silver armor), and restricting their choice of weapons. As compensation, I removed the creepy-crawly "squickitude" (great word!) and maybe gave them a +1 damage with bows (due to secret elven bowyery techniques).

At the time I tried to institute some kind of fatigue damage for elves being in contact with iron, but now I think I'd say it just gives them a nasty, itchy, and painful rash - no damage, but Elves being the vain creatures they are, will never willingly touch metallic iron.

Originally Posted by Rick_Smith

Hi Anomylous,
I really like this disadvantage! I much prefer it to elves freak out every time they see a preying mantis, giant ant, or lady bug. Hopefully Steve will use your idea.

Warm regards, Rick

Would they take more damage when hit by a weapon containing iron and would an elven UC artist take damage from striking a shield or armor containing iron? There are... several... of those kinds of weapons and armor like that :)

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

The only thing you would need to answer here John, is at MA 9, what then would be the Dwarf half-move?

Bizarrely enough it can be neater to make the MA change in steps of 2/3, rather than 1.

• MA 10 can run 10 hexes or charge 5.
• MA 9+1/3, aka MA 9+, can run 9 hexes or charge 5.
• MA 8+2/3, aka MA 9-, can run 9 hexes or charge 4.
• MA 8 can run 8 hexes or charge 4.
• etc.

So if you intend to have a finer granularity 2 MA, try dividing by 3 rather than 2.

[Anomylous]

Originally Posted by zot

Would they take more damage when hit by a weapon containing iron and would an elven UC artist take damage from striking a shield or armor containing iron? There are... several... of those kinds of weapons and armor like that :)

More damage when hit by iron weapons - if we're talking a steel arrowhead lodged in a wound, then yes, and you'd see continuing effects until it was removed. Other weapons don't tend to stay in contact with flesh very long, so I'd say the effect would be small to none - probably wounds inflicted by iron are more painful for elves, but not enough for in-game effect.

The elven UC artist would logically just wear gloves, but also wouldn't likely be in contact with iron for long enough to cause real problems anyway. (Edit: I had a mental vision of a martial-artist Elf, covered head to toe – and realized that I just accidentally invented elven ninja...)

An elf placed in iron manacles would be severely miserable, though.

But obviously, if you use this in your campaign, then play it however you like!