If I were to do a fantasy heartbreaker

 

Was talking with a couple of folks I used to game with a great deal back in the day. Of course at some point we got around to systems we used to play. What we liked or disliked about them. Why we walked away from some and all that.

Of course we got onto the subject of older Dungeons and Dragons editions before the 3rd one. The one game we all walked away from for at some point or the other. What rules really just irked us and didn't set right in our heads. Two big ones were hit points that just keep going up to where you can take more damage than massive monsters out there and how armor made you harder to hit. 

Now I've seen the things about how hit points were supposed to represent your ability to dodge attacks and move so damage is minimalized and the armor roll was showing the hits that went through and did damage not just all hits. But still just doesn't work for us. Mainly because it means an endless flow of bad guys with bigger armor and bigger hit points with weapons that do more and more damage with no real end in sight.

So I suggested how I would fix that if I were to ever make a fantasy heartbreaker type of system. All of which has most likely been done in multiple ways and variations that there is no way to keep count. 

First very little hit point increase. At the most one point per level. This way you could scale the power creep of bigger and badder monsters and weapons down a whole lot. You don't end up with characters that have more hit points than a heavy damn warhorse by level four or five. 

Second armor would just reduce the amount of damage taken. Either a static amount or maybe even another die roll for those who want to use their clicky clack math dice even more (I know sometimes I do). It would not factor in to your ability to be hit except as a negative for big heavy suits as they slow you down making your PC much easier to hit.

Finally the target number for something to hit you would be based on class and attribute bonuses. This number would get a boost as you level up. So you would have a base 'to be hit' number. Then you would add any attribute or other enhancement (magic, items, etc) bonus. Finally subtract your negatives for the armor you are wearing if there are any. 

Now this is just me spilling out onto my blog the stuff that went through my head today. The chance of me doing any sort of fantasy heartbreaker is pretty slim to none. But sometimes I just need to spit out ideas here to make my brain shut up.

Sprawlvember

 

Well a clever person come up with the idea of Sprawlvember. A series of cyberpunk related prompts to get folks thinking and coming up with neat stuff. I will be participating in this as best I can. Probably won't do one every day but I will do what I can. Up above is the graphic for the event with a list of the prompts. If you are also going to be doing this please drop a comment to let me, and others, know where. 

Jaded Gamer Diary - TRADITION!

 

Over on Reddit somebody started a thread about TTRPG traditions at their table. I found it funny. You can find the discussion HERE, but I also copy/pasted some of the ones I enjoyed for you all. 

So in my house of gaming, whenever someone orders a pizza they win extra exp (+5 in Wod . + 20 IP in cyberpunk. +1D4 in Cthulhu)

Whenever two characters are about to fuck, we are legally obliged to play (or sing) Kiss from a rose by seal.

And whenever something happens to a player irl that may remind them of the ongoing game, they are forced to message me saying "What did you do" (I.E: one of my Cthulhu players found a copy of the King in Yellow when going through second hand dealerships).

If your character has an impressive beard, they get a bonus to social checks. There's often lots of debate about what constitutes a "Charisma Beard", but the GM is the final arbiter.

My players always talk about wanting to "Gandalf", sacrificing themselves so that the rest of the group can live. I will often include a houserule to make it work better (like being able to "detonate" a spellbook, having all the spells cast at once), but so far, no one has done it.

All new characters are rolled with the same oversized wooden dice I got from the dollar store and lovingly hand numbered. I always get a look and a raised eye brow. "Tradition" I say.

How detailed do you need?

 I do so love 80's and early 90's TTRPGs. Everything about them just hooks me and reels all my attention in. Just look at this hit location chart, overly detailed to say the least. Not as bad as, say, Phoenix Command but it's still pretty over done. Even has a second chart for when the target only has their upper body exposed. 

For those wondering this one is from the original RECON game released in 1982 from Role Playing Games Inc. 

Blood! The Roleplaying Game of Modern Horror (Underground Games 1990) | ...

Never heard of this game before I saw this video. Now I really have a big soft spot for late eighties/early nineties games. This has it all, charts, skill lists, blood loss, all sorts of fun stuff. I guess it's never came out in pdf though as I can't find a copy. But damn I wouldn't mind having a print copy in my hands. 

Levi puts Kult on the butchers block.

 

Over on BlueSky Levi Kornelsen puts one of my favorite classic games and puts it on the butchers block to take it apart a little and to say what he thinks of the mechanics. I have to say I agree with him a lot on the breakdown. You can go see the post by Clicking Here or by clicking on the image above. 

That Blog, Over There... for sentient weapon demands.

 

Time to point out another well done blog post done by somebody else. Check out this write up on demands from sentient weapons over on 'I Cast Light'. Follow THIS LINK to give it a read if you will. I thought it was really good.