From: Michael Kossowsky (STUDBNET%ILJCT@VMS.HUJI.AC.IL)
Date: Fri 26 Jul 1991 - 09:56:33 EEST
On the whole, I like the Ken's sorcery system - it's Runic (thus more
'Gloranthan'), it 'feels' more like magic then the current system, plus
it introduces more game balance. It does have one - to me - 'flaw'. As a
GM and as a player, I prefer to start a character with very little or
no previous experience (RQ2 bias here), and then watch them slowly grow.
Your system makes a PC sorcerer starting off at the same time as his
Orlanthi buddies completely non-feasible. Just to be able to cast the most
basic spell of value, a PC has to have Law, 2 or 3 Runic skills and a spell.
Assuming that the spell has a diffculty factor of 20 or 30, then for a
pc sorcerer to have the same chance of 'hitting' as his Orlanthi buddie with
starting skill in his broadsword, he need 20 in his minimum rune and a 20 or
30 in his spell!
So, you might say that this isn't a flaw - sorcerers should be very rare and,
yes, they just don't make for good starting characters, only heavily pro-rated
oned with 10 - 20 yrs previous experience. Also, it seems to me that in
the default sorcery system and in Ken's system there is a problem with saying
that the sorcery skills are only advancable by study/training. Let's compare
these skills to computer programming - I sit in front of my C editor for the
first time - I don't have a hope of doing anything. So, I sit with my C manual
for a bit, and learn a couple of commands, some basic structure and syntax
rules (i.e. study), but then I sit in front of my editor/compiler again and
start programming - I get a whole bunch of errors, I look back at my manual,
figure out where I went wrong and go on - this happens quite a bit, but after
a while, I stop getting so many errors, I begin to be able to write a program
with those 10 commands with only 1 or 2 errors, and I can spot them very
quickly - I have improved by experience! But, I am still limited by the 10
commands I know, so if I want to be able to advance any more, I'm going
to have to get some more training in C. Now I know 20 commands, plus records
and files, once again I can get experience, etc...... So, what I am proposing
without having thought out a method for yet, is a system whereby, in between
training/study sessions, a certain amount of experience could be gained. I am
not sure if one could gain more from experience at the earlier stages or the
later - I could come up with arguments for both.
Well, what do y'all think?
-Michael
studbnet@iljct
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