From: mc@cp.dias.ie
Date: Thu 17 Jun 1993 - 19:02:14 EEST
Just reading through my copy of the playtest rules and typing in
any notes in the margin that I've pencilled in so far
Page 13:
DETERMINING CHARACTERISTICS
How about including the characteristic rolls for commonly played non-humans
here too? Brown and Green Elves, Trolls etc. Also under the Deliberate Method
include the totals used for non-humans so that the reader doesn't have to
go off and add up the averages of a troll's characteristics himself.
Page 19:
FIGURING SKILLS CATEGORY MODIFIERS
Here I'm in agreement with the idea of making all modifiers around the same
in magnitude, especially the Attack and Parry mods.
STRIKE RANKS:
Try this: DEX+SIZ-N*WEAPON SR = MELEE STRIKE RANK
For normal combat make N=4 (say) and Highest MSR strikes first. Change N to
suit: If you think weapon length is important, make N bigger, not so important,
make it smaller. For N=4 a 2 point difference in Weapon SR makes for an 8
point difference in SIZ and DEX. If the weight of SIZ (pardon the pun) is too
great in this formula for you, make it SIZ/2 instead.
For missiles just use DEX*N for a readied weapon or DEX+10 for an unreadied
one. This insures that a readied missile weapon goes first in almost all situations, and an unreadied one not so reliably.
For close combat change to DEX+(N*SR) so that unwieldy weapons slow you up in
close combat.
PROFESSIONS AND PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
These all look alright to me, with reservations. The prevalence of weapon
skills for everyone and his uncle has already been mentioned by several people.
I'm also not sure about the additional levies placed on professions like the
sorceror and noble and so on. While a nobleman's son may well not have the
same level of training as a mercenary soldier's son would, why should the
daughter of a shaman (say) have to spend BP's just to get the profession
resulting in lower skills (overall) than an equivalent tribesman from the same
tribe. I know that the two would have different skills but why should one have
a lower total?
Also a possible error in the sorceror's profession table. Does any one else's
draft copy have a different schedule of costs/skill levels for the sorceror
and the general table presented at the beginning of the tables? I have
Sorceror 45% 1 60% 2 75% 4 90% 8
General 45% 1/2 60% 1 75% 2 90% 4
Which of these is correct?
SKILL EXPERIENCE ROLLS
Lots of good ideas going around about this. Personally I have never had the
skill check frenzy that seems to have prompted the change in the frequency
of increase rolls. In fact I would suggest an example for this section showing
the benefit of giving out increase rolls in little used or neglected skills.
e.g. After one week's travel in unfamiliar country give all the players a check
(or an increase roll) in Ride, Scout (Terrain), Survival (perhaps) and Craft
(Cooking).
A simple problem I forsee with the easy/medium/hard/veryhard progression
is that, unless forced to by cult requirements, most characters
will put their increase rolls into skill where they can see a concrete
improvement. The skills that should advance slowly due to difficulty, will
advance doubly so because the players prefer to get +5 or +7 for an increase
roll than a +1 or +2.
Why roll different amounts for training and experience? It seems to me that
three weeks in the bush, hunting with a Foundchild master hunter is three
weeks of training (most training, as pointed out by Nick Brooke and others, is
in fact not desk study but field observation and imitation). Give the
character a few skill checks in appropriate skills and let him/her roll for
experience normally. To my mind only Lores and Languages can be trained up in
the "spend x hours down the temple" method.
How about the following for training times if you need them
Average of Instruct% and Skill in Question%
Current 01-25 25-50 51-75 76-89 90+
Skill
01-25 3wks 2wks 1wk 1/2wk 1day
26-50 n/a 3wks 2wks 1wk 1/2wk
51-75 n/a n/a 3wks 2wks 1wk
76-89 na/ n/a n/a 3wks 2wk
90+ n/a n/a n/a n/a 3wks
The table lists the time required in tutelage under the Teacher to
get one experince check in the skill in question. Perhaps 1 day is too short
a minimum period, in which case restrict it to no less than 1/2 week periods.
This table also insures that Masters of their Skills are appropriately
better at the teaching of that skill. If the weight of the instruct skill is
too great or too little change the relative weights for the calculation of
the top row.
CHARACTERISTIC INCREASES
Why not something simple like weeks of training equal to half the value of
the characteristic in question. Succeed in instruction roll or (Max-Current)x5%
roll and go up as D6 1-3 +1 point 4-5 +2 points 6 +3 points. I use this
for my power gain rolls too.
BLEEDING
I don't like the current bleeding rules as they mean a wounded adventurer (or
whatever) doesn't bleed until incapacitated in some hit location. I do not
think this is realistic. Why not something like once wounded in any location
for more 2 points, record one bleeding wound. Each bleeding wound reduces
your fatigue roll at the 5 round mark, or perhaps preferably shortens up the
interval between fatigue rolls. This is a bit clumsy still. Has anyone got
bleeding rules that work? Another point, No first aid to stop internal
bleeding, as inflicted by "Heavy crushing weapons".
FATIGUE
Like most people I dislike the "add to roll" concept introduced here.
I say 5 fatigue classes as suggested in the draft, with skill losses as
Skill Reduction 0 -10 -30 -60 incapacitated
Move n/a n/a 2/3 1/2 none
AutoFailure 96-00 91-00 86-00 81-00 n/a
and the autofailure chance modified as suggested on the list already.
Does any body know if Carl Lewis and friends recover as quickly as implied
by the draft rules? 5 rounds now equals 30 seconds and duriing that time a
warrior can "run at top speed" losing (on a failed roll) 1 fatigue level which
is recovered in 12 seconds taking it easy or 6 seconds completely resting.
This doesn't sound right. Sprint 30 seconds and you cover about 270m
by the rules, I don't think Lewis and similar sprinters can sprint repeatedly
with 6 to 20 second breaks inbetween 100m dashes. Nor should Gloranthan foot
men and the like.
Long term fatigue loss is very messy, and need a good pruning to make it
simpler and easier to apply. People will start ignoring rules from the moment
they open the book, but you shouldn't incourage them too much <g>
CRITICAL HITS
"I roll 02, ooops I've slain the Crimson Bat."
Can we change this bit, please? The Spear has already got too many advantages
in the rules as it is, with impales and now 2d6 experience increase against
1d6 increase for swords (Real Men use swords).
Ignore Armour (or Shatter parrying weapon perhaps)
or
Double damage roll. (not both)
However I did like to see the return of the Slash and Crush.
SKILLS
Like many I find too many skills offputting, especially when my character sheet
is covered in 00 and 05% skills. Leave plenty of space on the character sheet
for new skills and cut back on the redundancy in the lists.
A profession skill, like PS:profession in the Hero System might be a
good idea. This could cover those awkward and annoying skills like torture,
administrate, accounting etc. Also with the 30-60-90 division of calibre
you could determine professional standing as apprentice,journeyman or master.
Refine Medicine
What is the POT of found herbs/animal parts/whatever? I can't afford to always
buy my healing herbs from the town and I'm sure many travelling healers pick
their own using Plant Lore to find them. Give us a good flora section in the
creatures or world chapter, and perhaps a table here of common gloranthan
plants and their properties.
Memorize
Why the low base chance? Before the least it could have been was INTx1% and
that was only if you had a very tough GM. I know that this works by rote and
is not strictly comparable but even so I think th chance is too low.
DISEASE
I always preferred and used the RINGWORLD suggestions on disease for RQ. A box
or table of common/uncommon diseases in Glorantha, with information on the
symptoms, incubation time, exposure risks and possible cures. The smallpox
write-up in RINGWORLD is really what I'm thinking of. Also mention here the
role Malia plays in the spread of disease, if you want a Gloranthan base to
the rule-set.
SPIRIT COMBAT
Ouch! I never found I stood much of a chance against the disimbodied world
before, but now: No Way. Considering how fond Chaosium are of dropping in
the odd spirit and ghost here and there in their published scenarios I don't
think that these rules are going to help such spirit combats go smoothly. Too
many tables and the advantage of high Power watered down for us poor embodied
folk by the introduction of a Spirit Combat skill. I think, in Glorantha (and
probably elsewhere too) that the force of will (POW) is the overiding factor
in spirit conflict. As it's now written most characters will have Spirit
Combat of 25-30% and it being hard (+d3 a pop) there it is like to stay. See
above in the discussion of skills for the gist.
That's probably enough to be going on with. I have yet to see the
draft Sorcery rules but the P+M presence sorcery gets my thumbs up. Can anyone
send me a copy of the draft sorcery to the email address below? I'd be very
grateful.
Cheers,
Myles (mc@cp.dias.ie)
0,,
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